The Importance of Trimming Your Beard

Facial hair grows at different rates, in different areas on your face. Some people can grow an epic mo and the rest of their face is hairless, while others have a Lincoln chin strap kinda vibe. Others are genetically hirsute and if they spend too long on the toilet they are sure to leave the bathroom with a full Grizzly Adams beard.

While it might seem sacrilegious to some using “trim” and “beard” in the same sentence without using “never” before it, trimming your beard is very important for both healthy growth as well as a fuller look. A beard is a lot like a child, if you decide to raise one do it properly.

The longer the a beard gets the more attention it needs. With length there is a greater chance of getting split ends, dryness, itchiness and and to be honest it looks horrible when you have rogue strands all over the place.

So here are some of the benefits of trimming your beard:

• Cutting loose the stray hairs: removing stray hairs is imperative for your overall beard look. It is the simplest thing you can in your beard-escaping routine. Like the iconic Australian tall poppy syndrome where we cut down those who achieve greatness, it's is your duty as an Australian to cut down those long beard sprouters and get 'em back in line.

• Removal of split ends: Split ends are never fun. They are caused through environmental factors such as extreme heat, cold and wind. They cause the hair to become brittle and snap off. You should constantly monitor your hair to make sure you don't have split ends. If you do it’s beneficial that you cut and remove them. The longer you leave it the further down the hair will split down and the worse it will look and feel. Using a beard oil or beard balm, helps provide moisture and nourishment to the beard, and helps fight back against the elements which cause split ends. Remember prevention is better than the cure!

• Beard fullness: While it sounds crazy to think that trimming the beard make it fuller, it actually is the case. Think of your beard like a hedge. When a gardener cuts it into a shape removing the strays and evening out the surface the hedge looks much fuller and thicker, the same goes for the beard. So get out your sheers out and lop off those loose ends.

• Different facial structures: Trimming your beard in certain ways is positive for strengthening the jaw line. For those guys out there who do not have the most pronounced jaw line growing a beard and contouring it around your chin gives the jaw a more prominent look. Similarly, for those who are slightly more portly, growing a beard can help give more definition to a less defined chin. The film maker Kevin Smith is famous for this iconic look.

Kevin Smith

• Food consumption: Trimming your beard especially around the mouth is a great to reduce the amount of food and drink getting stuck in your beard and moustache. To some people it is worth growing a big bushy beard and sacrifice the time and effort needed to clean it after a meal. For others who still want to grow a beard but hate getting food in it, reducing the size of your mo can help in the food consumption process. Before you try trimming you could try using a mo-wax. Mo-wax is not just for the eccentric stylers, Salvador Dali enthusiasts and the Monopoly Man. The wax can be used to keep the mo off the top lip so you can keep the length without it getting into your mouth.

• Trimming means less knots and tangles: The better kept your beard the less knots and tangles you’ll find in there. Trimming it every so often allows your hair to be checked in place and reduces the chance of tangles as there are less rouge long boys strangling the others. Using a beard oil and combing and brushing your beard in the morning is another thing you can do as part of your morning routine in between trims to prevent a knotty mess.

• Promotes healthier looking hair:  It may seem counterproductive to trim your beard to make it look fuller and healthier.However, by doing so you eliminate lifeless hair, split ends, dry and damaged hair and encourage the growth of hair that looks great.

In the wild, the quality of the African lion’s mane is linked to the lion's desirability with the lionesses. So with the modern advancements in beard trimming technology we have the advantage of grooming our “manes” in order to look more desirable. You don't want to be a lion without a pack.

Other articles that might interest you:

1. Tips for Patchy Beards

2. Top 5 Dishes Every Guy Should Know (Meat Eaters' Edition)

3. How to Trim, Sculpt & Shape Your Beard

4. Beard Hair vs Head Hair, What's the Difference?

5. What is Beard Oil & Why Use it?

Author: Kareem Ghaly

Editor: Ben De Campo

Image Credits: Cover image from Hairblog dotcom. Kevin Smith image from Slashfilm dot com.