By Terry Reina
Any man who has grown or is currently growing a beard will tell you what it takes to groom and maintain a long beard. Many also resort to beard grooming apps when it comes to beard care. While it takes a lot of effort and commitment, the truth is that we are all prone to making mistakes.
Here, we will talk about some disastrous beard mistakes that could come in the way of managing your beard. With that, we will also give you solid advice on how you can avoid these beard mistakes and fix them one step at a time.
6 Biggest Beard Grooming Mistakes and Fixes
1. Not Using Beard Toner
Beard toner is one of those health products that can do a lot for your beard care, from the initial growth phase to the final grooming and everything in between. It hydrates the skin, locks in moisture, and gives your beard a healthy shine, preventing split ends. It also softens your hair. Despite these benefits, many beard-wearing gentlemen fail to apply them, which can lead to a variety of problems.
Fix
Apply beard toner to your skin and facial hair when using your beard toner. This allows it to penetrate deep into your skin, providing much-needed hydration.
2. Expecting Your Beard to Grow Fast
Patience is a virtue for first-time beard growers. You have no idea how quickly your beard will grow or if it will be patchy at first before filling in. All those health products claiming to give your fast results are simply untrue. The best course of action is to wait and see.
Beards grow about a half-inch per month, on average. (Of course, genetics play a significant role.) You might be able to grow one much faster.) That translates to 2-3 months of growth for a full beard.
Fix
A beard takes time to grow. It takes at least 2-3 months for the beard to reach its full potential. In other words, be patient before giving up and returning to being clean-shaven. Expect growth to last about two months. This will give you a good idea of how you will appear with a beard.
3. Falling for Beard Growing Myths
There are numerous popular beard care myths out there. Many of these men’s grooming
myths relate to one’s insecurity about growing a beard. Among them are “shaving makes your beard thicker” and “growing a beard is all in your genes.”
Most of the time, these myths are completely incorrect. They’re urban legends. And, far too often, people believe these myths and, as a result, never grow a beard.
Some of these myths are –
#Myth 1: Beards are uncomfortable during the summer
Quite the contrary. Beards protect your skin from the sun and keep you cool. Here’s a quick tip that will make you thankful for your summer beard: grab a spray bottle and spritz your beard. This transforms your beard into a mini air conditioner, retaining moisture that feels especially good when you catch a nice breeze.
#Myth 2: Beards grow at a uniform pace
Your face grows at different rates in different areas. The chin line develops faster, while the cheeks take longer. If you were led to believe otherwise, it’s because many men trim the longer areas to keep everything uniform – and everything appears to grow at the same rate.
#Myth 3: Shaving your beard will make it grow back thicker
Many dermatological studies have confirmed shaving does not alter the width or rate of growth of individual hair. Shaving, on the other hand, gives the appearance of thicker hair because hair naturally tapers at the ends. When you cut the shaft, the thicker part of the hair near the skin is exposed. As a result, stubble appears thicker than it is.
#Myth 4: Rubbing my skin will cause my beard to grow
Frequent rubbing of your skin will irritate it, potentially causing redness and itching, and will increase the amount of ‘dirt’ on your skin by adding whatever is on your hands to the oils on your skin. This can cause acne, ingrown hair, and a great deal of frustration — but no beard.
Fix
Getting advice on what will work for your face shape and the sort of hairstyle that will go with your beard care is very important.
4. Ignoring Your Neckbeard
Another common beard mistake that most men make is not keeping their neckline area clear.
There’s a way to keep that area looking neat and sharp, and ignoring it causes the beard to become scraggly.
Fix
Many beard apps suggest Keeping two fingers above your Adam’s apple to determine the trimming of this area. Find the midpoint, and then adjust your trimmer’s guard.
5. Uneven Cheek Lines
Hair grows sparsely and unevenly on the upper parts of your cheeks, which can be unsightly and bothersome. It’s natural to want to trim and shape them into clean lines. But it’s all too easy to trim one cheek lower than the other. The typical reaction is to trim the higher side again, risking becoming the new lower side. This quickly escalates, and before you know it, you’ve made a bad situation worse and ended up with a chinstrap beard.
Fix
Trim only a tiny amount at a time, and let your cheek hair grow
6. Not Changing Razor Blades
When it comes to shaving, many men stick with the same razor and never change the blades or replace it. This can be harmful to your beard and skin. If you’re trimming the beard’s edges, a dulled razor means less precision, which means you might shave off more than you intended. A dull razor can also irritate your skin, resulting in an unsightly rash.
Fix
Many men’s grooming apps suggest changing the blade after every 5 to 7 shaves for smooth beard care and safe shaving.
Summing up
We discussed some common beard care mistakes that everyone makes – be it a first-timer or experienced beard growers. We also discussed how to correct these mistakes. With the boom in the telehealth sector, you can also rely on beard care apps to help us out in this beard grooming journey. ManMatters is one such men’s grooming app that can help you with beard care and other holistic needs of men, such as hair, skin, weight, sleep and sexual health.
