Nowadays, beards are super fashionable. It seems that everyone and their mothers have one…well maybe not their mothers, but you get our point! So knowing how to maintain your beard properly and avoiding these common beard mistakes is going to be paramount to honing in on your own unique style and look.
So, without further adieu, here are the 5 most common (and style-deadly) beard mistakes that you should absolutely avoid if you’re trying to look sharp, put together, and like a professional beardsman!
- Trimming across the jawline.
- Using Hair shampoo for your beard.
- NOT using beard oil.
- Not brushing/exfoliating.
- Not letting your beard grow enough before trimming/shaving it.
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Beard Mistake 1. Trimming Across The Jawline
A lot of men will actually carve out the hair underneath their jaw (following their jawbone) when they trim the hair around their neck. This creates a U-shape area of empty skin that no longer has the contrast between the dark beard hair and the skin.
The reason this is one of the beard mistakes is because, without that contrast, you create the appearance of a double-chin even when there may not be any to begin with.
The best way to find where your neckline should be is to create 2 “L” shapes with your hands as if you were making finger-guns or a goalpost kind of shape. Place your hands in that position so that your index fingers are pointing up across your sideburns, and your thumbs are touching in the center of your neck, underneath your jaw. That’s where your neckline should be. Check out the video mentioned earlier for a detailed demonstration!
Beard Mistake 2. Using Hair Shampoo On Your Beard
Normal hair shampoo should NEVER be used on your beard. This is because the skin on your scalp is much more resilient and less sensitive than the skin on your face around your nose and mouth. Because of this, most common shampoos contain detergents or harsher chemicals than would be appropriate for your beard and the skin underneath.
If you use such harsh shampoos on your beard, you’ll be stripping away far too many oils that your skin provides to keep your beard soft and healthy. Doing this almost always leads to a dry, crackly, stiff, or scratchy beard. You may even experience breakouts, redness, or flaking.
Use a dedicated beard wash or shampoo for your beard to make sure you aren’t exposing that sensitive area of your face to any unwanted effects or harsh chemicals.
Beard Mistake 3. Not Using Beard Oil
When I personally started growing my beard, I never used beard oil. I figured I could just wash my face in the shower every once in a while and things would be fine. Little did I know that this was the cause of a lot of the irritation, redness, and flakes my beard was producing.
When you shower and wash your face, you strip your beard of essential oils that it needs to be soft, healthy, and comfortable. You’ll need some kind of way to re-introduce these oils in a controlled way to make sure you don’t suffer from the ill side effects that I mentioned earlier. This is where beard oil shines!
Beard oil can be used every day and should be used anytime your beard is noticeably dry. Beard balm is another great option for those looking to condition their beards, with the added benefit of some styling edge and hold for those with crazy flyaways or unmanageable hairs.
You’ll definitely want a quick-absorbing and natural beard oil to use in order to immediately add some hydration and sustenance to your beard. AS always, we recommend Volt Lube Beard Oil!
Beard Mistake 4. Not Brushing/Exfoliating
Your skin is constantly shedding cells and flakes off, allowing new ones to form in their place. This is just a healthy cycle, however, too often can these flakes get caught in between beard hairs, or clump together and block our pores. This is where having an excellent beard brush comes in.
Beard brushes should accomplish a few things in particular. 1) Brushes should spread oils and products evenly throughout your beard, ensuring that every hair is coated with healthy oils. And 2) Brushes should dig through your beard, and help brush away the skin cells or flakes that are causing your pores to be blocked, effectively exfoliating your skin.
Without brushing or exfoliating your beard in some way, you’re inviting clumps of skin cells to block your pores and cause potential breakouts, redness, and irritation. Good news! The Volt Octo Brush is the perfect travel-ready brush to use because the natural boar bristles are stiff enough to dig through beard hair without being so stiff that they harm your skin or pull your beard.
Beard Mistake 5. Not letting Your Beard Grow Enough Before Trimming/Shaving
One mistake that many newer beardsman make is simply trimming or shaving your beard too soon. Oftentimes, a beard that doesn’t appear to be behaving or growing the way you want is simply not given enough of a chance before it’s cut off! Having patience with your beard growth is the key to getting an awesome beard.
When your beard grows, it will require at least a month of growth to determine your full potential. Just because some areas of your beard do not grow as fast as other areas, does NOT mean that you can’t rock a full beard. The key is to maintain your beard correctly to compensate for those areas with slower growth rates.
For example, if your mustache does not grow as quickly as your beard does (mine doesn’t), then not all is lost. Simply trim the faster-growing parts of your beard to match the length of your mustache, but DON’T trim your mustache and let it grow. This will keep your beard looking even and tidy, while also letting your mustache grow at its own pace. At that point, you can start letting your beard hair grow longer as well.
All in all, by avoiding these common beard mistakes you are presenting the most professional and well-groomed “you” to the world!
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