How to grow and trim a beard

Manly, primal and grittily authentic, it’s easy to see why hipster beards dominate today’s facial hair fashions. Reminiscent of tough New England woodsmen and refined Victorian gents, stylish guys from Brooklyn to Berlin have rejected baby-faced conformity in favor of full beards, moustaches and chiseled goatees. These old world shapes and styles revive a sense of vintage masculinity that is simultaneously commanding, distinctive and sophisticated.

Now you’ve decided to grow a beard, you’ll soon discover it demands care and commitment above and beyond simply disposing of your razor. Here are some tips on how to survive the process.

To help overcome any doubts you may have of ever reaching full-bearded nirvana, it helps to picture your own bearded guru. A reminder of why you originally started growing a beard, your role model will give you the strength to continue even during the darkest hours of doubt and despair.

For most men, becoming a proud beard owner takes between four and six weeks. It’s a lengthy process requiring the utmost perseverance and dedication. It’s important to hold this thought and leave your shaver alone no matter what. Shaving does not make a beard grow thicker or stronger, it simply extends the growth phase, spoiling all your efforts to date.

Itchiness and irritation are never pleasant, but these factors are simply part of the price we all pay to attain bearded status. To minimize irritated skin, it’s best to wash your face daily with soap and water or facial cleanser, and use moisturizer or an anti-irritant cream to reduce dryness and redness.

While you’re enduring the normal beard growing pains, deciding upon a finished style to suit your looks can be a helpful distraction. Check our ‘Face Shapes and Beard Styles’ page for inspiration.

When you’ve achieved sufficient growth and selected your style, you can finally start to trim and shape your beard. For this, you need a good trimmer to define your neckline before crafting the rest of your beard, but it’s usually preferable to leave a natural cheek line to avoid odd results. Check out our line-up of trimmers to find the perfect choice for your beard styles.

To achieve a tidy trim, it’s helpful to move your trimmer in all directions to capture any stray hairs. When combing, the opposite is true. Always stick to a downward sweep to maintain a groomed and stylish look.

To maintain many beard styles, it’s important to keep specific areas of the face completely clean shaven. This accentuates the contrast between bearded and non-bearded areas, making for sharp contours. Braun’s precision trimmer is specially designed to provide a close shave and precise contours in specific areas, like sideburns.

As well as keeping your beard and face clean with regular and thorough washing, it’s also important to care for your shaving tools. Keeping these clean will ensure they stay in tip-top shape to maintain a perfect beard that you’re proud to wear.