﻿The Complete Guide To Trimming Your Beard [0:00:00]
Thomas: So, you’ve decided to grow out your facial hair for the first time.
You’ve persevered through the itchy and awkward stage and now, you’re ready for your first trim.
But, where do you start? How do you make sure you don’t mess up the
beard you spent weeks or months growing? Thomas, with Real Men Real Style here. And
in today’s video, I’m going to walk you through how to trim your beard. Let’s go
over the tools you need to get started. First up, you’ll need a set of clippers.
Either with different size clipper guards or a clipper that has an adjustable guard.
Next, you’ll want a small trimmer to clean up the edges, a small pair of shears
for trimming around the mustache and other spots that require precision. A razor and
shaving cream, and finally, a beard brush. Step number one. Figure out the length. You
need to have an idea of the final look you want to capture. For me, I feel like
my beard looks best when it’s kept short at about two to three weeks worth of growth.So,
I usually trim using a number 2 guard, which is a quarter of an inch or 6 millimeters.
Remember, hair grows at about a half an inch a month. If you’re not sure of the
final length you want, start with a longer guard first. You can always go shorter later.
Step number two. Make a plan of attack. If you simply want the beard to be the
same length all over, then you can just pop on a guard and go to town.
But, you may want to shape the beard by using a shorter guard on the sides and a longer guard in
front to make a more elongated shape. Or you may want to balance out the beard by
drawing attention away from weak spots. For example, I have a little bit of a gap
between my sideburns and beard, so I grow out the hair a little bit longer on my sideburns
to help minimize that gap. So, I’m very careful not to cut into that hair when I’m trimming.
Likewise, I also have gaps in the connectors between my mustache and beard. The left side
grows a little longer than the right side, so I make sure to edge it up to be more symmetrical.
Step number three. Trim with the clippers. Go ahead and take the guard you want and start
trimming. Go with the grain of the hair if you want to target flyaway hairs. Go against the grain
if you want to trim all the hairs equally. I like to start with the cheeks and chin,
then transition to the jaw and neckline. Check over your work when you’re done
to make sure you didn’t miss any spots. Antonio: All right, gents. Whether you’re using
an electric, safety, or cartridge razor, consider using an aftershave balm. Applying this after you
shave helps to cool the skin and prevent redness. Now, gents, the grooming products you see in
today’s video, brought to you by Vitaman. And, instead of me telling you how awesome they are,
how about I put a link down in description of today’s video,
so you can try them for free. Seriously, gents, use that link in the description
to grab a sample kit over at Vitaman for free. Thomas: Step number four. Trim the jawline and
cheeks. The jawline is always a tricky part. How much should you cut off?
How high is too high? You want to remove any extra hair that’s on your neck,
but leave the hair that’s on your jaw. One way to visualize this is to make an
L-shape with your hand to place it against your neck. Anything below your thumb gets cut,
while anything above it is kept. Another guideline is to use your
Adam’s apple. You don’t want to cut anything that’s one to two-finger widths above it.
You just have to avoid going to high as it makes your beard look less full.
And when it comes to your cheek line, most guys would look best with a line
that connects from the bottom edge of their mustache going up to their sideburns and
should trim any hair above that line. Use your trimmer without a guard and
carefully go along the neckline. Work to make it a symmetrical as possible on both sides
as you risk taking the edge too far. Now, do the same with your cheek line,
making sure both sides are symmetrical. Step number five. Trim the mustache. When
it comes to the mustache, you can use your regular clippers on it
or you can leave it a little longer and just trim the ends with your shears.
If you prefer, you can also use your trimmers, but I like the extra control of the shears.
How you trim your mustache is going to depend on the style you’re going for, but you want to keep
it shorter. Trim the hairs using the top edge of your lip as a guide. But, if you want a mustache
that’s going to cover your top lip entirely, go ahead and trim along the bottom edge of the lip.
Step number six. Time to shave. If you want a real clean line on your neck and cheeks, then it’s time
to bust out the razor and shaving cream. Apply a hot towel to soften the remaining hair and add the
shaving cream to prep the area for shaving. An even better option is a clear shave gel,
so you can fully see what you’re shaving and won’t risk messing up the jawline.
Gently shave away the hairs, then rinse away any remaining shave gel or cream with cool water.
Step number seven. Beard oil. Apply a few drops of beard oil to your hands and rub them together,
then work the oil through your beard. This is going to help soothe and hydrate your skin
after it’s been roughed up from the trimming, as well as soften the beard hairs. Give the beard a
quick once over the brush and you’re set. There you have it, guys. Now, you know the
secrets to trimming your beard without messing it up. But, what about the guys
who like the clean-shaven look, what are the steps to getting the perfect shave?
Check out this video, guys, where I’m going to show you how to get the best shave of your life.
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