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‘Everyone has a beard these days’ claimed my gran a few weeks ago. Though I should point out this is of the facial hair variety. It is quite clear facial hair has become a trend in the past year or so.
From catwalk to high street, men can be seen sporting facial fuzz. Gone are the days when a clean cut man is all we see. Instead smoothness has been replaced with designer stubble, eccentric moustaches and well groomed beards. One question still remains however, is it really a good look?
I have spent a long time growing my facial hair to the right length for various reason. The main reason I started was because without it I looked about 12. That is not a good look for anyone, trust me. A bit of stubble used to be seen as something that was a bit rough rather than well groomed. However, with the increase of stubble on celebrities like David Beckham and Ryan Gosling, is it any wonder it has changed into something that adds a bit of masculinity?
It must be noted that facial hair isn’t suited to everyone. While stubble can be attractive, what has now been dubbed bum fluff simply isn’t. If you can’t grow facial hair then don’t. If your partner doesn’t enjoy kissing a man with stubble, then going for the clean cut look it probably the best move. Stubble rash isn’t for the feint hearted. If you can grow facial hair you need to be prepared to take care of it.
The real answer to my question is all in the grooming. If you don’t look after the hair on your face you are going to look slightly messy and a bit rough around the edges, and not in the good way. There are simple ways to keep facial hair neat and tidy, the answer being found in the use of a trimmer, not just a shaver. The only time a shaver or razor is good is if your facial hair grows into that perfect 5 o’clock shadow.
Shaping and Trimming
Shaping your beard is the main thing you need to do. Keeping it clean shaven on your lower neck and upper cheek is the main thing. Though nobody wants perfectly clean lines, so precision isn’t necessarily that important. Once it has been shaped you then need to decide on length. Most trimmers allow you to adjust the length you hair will be trimmed to. Choose your millimetre and trim. Start off big and get shorter if you are unsure on what length to go for. And remember, trim or shave in the direction of hair growth.
Maintenance
For some people you may need to trim your stubble every couple of days whereas some, like myself can leave it for up to 5 days before it needs to be trimmed back. This is another time your trimmer should be used if you are wanting to maintain that stubble look. If you are wanting to go for a slightly longer length, then pretty much the same rules apply. However, when going for a short length beard, you want to gradually reduce the guard on your trimmer the further down your neck you go, as well as getting rid of any stray hairs. The key with both a short beard and stubble is to make it look natural, no chinstraps.
For me groomed facial hair is definitely a good look. Whether you grow it to look older, more masculine or because it simply grows too quickly to shave everyday, it’s all in the trimming. From a bit of stubble to a fully grown and maintained beard, there is something rather attractive when it comes to a man with some facial hair. Obviously some people like to go for the eccentric moustache, but let’s try and save those for Movember.
