2. Not Brushing
When I was a new beard grower, I couldn’t have ever imagined brushing my beard. I mean, surely all you have to do is let it grow and be done with it right?
If only that was the case. In order to keep your beard looking its best you must brush your beard on a daily basis. For instance, like the hair on your head, doing it can help to keep your beard neat and tidy. But in reality, it’s much more than that. It helps to evenly distribute beard oil throughout your facial hair, trains your hairs to grow downwards rather than outwards so it’s easier to maintain and can help to get rid of unsightly beard dandruff. If your beard is on the shorter side, I would definitely recommend using a comb to start with and move onto a brush as it gets longer. This is because brushes can reach the hairs buried deep within your beard unlike a comb.
3. Giving Up Too Soon
The majority of us have been there. Had a week or two of growth and thought to ourselves – this isn’t working. The next step tends to be shaving the beard off.
But the question you really have to ask yourself, is have you given your beard enough time to reach its full potential? My guess would be not. Most people are simply too impatient to wait and see how their beard will turn out. That’s why I always recommend waiting at least two months before making a decision. Yes that is a long time. But even the guys with the patchiest beards at the start, are usually much happier after leaving it for a while, when the hair has grown long enough to drop and cover the gaps. Some of the transformations are quite amazing!
4. Believing Beard Myths
With the popularity of beards and beard related products continuing to grow, this has led to an increasing amount of myths that surround them.
It’s a shame, as many believe these claims, no matter how outrageous they are and give up on their beard journey too soon after hearing them. Some of more common misconceptions that I have come across include:
1. “My beard is patchy, so I can never grow a full beard.” Not true. With 2/3 months’ worth of growth, most patches will start to fill in.
2. “Shaving makes the hair grow back quicker.” This has simply never been proved. Realistically, this is down to genetics.
3. “You must shave your beard off for interviews.” I’ve never had a problem getting a job because of my beard…and neither will you!
4. “Beards make you feel hotter in the summer.” Business Inisder has claimed that beards can actually have a cooling effect during the summer.
5. Neglecting The Moustache
Like a lot of other people, I can sometimes be guilty of focusing too much on my beard and don’t really pay enough attention to my moustache.
This is not a good idea. Even just trimming stray hair is a good start! But in reality there is so much more that you can do:
• Choose your style. From Dali to Walrus, there are plenty of styles to choose from.
• Use moustache wax . Tame your hairs, so you can style your moustache how you want.
• Get trimming. A pair of beard scissors or trimmer will help to keep it under control.
• Combing it. Like the hair on your head, combing your moustache will help to keep it looking neat and tidy.
6. Shaving Too High on your Neckline
After a few months of growth, the time will come for you to neaten things up and trim your neckline. However, a lot can go wrong. If you’re not careful, you can trim the hair too high from your jawline and inevitably it looks terrible. Believe me, I have been there! In simple terms, you need to imagine a curved line between both of your ears that passes underneath your chin. Using this as guide, you can then use a trimmer to trim any hairs that don’t follow this path.
7. Trimming Too Much, Too Soon
Getting trimming right is important to most beard growers. Unless you’re going for long and wild look of course! But it’s not the easiest thing to master. The most common mistake is trimming too much off, which usually means that you have to shave your whole beard off and start again. Let’s face it, no-one wants that! So how should you shape your facial hair? Some elements to remember include:
• Consider your face shape. Trim your beard into a style that suits your face shape.
• Trim small amounts at a time. This makes it easier for you to rectify any mistakes
• Use beard oil regularly. This will soften the beard hairs, making them easier to maintain going forward.
• Brush it. Do this before trimming so you can see exactly how long the hair is.
• Only trim when dry. Hair looks longer when its wet, so always pat dry it with a towel first.
8. Washing Incorrectly
Washing your beard should be an important part of your beard care regime. This is especially for true if you happen to work outside, with dust and dirt getting trapped in the hair. But even if you work in an office, you will still need to wash your beard to keep it clean. But unfortunately a lot of guys make the common mistake of using head-hair shampoo on their beard. The problem with this type of product is that it strips your beard of its natural oils that help to keep the skin underneath moisturised. This leaves your skin feeling sore and painful. I personally use Murdock’s beard shampoo, which I find works really well when used just once a week. I have tried it more often that, but I have found that this leaves my skin feeling sore and then beard dandruff starts to occur. The best thing to do is to experiment yourself and see what works best for you.
