5 mistakes everyone makes when trimming a beard – and how to avoid them

Growing and trimming your facial hair involves a lot of trial and error – and it’s very easy to make mistakes.

When starting out with growing a beard, you first need to define what beard style you like best which takes a lot of experimenting. From there, you need to maintain your design of choice using the best beard trimmer and other beard essentials.

All sounds quite simple, right?! You’d think so, considering growing hair is a fairly natural process! But the way you treat and trim your beard can affect the look and feel of your skin and facial hair. Whether you’re growing out your beard or prefer a close-to-the-face look, here are five mistakes everyone makes when trimming a beard, and how to avoid them.

1. Trimming your beard when it’s wet

The biggest mistake you can make when trimming your beard is doing so when it’s wet. When your beard gets wet or damp, this changes the texture of the hair so it gives you a less accurate and precise cut. For example, if your beard hair is curly, it’ll likely straighten out when it gets wet which makes it look longer than normal. When you go to cut a wet beard, this will result in an uneven or shorter cut than you’d intended when it dries. Instead, only trim your beard when it’s dry.

2. Buying the wrong comb length

The beard trimmer you choose will differ if you prefer a shorter beard or a longer beard, and the same can be said for comb lengths. If you’re looking to trim a small amount of hair, you don’t want to be using a comb that’s too long as it won’t effectively catch or cut your beard. On the other hand, if you’re trimming a large amount of hair or a beard that’s quite thick, a small comb length won’t be able to handle the volume or type of hair.

For shorter beards, we recommend using a comb between 3-10 mm in length and for longer beards, we suggest a comb that can cut between 18-25 mm in length. Most beard trimmers that you can buy today will also come with multiple attachments or an adjustable comb with different settings.

3. Using hair and shower products on your beard

While you might think that you can use the same products on your beard as you would on your other hair, you’d be wrong. Hair and shower products like shampoos and shower gels aren’t designed for facial hair, so they can be a lot harsher to your beard and skin. Not only can this result in your beard feeling stiff or tacky, but it can also cause more breakouts and even prevent hair growth. So, put down the 4-in-1 shampoo and conditioner, and give your beard some love with specially designed beard oil and shampoos.

4. Applying beard oil incorrectly

Speaking of beard oil, another common mistake that many beard owners make is applying beard oil incorrectly. Beard oil has many benefits to both your facial hair and the skin that lies underneath it, so if you’re only applying it to your beard, you’re not getting the full beard oil experience. To keep your beard and skin happy, make sure to apply beard oil to the hair, including your sideburns and the hair under your neck, and massage it in so it gets down to the hair follicles and underlying skin.

5. Not trimming your beard – or trimming too often

To trim or not to trim: that is the question. When trimming your beard, it’s important to find the right balance of when you should shave and when you should avoid it. For example, if you’re growing out your beard, you should avoid trimming it too often but not trimming it altogether can stilt your hair growth, so it’s important to find a happy medium.

To maintain length, it’s recommended to trim your beard every week or 10 days, whereas if you’re growing it out, you can trim every three weeks. But it’s important to get to know your beard, as how quickly or thickly your beard grows is completely unique to you.

As of writing, it’s Movember 2024 so if you’re hoping to grow an impressive beard, check out our 9 tips for growing out your facial hair.