One tenant of growing a better beard is knowing how to trim your beard. Seriously, you need to tidy it up as it grows, in order to maintain optimal beard shape along the way. It’s no different from getting haircuts as you grow out the hair on your head. Plus, you can take care of your beard at home rather than having to go to the barbershop constantly. These routine trims will keep things looking shapely and help you navigate any awkward phases—because beard care is self care.
And on the topic of shapely beards: Beard shaping is its own thing, too, which will help you achieve the best beard possible for your potential. Your optimal style factors in face shape, and even the most patchy beards can achieve something great.
Check out our advice below to know how to trim your beard as it grows out (or as you maintain a desired length). We’ll cover the best tools for the job, as well as the steps you should follow—including tips for tidier necklines, cheek lines, and even fading.
Get the Right ToolsThese products are essential for any beard kit; mix and match to build out the best regimen for yourself, even if you’re just a beginner.
1. A detailing trimmer: You’ll need T-blade clippers to maintain a clean neckline and cheek line, all of which will make up your beard line. An electric trimmer is great for tuning up any lineups on your hairstyle, snipping strays, or tidying the sideburns, too.
Andis
Slimline Pro Detailing Trimmer$75 $63Amazon
2. The actual beard trimmer: The best beard trimmer will have all the customization you need for length management on a short beard, fine tuning on the beard style itself, and might even negate the need for a dedicated detail trimmer.
Philips Norelco
Multigroom Series 9000 All-in-One Trimmer$89Amazon
3. A razor (or two): Yes, a shaving razor. Don’t part with the blade just yet. If you ever want the cleanest contrast between beard and skin, this is your ticket. Or, at the very least, get an electric shaver for the task, too.
Harry's
Truman Razor$10Harry's
Panasonic
Arc5 Electric Shaver$155Amazon
4. A facial hair styler: This could be any kind of tamer for those coarse hairs. A beard balm, beard oil, or leave-in conditioner will help you shape the mane at the end of the sculpting and trimming, in addition to keeping it soft and nourished. Once the beard is styled, check back to see if there are any lingering stray hairs to snip away.
Beardbrand
Utility Balm$39Beardbrand
Scotch Porter
Beard Oil$20 $15Amazon
Bevel
Beard Conditioner$10Amazon
5. Facial hair scissors: These round-ended snippers will clip any standalone beard strays, and trim the mustache hairs that fall atop the upper lip.
Tweezerman
Facial Hair Scissors$14Amazon
6. A beard comb: While a beard comb is good for distributing nourishing oils and conditioners, it’s equally helpful for styling the beard back into place, post-trim. You will also use it to comb mustache hairs down over the lip prior to trimming.
Kent
Handmade Fine Tooth Sawcut Beard Pocket Comb$10 $8Amazon
7. A beard brush: Before trimming, run the brush against the grain of your beard hairs, to make them easier to trim, and to highlight any inconsistencies in length. (And use this brush every night in your clean beard to distribute oils, detangle, and improve overall luster.)
BFWood
Small Travel Beard Brush$9Amazon
How to Trim Your BeardHere are the core steps to trimming your beard. If you want to maintain any certain length, do this general routine once every seven to 10 days, and if you really need help, a tutorial online with step-by-step directions will do the trick.
1. Wash and dry your beard: Always work with a fresh, clean canvas. You can use your regular facial cleanser for short styles, but consider upgrading to a designated beard wash once that mane grows long.
Billy Jealousy
Beard Wash$20Amazon
2. Brush it out: Run the brush against the grain of your beard, so that the hairs stand up and out.
3. Use your clippers and scissors: Either spot-check the strays, or trim everything to an even length. (It’s best to start with a bigger guard to prevent accidentally cutting everything too short.)
4. Address the mustache: To trim the mustache, you can run a shorter guard over your upper lip, but your nose will obstruct anything much longer. Instead, comb all of the hairs down over the upper lip, and use the bare clippers or mustache scissors to snip away anything that covers the lip. A detail trimmer or detail attachment guard works really well here, too, since they can draw clean lines or target small areas; just be sure to use a short guard on any T_blades since they can cut super close to the skin.
5. Comb it into place: Now, coach everything back into place, so that it resembles the way you will actually wear your beard.
6. Spot-check again: Snip away any remaining strays.
7. Wash or rinse: Flush away the clippings. It can help to do an actual shower on this rinse. (Maybe you started with a general cleanse at the sink.)
8. Style the beard: After drying your beard, style it once more, this time using your product (a balm, oil, or conditioner like those above). You now have a look at the finished product.
9. Snip any final strays: You may notice one or two remaining stray hairs. Snip them with your facial hair scissors, and you’re done.
How to Trim Your Beard NecklineThe biggest way to compromise your beard is to ignore your neckline, or to trim it too high or too low. It’s quite easy to get right, however.
On super long beards, though, where they grow down past your neck, this process might be pointless. Still, keep things clean around the back or your ears and top of your neck, and always tidy up the cheek lines.
1. Start with the Adam’s apple
AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronTake two fingers and place them above your Adam’s apple. Imagine a point that sits atop your fingers at this spot.
2. Make a “U”
AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronNow, draw an imaginary line from behind each ear; the lines will curve down to this point, creating a “U” shape.
3. Shave everything below this spot
AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronYes, everything—the neckbeard must go. Do not shave anything above this line; the hair should still wrap around the jawbone and underside of the chin, giving that razors-sharp jawline you’ve always dreamed of.
How to Fade Your BeardSome guys like having a “hard stop” on their beard neckline, meaning they don’t want to fade the hair gradually from this neckline and up into the full beard. But if you want to fade your beard from the neck or the sideburns, follow these steps.
1. Graduate down
AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronAdjust your clippers to a setting that is half the length of your beard length in that area.
2. Go in 1 inch
AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronUsing this shorter clip, trim up from the neckline approximately one inch around the entire base of the beard. (Or down from the sideburns and buzz fade.)
3. Halve it again
AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronIf you want a more gradual fade, then lengthen the initial fade so that it more closely matches the full beard itself. (If the beard is a 4, then start with a 3 on the fade.) Fade a full inch with that setting, then shorten the guard and trim halfway into this inch from the perimeter of the neckline or sideburns. (So, in the example above, you would then trim halfway into the “3” territory with a “2”.)
If that’s confusing, just use logic
AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronFading requires gradually longer lengths, starting from the bare skin and ending with the full beard. Keep in mind that you don’t want to fade it any more than an inch away from the neckline. And if you’re nervous, just stick with a hard-stop neckline and ask a barber to show you how to fade it, because a good beard is better than no beard.
