How to Grow, Shape, & Trim Your Facial Hair

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Expert advice on growing out a beardstache, goatee, or anything in between
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Leonardo da Vinci. Ernest Hemingway. Jason Momoa. There have been some great beards throughout history, and if you’ve been itching (pun intended) to grow one of your own, you’ve come to the right place. While beards are like snowflakes (each one grows in a little differently), in this article, we’ll teach you how to work with what you got. We’ll offer you expert advice on how to stimulate the growth of your facial hair, as well as how to trim and care for your new beard. So keep reading, and remember: don't fear the beard.

This article is based on an interview with our professional barber, Timmy Yanchun, co-founder of Svelte Barbershop + Essentials. Check out the full interview here.

Things You Should Know

  • Shave regularly before and during your beard growth to ensure your facial hair comes in evenly.
  • Make healthy lifestyle choices to raise testosterone and boost beard growth. Drink lots of water, eat a vitamin-rich diet, get plenty of rest, and exercise regularly.
  • Use a beard trimmer every 5-10 days to create crisp lines in the hair along your neck, chin, and cheeks.
Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Growing Out Your Facial Hair

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  1. Just as you need a clean canvas to start painting, you need a clean-shaven face to start growing facial hair. Start from scratch, shaving off any hairs you have to ensure your beard grows in evenly. You want hair growing in on the tip of your chin, above your lips, under your neck, and near your sideburns at the same speed. Otherwise, your beard will be patchy and hard to style. [1]
    • Consider having a hot shave at a barber's shop. This is typically the closest and most even shave you can get, to start off.
    • After your initial shave, wash your face regularly with a skin cleanser while your beard comes in.
    • Not all people are able to grow full beards, and that’s okay! Styling what you have (be it a mustache, a goatee, mutton chops) will look way cooler than trying to force something patchy and uneven that isn’t really there.
  2. If you're currently going through puberty, or have gone through puberty but haven't started growing your facial hair yet, there are some simple things you can do to stimulate testosterone levels and encourage hair growth. The effect won't necessarily be fast, but you'll get hair growing if you do some combination of the following: [2]
    • Exercise . Doing intensity training, cardio, and some strength training a few times a week encourages testosterone growth, helping to get facial hair growing. Warm up for three minutes, then do on/off sets, with 30 seconds of all-out exercise, then 90 seconds of moderate exercise. Do sets of 7 of these circuits. [3]
    • Get your Vitamin D levels up, either by taking a supplement , or by spending some more time outdoors in the sun, absorbing Vitamin D naturally. [4]
    • According to some recently published research, ashwagandha is an herb that stimulates testosterone in men. It's also known as adaptogen, and is commonly sold as a supplement . [5]
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  3. The best way to stimulate facial hair growth (or any growth for that matter) is by eating healthy and sleeping 7 to 9 hours a night . Incorporate vitamins A, C, E, B3, B5, B7, and B9 into your diet with the following foods: [6]
    • For vitamin A, choose leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, and broccoli.
    • For vitamins B3 and B5 stick with heavy protein sources chicken, beef, fish, and dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheese).
    • For vitamin B7, eat foods with lots of biotin like seeds and sweet potatoes.
    • For vitamin B9, choose nuts and grainy cereals.
    • Eat citrus fruits for vitamin C like oranges and kiwis.
    • For vitamin E, eat foods filled with antioxidants like beets, pumpkin, avocados, and mangoes.
    • You can also get these vitamins in supplement form if eating them is too difficult.
  4. As you're trying to stimulate facial hair growth, it's also important to take care of your skin so your beard grows evenly and looks good. Talk to your doctor about problems with rosacea, acne, or dryness before you decide to grow a beard. [7]
    • See your dermatologist while you are still shaving regularly. Apply any prescribed or over-the-counter medication for at least one month before growing facial hair.
    • Keep your face hydrated with a non-comedogenic moisturizer to keep the follicles healthy and stimulated. Use a natural foaming cleanser on your face to keep your skin healthy. [8]
  5. Lots of guys stop growing out facial hair and start shaving because it gets itchy. Understand that itchiness will last for approximately 4 weeks, before you'll eventually get used to it, and the beard softens slightly. [9]
    • Use a moisturizer or natural beard oil on your beard follicles to soften the hairs and to keep the beard from itching too much. [10]
    • Even if they’re itchy, beards offer a variety of other health benefits. They trap dust to help you avoid asthma attacks and upper respiratory infections. They also act as windbreakers to shield your face from cold weather blasts. [11]
    • Growing a beard can also protect you from UV sun rays, and work to cool your skin during hot weather, trapping sweat close to your face. [12]
  6. Everyone's facial hair grows at different rates. It takes a while for some guys to grow beards, while others will seem to sprout whiskers in between morning shaves and evening showers. At whatever age and maturity level you're at, stay patient and wait for your beard to grow at its own pace. [13]
    • If you feel like your beard is taking too long to come in, you can speed up the process with healthy lifestyle choices. Drink lots of water, reduce your stress levels with meditation and mindfulness, and cut out harmful activities like smoking. [14]
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Styling and Shaping Your Beard

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  1. There are many ways to style and shape your beard , but a lot of the choice will depend on your face, and your personal sense of style. Most experts say, if you have full cheeks, plan on keeping it shorter on the sides. If you have a narrow face, you can keep some length to fill it out. But it’s your call at the end of the day, so if it looks good to you, go for it! [15]
    • Pencil-line beards involve leaving only a thin line of beard along your jawline, connecting to your mustache. This typically looks best with very short hair, or a bald look.
    • Pharaoh beards typically involve shaving everything but the chin, and growing out the chin, sometimes braiding or beading the beard as it grows.
    • Wizard-style beards will take some time to cultivate. They essentially involve growing the beard out as long as possible, but still trimming the neck periodically, as well as the mustache, so it gets out of the way of your lip.
  2. Once you've got your beard to its desired length (which usually happens after 1-2 months), start trimming and shaping it . Most men should trim their beards about once every 2 weeks or so, depending on your speed of growth, and the style of beard you want to have. [16]
    • Even if you hope to end up with a Gandalf-style wizard's beard, it's still good to shape and trim using a beard trimmer , or scissors to keep things growing evenly.
    • If you want a very short beard, and have especially coarse hair, you might find you need to trim it more regularly, like every 2 or 3 days.
    • Always keep your neck trim, up to your chin-line, or at whatever point along the neck looks best to you. If you don't trim the neck hair, beards typically look pretty caveman-like. [17]
    • If you have some stubble, practice with the trimmer before you shave, to get a feel for how it works, and which guards are most appropriate for you
  3. As you continue shaving to shape your beard, you may have to make some adjustments as your facial hair comes in. Use a standard electric beard trimmer or hair clippers for shorter beards or the first few months of beard growth. Once you have a substantial amount of facial hair, try a more hefty hair trimmer to make your beard look thicker. [18]
    • Start with the longest clipper setting first. You can always take more off if you wish, but can't put it back on once it's been cut.
    • While it's possible to trim longer beards neatly with a pair of hairdressing scissors, it's very difficult to keep a beard orderly without an electric trimmer or regular hair clippers. Both work effectively; the difference is typically the size of the guards and of the clipper itself.
  4. On most trimmers, you can use a tapered setting, which will allow you to trim the beard in even strokes, tapering it down to your neck as you go, without having to change the height of the trimmer itself. You can taper the cheeks, the neck and the chin for a nice, clean look. [19]
    • If your haircut is faded too, you can taper your beard to create a smooth transition down your face. [20]
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Caring for a Beard

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  1. Your beard needs to be fresh before you shave, so your hairs are softened and untangled for an even trim. Before shaving, wash your beard in the shower with warm water and soap (and a moisturizing conditioner if it feels especially dry). [21]
    • You can use a hair shampoo or a special beard shampoo , depending upon how your skin reacts, but it's normal for most people to just use the same soap they use on their faces in the shower.
    • People with longer beards may prefer a special shampoo, such as Bluebeard's brand . It leaves less residue than most facial washes.
  2. Comb your beard downward, with the grain, to make sure it lays nice and flat against your face. This is also a good way of seeing whether or not it needs a trim. Most trimmers will come with beard combs , but you can also use the same variety of brush or comb you might use on your hair. [22]
    • Beards are called "flavor savers" for a reason. It’s possible to get food, lint, and other junk stuck in your beard if it grows especially long. Comb it regularly to keep it from becoming a bird's nest.
  3. If you have sensitive skin, try several moisturizers before you start growing your beard. Then, once you’ve found one you like, continue moisturizing your beard follicles as your facial hair comes in to keep your skin healthy underneath. A healthy beard needs a healthy base to grow. [23]
    • Lubriderm and other lotion brands are perfectly fine to use on your face.
  4. There are a variety of beard oils on the market, which can be combed into clean beards to keep them looking shiny, moisturized, and clean. Use a small dab of beard oil to lubricate your comb. Then, comb through your beard as you would normally, making sure the oil is distributed evenly throughout your facial hair. [24] It can be a desirable look, and it may give you relief if you have sensitive skin.
    • Coconut oil is excellent for the hair and makes for a perfectly natural substitute if you don’t want to add more chemicals to your beard.
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    Can everyone grow a beard?
    Marlon Rivas
    Facial Hair Specialist
    Marlon Rivas is a Barber and Owner of MGX Professional Men's Grooming, a barbershop based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is also the founder of Busystyle.com, a service that provides online scheduling services to businesses in the barbering and beauty industry. Marlon has over 15 years of experience in managing and providing barber services.
    Marlon Rivas
    Facial Hair Specialist
    Expert Answer
    Two of the most important factors for beard growth are genetics and the shape of your face, neither of which you can control. Instead of trying to style your facial hair from what you see on other people, let yours grow out naturally to see how it looks, and then style it from there.
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    Not Helpful 0 Helpful 9
  • Question
    Does regular shaving result in more hair on the face?
    Community Answer
    No. The myth that shaving makes your beard thicker or fuller is incorrect.
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  • Question
    How do I grow my beard straight?
    Community Answer
    Same as growing straight hair. Brush it out constantly, use a beard oil, and use specialized shampoo/conditioners.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://skinkraft.com/blogs/articles/how-to-grow-a-beard-for-the-first-time
      2. ↑ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/cant-grow-a-full-beard-theres-an-explanation-for-that/
      3. ↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21058750/
      4. ↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21154195/
      5. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6438434/
      6. ↑ https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-best-foods-for-vitamins-and-minerals
      7. ↑ Timmy Yanchun. Professional Barber. Expert Interview. 22 January 2020.
      8. ↑ https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-secrets/face/healthy-beard
      9. ↑ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/itchy-beard/
      1. ↑ https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-secrets/face/healthy-beard
      2. ↑ https://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/2015/04/are-beards-good-or-bad-mens-health
      3. ↑ https://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/2015/04/are-beards-good-or-bad-mens-health
      4. ↑ https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/how-to-grow-facial-hair-beards/
      5. ↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12673073/
      6. ↑ http://www.esquire.com/style/tips/how-to-grow-a-beard
      7. ↑ Timmy Yanchun. Professional Barber. Expert Interview. 22 January 2020.
      8. ↑ http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2013-06-06/how-to-grow-an-office-beard
      9. ↑ Timmy Yanchun. Professional Barber. Expert Interview. 22 January 2020.
      10. ↑ https://beardstyle.net/taper-cool-beard/
      11. ↑ https://youtu.be/E9HWYzezEdQ?t=319
      12. ↑ https://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/2015/04/are-beards-good-or-bad-mens-health
      13. ↑ https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-secrets/face/healthy-beard
      14. ↑ https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-secrets/face/healthy-beard
      15. ↑ Timmy Yanchun. Professional Barber. Expert Interview. 22 January 2020.
      16. Videos provided by Banana Stew Productions

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To grow a great beard, start with regular shaving and good skin care to help the hair grow in evenly. Wash your face twice a day with a gentle cleanser and use moisturizer to help stimulate the hair follicles and keep them healthy. Once your beard starts coming in, choose a beard style that compliments your face shape. Use a trimmer every 5-10 days to continue shaping the beard as it grows in. To keep your beard neat, comb it daily. You can also try beard oil for moisture and luster. If you want to learn more about how to clean and moisturize your beard, keep reading!

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