Staying in Shape: How to Maintain Your Beard

Your Guide to the Right Beard Shape & Style

Finding the right beard style and then mastering how to take care of your beard is both an art and a science. It requires vision, know-how and, of course, the right products to make it happen.

While this may sound intimidating and time-consuming, don’t worry. After all, the fate of your beard is in good hands, and you’re not alone. Consider us your Beard Guide as we help you discover the right look and how to maintain it with our beard grooming tips.

1. Find the Right Beard Style

No two faces are the same, so before you start trimming your beard, you will need to determine your face shape. There are different ways to trim your facial hair to a style that complements your face shape, and you. This can be a little overwhelming, so as your beard guide, we’ve provided you with a helpful guide on the best beard shape for your face. Check out our face shape guide so you can make a plan for your beard and get to trimmin’.

2. Wash and Comb Your Beard

Your next step is to make sure you have a clean beard. A dirty beard is a no-go in general, but especially when it comes to trimming your beard. High-quality beard wash cleans without stripping away the natural moisture in your beard, leaving you clean and ready for the next step.

After washing and drying, grab your beard brush and brush against the grain. Only brush against the grain when you are planning to trim because it will make your hair stand up. It also makes it easier to spot inconsistencies in your beard length while trimming.

3. Trim Your Beard to Perfection

Guide combs are your friend when it comes to trimming and shaping your beard. Always start with a higher numbered guide comb until you’re comfortable with the process and length. You can always remove more hair, but can not put it back on once it's trimmed off.

There are plenty of shapes and styles for your beard, but the most common is the lumberjack beard. This style leaves your beard longer around your chin and shorter on the sides of your face.

Two areas you should watch out for are your ‘stache and your neckline. First, trim your mustache so you don’t have pesky hairs hanging over your lip. To do the job, carefully and evenly trim your mustache hair along the edge of your lip line.

Next, make sure you trim your neckline. This can be a tricky area because it’s dependent on your preference. However, if you trim too much or too little, things start looking a little…off. Our best piece of advice is to put two fingers above your Adam's apple and trim everything below that imaginary line.

Need help? Check out our beard-lining guide.

4. Style Your Beard

A beard brush is helpful in the trimming process, but it is even more helpful in the styling department. Our beard brush and beard comb are must-have tools in your grooming arsenal to help you shape and style your beard.

• Brushing helps smooth beard hair and massage the skin underneath to prevent beard-druff and remove build-up. It also keeps your beard clean and healthy to stay fresher longer.
• Beard combs are better suited for longer beards that require more styling—use your comb to distribute a quality beard balm that keeps your preferred style in place and smelling great.

We already talked about the benefit of a beard wash for trimming, but keep in mind that we recommend washing your beard every day, not just when you plan to trim it. Our beard wash is the first step in your beard-care regimen, so take a dab and massage liberally into a damp beard before washing out.

After thoroughly washing your beard, you can’t forget the beard softener. Take a small amount of beard softener on your fingers and work your hands through your beard, ensuring your whiskers are coated. This acts as a deep-conditioning agent, keeping your beard soft and moisturized.

Finally, the beard craves oil to keep your whiskers nourished in addition to helping prep for styling. A few drops of our beard oil will do the trick, leaving your beard smelling fresh and looking shiny.

5. Enjoy Your Look

As we know, no two beards are the same and the laws of beard-shaping don’t always apply. You need to know yourself and your beard in order to properly execute a maintained, well-whiskered look. Following the steps above will help you do just that.

And while you’re here, upgrade the necessary tools to help your beard-shaping go smoothly. Shop Wahl’s full line of men’s grooming products including beard trimmers, clippers, shavers and beard & hair care products.