Beginner’s guide to growing a beard AND KEEPING IT NEAT

Stop shaving and start growing:
Obviously, the first step to growing a beard is to let the hair grow. Do not to trim it for at least a month.

All you need to do during this period is to wash it daily and comb it regularly during the day. Even if you are just planning to grow a goatee, you should let everything grow for the first four weeks to avoid cutting off more than is needed and thus killing your dream.

Trimming: Once the hair is all grown, identify the kind of style you want. The rule of thumb is to choose a style that suits your face type. For a more refined look, match your beard and hairstyle with the shape of your face.

For instance, your beard and your jaw should work in tandem to achieve a nicely graduated oval shape. If you have a square or round jaw, you will want to grow your beard fuller on the bottom to extend your face.

If you have a rectangular face, you will want more hair on the sides while avoiding more length beneath the chin.

If you are trimming the beard at home, wash the hair thoroughly, then comb and pat dry. Apply some powder for easier trimming and proceed. Use a comb and scissors to trim it, but only if you are good at it.

Otherwise invest in quality clippers, which are easier to use. Use a pair of sharp tweezers to weed out ingrown hair.

Maintenance: Use a trimmer or clippers to trim away as much hair as possible. After trimming, make sure you wash the hair with a shampoo and thereafter pat dry with a towel.

It is recommended that you regularly trim hair on the neckline, mustache lip and upper cheeks but leave it untouched if you are looking to grow it longer. Stroke your beard rather than picking the hairs as picking splits ends.

Wash a beard regularly: Just the way those who grow hair work hard to maintain it, growing a beard also calls for commitment.

This is especially important in the early stages of growth when trapped food and skin cells can lead to and also exacerbate itchiness. Scrub your beard several times each week with a specialised cleanser.

Washing the hair regularly helps to keep your skin clean and eliminates itching. Do not use shampoo when the beard is fairly short; use bath soap instead.

Apply beard oil: Beard oil is hydrating to the skin and helps soften and tame beard hair, which means it also works as a styling agent. Applying beard oil after showering or cleansing helps to keep the follicles and pores open.

There are varieties of oils to choose from in a range of manly scents, but all of them will condition beard hair to make it softer and shinier. Avoid moisturisers with alcohol as they dry out the skin.

Eat well: While the length and quality of your beard will largely depend on your genetics, what you eat also affects its growth. A boost in testosterone will help a beard grow better. Foods that help boost testosterone include spinach, nuts, broccoli, avocados and red meats.

Exercise such as weight lifting also helps in increasing testosterone in the body. Since a healthy skin translates into healthy hair, take multivitamins and omega-3 fatty acids to improve your skin and thereby the beard sprouting out of it.

Cleansing and moisturising your skin is also crucial especially if you live in a cold or dry climate.