How to Shape a Beard

In the wake of different world events, beardsmen are increasingly working from home and sporting longer, thicker beards as a result. Rugged business casual is the go-to look in the 20s for virtual meetings, solo power lunches, and late nights in the home office. Often these bushier beards are not always the result of conscious planning and are more likely the product of neglect. After all, if we’re just headed to another bedroom in our home for a day’s work, why trim the whiskers, pop on a stuffy suit, and wear cologne when we can just as easily sport some pajamas and no one is the wiser?

But even if you’re one of the many reaping the benefits of the work-at-home trend, your beard needs your attention, which is why it’s imperative that you know how to shape a beard. Keeping our beard clean is an effective way to fight the spread of germs and odor, and nourishing your beard with the nutrients it needs keeps it healthy and full for years to come. Effective beard care is also great for the skin on your face, fighting off the signs of aging and keeping those pores clean and clear.

In this guide, we’re going to teach you how to shape your beard so you can continue to rock that rugged work-from-home look while keeping those whiskers happy, healthy, and full for as long as you keep them around. Check out our pomade for men as well.

Find the Right Beard Shape

Learning how to shape a beard starts with what works for you. Every beardsman is unique, which means not every beard style is going to suit you. Some beard shapes fit flatter, round or oval faces, while other beard styles might look better on a more squared-off jawline.

There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to beard shapes and styles, so find something that compliments you. Styling facial hair and sculpting a beard always begins by determining your face shape. If your face is roughly the same height as it is wide, with rounded cheekbones and jawline, you have a round face. Oval faces are similar but have more height than width. Much like an oval face, an oblong face is longer than wide but is not necessarily round. A face with rigid corners is square if the height and width are approximately the same and rectangular if it is higher than it is wide. If you’ve got a triangular face shape, your forehead and cheekbones will be wider than your jawline and you’ll tend to have a smaller, pointy chin. Diamond faces are the widest at the cheekbones, while the forehead and jawline don’t have as much width. If you have rounded cheekbones with a wide forehead and a narrower jawline and chin, you’ve got a heart-shaped face. Now that you have a rough idea of your face shape, here are some pointers for selecting a flattering beard shape for your face.

Best Beard Shapes for Men With Square Faces

Square faces measure the same in height as they do in width, and feature chiseled jawlines and cheekbones squared off at the corners. If you’ve got a square-shaped face, the circle beard is going to highlight the chiseled jawline you’ve been blessed with. You’ll also look great rocking a goatee of any sort, or take it just a smidge further with an anchor beard. The Balboa beard is similar to the boxed beard with shaved sideburns and a tidy mustache detached from the beard. Square-faced beardsman can rock a Balboa like nobody’s business. Each of these beard shapes draws attention to that razor-sharp jawline, showing off a feature known to turn heads wherever you go.

Best Beard Shapes for Men With Triangle Faces

A triangular face can be identified by the cheekbones and forehead that are wider than the jawline and chin. When you’ve got this face shape, you’ll tend to have a pointer chin which means beard styles that soften that point are going to be most flattering on you. A beardstache, for instance, will balance out the chin’s point. Going beardless with a glorious ‘stache will also achieve that same balance in your face shape and make you look put together and rugged at the same time.

Best Beard Shapes for Men With Diamond Faces

Your diamond face has wider cheekbones than your jawline and your forehead, and you’re rocking a lot of straight lines because of it. Beardsmen with triangular-shaped faces will look amazing with rounded beard shapes. A round bottom should taper into shorter sides to soften your lines and enhance your face shape. The goatee is the perfect beard shape to flatter a diamond face, as well as the Hollywoodian with its rounded bottom and shorter sides.

Best Beard Shapes for Men With Heart Faces

If you’ve got a heart-shaped face, you’re rocking a wider forehead, rounded cheekbones, and a chin that tends to come to a point. You’re looking for balance in your facial proportions from a truly flattering beard shape. A full beard will create that balance in the proportions of your face, especially if your whiskers are long with short sides. So, let that mane grow, beardsman, and you’ll look great!

Best Beard Shapes for Men With Oblong Faces

An oblong face is longer than it is wide, but it’s not always rounded like an oval face. Full mutton chops are always flattering on an oblong face because they leave less skin visible, creating the illusion of a shorter, less oblong face. A goatee can accentuate a sharp jawline or even round it out a little bit, making the face appear more oval. Either of these styles is a great choice for an oblong face.

Best Beard Shapes for Men With Oval Faces

An oval-shaped face is, as the oblong face, longer than it is wide. However, where it differs from the oblong face is in the rounded features. Cheekbones, jawlines, forehead, and chin tend to have softer curves than with an oblong face. Beardsmen with oval faces are the lucky ones, as just about any beard style is going to look amazing on them. To truly rock this face shape, keep the bottom shorter and the sides nice and bushy to even out your proportions.

Best Beard Shapes for Men With Round Faces

Your round face is going to be roughly equal in length as it is in width, with soft, rounded edges. You can use the right beard trimming styles to bring some more length to your face. For instance, the Van Dyke brings a goatee down to a point, drawing out the length of your face. The chin strap has the ability to create the illusion of a straighter, more chiseled jawline as well.

Shaping Your Beard: Step-By-Step

No matter which face shape you have, and which beard style you’ve chosen to rock, maintaining well-defined lines, a trimmed neckline, and taming those strays is going to take your style technique to the next level. Let’s take a look at how to create and maintain your beard’s shape.

Before You Start

As any great painter knows, the masterpiece starts with the canvas. Beardsmen, you have to prep your beard and face before you ever pick up the trimmers and start beard shaping. Every beard shape requires you to keep up the health of your beard and the skin underneath. You never want to go to trim your beard, only to reveal dry, flaky skin underneath and patchy growth. Take care of your beard at every stage of growth. That means using a proper beard wash rather than harsh shampoos and soaps. You’ll also want to ensure, at the very least, that you’re making use of your nourishing beard oil every day. Beard conditioner, beard balm, and beard butter can all help you to maintain the health and normal growth of your beard so you’re all set when it’s time to trim.

The Tools You Will Need

Now that you’ve got healthy whiskers and happy skin, it’s time to sculpt your beard. You’ll need a few tools to help you achieve the look you’re going for. They include:

• Beard wash
• Beard conditioner
• Beard oil
• A mirror
• Scissors
• A beard trimmer
• A beard brush
• A beard comb (we recommend Kent combs )
• Beard balm
• Mustache wax

Once you’ve collected your tools, it’s time to get started shaping your beard.

Prepping Your Beard

Always wash and condition your beard before heading in with scissors or a trimmer. Product build-up, oils, and dead skin can all get in the way of the proper functioning of both scissors and trimmers. You’ll want to ensure you’re using a real beard wash rather than shampoo, shower gel, or bar soap as these other detergents can be harsh and drying to the delicate skin on your face as well as your whiskers. Ensure you’re applying your beard oil after you’ve washed and conditioned as it’s always best to apply to a damp beard. Now, give your whiskers a brush through with your beard brush or comb to help distribute the beard oil, exfoliate the skin, and even out the hairs so you hit them all with the trimmer at the right length.

Trimming the Length

Alright, beardsmen, it’s time to take to the trimmers and get that beard tidy. Before you get started, remember that it’s impossible to undo a trim that went too short. As such, always start with a larger setting and work down to the lower settings as you’re trimming. Take your time and ease into it so you can give yourself time to get the hang of it and ensure you’re not cutting anything too short. Trim small lengths off until you hit the length you’re aiming for.

You may want to use scissors or an electric trimmer to bring the length of your beard down. Scissors can offer a more precise trim, while electric trimmers with guards can help you take most of the bulk off easily. If you choose an electric trimmer, you will likely still need your scissors to eliminate any strays still visible after your trim with precision.

Shaping the Sideburns

Sideburns are often neglected parts of our facial hair, but tidying them up with precision can add a lot to your look. You can achieve a sharp, elevated style by creating a taper for faded sideburns. Mutton chops are bushy but look great with some basic shaping around the edges.

To start trimming your sideburns, make sure you’re in front of your mirror and use a larger setting at first. Start where your hairline meets your beard, then trim off a little bit at a time until you find the length you’re looking for. Use lower settings as you trim further from your hairline for a tapered, faded look. With practice, you’ll soon be an expert.

Trimming the Neckline

Nobody wants the neckbeard, even when we’re working at home in our sweatpants. It gives the impression that we’re unkempt and comes off as anything but presentable. That’s why trimming the neckline is an important part of shaping a beard. A great neckline is usually drawn at around 1 to 1.5 inches above the Adam’s apple. Using your mirror, trim everything below that line, making use of a taper for a faded style if desired. Gradually increase the settings on your trimmer to achieve a faded style on your neckline.

Cleaning Up Around the Lips

Use your scissors to trim your mustache, which should not extend over the upper lip. If you have rounded scissors, they make the best tool to get this job done. Make sure to snip any strays you see in the ‘stache as well.

Keeping Your Beard Shape in Check

Now that you’ve determined your face shape and achieved a style that compliments it, you need to maintain those whiskers in between trims. Don’t wait to get that healthy mane. Set the foundation of a great beard style today by shopping the full line of Kingsmen Premium beard care products.

Your beard will look better than it ever has when you’re making regular use of nourishing Kingsmen products like our moisturizing beard wash and conditioner. Our coveted beard oils revive dry, brittle beards, and coupled with our beard balm or beard butter, your beard will never look dull again. Each of our products comes in scents that get noticed as well as unscented versions for our more sensitive-skinned Kingsmen. When you fill out your beard care routine with Kingsmen Premium’s superior products, your beard will look its best no matter which shape or style you choose. So grab your Kingsmen beard care products today for an unforgettably soft, healthy, and glorious beard.