How To Grow And Maintain A Sexy Beard? Here’s The Ultimate Guide.

Did you ever think about growing a beard and then stop midway because it didn’t look the way you wanted it to?

Did you grow a beard fully and then shaved it off because it did not look fabulous?

I want to say that you shouldn’t have shaved it off, but you had to. That’s how we learn. Learn that growing a beard takes a lot of care and grooming, even more than your hair.

1. Let it grow, have patience

Beards need time to grow. While most of us are used to seeing our hair grow long and lustrous, beards hardly ever grow beyond the stubble phase.

Yes, it looks a bit peppery and untidy at the start, and it may make you look “unclean” too, but you have to go through this phase without cutting the forest down.

Let it grow!

 

2. Endure the itching, it will pass

The most common complaint of everyone who has ever tried growing a beard is that it itches. Your facial skin isn’t used to a beard because you have always shaved it clean. Now that you have grown it longer than ever it will itch.

You have to endure it until your skin adjusts to the beard.

If you are really irritated by the itching, you can always apply some aloe vera gel straight from an aloe vera plant on your skin and let it soak. It will take care of the itching and will leave your facial skin soft and supple too.

 

3. Use a scruff softener to make the stubble softer, not shampoo!

The first growth of beard is always coarse and rough, simply because it is the first time. And if you have a girlfriend who is complaining of beard burns during your make out sessions, you can apply softeners.

Scruff softeners are creams that will make your stubble soft – just like conditioned hair.

A fair warning, though – you will keep playing with your beard all day long case it feels so good and soft!

 

4. It will look shaggy after it grows long, do not worry

Oh yeah. The first set of beard you actually grow long will be scruffy and rebellious. It will grow in every direction possible. It does look like you just came back from the forest, but you have to let it grow.

Remember, that you have to let the beard grow for 4-5 weeks before you get to the grooming stage. It looks shaggy and unkempt but have patience because the hardest part to an awesome beard starts now.

 

5. This is where the trimming starts

Once you have a full beard, you have to learn to trim it. Many people who are extremely possessive about their beards do not let even their barbers touch it.

While there are others who do not trust themselves and leave it to the barber.

We recommend you learn to trim your beard. There will be times when you will need to make it presentable and you won’t have time to go to the barber.

Start with scissors and trim just a centimeter – the tips of the beard first. Once you get the hang of that you can try and use a comb-scissor combo.

Fair warning – It takes some time to learn how to trim your beard on both the sides using one hand. Have patience!

 

6. Be careful, and don’t trim off too much!

Another common complaint of people who shave in defeat is that they trimmed too much in one place and it looked horrible after that. It’s true – not everyone can pull a patchy beard off like Keanu Reeves.

DO NOT trim too much off. Start with just the tips until you get the dexterity in the hand you use to trim the beard.

REMEMBER – Once you do get the desired skills, the whole beard trimming business becomes a work of art.

 

7. Time to get a beard oil, since it has become a long-term commitment

Once the beard has grown long enough to be called a beard, it is basically hair on your face. You cannot ignore it like you ignored the 4-day stubble.

You need to oil it, and wash it and take care of it – just like the hair on top of your head.

Many recommend specialized beard oils that have special nutrients to make the beard look lustrous, you can always use the classic coconut oil too. It washes away, does not smell and makes the beard soft too.

Just do not use way too much of it because your beard will look champu.

 

8. You can take supplements to make your beard lustrous too

Yes, this is a thing. Real beard enthusiasts take nutritional supplements that help make the beard look healthy. The Vitamin B family is helpful in making your beard healthy.

Beard enthusiasts take Vitamins B1, B6, and B12 to make their beards look fabulous.

And if you want to go the whole nine yards, you can take the specialized beard supplements in the market too.

 

9. Never, ever forget to moisturize

Dry beard = dry skin underneath.

Beard dandruff is a real thing, and it looks horrible if you wear a black tee. Those dandruff flakes will be visible. Moisturize your beard and the skin properly.

You can use a normal skin cream and rub it into the skin through your beard – right after you have taken a shower.

After you get out of the shower you can apply beard oil to your beard.

This way both – the skin and beard are moisturized.

 

10. Know when to use a scissor and when a clipper

In the world of beards, a clipper = electric trimmer.

Electric trimmers trim uniformly in a line and take much more control. One jerk and you can have a whole patch trimmed off. They do save a lot of time, though, and once you do learn how to use them it becomes really easy to trim your beard – and fast too.

As mentioned earlier, scissors are for people who take their time and are very particular as to how their beard should actually look.

To make it simpler – a trimmer is like a land mower – fast, automated, uniform cutting throughout.

While a scissor = a shear used to cut garden hedges. Yes, it is tough work, but the result is a piece of art.

 

11. Or just get a grooming kit

You get the whole grooming kit in the market nowadays with everything in them – straight from a beard wax to an electric trimmer to beard oil.

Everything you need to maintain your beard in one place – literally.

Fair warning – They are a bit pricey. You can always buy them one at a time and assemble your own grooming kit.

 

12. Know what a cheek line is

You need to know what cheek line suits your face. You can only know this by trial and error.

Many people leave it natural and we recommend it too, but sometimes it is a problem for people who get whiskers way too high on the cheek.

For them, it is recommended that they use a trimmer to trim off the unwanted hair.

 

13. And what a chin line is

Just like the cheek line, you need to know which chin line looks better for you. Some people leave it natural, and some want it very neat with no hair on the neck at all.

Some people even shave off everything under the jaw too. It is all about preference and what looks better on you.

Experiment. It may give you a bad result once or twice, but then you will know which style suits you best.

But when you do go wrong, DO NOT SHAVE OFF THE BEARD!

 

14. Get a brush if you are going to grow a yeard

A yeard is a year-long beard. Yeards are very long and look good on some people. But just like relationships, one year makes it a serious commitment.

It requires serious maintenance – everything listed above and more. It becomes basically hair now and you need a brush to groom it because the comb will simply not be able to keep up with the thickness of it.

 

15. Always know what suits you best – shampoo or soap

You know how you choose the best shampoo that suits your hair? The same goes for a beard too. You need to see what suits it better – a shampoo or a simple soap.

Some people prefer shampoos and some people use plain soap, and there are some who use a shampoo and a conditioner. It’s what works out the best for your beard.

 

16. Be fussy, it’s OK

Beards define what your face looks like and hence form first impressions too. In this way, they are very important and hence it is okay to be fussy about it. Actually, being fussy about it is better, because that way you take care of it properly.

For a real beard enthusiast, no shave November lasts forever!

Here’s to awesome beards!

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