How to Maintain a Close Beard

Maintain a close beard at home with your own tools.

A close, neatly trimmed beard looks sharp, but it requires regular trimming. Instead of visiting the barber two to three times a week, buy your own beard-trimming tools and learn to take care of it at home. The first few times you trim your beard yourself, make it a little longer than you want. You can always take more hair off if you make mistakes, but you can't add hair back to your beard.

Things You'll Need

• Shampoo
• Towel
• Mirror
• Comb
• Barber's scissors
• Beard trimmer

Instructions

1. 

   Regular hair shampoo works fine for washing your beard.

   Wash your beard with beard shampoo, hair shampoo or soap. You can use the same shampoo for your beard that you use for your head. Pat your beard dry with a towel and allow it to dry completely before trimming. If you trim it while it's wet it may end up shorter than you want it to be.

2. 

   Choose a fine-tooth comb for best results.

   Comb through your beard to remove any tangles and to get all the hairs facing the same direction. Stand in front of a mirror with the comb and barber's scissors.

3. 

   Barber's scissors are sharper than office scissors.

   Run the comb through your beard, but stop combing at the length you wish to trim. Trim the hairs on the outside of the comb with the scissors, using the comb as your guide.

4. 

   Keep your beard trimmer clean and oiled.

   Trim your beard with a beard trimmer to define the outside edges. Start trimming on one side of your beard near the ear and work your way down to the bottom. Then start at the other ear and do your best to keep the edges symmetrical.

5. 

   A close beard requires regular maintenance.

   Trim your beard two to three times a week. Dark beards require more frequent trimming than red, blond or white beards. Allowing a light-colored beard to grow a little longer makes it appear fuller.

Tips & Warnings

• Have a professional barber trim your beard every so often so you can follow his lines.

• Keep your beard clean by washing it with beard shampoo, hair shampoo or soap every day.

References

• All About Beards: Growing a Beard
• Men's Flair; How to Trim a Beard; March 2007
• Wahl Nation: Short Boxed Beard