How To Shape a Beard: 6 Easy Steps for a Better Looking Beard

Do you want to shape your beard but don’t know where to start? The journey is exciting, and we’re here to guide you along the way. With the following steps, the beard style you love could be yours.

Unkempt, bushy beards with rough cheek lines and untamed hair growth are things of the past. Even if you’re going for the “natural look,” you still have to use clippers and a beard trimmer. Otherwise, your beard looks like an out-of-control shrub.

Unruly beards can also be a big turn-off, plus they don’t let the real you shine. If we skip out on the necessary beard grooming, our unmanaged beard length can hide our best facial features. 

Perhaps you see stylish beards at work, bars, concerts, or while walking down the street and may think, “I wish I could have a beard like that.” Well, with a snip and a trim, you can do it, soldier. The best beard styles are all well within your grasp, as long as you’re willing to put in some work, trim off that neckbeard, and straighten out the beard line a bit.

Here are a few steps to usher you onto the path of your ideal beard.

Beard-Shaping Steps: A Preview

1. Choose your beard shape. Choosing a beard shape that complements your face shape starts the process with a goal in mind.
   
   
2. Comb your beard. Combing your beard with a specialized beard comb will detangle your facial hair, making the next couple of steps more manageable.
   
   
3. Treat your beard. Treating your beard will hydrate and nourish your hair follicles and keep everything easy to manage and style.
   
   
4. Brush your beard. Whether you have a shorter or longer beard, brushing adds volume and lets you shape your beard to conform to the shape of your face.
5. Trim your beard. Trimming your beard will keep your neckline and sideburns clean. This step also gets rid of stray hairs and split ends in your goatee and on the sides of your face.
6. Be patient. Growing a beard is a commitment. It takes time, so don’t give up.

Choose Your Beard Shape

Goals aren’t only for professional football players, business owners, and motivational speakers; goals are also for bears. When you choose a beard shape to aim for, you’ll know what to purchase, how to care for it, and importantly, when to congratulate yourself and send a pic to your crew.

Whether you’re going for a long beard or a short one, proportions are a key aspect to consider. Some beard styles call for a barely-there upper lip (like our friend, the walrus mustache), while others never met a pair of scissors they didn’t like (looking at you, chinstrap). Knowing the end goal can help ensure that your mustache and beard co-exist in harmony.

Comb Your Beard

A beard's natural tendency is to grow out and down towards your Adam’s apple, but there is no pattern to its growth. Your beard neckline is a natural wanderer, and much like a cowboy reigning in some rogue steers, you’ve got to tame and control the beast. 

Whether you want to keep it short or grow it out, combing your beard keeps it looking clean. Combing will also help detangle your facial hair and work out any stragglers. 

Using a wooden comb is your best bet. A wooden comb has thicker teeth, which keeps them from breaking in even those wildest of ‘staches. It’s best to comb while the hair is wet, whether after a shower or during your care routine. (However, never cut hair while it’s wet.)

Treat Your Beard

Have you noticed that your natural beard is coarse or unpleasant to touch? 

It may be because you are not treating your beard. Just like you might treat yourself to a whiskey sour from time to time, your beard also needs some TLC. 

Treating keeps your beard clean, healthy, soft, and smelling just right. For best results, you should treat your beard between combing and brushing, specifically after your beard has dried. 

A dry beard fully allows the beard oils, creams, and balms you use to enter the hair, bringing your beard to life by revitalizing and moisturizing the hair.

Treating your beard with oil also moisturizes the hard-to-reach skin under your facial hair. Keeping the skin under the beard moisturized lowers your risk of dandruff by keeping the skin and hair from getting dry and irritated.

Brush Your Beard

Brushing your beard will give it volume and allow you to get your style just right. As a rule, it’s best to brush your beard after you have added your oil, cream, or balm. 

Once the product is spread throughout your beard to your liking, it’s time to brush. However, you do not want to use a regular hairbrush to tackle this task. We recommended using a stiff but gentle option like our Boar Bristle Beard Brush. 

Here’s a pro tip: brush your beard upward. While this might seem counterproductive, it will maximize volume and loosen your hair more for styling. 

After brushing up, you can then brush downward to get your desired shape, starting from the ears and working your way down. We have an entire article dedicated to beard brushing if you want an in-depth walkthrough.

Trim Your Beard

Trimming your beard is essential to keep it growing, but over-trimming can cause its own problems. It’s all about balance.

Just like the hair on your head, as a beard grows, it can be plagued with split ends and breakage. This is where trimming comes in. Trimming your beard removes split ends and keeps your neckline clean and fresh. 

Frequent trimming is essential when you’re going for a style that rides close to the jawline, such as the famed chinstrap beard. Keeping clean lines and fades will add that extra oomph and make you stand out in a crowd. A beard trimming kit is a must here, as it provides clippers, beard products, and combs that make grooming a breeze.

Be Patient

Patience, young grasshopper. 

Growing a beard is a long-term commitment. It may take weeks to get a short beard, a couple of months to get enough hair for a ducktail beard, and half a year to get a full beard. 

Patience and persistence will be your best friends along the way. If you stick with the different aspects of your beard care routine, the results will be well worth the wait.

How Does a Well-Groomed Beard Benefit You?

Why is shaping your beard essential? Simply put, your beard is an expression of yourself. Pouring your time and energy into keeping your beard clean and stylish makes the end goal all the more satisfying.

You’ll Get Noticed

Have you ever received a compliment about your cologne or an outfit you wore? You can expect to get the same kinds of compliments for a well-groomed beard. People recognize that stylish, symmetrical facial hair takes time and effort to maintain. 

There’s nothing as gratifying as when someone stops you on the street and says, “Love the beard, man.” Your confidence may not come from your beard alone, but the compliments you’ll get for it can provide a much-needed boost. If nothing else, you can at least have fun nodding and saying, “Thanks, I grew it myself.” 

You’ll Be Perceived as More Mature

Fun fact: During the Victorian Era, soldiers in the British Army had to sport mustaches; it was part of their dress code, as per Command No. 1,695 in the King’s Regulations. To the Brits at the time, this was a sign of virility and discipline. Ignoring this rule could land the offending soldier in trouble or even jail.

Luckily, this rule no longer exists. However, the sentiment kind of still remains. 

Not only can a beard give you more confidence, but it can also positively impact how others view you. Beards are thought to represent maturity, so those with fuller beards may be seen as wiser and more mature than their beardless counterparts.

There Might Be Health Benefits

Here’s a lesser-known fact about beards: They can provide some health benefits in addition to making you look like a badass. For example, growing a beard may leave your skin feeling less irritated in the long run since you won’t be shaving as much. 

Your beard also covers the majority, which means that it acts as a deterrent to the sun. By blocking sunlight, your beard can keep your skin healthier and add an extra barrier against sunburns and irritation. 

Time To Shape Up

Now that you know how to shape your beard and get the look you want, it’s time to start growing that puppy out. It may take a bit for your hair to grow before you can start to comb it or style it, but you can use that time to determine what style would work best for you. 

Working beard care practices like combing and brushing into your daily routine will soon become second nature, and the time will start flying. Before you know it, you’ll have a beard that looks exactly like the guys in that Pinterest inspiration board that we know you have. No shame.

Sources:

Are Beards Good or Bad for Men’s Health? | University of Utah Healthcare

Explore the Many Benefits Beard Oil and Learn How to Use | Healthline

Dandruff - Diagnosis and treatment | Mayo Clinic

From 1860-1916 the British Army Required Every Soldier to Have a Mustache | Business Insider