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5 Common Beard Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Growing a beard is as simple as not shaving, right? That isn’t exactly accurate. Sure, you will grow a beard if you stop shaving, but what sort of state will it be in? There are several things that can go awry when you are growing your beard. All sorts of mistakes can occur if you’re not careful, making it challenging to grow a great-looking beard.
- Common Beard Mistakes
The following are some of the most common beard mistakes that you may come across throughout your bearded adventure.
- Being Impatient
Like all good things, growing a great beard takes time. When it’s nice and full, it will keep you warm, protect your face, build up your confidence, and look great. However, it’s not necessarily that easy to grow a beard, especially if it doesn’t grow as fast as it does for some lucky guys. That’s why most men quit after trying to grow one out. Also, nobody likes that part of the beard-growing process when it’s itching and uncomfortable.
If you are trying to grow a beard but don’t see it covering your face entirely, you may want to scrap the whole operation and shave it off or attempt to shape and style it too soon. If you do the latter, you are very likely to start taking off too much, which will lead to you just shaving off everything.
Patience is key. You should allow your beard to grow in for at least six weeks before you do anything to it. You will be glad that you waited.
- Not Trimming or Shaping
You can just let your mane run wild, especially during the first 6-8 weeks. However, once that leg of your beard journey is over, you will want to start trimming and shaping your beard so you don’t look like a caveman.
If you’re not a man who has been bestowed with a densely-growing beard, you will find that shaping and trimming will become a must. It can end up looking terrible when it’s too thin and untamed, growing in all sorts of different lengths.
- Falling Prey to Beard Myths
There are quite a number of beard myths out there. A common one is that growing out a beard will make it more challenging for you to get a job. That’s simply untrue for most professions. In fact, studies have found that men with beards are perceived as being wiser, more serious, and are more likable. A nice-looking beard is seen as a sign that a man is healthy. If anything, having a beard will make you a more desirable candidate. Also, beards have been found to make men look more attractive, given the evolutionary signal that a man’s testosterone levels are through the roof.
- Avoiding the Use of Beard Products
Growing an all-natural beard is all well and fine, but avoiding the use of beard products is going to be to your beard’s detriment. Products like beard oils, balms, washes, conditioners, and others will help preserve your beard’s natural oils, keep the skin under it hydrated, and have it looking excellent. You will love your beard much more when you take care of it properly.
- Washing It Every Day
While you should be washing your beard regularly, it shouldn’t become a daily ritual. That is because when you shower, especially when you are using hot water, you are stripping the natural oils that are produced by your skin. The oil and sebum that normally nourishes and softens your beard are gone, leading to a dry beard that creates plenty of beard dandruff, or beardruff.
What is even worse is if you wash your beard every day using a shampoo that is meant to be used for the hair on your head. That will ensure you take all of the oils completely off of your beard.
Ideally, you should be washing your beard just a couple of times a week. You should also be using a shampoo that is specifically designed for use in a beard. It will be more gentle and will preserve some of the natural oils your beard has. As soon as you hop out of the shower, apply a few drops of beard oil to your beard to seal in moisture. Following these steps will help your beard stay full, vibrant, and soft.
- Making the Cheek Line Low and the Neckline High
You may have seen George Lucas sporting this kind of beard. The cheek line gets way too low while the neckline goes too high. This classic beard trimming mistake will make your beard appear tiny, small, and unnatural. Also, the individual beard hairs can end up going every which way and being noticeably out of place.
You want to make sure you are letting your beard come up high enough on your cheeks, while allowing the rest of it to grow down several inches before getting to the point where you start trimming it. You should be trimming quite a ways below your jawline.
- Conclusion
When growing a beard for the first time, you will definitely want to keep these common beard mistakes in mind. Otherwise, your beard won't be as healthy and good-looking as it could be. Your beard deserves the best shot it can get, so help it out by following our tips.
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