Beard Grooming Tips for 2018: How to Grow and Maintain That “In” Look

You heard right! Beards are in, so you’ll need to know how to get and maintain the look. Don’t worry, we know trends can be hard to keep up with, but these great tips will keep you and your beard looking amazing.

Find Your Beard Style

First things first, you’ll need to choose the type of beard that feels right for you. They generally come in a few broad categories. These are round, oval, square and rectangle. Each one highlights certain types of characteristics while downplaying others. You should choose a style that accentuates your best attributes.

Round Beards - The Slimming Style

If you have a full face, or you’d like to shave off a few pounds, then a round beard is for you. They slim your face and can hide your cheekbones if they’re particularly heavy. Round beards are ones like the Van Dyke and anchor beard. Think of these types of beards like luxury cufflinks. The cufflinks make an ordinary shirt look expensive, while your beard gives your face character.

Oval Beards - The Utility Player

Right for just about any kind of facial structure, so choosing one of these will work for just about anyone. The chevron is an oval style that features a mustache covering the entire top lip. The three-day stubble beard is also an oval type. It mimics the look of 3 days’ worth of stubble by keeping the facial hair closely trimmed. 

Square Beards - Use Your Jawline

Do you have a strong jawline? If you do, then you should try out a square beard. They have hard, exacting lines on the cheekbones with shorter sides and fuller growth on the chin. The goatee is one of the most common square beards. It’s usually worn without a mustache and leaves facial hair just along the chin. Royale beards have a mustache and a thin strip on the chin.

Rectangle Beards - Have the Dangerous Look

Give yourself plenty of character with a rectangle beard. Highlight your prominent facial structure and give yourself a bit of a bad boy look. Beards in this category have long sides and short bottoms. The mutton chops beard and the chin strip are examples of the rectangle beard. Complement your newfound bad boy image with men’s skull jewelry to complete the look.

Growing Your Beard

You’ve chosen your desired style, and now it’s time to grow it. Simple, right? Wrong. Anyone can grow a beard, but it may not look great. Sometimes it can be patchy or thin. If you’d like a better beard then you’ll want to take steps to better health.

Sleep - It Does the Whole Body Good

Sleep is essential to every body process and your overall health. It’s also important to healthy hair growth. According to the Sleep Foundation, adults 18 to 65 need about seven to nine hours of sleep. A good night’s sleep will aid your hair in growing faster and thicker. 

Sleep duration is essential to health, but sleep quality is also crucial to your well-being. Tossing and turning, trouble falling asleep, difficulties staying asleep and other sleep quality problems will also have an effect. Address any sleep issues you may have, and you’re likely to notice an improvement in your beard growth and thickness.

Nutrition - Feeding Your Body Right Produces Results

Though experts don’t agree on a specific diet like a Paleo diet or Mediterranean to stimulate hair growth, there are some foods that can help. These foods contain essential amino acids and minerals, which aid in the growth of hair.

While you may have been told that eating red meat is bad, in moderate quantities it can help your beard growth. This is because it’s high in saturated fat, which assists the body in creating testosterone. In turn, testosterone works to create more hair.

Eggs have also been on the popular foods to ban list, but they too contain necessary building blocks for hair production. They contain amino acids the body needs for the production of hair. They also contain cholesterol, which is a fundamental ingredient for the testosterone production process. 

Potatoes are a good, clean source of carbohydrates. They don’t contain additives or fillers and they’re free from processing, making them a great way to increase your carbohydrate intake. These carbohydrates give the body the fuel it needs to produce both testosterone and DHT. DHT is the main hormone responsible for generating facial hair.

These are just a few of the foods that will help your facial hair grow strong. There are plenty of others, but they all have a few things in common. All foods which stimulate beard development are heavy in amino acids and minerals. 

Exercise - The Testosterone Booster

Sure, doctors are always pushing exercise for nearly every ailment and disease, but for growing a beard? Yes! Exercise stimulates testosterone, which in turn increases the generation of facial hair. Go for workouts that work large muscle groups for full effect. Looking for specific exercises to try?

Go for heavy lifting if you’d like to get the testosterone flowing. Squats, deadlifts, and bench presses are just a few of these. Exercises that utilize many parts of your body to your whole body are most effective. Stay away from low-weight, heavy rep routines. Instead, try for weights 85-95% of your 1 repetition max.

Increase your rest periods during your workout. A 2010 study found that resting for 120 seconds increased testosterone levels. Next time you’re at the gym, try lifting heavier and resting longer to see how it can help your beard.

Optimal health will help you grow a fabulous looking beard, but don’t forget to maintain it.

Maintaining Your Look

Now that your facial hair is growing nicely, you’ll want to maintain your look. Start by letting your hair grow in before you trim it. If it begins to look too unkempt, trim it just enough to even everything up. Be careful to not trim too often or it’ll take much longer to get your beard to the desired length. 

Keep It Soft and Clean

Once your beard has reached the length you’d like it to be, you’ll want to take care of it. Sometimes people joke about beards being food catchers or an undesirable texture. Don’t provide fodder for more jokes. Wash your beard regularly to stop it from looking oily or dirty.

Go beyond just a little bit of whatever soap you use in the shower when washing your beard. Instead, try using your shampoo. After all, it is made for your hair. You can also buy special facial/beard wash meant to keep your hair clean without drying it out. This is something you should do about two to three times a week. Doing it more often may lead to dryness and itching.

Moisturizing is another critical part of maintenance. Try jojoba oil for a soft feel and a great smell. If this doesn’t sound like you, then you may want to shop around for the beard oil that’s right for you. Since beards have become such a trend, there are a wealth of brands to choose from. 

Trim It Up

Now that you have a beard, avoid looking like a caveman. Use a beard trimmer to tidy it up regularly. This will keep it from being scraggly or patchy. Keep the angles sharp and the lines of your beard defined for a sophisticated appearance. 

When trimming, you’ll want to start by combing your beard. For the sides, use a beard trimmer starting with a long guard length. Just like cutting hair, start with a longer guard and work your way down until you get the length you want. From here, comb the hair on the sides outward and taper and shape the edges. Scissors or clippers 

are equally good for this, it’s more based on preference.

We know it sounds like a lot of work, but remember, you want that beard to be sexy, not gross!

Dare to Try a New Look

You’re armed with some fantastic tips. Don’t make excuses. Try out that look you’ve always wanted. Look sexy, look sophisticated, be hip. 

Beards may be in for 2017, but cool men’s jewelry will always be stylish. Accessories round out a well-groomed look and are likely to catch everyone’s eye. William Henry’s high-quality men’s jewelry will always impress. Shop today for a piece that will last a lifetime.