Wondering how to grow out your beard? PAUSE got you covered.
It’s safe to say, along with men’s predilection for the ‘man bun’ and other trending styles, the beard is slowly beginning to lose the insatiable following it has had the past few years. Interestingly, Ted’s master barber claims this doesn’t mean men have all started to revert back to the popularised nineties ideal of a clean shaven look en-mass, however.
In fact, the men that have opted to cling on to their masculine mane are the serious ones; they know exactly how to care for them, as well as having refined their taste to an art. Fancy growing one out yourself? You better know exactly what your doing as the competition is stiff! Let’s take a look…
How to Grow Out Your Beard
As with most things, a blank canvas works as the best starting point. Begin with a decent shave to ensure you’ve got an equal playing field from the outset. Ted’s Grooming Room offer a variety of options such as the ‘Tommy N’ Turkish’ for the perfect traditional cut-throat shave, but if you’d rather not have a blade-wielding man at your throat – a quality razor and shaving foam should do the trick.
From there, it’s really a matter of growing out the beard for around a month while maintaining regularly with a small trimmer to cut any lengthier sections. As men’s beards can grow out at different intensities around the face, some beard styles simply aren’t attainable for certain men. Allowing your facial hair to grow out for 30 days will give you a clear idea of the types of beard that’ll work for you.
Once you’ve got yourself a solid base, then you can begin weighing up your options. If you’re still unsure, popping into a professional who can point you in the right direction, from there – you can take it away!
What’s The Best Beard Length for My Face?
As with most things, there are certain styles that’ll suit some men more than others, so it’s best to have a general idea what you should be aiming for before you begin growing. Below, we’ve outlined some of the most popular ‘face shapes’ and what styles suit them best as well as linking a handy video from Gillette.
- Square Face: The natural definition of a square face is beautifully accentuated with classic five o clock stubble, although scruff or full beards will emphasise the masculine features of this face shape.
- Narrow Face: Avoid the scruff style and full beards – it only serves to underline the smallness of the face. However, the delicate features of a narrow face work perfectly in tandem with pencil thin stubble.
- Round Face: Round faces should plump for a well-maintained scruff; full beards only make the head look rounder, while the definition of stubble is ill-matched to the softness of round features.
When to Shave?
A general rule on the maintenance required for specific styles, Ted’s master barber recommends:
Stubble: Shave twice a week and keep completely clean around areas that fall outside the jaw and cheek zones to achieve the sharpest definition.
Scruffy: Shave once a week and don’t cut sharp lines in; you want to achieve a natural look
Full Beard: Visit a barber once every fortnight but ensure you clean properly to maintain hygiene. The most important thing to remember is that although you want to achieve a grown-out, natural look, length and thickness must be consistent throughout so you still look well-groomed.
Beard Maintenance Tips
- Apply a beard oil or moisturising cream to keep the hair looking fresh and growing to its best ability. Not only will it appear fuller and healthier, but it’ll also keep the skin underneath in decent shape too.
- Invest in a beard comb and styler. Even if you’re the kind of guy who’ll be heading to the barbers for every trim, it’s worth having a couple of styling aids at home so you can keep your beard/stubble/scruff looking it’s best.
- As with anything, you are what you eat so consider taking vitamins to support healthy growth. Foods rich in vitamins B5, B3 and B9 are great, so stock up on foods like lean meats, nuts, egg yolks and milk.
- Don’t forget to wash and condition your beard, not only will this keep it healthy and strong, but smelling fresh too. Come on lads – keep it clean!
Beard Maintenance Products
Finally, we’ve put together a few of our favourite beard maintenance bits that’ll keep you trim and looked after in between your visits to the barber’s chair.
- First up, the Gillette Styler below is one of the handiest little gadgets sitting in our bathroom cabinets. With gradient heads for trimming your desired length, as well as a razor add-on with a nifty little precision trimmer on the back; it’s an all-in-one wonder.
- Braun’s new Series 9 is a hefty tech grooming gadget that’s going to keep you looking your best, long term. With technology that adapts to your beard density as you shave, as well as five separate head components to allow maximum manoeuvrability over face contours – we can assure you, it really doesn’t get much better than this.
- Finally, for the man who likes the feeling of a proper clean shave; Gillette’s Fusion razor with Flexball technology is one one the best-bladed razors on the market right now. If you find yourself constantly nicking your face as you shave, trust us – these will nip that situation right at the bud.
