Thanks to the popularity of beards in recent years among men (and their significant others!), barbers have been spending more and more time behind the chair working on faces as well as heads.
Beards not only give clients more choices for personal style, but they give us barbers more opportunities to upgrade our pricing and service menus.
Men are notoriously known for not asking for help, but when it comes to their beards, they have no problem! It’s important to educate our clients on direction, proper maintenance, grooming & tips, as well as beard styling.
Let’s discuss a few steps to choosing and delivering the best beard style for you and your client.
Choosing a Beard Style
My first rule of thumb: the shorter the hair, the longer the beard, and vice versa.
This maintains visual balance and keeps the focus on those facial features that make the client who he is! No one wants to get lost behind a bunch of hair.
Work with the density they have. Not everyone can grow a full, thick, heavy beard, and that’s okay. That doesn’t mean give up, it means find a style that works with the client’s natural hair growth.
If his facial hair has a lower density, keep it shorter. When low-density beards grow out, they tend to look spotty or patchy. If the beard is full, feel free to experiment with longer lengths.
Symmetry creates attraction, so complement the shape of the haircut. When creating a haircut, an ideal shape is always going to be more on the square side, no matter what shape you’re starting off with. You can use hair to fill out a lack of bone structure and form the desired square shape.
This is true of beards as well. You can use facial hair to create the appearance of a stronger jaw, to elongate or to shorten the face, to slim the cheeks in tight or to add weight. Beards are one of the absolute best ways to create the perfect facial shape on any man.
4. Maintenance is a major consideration in choosing a beard style. I always recommend washing and conditioning the beard. Even though it’s on your face, it’s still hair. If you have a longer beard, you should blow-dry it to keep it looking strong.
Add some beard oil to replenish the skin, as beards can be itchy in the beginning stages. For longer beards, balm or butter provides smoothness, control, and a healthy finish. (Bevel’s beard-care products are all highly rated.) Conditioning sprays like Levi Fisher’s are also available to keep the beard soft all day without feeling greasy or heavy.
When the beard starts to grow longer, use a beard comb or brush to detangle and help distribute the products.
Creating a Perfect Beard Shape
Tools: Use all cordless for better range of motion and sight. I use the Wahl Black & Gold Barber Combo with Premium cutting guards, Wahl Vanish Shaver, 5-Star Cordless Magic Clip, and Cordless Detailer Li.
Step 1: Choosing the length — To determine the desired length, take your guard alone (not attached to the clippers) and comb it through the beard. Whatever hair is sticking out is how much length you will be taking off. This is a great way to have a visual before going in with the guard attached to the clipper and making a mistake.
Step 2: Cutting the beard — Now use the clipper to take off the length. I always suggest starting off by going with the grain (down) versus against the grain (up). It’s much more forgiving, as the density of the hair throughout the beard changes frequently.
Step 3: Lining it up — Line up the bottom using the Wahl Detailer Li: When creating the line on the bottom, take your finger and place it on the chin, then run your finger down under the jaw to the ‘fold/ line’ that meets the neck. Create your first guideline in the center.
Then, turn the head to the left shoulder and follow the center guideline parallel to the jaw all the way to the back corner. Repeat the same steps when working on the right side.
Try to keep the chin and head straight while doing this step, as lifting the head will cause the neck to stretch and shift the line.
Step 4: Cleaning it up — After you have created your guidelines and have gotten rid of all the excess hair, treat your Wahl Vanish Shaver as you would a razor. Using this tool to clean up around guidelines will help the beard stay cleaner longer, giving that smooth razor-like finish.
It’s okay to bring the foil right up to the guideline as this will not cut any hair longer than a “5-o’clock shadow.”
Step 5: Free-handing — I use the Wahl Vanish Shaver to ‘freehand’ any flyaways after I’m finished with the grooming. The devils are in the detail when it comes to the beard.
Again, being able to use the shaver rather than a clipper to freehand the beard is much more forgiving as it will not cut into the beard and create holes. I’ve seen a lot of mistakes happen towards the end because eagerness will set in. By using the right tools, you can eliminate so many errors.
One of the biggest beard tips I share with my clients every day is this: Don’t be afraid to ask for our help and advice. That's what barbers are here for! We want to help you look and feel your best all the time.
Trevor Moots is an Orlando, FL-based barber educator for Wahl Professional and Hattori Hanzo Shears; a platform artist; and one of the top barbers working in the U.S. today.
