How to Trim a Beard While Growing it Out?

Some men prefer clean shaves while others find it too cool and manly to have a beard. Are you also going through the phase where you want to keep the beard hair? Well, a neatly groomed beard can surely enhance your appearance and give you confidence. 

So, what is the first step towards having a long beard? Growing it out, right? But beards do not grow in a presentable appearance. Rather the beard hair is often disheveled as it grows out. 

This makes you want to trim it. However, a little mistake while trimming can make your hair shorter than intended. So what’s the right way of trimming the beard? How to trim a beard while growing it out? Let’s discuss. 

Table of Contents:

• Part 1: Should I Trim My Beard While Growing It?
• Part 2: Does Trimming Your Beard Help It Grow?
• Part 3: How to Trim a Beard While Growing It Out?
• Part 4: How to Clean Up a Beard While Growing It Out?
• Part 5: How Often Should I Trim My Beard When Growing It Out?
• Part 6: How Long to Grow a Beard Before Trimming?

Part 1: Should I Trim My Beard While Growing It?

Trimming a beard while growing it out can be beneficial for you in many ways. Here’s why it is important! 

Makes You Appear Well-Groomed

Growing the beard long is not a straight path because each strand of hair is in a different phase of the hair growth cycle and it grows differently. Trimming the beard regularly with a healthy beard care routine will make you look well-groomed and presentable. 

CEO at AlizaNote shares the reasons why you should trim the beard by saying “ Trimming your beard regularly, even when growing it out, can help maintain a neater appearance and encourage even growth. Light, occasional trims can prevent uneven patches and split ends. Focus on shaping the neckline and cheeklines to maintain a tidy look without affecting the overall length.”

Helps in Cutting the Damaged Parts of the Hair

Just like the hair on your head, the hair of the beard undergoes damage caused by hot water, excess minerals in water, extremes of weather, and pollutants. This gives the beard split ends that make it look rough. 

Also, it can slow down the growth of the beard as damaged hair is taking all the nutrition. Trimming the beard helps in cutting the damaged parts and split ends of the hair strand leaving healthy hair behind. 

Maintains the Shape of the Beard

Irregular growth of the hair gives the growing beard an unsymmetrical look and this asymmetrical beard might give an ugly expression. Trimming the beard gives you the liberty to set the dimensions and symmetry of the beard. 

Trimming the beard also helps with filling the patches of the beard. Furthermore, Capello Barbers salon shares the experience of their clients with trimming their beards. They say, trimming the beards can,

• Prevent ingrown hair 
• Maintain neatness and shape of the beard 
• Improve the overall health of the beard

Helps you Try Multiple Beard Styles 

As the beard grows, it grows through different lengths. Growing your beard hair longer and then trimming it to different sizes and shapes can help you discover your own style. It can help you experiment with your looks and eventually find the one that suits you the most. 

Part 2: Does Trimming Your Beard Help It Grow?

There is a common misconception that trimming the beard hair can help them to grow longer however this is not true. The beard looks healthier after trimming because, 

• Cutting the damaged edges of the beard hair gives it a tidier and cleaner appearance making it look healthier
• The blunt ends of the trimmed hair make them look thicker
• The rate of beard hair growth is independent of the frequency of cutting the hair. It changes under the influence of genetics, lifestyle, and hormones as stated by  Medical News Today [1].  

Part 3: How to Trim a Beard While Growing It Out?

Tools You Need for Trimming the Beard

To achieve the right length of beard and make it look groomed from every angle, these tools are a must-have: 

• Beard Comb: It untangles your beard hair and removes all the knots present in your beard. It provides symmetry to the beard making it look more arranged
• Beard Brush: A beard comb can help in arranging short to medium-length beards while beard brushes are more suitable for those with long beards and coarse hair 
• Trimming Scissors: Other than the chin hair on the beard, some hair is also present on the cheeks and mustache. Trimming scissors are used to cut such hair from the beard.
• Electric Beard Trimmer: An electric razor is a tool used to trim the beard in a precise shape quickly. If you are more used to safety razors, you can also use them

Steps to Trim the Beard While Growing it Out 

Step 1 – Preparation for Trimming:

Your beard can trap dirt, dust, and oil particles so the first step is to clean the beard. Use a beard shampoo for this purpose and let your beard dry. Then use a comb to brush the tangled hair

Step 2 – Trim a Small Length of the Beard: 

Keep your head straight and start trimming the damaged ends of the beard. Start with a shorter length and then you can trim the hair more if you want a shorter beard 

Step 3 – Decide the Shape You Want for the Beard: 

There are many beard styles like goatee, chin curtain, and French form. Do your research and find out the style that suits your face shape the most. 

Then bring out your safety razor or beard trimmer and start trimming the hair from the edges as these are the areas that make the beard look disheveled. Also, focus on neck and cheek hair to perfectly align the beard

Step 4 – Create the Desired Shape: 

To shape your beard according to the desired look, you must set the angle at which you need to trim the beard. Then work in small sections and keep a check after every few strokes to ensure that you are going the right way

Step 5 – Get Rid of all the Extra Hair

After achieving the desired look, comb the beard hair again and see if there is any longer hair still sticking out. Trim those one by one and you are done with creating the perfect beard look. 

Tips for Maintaining Symmetry and Shape of the Beard 

Following these simple tricks can help you maintain the shape of your beard for a longer time:

• Try Beard Shapers: Beard shapers can be used to remove stray hair from the cheek and neck area
• Trim the Stray Mustache Hair: Do not just focus on the beard. If you have a mustache, trim it too to make yourself look more organized
• Maintain Cleanliness: Keep your beard clean and wash it often as it can help prevent acne and keep your hair healthy 
• Apply Hydrating Products: Using hydrating products like balms and oils on beard hair can help them look more tidy and give the beard a better look

Part 4: How to Clean Up a Beard While Growing It Out?

Anyone can grow a beard but you need to keep it clean and trim it often so that the hair remains tidy and your face does not look messy. For tidying up the beard and managing stray hair, here are a few tips,

• Start a beard care routine by using beard shampoo, beard conditioner, beard oil, and beard balm
• Brush your beard every day and remove the stray hair by cutting it with the scissors, if any
• If your hair is dry and rough, use a beard softening product to give beard hydration and shine 
• Use an exfoliating agent once in a while to remove the dead skin cells that might lead to beard dandruff

It is important to wash and condition your beard 2 to 3 times per week. This is necessary to remove the dead cells, dirt, moisturizer, and other impurities from your hair. It also softens the hair and reduces the chances of dandruff. 

Part 5: How Often Should I Trim My Beard When Growing It Out?

First of all, you need to know that trimming the beard will reduce its length. So, you have to be very careful in grooming your beard. Also, if you are cutting more length than that of the hair growth, you will never have a long beard.

Thus, do not trim the beard too frequently. Rather, cutting it once a month is more than enough. You can also trim the hair every two weeks if you often notice any stray hair ruining your tidy look

Part 6: How Long to Grow a Beard Before Trimming?

Depending upon individual needs, here is how long you should grow your beard before trimming.

For the Beginners

If you are growing the beard for the first time after a clean shave, you have to let it grow to a length of about an inch before trimming it. Once you start seeing that your hair is getting rough and you are appearing unkempt, it is time to time it. 

For People Who Already Have a Beard

Furthermore, the answer to this question mainly depends on how long you want your beard to be. If you want a short beard, trimming it every 7 to 15 days will help you maintain the length of the hair. However, if you are looking for a medium-length beard, let it grow for three weeks before trimming.

For People Growing Out the Beard

If you are growing it out, wait for at least 5 weeks before cutting the beard hair. This is because the average length of the beard growth cycle is 5 weeks or around 40 days. Also, you might wait for up to 8 weeks if your beard has less stray hair, flyaways, and split ends. 

Individual Growth Pattern

Lastly, we have talked about the average span of trimming the beard here. As the growth pattern of the beard of every individual is unique, you might need less or more frequent beard grooming. 

Conclusion 

In many cultures, the beard is associated with manliness. And even if there is no association, men find pride in beards and want to try several beard styles. To achieve a full beard, they have to let the hair grow and trim it less often.

However, growing the beard without trimming it damages the hair and makes the person appear untidy. Therefore, we have talked about how to take care of the beard while growing it out and when and how to trim it without losing much length. 

So, it is time for you to start experimenting with your beard yourself to know the growth rate and a suitable beard style. 

References

1. Can a person speed up beard growth? Medically reviewed by Amanda Caldwell, MSN, APRN-C — Written by Margaret Etudo — Updated on January 22, 2024. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-to-grow-beard-faster#beard-growth-tips