Recently, the culture of growing a beard and mustache has become especially popular, which has led to many questions about the care and shaving of a beard. Such a seemingly simple procedure in practice can cause many difficulties. Of course, special institutions are already provided for - barbershops with professional craftsmen. But those who plan to wear a beard in the long term, should think about purchasing their own tool - be it a beard shaver or a simple razor, since you need to be able to maintain a neat look on your own.
Instruments
Masters in the salons spend a huge amount of time cutting and shaving their beards and giving them a perfect shape - not all men have time for such lengthy procedures. In this case, you should think about purchasing your own beard care tools.
Traditional methods
Scissors. Ordinary tailor's scissors will not work for these purposes: they will crush and break hairs, or even pull them out. It is better to purchase special beard scissors at a hairdresser shop. Scissors can be:
- straight - for haircuts;
- gear - for thinning.
A razor is a great tool for shaving your beard or mustache. Razors are divided into dangerous and safe.
Razors with a very sharp open blade are considered dangerous. The angle of sharpening is one of the main parameters of this tool. Before each shaving, the blade must be sharpened so that it does not become dull with time. Using a professional razor, you can not only shave your beard, but also cut it. The quality of the razor depends on the blade from which it is made: usually high-carbon steel with a carbon content of 0.6% is used. The handle of such a razor is usually made of plastic or wood - it also plays the role of a case for storing the blade.
Safety razors are divided by purpose:
- for shaving;
- for thinning.
The latter has a protective comb with protruding teeth.
As for electric shavers - they are worthy of competition with hazardous razors: many models allow work not only with dry but also with wet shaving.
Electric models
Trimmer - helps to get rid of excess length. All trimmers are equipped with removable nozzles for easy operation: this property helps to control the proximity of the blades to the face and, accordingly, measure the required length of the beard. When choosing a trimmer, you must pay attention to the following parameters:
- compactness;
- maximum and minimum length of hair cutting;
- type of blades in a typewriter;
- autonomous operation option (without connecting to an outlet);
- battery life.
Hair clippers are divided into electric and manual. Electric are more popular due to the simplicity and ease of use. They are divided into the following types:
- Vibrating - the cheapest and least powerful. Such cars are quite noisy and are characterized by strong vibration.
- Rotary - at the heart of their work is a motor. These cars are considered the most high-quality.
- Rechargeable - these machines are designed mainly for edging hair. They have a low noise level.
Typically, with a machine in stock are:
- Electrical engine;
- power cord with plug;
- head;
- interchangeable blades;
- plastic case.
A switch is located on the head, and interchangeable nozzles have different thicknesses of the lower plates, making it easy to adjust the length of the shaved hair. During operation, the machine must be protected from moisture ingress, otherwise the tool may fail. Knives must sometimes be disassembled and washed in kerosene or gasoline, then wipe with a dry cloth, grease and reassemble into a machine.
Mold selection
A beard shaving uniform is an extremely important aspect that every man who decides to wear a beard needs to decide on. Before you start cutting, you need to take into account all the nuances of appearance and type of face, and choose the most profitable option:
- Pick a beard is necessary in accordance with their growth. Men of short stature are better suited for neat volumetric beards, with medium height and higher, you can choose longer options.
- Men with blond hair can afford denser vegetation, while brunettes are better off not looking too pronounced, otherwise it will look extravagant.
Face type
It is not difficult to choose the shape of a beard, the main thing is that it matches the type of face. Each face needs a little correction to harmonize the proportions.
The owners of the oval face are lucky: almost any beard is in this form, if you wish, you can experiment indefinitely.
For men with a triangular shape, a square beard or a slightly rounded horseshoe is suitable. Such a beard will give the lower jaw volume and the whole image as a whole - masculinity.
A trapezoidal face with a massive jaw will be decorated with a skipper beard, or models such as "frill" or "bob".
On chubby men, a trapezoidal beard looks great, which will make facial features more specific and clear. The so-called “goat” beard, which goes well with the mustache, or the “from temple to temple” model, is also quite suitable. It is better to refuse whiskers: they make the face visually even wider.
Elongated faces will be decorated with a rounded beard in the shape of a horseshoe, or ordinary whiskers that will balance the proportions of the face, making it more voluminous and harmonious. Owners of a rectangular elongated face will not fit the goatee model or goatee - they will visually lengthen the face even more.
There are a lot of templates for shaving a beard on the Internet, but don’t rush to the first example, you need to take into account the proportions of your face and decide which shape can emphasize a manly image, and which one will add only flaws to the look. A beard is an excellent tool for visual correction of some appearance defects, the main thing is to learn how to correctly operate with style.
Beard growing
Many people think that as soon as they stop shaving, a stylish and modern beard will immediately begin to grow. In the photo, shaving a beard looks like an elementary occupation, but this is a big mistake. A beautiful beard requires considerable effort. First you need to try to hold out without shaving for at least a couple of weeks. During this time, you can feel all the "charms" of an unshaven face: itching, discomfort, constant desire to scratch oneself. But the result is worth it to suffer: in just two weeks you can begin to model yourself the type of beard that will fit the type of face and appearance.
It must be borne in mind that everyone has a different beard, and this applies not only to hair growth rate, but also to areas on the face where vegetation appears and where it does not grow. Unfortunately, in some men, the vegetation of the face is uneven, and therefore only some haircuts are suitable for them, or even they should stay with a smooth face.
Beard Care
At the growing stage or soon after shaving the beard, the skin on the face will begin to itch. This is because during shaving, the ends of the hair are sharpened, which, growing back to a certain length, begin to dig into the skin, which causes itching. Ideally, get a special moisturizer, for example, beard oil. It is better to avoid alcohol-based products, as they dry the skin, only increasing irritation. Oil softens the hair and skin, so it will be needed for regular care.
No shampoos are required at the growing stage, because the beard is still quite short. Instead, it is better to wash the beard with a natural soap that does not contain any harmful chemical fillers.
Keeping fit
After two weeks, the regrowing beard will look slightly untidy. This can be corrected by using the edging trimmer and adjusting the beard at the neck and upper contours of the cheeks, without also bypassing the line above the lips. However, if you have plans for a long annual beard, you can leave these areas intact, allowing the beard to grow freely.
As for the edging, many beginners often make the mistake of edging their neck too high. The optimal trim height is the line where the neck connects to the head. For accurate edging it is not necessary to raise one’s head at all - it’s enough to form a rounded line from ear to ear.
As for the mustache, if the density of hair above the lips is not too voluminous, it is recommended to trim the hair with scissors. This will allow better control of the growth and shape of the mustache. In general, you can use a trimmer - this is a matter of personal convenience. In order not to cut more than necessary, opening the contour of the lip, it is better to use the comb, setting them the cutting angle: so you can not cut anything superfluous, and after that you only have to slightly trim the ends.
On the cheeks, it is better to adhere to the natural hairline, trimming only the extra hairs that go beyond this line. Do not make too sharp a transition - even if the hair grows too densely on the cheeks, you do not need to go with a trimmer beyond the bottom line of the nose.
After a couple of weeks, a neatly formed beard will begin to grow and change: hair can begin to curl, go in a wave and look wild in general. But this is exactly how a natural beard behaves: it remains only to decide whether you like this effect or not.
Advice
Here are some guidelines:
- To make the beard grow better, you need to wash your face and beard with warm water and mild detergents made from natural ingredients in the morning and evening;
- ideally, you need to accustom yourself to use a facial scrub: it removes dead skin cells and helps improve blood circulation, which favorably affects hair growth;
- after hygienic procedures, it does not hurt to use a moisturizing skin lotion - this will soften the skin of the face, eliminating irritation.
Shaving a beard is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. However, the most difficult thing in this matter is to decide on the correct form that will decorate the male face, and not disfigure it, highlighting the shortcomings. If you understand all the important aspects, wearing a beard will be an affordable pleasure, which will only be left to competently care and maintain the correct shape.