The Grooming Manual
The Best Way to Trim and Manage Your Quarantine Beard
The quarantine lifestyle may have brought a few changes to your looks - maybe you’re rocking the sweatsuit life, maybe you’ve mastered the “business on top, PJs on bottom” Zoom meeting look.
If you’re like a lot of guys, you may also be rocking a quarantine beard. But there’s an important difference between woodsy-cool and caveman-mess.
Here’s how to stay on the good side of the style and keep that beard looking right and tight.
1. Invest in Quality Grooming Products
If your beard is your artwork, you need a solid canvas.
That means investing in quality skincare products for men and great beard oil. Why? If the skin underneath your beard isn’t taken care of, you’ll experience dryness, clogged pores, and flaky skin.
This not only leads to a flaky-looking beard but also acne and ingrown hairs, which are both unsightly and painful. And nobody has time for that.
Start your beard care routine with:
- A great men's face cleanser that cleans away any grime, dirt, and bacteria that can settle in your beard over the day.
- A beard oil to help keep your mane under control.
- A men's face moisturizer with SPF to give you antioxidant defense, sun protection, and hydration.
- An exfoliant. This one is major. Shaving regularly helps with exfoliation - but you still need to exfoliate when you have your beard to get rid of dander, dirt, and oil that can be collected in the hair. To solve this, wash your beard at least two to three times a week with your cleanser a great men's face scrub. Look for ingredients like jojoba (for hydration), pumice, avocado butter, and vitamin E for the best results.
2. Get On Top of Your Grooming
Ok. Yes, a beard by nature feels a little crazier and “wilder” than a clean-shaven look. But that doesn’t mean that you can just let it go if you want it to look good.
Instead, take care of your strays. How? Start by combing your beard in the direction it grows - then cut away any tangles or strays. Also, trim back any hair that grows over your lip (which is never a good look).
As your beard grows, find the right shape for your face and trim it regularly, This can be tricky, so start by following your beard’s natural growth pattern. Don’t try anything too crazy right off the bat (remember, that less is more).
Pro tip: To keep your beard from looking too short or too long around the neck, keep it about one finger’s length above your Adam’s apple.
3. Use Beard Oil Regularly
This makes a big difference. The right beard oil will give your beard a healthy shine - just look for a high-quality natural beard oil with ingredients like:
- Algae extract to hydrate and condition
- Vitamin E to condition and add antioxidant protection
- Argan oil for extra shine
- Aloe vera to soothe skin and prevent itchiness or flaking
4. Wash Your Beard Like You Wash Your Hair
It’s not just about keeping your skin clear. You also have to wash your beard as regularly as you wash the hair on your head. This is particularly important given the extra bacteria and viruses that could be floating around in the air.
You can use the same shampoo that you use for your hair, or you can go with a men's all in one wash that cleanses, hydrates, and strengthens hair.