Have you ever looked in the mirror and felt like you needed to shake things up a bit? Tried a new hairstyle and it’s just not as satisfying as you might have hoped?
It might be time to put down the razor and grow a beard. Sometimes growing a beard can be the perfect way to shake up your look in the right way. But growing a beard isn’t as simple as not shaving—there’s some commitment involved in the process.
You’re going to need to put in some work. You’ll need to maintain your facial hair. There’s going to be an awkward phase where your beard looks terrible and you want to cut it all off. These are all normal parts of the process, and the reward of having a luscious beard at the end makes it all worth it.
Here are some key tips to help you grow the best beard possible.
1. Buy the Right Beard Products
At the end of the day, growing a long beard isn’t as simple as just giving up on shaving. If you want to make the process comfortable, and you want the finished product to look good, you’re going to need to spend a little bit of money to get the right products.
For a quick rundown, you’ll need the following:
- Beard trimmer
- Beard oil
- Beard brush
- Beard balm
- Beard soap
If you snag those five key products, you’ll be armed with the tools you need to grow the sickest beard you possibly can! For more tips on beard gear, check out our article on essential beard maintenance products for men.
2. Shape It After One Month
You don’t want to just grow your beard all over the place. After all, the idea here is to create a stylish long beard that actually looks good. As such, you’re going to want to shape your beard to create the nicest look possible.
Don’t trim too high up your neck, as your beard is going to need that as a foundation. Trim the upper area of your cheeks in a nice line so everything looks kempt and clean.
Even better, go to a good barber and tell them you’re starting to grow your beard out and ask them to shape it for you. They’ll be able to give you clean lines that you can follow as you keep up on trimming it yourself. It’s well worth the money to get you started on the right track.
3. Brush It Daily
The aforementioned beard brush is incredibly important as the beard starts to get longer. Taking a few minutes to brush your beard every single day will help keep the hairs strong and healthy, and it will also exfoliate the skin under the beard, which is really the foundation upon which this whole thing is built.
By brushing, you’re also taking those natural oils that your skin creates and moves them through the entire hair, instead of just leaving them trapped at the base. Brushing isn’t just for creating a sculpted style, but it’s actually critical for beard health!
4. Be Patient
Growing a big, luscious beard takes time. The gentlemen you see walking around with a six-inch beard didn’t just close their eyes and wish for long facial hair. They were patient. They rode out the miserable phase in the middle where their beard looked terrible. They dealt with itching. They rode out the storm of people telling them they didn’t look good with a beard.
In the end, they earned their awesome beard, and if you want to have a beard like that, you’re going to have to earn it too.
They say facial hair grows an average of a half-inch per month. That means that if you’re shooting for six inches of curly locks flowing out of your chin, you’re looking at close to a year of waiting.
So hunker down and get ready for a journey. A long, but rewarding, journey!
