3 Methods on How To Trim A Beard With A Razor

By Philip Yiga | June 10, 2016

Today, men have different modern tools that they can use to shave their beards than in earlier days. In fact, trimming beards is done by all men at some point in their lives because this helps to make them look elegant and classic. On the other hand, some men today prefer trimming their beards with either safety-razors or straight-razors like in the old days and this because these traditional-razors offer a high quality trim or shave compared to modern trimming tools. However, trimming with razors will require you to have some advanced shaving skills because razors trim hair with maximum precision and closeness which implies that they can easily injure you if you don’t know how to use them. But if you know how to use a razor or to an experienced barber, then you will probably get the best beard trim ever. So, below are some of the steps that you will have to follow when trimming your beard using a razor.

STEP-1: CLEANING AND PREPARING THE BEARD:

1. Start by washing the beard: you will have to begin by washing your beard thoroughly using a good hair-shampoo. Carefully scrub the beard using a hair-shampoo over the sink or in the shower and then pat the beard dry using a dry towel. However, avoid using shampoos that will dry your skin because these will actually make it easy for the razor to cut your skin when shaving. All in all, giving your beard a good washing will help to remove any dirt and oil from it thus ensuring a clean trim.

 

2. Gently comb the beard: combing your beard after cleaning it actually helps to remove any tangles and even makes the beard very easy to trim. So, follow the grain of the beards’ natural-growth when combing through hair that grows along sides of the face or jawline. In fact, you should start combing the beard from your ear while moving towards the chin. Additionally, don’t fluff the beard against the grain but only comb it straight at this stage for best results.

 

3. Prepare the tools needed for beard-trimming: you have to make sure that have everything needed to trim a beard and such items may include; a comb, towel, bear-oil or balm, an aftershave, safety-razor or straight-razor and a lot more. Additionally, you also need to get a multi-angle mirror because it will help you see the hard-to-reach sections when trimming your beard.

 

4. Consider preparing something for the beard trimmings: it is not good to clog the sink with small-hairs when shaving because this will actually irritate your housemates. So, eliminate these tiny-hairs by laying-out a towel or newspaper on the sink in order to trap these hairs or consider trimming your beard outside since the hair being trimmed will be blown away by wind.

 

STEP-2: TRIMMING A BEARD WITH A SAFETY-RAZOR:

1. Get a high-quality safety-razor: you will have to acquire a good-quality safety-razor and this is most probably a double-edged safety razor. In fact, safety-razors are cheap, easy-to-use and convenient hence this is why some men prefer using them to trim their beards. Additionally, a safety-razor will provide you with a precise shave coupled with clean lines or details compared to modern shaving-tools.

 

2. Prep the beard for shaving: this will involve splashing some hot-water onto your face then apply a shaving-cream on the spots you wish to trim in order to achieve a comfortable shaving-experience.

 

3. Start trimming the beard: when trimming your beard, consider making the first stroke a half inch away from the beard-line and avoid making too-big strokes because you may end-up cutting yourself and even the beard won’t be shaved well. Additionally, don’t shave against the grain in order to prevent irritating your sensitive-skin. On top of that, in case you had applied to much lather and you can’t clearly see where your shaving, then try wiping-off some of the lather using your finger in order to leave a thin layer of lather so that you can see how your shaving.

 

4. Shave down the desired beard-line: you will have to shave your desired beard-line using a variety of stroke-directions but don’t shave against the grain because this will lead to injuries. in fact, strokes are taken parallel to the beard-line can be used to achieve approximate and large cuts while strokes taken perpendicular to the beard-line can be used for precisely cutting into the beard-line in order to achieve small-adjustments.

 

5. Shave the other side of the face: repeat the same shaving process on the other side of the face and try to be careful during the shaving process. Additionally, use a mirror coupled with a good light-source when trimming your beard with safety-razor because this will help you see all the parts your shaving clearly hence achieving a clean or perfect beard trim.

 

6. Rinse-off any lather form the face: after shaving, gently rinse-off any remaining lather and wash your face using cold-water because it will help to tighten your skin and even stop any bleeding cause by any small nicks while shaving. In fact, after rinsing your face you will be able to see any small trimming-imperfections or spots missed and then you will be able to carry out minor adjustments without even re-applying lather.

 

7. Apply an aftershave or lotion: in case you have an aftershave or lotion, then apply it over your face and beard in order to keep them moist and replenished. Additionally, you may consider combing through your beard again in order to make it look neat and stylish.

 

STEP-3: TRIMMING A BEARD WITH A STRAIGHT-RAZOR:

1. Get a straight-razor and other related equipment: you will need to acquire a good-quality straight-razor and other useful equipment like towels, strop, mirror, shaving brush and cream, cold-water, an aftershave and a lot more. All these will play a great role in the beard-trimming process if used properly.

 

2. Wrap a hot-towel around the face: rinse a towel in hot-water and then take it out, wring any excess water from it and then wrap this towel around the face for about 2-minutes. This will actually help to the skin-pores thus making the shaving process much easier while preventing ingrown-hairs, skin-inflammation and razor-bumps.

 

3. Sharpen your straight-razor: start by running the straight-razor blade in a back and forth motion against both sides of the strop for about 30-seconds. In fact, the linen-side will warm the blade while the leather-side will sharpen it.

 

4. Apply lather onto the face: while looking in the mirror, use a shaving-brush to apply a reasonable amount of shaving-cream in a circular-motion to all the areas that you wish to trim and shape.

 

5. Begin shaving with your straight-razor: this will involving holding the blade and razor-handle in one hand and then gently take the blade to face. Place the straight-razor blade at a 90-degree angle and in a direction you plan to do the shaving. Begin to carefully shave your beard in the same direction your facial-hair grows.

 

6. Apply some shaving-oil to the shaved sections: applying shaving-oil to shaved portions of the face will actually help to prepare the skin for shaving against the grain. So, rinse your blade and then place it at a 90-degree angle in a direction you plan to shave and then gently re-shave the area against the grain in order to achieve a clean and precise shave.

 

7. Finish by rinsing your face: after trimming your beard, rinse-off your face using warm-water in order to remove any remaining shaving cream and tiny-hairs. Rinse the face again using cold water in order to close the skin-pores and then dry it up using a towel. Apply an after-shave or lotion to keep the skin and beard moist then clean your straight-razor blade in order to prevent any build-up and rust.