To trim or not to trim?

[troy]

Did you use an electric trimmer, or scissors?

Both I mostly did it with scissors, but used a trimmer for the top inch or so to fade it into the shaved head. I've been scissor cutting the chin for years so I have some experience, but his was the first time I scissor cut the sides. I just went real slow over the coarse of a day. combed it out did a little trimming and walked away before I got to carried away with it then came back a little later and combed it again checking for evenness until I was happy with it.

If it is your first time using scissors the best piece of advice I can give is. If you pull it straight to cut it make sure you are not pulling the skin out too. Otherwise when the skin snaps back you realize you trimmed to much. Also go slow you can always go back and cut more.

 

[NesOne]

Now don't touch it!

Looks presentable. Now the pics at Easter on the hand will look even better!

+1, let it grow all together from this point forward.

 

[troy]

Yea, just letting it grow is the plan. I may trim the sideburns a little if they start to get wild again. And maybe the mustache, I usually trim it when I start chewing on it. I'm trying to really let it grow out to a natural looking western handlebar. I always like the looks of a good mustache with a full beard. I always felt like my stache was a little weak, but am surprised at how well it is filling out.

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

If you can get through the chewing on it you're set. That's the hardest part!

 

[BadDad]

If you aren't using proper beard oil yet, I would recommend it. Good beard oils will contain argan or jojoba for strengthening the hair and some essential oils for scent. I LOVE using beard oil. It smells freakin' awesome, makes your beard soft and itch free, helps control "fly-away" hairs, controls beard-dandruff, and keeps the skin under the beard soft and supple. I oil twice daily...in the morning, after washing my face, before going to work and in the evening after my shower and head shave. I also use a strong hold wax to keep my mustache out my mouth.

If you don't have one, I highly recommend a boars hair brush for keeping it brushed down neat, and a wooden comb for keeping it tangle free as it grows. A small, fine-tooth mustache comb never hurts, either...

You can get just as deeply involved in growing a beard as you can in shaving it off...

 

[troy]

If you aren't using proper beard oil yet...

Thanks for the info. My soft ware selection in general is lacking to say the least. I keep saying I'm going to buy some more soaps and a beard oil, but every time I have a few extra dollars I walk into a flea market or antique shop and buy more razors. I've been at this since March and I now have about 40 safety razors and another 15 or so straights. ( I really need to get serious about straights or stop buying them.) But the only soaps I've even tried are VDH Deluxe and VDH luxury.

As far as beard stuff, I have been using Shave Secret, Somersets shaving oil, and vintage Avon Protein Hair Lotion. I know none are intended for beards, but I found them locally and cheap so I figured I would give them a try. They all seem to help, but nothing spectacular. The Somersets does say it contains jojoba. I've never really had the dandruff, dry skin or itching a lot of guys seem to have. I've been using Clubman mustache wax, very sparingly. I water it down until I can hardly tell it is there, but it seems to give just enough hold without bugging be that it is there.

What would you recommend as a good first actual beard oil?

 

[BadDad]

Thanks for the info. ...
What would you recommend as a good first actual beard oil?

You're very welcome...

I absolutely LOVE oils from TheBeardedBastard.com. The oils are flippin' amazing smelling and very light, giving your beard good control without feeling heavy. They seem a bit pricey at first glance, but you only need a small amount. a 1oz bottle will last a couple months, unless you have a HUGE beard...

As for using a wax...I take a bit out of the tin with the back of my thumbnail, massage it between my 2 index fingers until it is "gooey", and rub it into the 'stache. I use my Kent 81T mustache comb to work it through and my my finger tips to get a bit of "curl" on the tips. I prefer a natural look that doesn't feel glued, so I will use my daughter's hairdryer on low heat/low velocity to melt it into the hair while combing it through. This keeps it from being clumpy or looking waxed.

I've only been using a DE razor on my head for the past week, but I've been growing and grooming my beard for much longer...

 

[ByMyBeard]

I haven't tried any specific "beard oils". I occassionally use some pre-shave oil as a beard oil, but don't really care for it either. Luckily, I don't have any issues with softness of the beard, so perhaps I'm just lucky.

Never actually used a comb though. Does it really help with the fly-aways? Maybe I need to find a decent one for that....