A few days with the Queer Eye gang seems like a lot of fun. However, not everyone is lucky enough to get a fancy makeover from the Fab 5. Come to think of it, it’s rare for many guys to spend that much time fixing themselves up. Either they don’t have the time or they don’t know how. While other men just don’t care about how they look. If you have a beard or are trying to grow one, it becomes even more important to know some beard grooming tips so you’d look as dapper as ever even with all that facial hair.
Let’s face it. Beard grooming is an everyday, necessary thing. It’s even more important now that V-Day is fast approaching. To impress your lady love, here are some beard grooming tips to make you look good in time for Valentine’s Day.
Grow Your Beard
Do you fancy the bearded look like the ones that Chris Hemsworth, Jason Momoa, or even James Harden sport? If you’re just starting, here are some tips to help you grow your facial hair faster.
Be patient and let it grow until it’s ready to be touched. Wait for it to grow evenly. It should take 4 to 6 weeks before you can start trimming and styling your beard. You can crashland on a deserted island if you want as long as you return home when your beard’s long enough to finally be trimmed.
Not all facial hairs are created equal, though. Some guys grow beards faster than others. Some can’t grow them at all. There could be a lot of reasons for this: genes, weight loss/gain, diet, and many others. Here are some tips you can do to grow your beard faster:
1. Increase your vitamin D intake. Eating more fish, eggs, fortified plant-based milk, and similar foods. Vitamin D helps stimulate follicles that have forgotten what it’s like to grow.
2. Monitor your weight closely and watch the number of calories you eat daily. You should be burning more calories than what you’re consuming if you want to gain weight because beard growth is directly proportional to energy intake.
3. Drink a lot of water. Hydrate first thing in the morning, before meals, and after workouts. Water flushes toxins from your system that slow down beard growth.
4. Exercise! A healthy body is a healthy beard because exercises like high-intensity interval training (HIIT) boost testosterone which in turn helps encourage hair growth.
5. Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep can lower testosterone in the body, which you’ll need for better libido and more facial hair. Beard grows fastest during deep sleep so be sure to get at least 7 hours of shut-eye per night or else you’ll look like Casper instead.
6. Quit smoking. Nicotine inhibits your beard growth so you have to quit smoking if you want a full-grown beard. oh, smoking is also linked to hair loss so if you don’t want to look like Prince William or Bruce Willis, kick your smoking habit.
7. Get rid of stress. Stress releases cortisol, the stress hormone, which slows down facial hair growth. You may think that working out can help but it doesn’t because after exercise is when cortisol levels are highest in the body.
8. Avoid too much heat. Heat makes your body uncomfortable which in turn makes your beard grow slowly. You should avoid hot drinks, baths, saunas, etc. if you want a better beard growth rate.
9. Wash and moisturize. Make sure your face is always clean and moist to help promote beard growth.
10. Try microneedling. If all else fails, a little science may do the trick. Micro-needling is a procedure in which your face is poked with really tiny needles to help increase blood flow to the follicles thus promoting hair growth.
Trim Your Beard
Grooming your beard is necessary for a romantic Valentine’s Day date. Scratch that. It’s necessary to groom your face foliage every day. If you have a beard or decide to grow one, it’s necessary to keep it healthy and clean. Therefore, one of the best beard grooming tips you need to learn is to invest in a quality beard grooming kit.
Beard Trimmer/Clipper
It’s highly recommended to use a beard trimmer with variable lengths, especially if you want to maintain a rugged yet respectable Valentine’s Day look. Trimmers can help control the length of your facial hair in a way that scissors cannot.
Electric Shaver or Razor
There’ll be parts where you don’t want hair to grow. Use a razor with a sharp blade (30-40 will do the job) and be sure not to press too hard. The lighter you touch, the better. Also, take your time; shaving should never be rushed. If possible, use a mirror to assist you in shaving your neck and jawline.
Beard Scissors
Using a beard trimmer might be even more effective but if you don’t have one, the next best thing is using good ‘ol scissors. Using your fingers to comb through your beard, simply shave off any length that’s longer than 1 inch. Use the guard on your clippers to avoid this mistake in the future.
Beard Comb and Brush
You’ll need a beard comb to make it easier to trim your facial hair. A beard brush can also come in handy for this purpose. Both beard grooming tools will also come in handy each day of your bearded life. You don’t want to go out looking like Hagrid or Tormund, do you? Comb and brush your facial hair first.
After-Shave Balm
Use a balm that will calm your skin down after shaving to avoid razor burn and ingrown hairs that can lead to redness. It’s not just your beard that needs special attention. Be sure to take care of your skin, too.
How to Trim Your Beard
You don’t need to pay a professional barber or stylist for Valentine’s Day. You can make do with the beard grooming tools in the bathroom cabinet. Simply follow these beard grooming tips and you’ll be fine.
1. Clean your facial hair first. Wash it with a beard shampoo then make sure it’s dry before you start trimming.
2. Comb your beard and mustache starting from the roots to the tip. Make sure all of your hairs are pointing in the same direction.
3. For an even trim, use clippers. Start with the larger clip if you’re unsure of what beard length you want. Work your way down until you’re satisfied with the length. If you use the shorter clips first, there’s no turning back if you make a mistake.
4. Determine the beard line then use reduced clipper settings to carefully fade the neck and cheeks. To get the beard line, Jonathan Van Ness of Queer Eye suggests putting your thumb on your Adam’s apple to see where the beard line should start. Use this as a guide to get a more natural-looking beard line.
5. Stretch the neck skin before letting your underside have it. An easy way to do this is by stretching the skin on your neck skin with one hand, then using the clippers with the other hand.
6. To get rid of strays, use mustache trimmers so it doesn’t take off too much hair.
7. Clean up around your beard with a precision shaver or razor for finishing touches
8. Comb your mustache to the side the trim it using your chosen setting. Comb the hairs down then trim the parts that hang over your lip.
9. If there are still stray hairs, use scissors to remove them. Make sure you don’t accidentally trim the wrong hair!
10. Wash your face and beard with a cleanser then moisturize to prevent breakouts or dryness that could damage your beard. You can also use beard oil to prevent drying and itching.
Caring for Your Beard
Speaking of beard oils and moisturizers, you need the right beard grooming products to take care of your chin carpets. Since love month is fast approaching, you need to start caring for your beard so you do not want to look like the Grinch who stole Valentine’s Day (no offense, Mr. Green-chin).
Beard Shampoo
You’re going to wonder why you’ve ever been using regular shampoo on your beard after you go through this list of beard grooming products. Most shampoos are designed to strip away dirt, oil, and grime from the hair on your head. They are too aggressive for your hair follicles which can lead to irritation and itching. Beard shampoo is specially formulated for beards with a lower pH level that won’t dry out your skin or beard follicles. Beard shampoo is also designed with coarse hair in mind, so it’s much more gentle on the skin under your beard. It will clean your beard without irritating your skin.
Beard Conditioner
A lot of men complain that the skin under their beards gets really dry and itchy during colder months. That’s because you’re taking away all the natural oils and moisture from your beard by using regular shampoo. Aside from beard shampoo, a beard conditioner helps replace those oils and hydrate your skin. You can even use a leave-in beard conditioner, which is basically like putting lotion on your face.
You can find beard conditioners with moisturizers and carrier oils for longer beards, but it is beneficial for all beard types. The same cannot be said about regular conditioners which can feel really heavy on facial hair.
Beard Oil
Scratching your beard during your date is a big no-no. Make sure she doesn’t think you have fleas by using beard oil. Beard oil is one of the most essential beard grooming products that you need. It moisturizes your beard to prevent itchiness.
Beard Balm
Never heard of beard balm? Beard balm is similar to beard oil but it has more hold (so no stray hairs when you’re trying to look suave), offers more moisture, and adds volume to your beard. Since Valentine’s Day is a really special day, why not try and grow a long beard for the occasion? Beard balm is also great for styling and shaping your beard, just like mustache wax.
Myths About Beard
There are a number of myths or misconceptions about beard growth and grooming. Let’s take a look at a few of the most common.
1. The longer the hair, the better.
This doesn’t apply to everyone. Some guys look better with short beards like a goatee, a circle beard, or a Van Dyke. Others look more handsome with a full beard. And there are those who can get away with a long beard like Harden and Momoa.
2. Shaving will help the beard grow faster
This is a myth because when you shave your facial hair, you don’t remove the hair from the roots, so when you grow it back in, there is no difference between when you shaved and when you didn’t.
3. To avoid split ends, don’t cut your beard
Split ends can be prevented by using beard balms and oils that contain natural ingredients such as jojoba oil, argan oil, and coconut oil.
4. A big beard will keep you warm during the wintertime
This is a myth unless you light your beard on fire. There are several factors that determine how warm your beard keeps you. If you have fine, thin hair, a big beard will do you no good.
5. Beard growth oils work
Reality: Beard growth lotions, serums, and tablets are the beard version of male enhancement drugs, as they are not substantiated by research. Don’t get taken in by them. Vitamins like biotin, on the other hand, can help you increase the health of your hair, but they won’t modify your genetic capabilities.
There you have it. With these beard grooming tips, you should be able to maintain a sexy beard and look respectable enough for your Valentine’s Day date to appreciate your efforts. Want more grooming tips? Check out Gentleman Pirate Club.
