How to Manage Your Beard

Co-authored by Timmy Yanchun

Last Updated: August 6, 2021 References

Growing and managing a beard is not as easy as simply not shaving for months. Taming a beard and keeping it in check involves more work than many men realize, but with the right guidance and some patience, you can easily manage and style your beard.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Growing Your Beard

1
Eat a healthy diet. A healthy diet generally promotes healthy skin and hair, and this includes your beard.^{[1]
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2
Don’t succumb to the itch. As the hair transitions from stubble to a full-fledged beard, you are likely to encounter several weeks of itch.^{[2]
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Research source} The itching is unpleasant, but don’t despair because it will go away. You must persevere!
- You can also purchase a conditioning lotion tailored to help soothe beard itch during this uncomfortable period.^{[3]
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3
Let it grow. The best thing you can do to achieve a full-bodied beard is let it grow. It may mean a bit of a wild man look for several weeks, but attempting to trim or shape a beard too early can result in thin or patchy areas that can set you back a month or more.^{[4]
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- Since beards certainly don’t grow at the same rate, it’s hard to put a time frame on this, but you should wait until you have about 1” or 1.5” of growth before you do any trimming or shaping.^{[5]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Treating Your Beard

1
Shampoo your beard. You wouldn’t use face wash or regular soap on top of your head, and you shouldn’t on your beard either. Use shampoo to clean your beard about every other day, but you can tailor this to oily or dry skin types as well.^{[6]
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Expert Source

Timmy Yanchun
Professional Barber
Expert Interview. 22 January 2020.}^{[7]
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- Using a moisturizing shampoo will keep the hair healthy and stop the hair from becoming brittle.^{[8]
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2
Condition your beard.^{[9]
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Expert Source

Timmy Yanchun
Professional Barber
Expert Interview. 22 January 2020.} Even if you don’t use conditioner for the hair on your head, you should make a habit of using it on your beard. Beard hair is much more prone to getting wiry or brittle, and conditioner will help keep the hair soft and healthy.^{[10]
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- You may even want to consider a leave-in conditioner that you don’t have to rinse out.^{[11]
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3
Apply beard oil. Beard oils are specially formulated conditioning oils that help promote a healthy beard.^{[12]
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Expert Source

Timmy Yanchun
Professional Barber
Expert Interview. 22 January 2020.} Apply a dime-size portion after your morning shower and work it thoroughly through your beard.^{[13]
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- Some men even like using a boar bristle brush to work the beard oil fully into their beards.^{[14]
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4
Use noncomedogenic products. Noncomedogenic simply means that the product won’t clog your pores. If you use any type of styling products on your beard such as mustache wax, look for this word on the product to help avoid developing blemishes or ingrown hairs on the skin beneath your beard.^{[15]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Trimming Your Beard

1
Comb out tangles. Just as a stylist combs out your hair before taking scissors to it, you want to do the same with your beard.^{[16]
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Research source} You may specifically prefer a wider-tooth comb or a boar bristle brush for combing out your beard.
2
Trim the sides with a beard trimmer. Especially when you’re going for a longer or tapered beard, you’re better off trimming the bulk around your chin with scissors, but you can still use a beard trimmer on the sides and around your cheeks.^{[17]
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- Start with a longer setting on your beard trimmer. Nearly all beard trimmers are going to have a guard with adjustable lengths. Since it’s always easier to remove a bit more rather than grow some back, start with a longer setting on the trimmer and move down incrementally until you find the setting you want.^{[18]
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- No matter whether you’re trimming with scissors or a beard trimmer, always trim your beard when it’s dry.
3
Trim with the scissors slowly and methodically. When it comes time to pull out the scissors, start from the bottom and trim slowly in small groupings rather than shearing too much.^{[19]
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- Use a comb in coordination with the scissors to trim at equal lengths.
- Though you start at the bottom, you may find it helpful to trim up one side of your beard to shape it, then duplicate it on the other side afterward as opposed to shaping the whole thing at once.^{[21]
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4
Do any final edging. Sometimes the difference between a kempt beard and a grizzly one is a matter of cleaning up the edges. Shaving any stray upper cheek hairs, cleaning up your neckline, and trimming any accompanying mustache (if you have one) are all important in managing your beard.
- The standard way to determine your neckline is to look at your profile in a three-way mirror and imagine a slightly curved line the runs from just behind your earlobe down to just above your Adam’s apple.^{[22]
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  Expert Source
  
  Timmy Yanchun
  Professional Barber
  Expert Interview. 22 January 2020.}^{[23]
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  Research source} Shaving anything below this line will create a suave, natural neckline.

Expert Q&A
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Question

How can I make my beard stop itching?

Timmy Yanchun
Professional Barber
Timmy Yanchun is a Professional Barber and Co-Founder of Svelte Barbershop + Essentials. Svelte Barbershop + Essentials is a men’s grooming company, specializing in men’s hair, beard, skin, and shave products, originally located in the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, California but has now branched out to 3 locations across Los Angeles. Timmy has been cutting hair since age 13 and opened his first of 6 barbershops at age 18. He is also the co-founder of the newly launched brand LTHR, the world's first wireless hot lather machine for barber quality shaves at home. Timmy and Svelte have been featured in GQ, Men's Fitness, and Hypebeast.

Timmy Yanchun

Professional Barber

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Itching is often caused by dryness. Conditioning and moisturizing your beard can really help prevent your beard and skin from drying out. Try to apply beard oil whenever your beard feels dry, even if you end up applying it multiple times per day.
Question

Which shampoo is best?

Timmy Yanchun
Professional Barber
Timmy Yanchun is a Professional Barber and Co-Founder of Svelte Barbershop + Essentials. Svelte Barbershop + Essentials is a men’s grooming company, specializing in men’s hair, beard, skin, and shave products, originally located in the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, California but has now branched out to 3 locations across Los Angeles. Timmy has been cutting hair since age 13 and opened his first of 6 barbershops at age 18. He is also the co-founder of the newly launched brand LTHR, the world's first wireless hot lather machine for barber quality shaves at home. Timmy and Svelte have been featured in GQ, Men's Fitness, and Hypebeast.

Timmy Yanchun

Professional Barber

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Shampoo designed specifically for beards works best, but you can get away with using regular hair shampoo as well.
Question

Should I shave my neck when I'm growing a beard?

Timmy Yanchun
Professional Barber
Timmy Yanchun is a Professional Barber and Co-Founder of Svelte Barbershop + Essentials. Svelte Barbershop + Essentials is a men’s grooming company, specializing in men’s hair, beard, skin, and shave products, originally located in the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, California but has now branched out to 3 locations across Los Angeles. Timmy has been cutting hair since age 13 and opened his first of 6 barbershops at age 18. He is also the co-founder of the newly launched brand LTHR, the world's first wireless hot lather machine for barber quality shaves at home. Timmy and Svelte have been featured in GQ, Men's Fitness, and Hypebeast.

Timmy Yanchun

Professional Barber

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Avoid shaving all the way up to your jawline. Trim up to somewhere between your jawline and the first wrinkle on your throat.