Tips On How To Trim A Short Beard

By Philip Yiga | June 9, 2016

Trimming a short beard can actually be quite simple especially if you have the right trimming-tools and when you know how to trim a beard. In fact, a well trimmed and styled beard will be a great addition to your personal look and there are even several creative short beard-styles that will you can choose from in order to satisfy your needs. All in all, finding the best way to shape a short beard will help to keep you looking well-groomed and even feel great. So, here are some of the techniques and steps that you short keep in mind when trimming a short beard:

STEP-1: PREPARING AND CLEANING THE BEARD:

1. Prepare the beard-trimming tools: before doing anything else, you need to get all the tools that you will need when it comes to trimming-up your beard. Such tools will include a comb or brush, high-grade clippers, scissors, beard-oil/moisturizer, towel, shaving-soap and many more depending on how you are going to trim your beard.

 

2. Wash the beard: you will then have to wash your beard thoroughly by scrubbing it with shampoo in the sink or shower. Pat the beard dry using a clean towel and then move onto the next step. However, avoid washing your beard with shampoos that dry-up the skin because these will actually affect both the skin and beard.

 

3. Comb the beard: after cleaning the beard, gently comb it in order to eliminate any tangles and this will even help make it easier to trim the beard. When combing a beard, follow the grain of your beard’s natural growth while moving towards the chin. In fact, don’t comb the beard against the grain if you wish to achieve a good beard trim. However, you will have to fluff your beard later using the hands.

 

4. Begin trimming the beard: start trimming your beard while standing in front of a large, bathroom mirror but make sure that you have all the equipment needed during the trimming process. In fact, you will need tools like clippers, scissors, a comb, towel, shaving-cream and many others depending on what you plan on using. Additionally, if you’re going to use an electric-clipper, then you will need to be next to a power outlet and you should also consider using a multi-angle mirror so that you will be able to see hard-to-reach areas when trimming the beard.

 

5. Prepare something to trap the beard-trimmings: you may get a small garbage-pail and use it to catch any loose hair or lay-out newspaper and a towel to trap the hairs. In fact, if you don’t do this then you will clog the sink with tiny-hairs and this will actually irritate other housemates. Additionally, cleaning up trimmed hairs afterwards can be frustrating and difficult especially when you’re on time. On the other hand, you may consider trimming your beard outside in case you have got a stable, portable mirror and this is a better option because all the hair will be blown away as your trim the beard.

 

STEP-2: TRIMMING A SHORT-BEARD USING AN ELECTRIC-CLIPPER:

1. Begin by selecting a clipper-guard: most clippers actually come along with several snap-on plastic-guards and these guards are actually meant to ensure an even trim and at specific length that you prefer. So, if you are not sure about the guard to use to achieve a desired short length then consider starting with a longer guard/attachment and then go back over your beard while using a shorter-guard until you achieve the desired beard-length. however, if you want to an extremely short-beard then consider removing the guard form the trimmer when cutting the beard or you may use the shortest guard in order to get that short beard.

 

2. Turn the trimmer on and start shaving: you will then turn your trimmer on and begin trimming each side of the face gently while working along the grain with long smoother strokes. Additionally, try to maintain balance between each side of the face by simply beginning at the ears while working downwards. If you applied a guard onto the trimmer, it will to keep the trimmer away from the skin so that it does not irritate your skin or cut a lot of hair. Lastly, apply gentle but firm pressure when trimming your beard in order to achieve an even trim on both sides.

 

3. Trim the chin and mustache: when trimming your mustache, begin under your nose while moving towards the corner your mouth and then proceed down to the chin. However, try to pay extra attention when trimming hard-to-reach areas like under the nose and you should also keep the mouth closed when trimming these areas in order to prevent hairs from entering your mouth. On the other hand, it may actually be much easier to trim a mustache separately while using scissors but depending on how long you want it to be.

 

4. Finish-up your trim: when finishing-up, you will need to remove the plastic-guard from the trimmer if you had used one and then trim along the neckline in order to remove any remaining hairs on the neck and along the beard. Additionally, some men prefer having a clear cutoff-line for their beards while other may prefer subtle stubble around the beard and on the neck.

 

STEP-3: TRIMMING A SHORT BEARD USING SCISSORS:

1. Choose a good pair of scissors: you will need to choose a pair of sharp and clean scissors and these usually barber’s shears in order to achieve best trimming results. In fact, using scissors is a great method for shortening your beard but it requires a skilled-hand in order to achieve fine-details like when it comes thinning and shaping. On the other hand, make sure that the scissors you’re using a rust-free and without any notches on the blades because these may pull your beard as you trim it. Lastly, don’t use kitchen or garden shears because these tools are too big to maneuver and you may even end-up cutting yourself with them.

 

2. Use a comb as your guide: using a comb as a guide will actually prevent someone from cutting his hair too-short. So, try to copy the way a barber gathers hair within a comb and then lightly clip your hair the same way. Additionally, you should comb starting from your ear towards the upper-jaw section in order to expose the tiny amount of hair that needs to be cut. Trim any small-hairs that are on the outside of the comb’s-teeth. Continue with this process on the other side of your face until you reach a desired beard length.

 

3. Trim the mustache and chin: this involves combing your hair straight down in a line and then trim any hairs that fall below the line your lips. Comb your chin and then trim-off any hairs that pass through the comb until you achieve a desired short length of the beard.

 

4. Create the clean edges: carefully use your scissors to trim the edges of the beard and trim any remaining hair on the neck as close as possible. But if you fear creating clean edges with scissors then consider using an electric-shaver or lather-up your neck and shave it using a safety-razor. Additionally, you will have to choose a desired beard-style during the process of creating clean-lines.