I’m thinking of growing a beard what sort of maintenance does your beard require? do you just let it grow or do you trim it, what tools do you use to groom it, amazon links appreciated. Do you use any oils or other products?
I have a short, trim goatee. I don’t use any special oils on it, but I do make a point of washing it with dandruff shampoo whenever I shower. Beard dandruff can be nasty.
I trim it about once a week with a cheap Wahl trimmer.
This. I have a full, short beard. I do occasionally use a beard oil my wife bought me.
I have a long full beard - it’s down to or past my nipples.
It gets rinsed daily in the shower and washed every other day or so with Garnier Damage Eraser shampoo and conditioned daily with Damage Eraser conditioner.
For grooming, I alternate between Garnier’s “sleek and shine” oil and Beard Butter. I find the Beard Butter also keeps the dreaded bearddruff controlled. Every couple of weeks, I trim any split ends with ordinary hair scissors.
I’ve been growing mine long lately, just to see what happens. I’m making a concerted effort to keep it soft.
It gets a lather from a beard-specific shampoo/conditioner bar every time I shower. I also have a beard comb from the Texas Beard Company and a boar bristle brush.
Every now and then I use some Honest Amish Beard Balm as well, though not every day.
If you’ve never grown a beard before, just know that it might get pretty itchy for a while. Resist the urge to scratch. You’ll get a rash and then bad stuff can happen.
I’ve worn short beards, and I’m a big believer in keeping the neck and cheeks shaved. You might have heard someone say “neckbeard” to refer to a person who has a slovenly appearance; in effect, the only reason they have a beard is because they are too lazy to shave. I think keeping the neck clean and shaping my beard indicates I am not just wearing it out of laziness.
I call it “The Riker Rule.”
My husband has a short beard. He still shaves his cheeks and neck every day, and trims the whole beard once or twice a month.
I have a full beard, which I keep short with a beard trimmer every week or two. Other than that, no special treatment.
Soap and razor to shave the parts I don’t want covered (neck and cheeks) plus real, live Barber’s Shears for length control.
The barber’s shears will make a clean cut all the way to the tip of the blades - very handy for trimming the corners of the mouth. The clean cut also makes for smooth, even growth.
I’ve been wearing facial hair for 40+ years now.
I have a full, short beard, and I keep it trimmed with a Wahl beard trimmer. No other maintenance required.
Have you got your beard permit though?
To qualify you need to be over 40 or have an approved “beard face”.
I just shaved off my goatee and mustache. I used an inexpensive beard trimmer and it broke, so I cutting it with scissors to keep it short. Not recommended.
Using a beard trimmer, there was a net savings over having to shave my whole face everyday. With scissors, it was a wash.
Even when I had a full beard, I would make definite lines to keep it looking more professional.
I trim my beard with the same #2 clipper used on the rest of my head. And when I shower, the head hair and beard get scrubbed with the same prescription shampoo.
Shortish full beard here.
I started using beard oil to get through the first few weeks, but I really don’t know if any magical properties worked for me. Now, I rarely go a day without applying beard oil in the morning.
Daily maintenance usually consists of rinsing through with plain water mornings and evenings when not showering, beard shampoo in the shower and combing through with a good comb. An expensive (€10) comb really is worth it.
I apply the Riker rule, but only once a week or every 10 days or so, I don’t have that much wild growth. More regularly, I trim the hairs around the mounth as I can’t stand the itching. The beard itself gets a cut at non-regular intervals of a few weeks.
I’m another strong believer in the Riker rule. It’s the difference between a face that HAS a beard and a face that IS a beard.
I let my barber take care of my full, short beard. He uses three different thickness plates/combs on his electric razor, because he says cheek growth is different from chin growth(he would know, he’s been a barber for 52 years) Occasionally I’ll let my beard get a little too long, or bushy, and that’s when I may get a “Gabby Hayes” reference. THAT’S when I know I HAVE to go see John(blessed be his name)
I use the same razor I used to shave my whole face with on the bits that should not have beard and a basic trimmer on the rest. Nothing else.
I’ve had a beard since puberty. For about a decade it was full-out ZZTop, which was a pain in the ass, but fun. The guy who cuts my head-hair is licensed for beards as well, so I let him maintain me. I’ll occasionally be silly and have him trim it devil-style.
I’m blessed in that my beard has zero problems with rust or squeaking, hence no oil. Seriously, beard oil?
Another first-time beard grower here. It is 5-th day now, and I’m still itchy. @42 my beard would probably be completely gray (as can I deduct from some lazy weekends), but that’s why I’m growing it. To see if it fits my face, and to make my look more serious and academic. I’m sick being baby-face.
FYI. I was just mistaken for hobo.
I started mine last october.
I googled and found that “it’s normal to itch the first week”.
A week later I found another source that stated that two weeks was ok.
I was happy it stopped after 3.