About That Beard...
If the early aughts are remembered as the height of metrosexuality, parallel to the rise of David Beckham etc, this decade will be regaled for its abundance of beards. It feels like any man who can grow one does, from urban hipsters to stylish older gentlemen to celebrities in between projects (see Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Gosling). The natural accessory suggests a laissez-faire attitude while simultaneously demonstrating a love of the outdoors —even if you never leave the city.
The key to a beard’s success is in the grooming (see Gyllenhaal, again). Barber Miles Elliot, of New York’s Freeman’s Sporting Club, says, “I always know it’s time to trim my beard when my mustache starts getting into my mouth.” He notes the importance of maintaining the hairs on your cheek so that they aren’t growing higher then your mustache. “A beard should make your face look longer and thinner.”
The first step, says Elliot, is to comb your beard to make sure there aren’t any knots and everything’s pulled to the same length. If you want a short, tight beard, use clippers and the proper attachment length over the entire beard. “Try to keep it shorter toward the sideburns and under the neck,” Elliot says. (Unless you want to grow it out, in which case only use them on your sideburns and under the neck.) If you’re working with a longer beard use grooming scissors—and point them down! “Always angle the blade sideways so that you’re cutting parallel to the curve of your face.”
Use a trimmer to clean up your neck and cheeks, without pushing the border of your beard in too far. Elliot favors the Wahl Senior trimmer; it comes with an adjustable lever and all the attachments you could ever need. He says this is where most men make their mistake. “Your beard should be lined up right under your neck so that anyone looking at your side profile doesn’t see where it actually ends,” he says. “Really good barbers know how to fade the line out so that when it grows in, there are no defined lines.”
Wash your face when you’re done to remove any extra hair. Then it’s time for product. If you have a shorter beard, Elliot suggests using a good face moisturizer to hydrate the skin around the hair follicles. If your beard’s longer, you get to buy beard oil, which has become so popular it yields over 15 million search results.
Photo: Trunk
