Achieving the perfect beard trim is a great addition to any man’s outlook but it does have its tricks and tips. Whether you want to do it with or without clippers, trimming your beard is a skill that every man learns eventually, some faster than others.
So, what do you need to know about trimming beard with clippers or not? Let’s go over the basics.
The preparation
To make the process of beard trimming as easy, effective, and quick as possible, the preparation is the first vital steps. Here are some things you probably don’t want to forget:
- Wash your beard and the skin around it as well as possible and dry them off afterward. An awful lot of people skip that part for some reason – your beard hair gets just as oil and dirty as your other hair (more, actually) which makes trimming it both harder and less effective. If you want to trim your beard well, the first step is to make sure that it’s in the best possible condition for trimming. If you don’t feel like taking a full shower you can simply wash your beard over the sink with shampoo (not one that dries the skin) and then dry it off with a towel.
- Comb your beard before trimming it. This is another important step that lots of people skip – combing your beard hair eliminates entangled hairs and makes them easier to trim. Trimming a beard with a lot of tangles means that many of them will be unevenly trimmed.
- Have everything in front of you before you start the whole process. There’s no point in running around the house looking for the clippers or a comb after you’ve started washing your beard. Instead, get everything from the beginning – your shampoo, a towel, a comb, your clippers or scissors, an additional mirror if you’d like to use one, as well as any other products you might need.
- Consider getting a multi-angle mirror or an additional mirror. For a lot of hard-to-reach areas such as below your chin or on the sides, a multi-angled mirror can be a great tool to have. Simply using an additional handheld mirror can work too but it will require you to hold it with your second hand.
- Prepare a small trash bin, some newspapers, or something else for the beard trimmings. Cleaning the sink from hair is an unpleasant activity, plus you’ll risk clogging it. Instead, trimming over something that you can easily throw away after the fact can save you quite a bit of time and effort.
Trimming with clippers
There are different hair clippers for beard and for hair but for the most part, ordinary hair clippers can work just as well if you don’t want to buy a separate set for just your beard. The advantage of specialized beard hair clippers is that they usually come with additional attachments for mustache trimming, for nose hair trimming, and so on, as well as that they are usually smaller and easier to handle. Of all the ways to shave the beard or to trim it, specialized beard clippers are the easiest for most men, but standard hair clippers work too.
Aside from that, there isn’t much to say about hair clippers – they are designed to be as easy to use as possible. They usually don’t need the use of an additional comb as they have a guard that makes sure you don’t misjudge the trimming. If you’re not sure how to use the guard and which length is best, start with the bigger/longer attachment and trim with that one first. You can always trim your beard some more afterward but you can’t make your beard longer if you’ve accidentally cut it too short.
An additional note for the clippers’ guards is not to press too much when using them. Most hair clipper guards are made out of plastic which bends quite easily but even metal guards can bend with just a little pressure. This means that if you press the clippers too hard the guard can bend and you’ll trim a part of your beard shorter than you might have intended.
And that’s about it. Remember to trim your mustache and your chin, as well as to give the trim a nice edge around your neck by removing the guard. Don’t be too afraid of cutting yourself – as long as you don’t press the naked clippers hard on your skin they shouldn’t cut you. Once you’ve trimmed everything and you’ve done a nice edge, just wash up!
The last, but probably most important note for using hair clippers isn’t about actually using them but about their maintenance – it’s important that you clean your clippers with the brush they’ve probably come with or with another brush you have in your home. Brush all excess hair from the blades and the guards to make sure that old hair doesn’t build up and make its way inside the clippers. Also, use lubricating oil on the blades after every several shaves – your clippers should have a small tube of it in the box. If not – better contact the manufacturer instead of using any household oil since most of them are actually unsuitable for the job.
Trimming without clippers
Trimming a beard with scissors instead of clippers is both more complicated and simpler at the same time. It’s simpler because scissors require less maintenance – they are easier to clean and their blades are easier to inspect and judge. Using scissors for beard trimming requires skill, however- you’d do best to use a comb for a guide and be very careful not misjudge the depth of the trim. Using a multi-angle mirror here is almost a must because you won’t have a free hand for a second mirror and you wouldn’t want to tilt your head too much.
Always use sharp scissors that are small and comfortable to use – don’t use kitchen or garden scissors as these are too big and cumbersome. Also, use different combs for different sections/depths of your beard. If you want to give yourself a very short trim, make sure to be extra careful.
You can’t really make a perfect edge with scissors so for that you can use either electric clippers or a safety razor.
