In the salad days of three plus years ago, it was fashionable for men to be clean-shaven, baby-butt smooth. But then came a grittier time, that brought with it a return to a more traditionally manly look. Men began growing hair on their faces again. And it was good.
So if you've decided to join the man club and give that razor a rest, you might be looking for a few tips to maintain that mane.
Get a Barber
You may not remember the barbers of the good ole days, back when dudes would go in for a shave, but that used to be the way of things. We may have stopped going to them for it, but they didn't forget how. Beards are wild. Like a bush, they'll grow every which way. A barber is like a gardener for your face. Do yourself a favor and hire one. They're cheap, and once they shape you up, it will be a lot easier to maintain yourself.
Unless you're going for a more wild, natural look. It won't win you a lot of job interviews, but if that's not your main concern, it's a perfectly viable look!
Get Equipped
If you must shave. Here are a few you may not have thought of for this one.
Straight Razor
It may seem obvious, but if you're trimming up a real beard, safety razors and electric trimmers just don't do the job like the original.
Clear Shave Gel
When you're trimming, having a face full of white fluff makes it hard to see what you're doing. Get a clear gel so you can.
Wall Mounted Mirror
Get yourself a wall-mounted, telescoping mirror. This will allow you to get a better view of the various angles you need without having to lean across the bathroom counter and tilt your head.
Careful with the Dyes
If your beard is graying, or doesn't match your head, you might want to go the color route. They make dyes specifically for this kind of thing, so make sure you get one of those. Normal hair dyes can have some nasty fumes, and applying them directly around your nose and mouth is not a fun plan. Follow the directions carefully to avoid coloring your face. And never dye after a shower; you need those natural oils.
Wash & Condition
Nasty microscopic crap gets in your beard. Skin oil, dirt, and even microorganisms (the kind that produce nasty smells) can get in there. Different schools of thought exist on how to wash your scruff, but every other day, with a nice beard wash, seems to work for a lot of guys. A good beard wash will come equipped with some good natural oils to keep from drying your hair out too bad. It's not super necessary to use a conditioner during the shower, and you certainly shouldn't use a nasty store bought one. To condition, try using a beard oil (see later in article).
Comb That Shiz
Your beard hair is different from your head hair, but it's still hair. It benefits from combing. Get a fine-toothed comb and use it to brush that thing out. If you want to do it like a boss, you could get a switchblade mustache comb, but the little plastic one that probably came with your old electric trimmer will do the job just fine.
Get a Good Beard Oil
Washing is good, but it does have the drawback of clearing out the natural oils that are healthy for your beard. To help oil it back up, get yourself a good beard oil, like the one made by Beard Monster. Most are made from essential oils and jojoba oil, which is a lot like your natural skin oil.
Backed up by the right tools and information, you might just be able to pull this beard thing off. Via con Beardos, amigo.
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