So, you have invested the time to cultivate and grow a nice manly beard which is no small feat.  Now it’s getting slightly out of hand and you need to trim your beard, which should be a simple task, right?

That is: just find a trimmer, pick the length, and then you trim off the overgrowth. However, when you need your beard to look well maintained, you will have to put some extra thought into the process. You shouldn’t treat your face as if it’s a lawn but a garden. You should prune and carefully cultivate it. The following are some rules to follow when trimming your beard.

Preparing to Trim Your Beard

Take a wide-tooth comb and then brush the beard against the grain so as to lift the hairs out of their default position. This is going to provide you with the most even trim as well as stopping the hair from growing in different directions.

Finding the Edge of Your Beard

If left to their own devices beards will typically sprout random hairs and form an uneven edge.  This is evidenced by those few follicles which normally grow outside the face forest, usually somewhere above your cheek line or on your neck’s side. They are removed easily using a simple cartridge razor, this should be dry when you’re not sensitive, or using the shaping tool on your trimmer. However, keeping your cheeks clean should not imply creating some fake line. This is unless the beard is growing above the mustache. When the face begins sprouting fur, you could visit a barber and have him locate a line suiting your face.  Otherwise you can draw a line (with a temporary marker) and try to shave along that yourself.  The more expensive trimmers these days have lasers to help with this process.

Trimming sideburns

How far up you decide to go will depend on your personal preference. However, you should remember not to use the ears as a level. The majority of people’s ears are not even, thus using them as a level is going to make your facial hair uneven. It’s recommended that you should take a step back and try matching your sideburns up as best you can eyeballing in the mirror.  Otherwise get a friend to help you balance them out.

Dealing with your Neck

Well, there exist two schools of thoughts as far as dealing with the neck is concerned. Going natural vs creating a border. However, either way, the neck hair should not be treated in the same way as your face. It’s not advisable to create face lines that appear unnatural and uneven. But when you need to keep the neck clean and tidy for work, it is best to have somebody else try to find a line. It is nearly impossible to make a clean and symmetrical line yourself.

The all-natural shape is considerably easier. When you follow this advice, you should even get away with it even in more conservative offices. You should shorten the guard on the trimmer by a single level and use this for the neck and just under your jaw. You should think of it as beard fade. It’s going to make you appear more sophisticated and generally define your neck better.

Finishing Strong

When you are finished, you should rinse your face so that the loose hairs do not end up on your shirt, or even in your breakfast. When you have some more time, then conditioning or adding some beard oïl or mustache wax is normally recommended.

Some guys choose a beard to help make them look more rugged, others to make them look more sophisticated, more grown-up.

Whatever the reason, there are as many styles of beard as there are face shapes, and finding the right fuzz for you can mean the difference between a beard that rocks and a beard that sucks.

It’s not super difficult, either. Finding the right kind of beard for you depends somewhat on your hairstyle (if you have any hair), and largely on the shape of your face. Presuming that you want to balance out your face and either highlight or tone down particularly strong features, then following Groom+Style’s simple tips for choosing the right beard for your face shape, will ensure that you look good no matter what.

Choosing The Right Beard Requires Common Sense

When it comes down to it, choosing the right beard is easy. As long as you don’t fight what nature’s given you, you can’t go far wrong. As with everything else in life, trying to be something you’re not, will only lead to disappointment in the end.

Be true to the face you have, to the hair you have, and the right beard will find you.

We really can’t hammer this point home hard enough: you don’t really need to choose the right beard for your face, you just have to accept the one that’s right for you. There will be one that’s right for you, and finding it is easy once you understand how that facial hair is related to the shape of your face, and the size of your head.

Identify Your Face Shape, Get The Right Tools Then Style On

Start by identifying the shape of your face (see below) then grow (or continue growing) and shape your beard as you desire – don’t take the process to seriously remember to have fun.

Additional Notes and Pointers

If you want to get really specific with identifying the shape of your face then get a tape measure and write down the following length:

• The length of your forehead
• The length across your cheekbones
• The length of your jawline
• The vertical length of your face – top of your forehead to your chin

If your beard still needs some work then check out Groom+Style’s 10 Tips on how to grow a full beard fast!

Once you have identified your face shape and want to get styling then you will need the right tools (if you do not already have them):

The Right Beard Trimmer

If you are ready to get styling but need some help finding the right lines then we can highly recommend the Cut Buddy which you can find on Amazon.  This compact little tool will give you all the options you need to shape, groom, trim or cut your beard along your desired  lines.

1. Square Face: Beard Style, Longer on the Chin

Square Face – The length of your forehead, cheekbones and jawline (horizontal lengths); and the length of your face (vertical length) are roughly the same.

Guys with square faces, you’re going to want to bring the facial hair down to the chin. Grow the hair out more on the chin and keep it shorter on the sides and around the cheeks. This will help to create length in your face, while retaining your naturally strong jawline.

2. Round Face: Beard Style, Longer on the Chin

Round Face – The length across your cheekbones (horizontal length) is roughly the same as the length of your face (vertical length).

Just like your square-faced friends, if you’re a guy with a rounder face, then shaping your beard to be longer at the chin and shorter on the sides, can help to elongate your face and make it appear more balanced. Keeping it neat around the edges will also help to strengthen your jawline.

3. Rectangular or Oblong Face: Beard Style, Experiment with Side Length

Rectangular or Oblong Face: The length across your forehead, cheekbones and jawline are roughly the same (horizontal lengths); and the length of your face (vertical length) is longer that the horizontal lengths.

Note – an oblong is effectively a rectangle where all the sides are not of equal length.

The oblong face can be a tough one to stick a beard onto, since your jawline is likely rounded and sweeping, giving you no real feedback about where to go longer or shorter. Our advice, is to keep the beard fairly short all over, and experiment with a length which brings the overall shape into more of a rounded form.

4. Oval Face: Go for Broke, You Lucky Sausage

Oval Face: The length across your cheekbones (horizontal length) is less than the length of the face (vertical length).  The length of the forehead is larger than the length of the jawline, and the angle of the jaw is rounded.  Think of an American football, which has less pointy ends.

If you have an oval-shaped face, you’re pretty much good to go on any beard. Your jawline sweeps down from wide to a point at the chin, and your bare face is pretty symmetrical and balanced as it is. If you want to find the perfect beard for you, then let it grow out quite a bit, then trim away gradually until you find a style which suits you the best.

For the oval-faced lot, a beard which is even all over, tapering into slightly longer on the chin can work really well. Just remember that you’re more likely to be naturally symmetrical in your face, so complement that with your beard. Don’t go for crazy styles and varying lengths, or you’ll lose the effect of having such a versatile face shape.

No matter which stage of the beard growing, designing or shaping process you are at don’t be afraid to talk to everyone about your journey – or at the very least hint that they are free to bestow up you a wide range of beard care gifts! 

Enjoy this journey with your facial hair, and don’t be afraid to experiment.