The Best Way To Trim A Beard And Mustache
Learning how to trim a beard and/or mustache is an awesome skill to have whether you’re a guy looking to trim your own, or a woman who’d like to help out her man at home. I know that during the beginning stages of the pandemic, this was a highly sought after skill to have! So in this post I’m going to explain in steps everything you need to know about how to properly trim a beard and mustache from home.
To read more on maintaining mens hair and beards, see this post here.
How to trim a beard and mustache in 5 steps
If you’re new to trimming beards, then I recommend starting out using a guard for your trimmers unless you’re looking to keep the beard longer than the size of guards you have avaliable. This will help you get the hang of the movements necessary and avoid taking out any chunks of beard!
But once you get the hang of it, I recommend switching over to clipper over comb. Using this method will give you the ability to really customize the beard exactly how you want it. It will look a lot more natural and clean with this method opposed to using guards which can sometimes leave lines in the hair and produce a bit more of a boxy look.
1. Creating the neckline
When creating the neckline, if you can it’s best to follow the natural pattern of the hair growth. This is obviously dependent on the hair itself, but the more you cut into the beard, the quicker it’s going to grow back. So it’s best to avoid going too far into the beard.
I also find it easier to do the neckline before cutting the beard at all. This isn’t necessary, it’s just my personal preference.
You will also get a closer cut if you cut the hair against the pattern of growth. This may mean flipping the trimmers upside down or holding them sideways to ensure the closest cut.
2. Clipper over comb method
The clipper (and scissor) over comb method is done by holding the hair out with a comb, and then cutting the hair against the comb with the trimmers or scissors.
If the comb is placed right against the skin, this is equivalent to cutting the hair with a #1 guard. You can then angle the comb and pull it out from the face using the comb for a longer guard.
You may also want to hold the comb in different angles based on the direction that the hair is growing. This will help to give a uniform look even when the hair is growing in different directions.
3. How to navigate patchy spots in the beard
I personally like to customize the length of the beard, leaving the hair longer in areas where the hair is patchy. This can give the appearance of a more uniform beard.
You can then take the hair a little shorter where it is fuller, reducing the amount of hair in this area. You can even use thinning shears to thin out some of the hair in the thick areas to create a uniform and even appearance.
4. Detailing the beard with scissors
After getting the length of the beard to where you want it by using either guards or the clipper over comb method, I like to detail the beard with scissors.
This is helpful to reduce any extra unruly pieces that stick out from the face. Since beard hair is often much coarser than the hair on the head, it’s easy for these hairs to get out of control.
I do this detailing by holding the shears parallel to the face, only cutting the hairs that are sticking out. It’s important to keep the shears even and parallel so that you don’t cut the face or take a chunk out of the beard.
5. Trimming the mustache
When trimming the mustache, it’s important to distinguish whether you want the mustache to be bold or not. I can’t tell you how many times clients have told me that they wanted a blunt mustache and they’ve had someone in the past immediately take it too short and layer it without asking.
If you’re going for a bold mustache, you do not want to layer it, and you’ll perform a blunt/one length cut. You’ll do this by combing all the hair straight down and trimming just the bottom with clippers or scissors at the lip line or longer.
But if you want the mustache short and uniform with the beard, you’ll need to layer the mustache with the clipper over comb method to take some of the length down. This is done the same way as the beard is done, by placing the come in the hair against the face to create a guard.
Recommended trimmers and beard care
***Since I’m sharing the products that I love to use with you guys, this page includes affiliate links to these products. If you take action and purchase a product through clicking one of my links, I’ll make some commission money from it at no extra cost to you. This enables me to be able to continue giving you awesome hair tips, so thanks! ***
The trimmers I’ve linked below are my absolute favorite trimmers for trimming beards. They come with 4 different guard sizes and are lightweight and cordless. Wahl is a good brand, so these are definitely a reliable trimmer.
Wahl Professional Sterling Mag Trimmers
I also recommend using quality beard products to keep the beard from becoming too unruly or unmanageable. You should use a specific beard shampoo, conditioner, and beard oil.
Conclusion
Learning to trim a beard and mustache is an extremely helpful skill to have weather you’re looking to save some money by doing it yourself or are just wanting to maintain it yourself between barber visits.
The 5 steps for trimming your own beard and mustache are:
- Create the neckline
- Utilize the clipper over comb method
- Leave patchy areas longer and cut thick areas shorter
- Detail with scissors
- Trim the mustache (blunt or layered)
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