Short Beard Grooming Essentials

Although a big beard can be awesome. A bit like a pet. A dog or a cat that people admire & want to stroke all the time. But not all men can grow a big beard or necessarily want one. Some guys prefer the way they look with a shorter beard & find it generally needs less maintenance than a long beard. They're also seeing a trend towards shorter beards they want to join. Whatever the reason, a short beard can be a great look. It will make you appear masculine & cut time off your daily morning routine. We could all use that extra time for something better, couldn't we?

What gets overlooked by most men with a short beard is the type of maintenance needed to make the look work. A short beard can be shaped to look really crisp. In a way that can be tailored to your face. This is a powerful thing. It can make a jaw look wider & a chin look bigger. It can mask things on your face you might feel embarrassed about.

However when left to grow out for somewhere between 1 to 3 weeks, many guys start to look scruffier as random hairs grow out at different rates. They may also notice it feels rough. Stroking it sucks. When they wake up in the morning it gets a little bent out of shape. It smells bad (or possibly worse) doesn't smell at all.

To ensure your beard is looking sharp, there are several tools and products that you can use to pull off the short beard look. We realise as you read this there are many links to our products and it might seem like we're being pushy for sales. That's not the case, we've done this for your convenience should you need to grab anything quickly. You might not necessarily need all of these steps or the gear, or you might get your gear from somewhere else. No sweat.

The Wash

Every good grooming routine should begin with having a warm shower. Among other things, this will soften your hair & plump up your skin which helps with both shaving & beard styling. If your beard is feeling particularly rough & you'd like to change that, then our 2 in 1 beard shampoo & conditioner is what you're looking for. It's like a fabric softener for your beard. Three scents to choose from. Handy foam pump dispenser and you won't need a lot with a short beard. Work it through for a few seconds then rinse it out. This is what it looks like...

The Shave. Yes, the Shave

This is optional. A lot of guys have "peach fuzz" around the cheeks & patchy or uneven neck lines. Creating nice sharp lines around your beard can make it look thicker & sicker all at once. The sharper the line between where your face ends & your beard begins the sharper you look. This is a little more hassle because you will effectively be doing a mini-shave most mornings but if you're an "attention to detail" guy with a beard that needs it, this routine is for you.

Do this just after you get out of the shower. The warm water will make the hair easier to shave. Depending on your preference, apply a little bit of your favourite shaving lubricant. Many folks notice lubricants with soap in them tend to dry the skin & can cause irritation & break outs. That's why we have 2 soap-free options, depending on your preference. Apply either a Shave Oil (which is compact & easy to travel with...

...or a pump of Clear Shave Gel (which will last you ages) to the tips of your fingers and apply to your cheek & neck area in a thin even layer. You don't need a lot to get a good shave. Both products use less water & take less time to use than soap-based ones. Just wipe with a cotton or bamboo microfibre towel when you're done. Both the oil & the gel are made in Australia & moisturise your skin whilst you shave. Want more? How about the fact they are both transparent so you can see what you're shaving. That's key if you want to avoid crooked hair lines.

In our view, the best kind of razor for this type of work is the double-edge safety razor. These are great because the single blade gives you very accurate feedback about where you're cutting. These make it much easier to control your lines than a cartridge razor with a whole bunch of blades that you can't quite keep track off.  They're also much cheaper. A pack of double-edge blades costs about $10 bucks & will last you pretty much a whole year. We have two to choose from, a light wood version & a matte black one. How beast mode is this?

The Style

After lightly towel drying your face from the shower you want to preliminarily brush your beard using a medium-bristle, boar-hair brush. This will give you an idea of the shape of your beard & moustache. For a fuller looking beard and moustache, remove any longer, rogue hairs with scissors. This step is should be done every other day to keep your beard looking tight in between using a beard trimmer.  

With regards to beard trimmers, we don't sell them but there are plenty of good ones on the market. Shaver Shop has everything you need here. Our best premium picks are the Wahl Stainless & VS Sassoon Beard Designer. For budget options, the Braun Beard Trimmer does an okay job, especially if you're beard isn't thick.

Apply a couple of drops of beard oil to your hand and rub it into an even film on your hand. Remember less is more, there is only a certain limit that your hair can absorb (over applying can give you a greasy look), rub it into your beard starting with the thickest portion of your beard (usually the chin), using your fingers ensure the oil coats the hair & skin.

Depending on the length of your beard, once it's been rubbed with oil you might be ready to go. If it's on the longer side & want to keep it in shape, use a Medium Stiffness Boar Hair Beard Brush for styling. Stroke the brush downward using uniform strokes, to give your beard an even full look. For extra hold, a beard balm with low to medium hold can be used instead of, or in addition to, beard oil.

Put down the brush, give your beard a final check to see if any hairs are out of line and need trimming. If you are satisfied you can put down your tools & admire your gorgeous creation.

Remember, whether your shave, mo or grow, we'll keep you #freshbetweentheears