How to Fade a Beard

Co-authored by Juan Sabino

Last Updated: September 15, 2022

A faded beard is an attractive, put-together look that works for almost any face type. To fade your beard, you gradually trim the beard so it fades naturally into your other hair. This takes a little precision and you need to change the settings of your trimmers a few times during the process. With a little diligence, however, you'll be left with an attractive faded beard to enjoy.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Thinning Your Beard

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Trim your beard to your desired length. To start, simply do a routine trimming. Take your shears and trim your beard like you normally would, snipping the ends so the beard is the rough length you want. ^{[1]
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You should target your beard just below the Adam's apple first. This is where you'll start to fade out the ends of your beard hair. Switch your trimmer to a lower setting than normal, like two or three, and trim the hair from your Adam's apple to neckline. ^{[2]
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Reduce the trimmer's setting to one of the lowest settings possible. Trim any remaining bits of beard below the Adam's apple and neckline. This will help finish off the gradient effect. You should also target any thinner areas around your cheeks. ^{[3]
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Some scraggly hairs are usually left on the cheeks after you trim your beard. Remove the guard from your razor. Use it to remove any loose hairs that fall outside of your beard. You don't need to form a straight line with your razor if you're fading your beard. You just need to remove any hairs that fall far outside your natural beard. ^{[4]
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Trim your mustache . Keep your trimmer at the two or one setting. Use it to remove any bits of mustache falling over your lip. ^{[5]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Creating the Fade Effect

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Look at how your beard runs along your jawline. Find the section where the hair is the longest. Set your trimmer to one of the lower settings (i.e., two or three) and start trimming on the longest section. ^{[6]
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Focus on one side of your face at first. Move upward about an inch from the section where the hair is longest. Then, shorten the trimmer by one or two levels. ^{[7]
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Continue to move up your beard. After moving up another inch, shorten the trimmer again. ^{[8]
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Continue the pattern of shortening your trimmer and moving up an inch on your beard. Keep going until your beard meets the hair on your head. This should create a nice, faded effect. ^{[9]
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Once one side of your beard is faded, repeat the exact process on the other side. Start on the area where your hair is longest on your jawline. Move the trimmer up an inch, shorten them, and then repeat this pattern until you reach your hair. ^{[10]
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