Facial hair is in, but knowing how to tame, control, and style your beard is difficult for everyone. The truth is that not all beard styles look good on everyone because you need to match your face shape with the right style.
And if you have never used products like men’s scented beard wax, then you are now privy to a world of styling products to help manage your look. Here are the best beard styling tips and techniques to achieve your perfect look.
Identify Your Face Shape
The first and most important step is to understand your face shape. If you don’t know how to identify your face shape, use these measurement techniques first.
Measurements
- Measure your face length first. This is from the absolute bottom of your chin to the center of where your hairline starts on your forehead.
- Now take the jawline. Measure from the center of your chin to just below your ear before your jawbone goes straight up. You can multiply this by two for both sides.
- Next, take your cheekbones. This starts right at your hairline next to your eye. Or where you squint. The measurement goes from there to your nose.
- Lastly, take your forehead measurements. Start from the arch or middle point of one eyebrow and finish at the other eyebrow.
With this information, you can identify whether you are:
- Oval
- Round
- Square
- Diamond
- Heart
- Triangle
- Rectangle
Now, let’s get to the styling tips.
Always Brush Your Beard Out
The easiest place to start is to brush your beard out every day. The longer the beard hair, the more likely you are to deal with entanglements that can result in breakage. You also should always brush in one direction so that it grows uniformly.
When you brush it out, you should also be able to tell which hairs are longer than the others. This will make the next tip easier.
Same Section, Same Length
After you have brushed out your hair, it is important to use a clean pair of trimmers and make certain sections the same length. Stragglers can throw an entire beard off. Your sideburns, in particular, should be the cleanest cut. Sideburns will need to be trimmed and maintained more frequently than if you have a longer beard.
Defining sections of your beard is important. If you have a mustache, sideburn, goatee, and/or beard, make sure each section is uniform and distinct.
Know Your Neckline
Using a quality razor or trimmer to define your neckline is key to a stylish beard. Image it to be no different than your sideburns. There should be a clear line rather than patches of hair here and there. This provides a definition and will emphasize the beard style you are working with.
Don’t Hide Your Lips
Now, this is one of the trickier pieces of advice. When dealing with facial hair, it’s not uncommon for it to creep over your lips. This is especially true if you are working with a mustache. But, for definition purposes, it’s important to use a close-cutting trimmer and cut back the hairs that cover your lips.
When our lips start to get covered, ironically, that becomes the focal point because people will be trying to find them. But when there is no obstruction, people can focus on your styling beard and facial hair.
Tame with Styling Products
Last but certainly not least, it’s important to use styling products for men’s facial hair. Beard hair is like head hair, and it needs some guidance from time to time. If you find yourself fighting hair that is growing in all sorts of directions, then you may need a styling wax or mousse.
Styling wax is not the only product men should consider. Sometimes beard hair can become coarse and dry. Using beard oil or something that is moisturizing is both good for the hair and likely for the skin underneath. As long as the product is high-quality.
The skin underneath the beard can become dry and flaky when it gets no attention. And the skin underneath is important for keeping the hair healthy. That’s why an effective beard shampoo or soap is important as well. This prevents the area from becoming too greasy or clogged up.
Playing With Different Beard Styles
With all these tips and tricks in mind, it’s important to remember one thing. Each face is unique, and so is facial hair. Playing around with different styles and cuts is the perfect way to find one that suits your face.
This requires a little bit of patience because you may find yourself needing to grow and regrow a few times when a particular cut doesn’t go well. It’s important to go slow and use quality razors and trimmers that offer a clean cut. Without it, you will always find the hair to be uneven and patchy.
