Wearing a beard can give you a dapper touch of maturity and style. You stand out as masculine and strong with a beard, even if it has become a symbol of 20-teens hipsterism. With the right style, your beard can accent your facial features perfectly, creating a decidedly handsome look.
But then there are the guys who get it all wrong. And it looks bad. Real bad.
One of the most common mistakes guys make with beard grooming is not appreciating the importance of the beard to hair ratio. What is it? Why does it matter? And how can you avoid looking like a fuzzy tennis ball?
Hair to Beard Ratio
To look your best with a beard, don’t wear you hair and beard at the same length. This is especially dangerous for guys with very short, buzz-cut hair. When your hair and beard are all cut to the same length, you wind up looking like a tennis ball. You eliminate any feature-enhancing contrast. Instead, you look uniform, plain, and unattractive. Yikes!
To avoid this, you need to keep either you hair or beard longer than the other. That ratio creates a contrasted look that highlights your best features and prevents an everything’s-the-same appearance.
The guys who don’t have to worry about this at all are men who are bald or shave their heads completely. Any length of facial hair will create the right contrast and look great. So bald guys, enjoy this benefit and wear your beard with confidence and pride. The rest of you, apply these tips.
Create Visual Imbalance
The goal is to avoid absolute hair symmetry. So if you have short hair, take special care to create visual imbalance when you are first growing out your beard. One way to do this is to let your hair grow a little longer than usual as your beard first comes in. Then, once your beard has some length to it, cut your hair a bit shorter than normal. The resulting asymmetry will complement your facial features and prevent the tennis ball look.
If you’ve got longer hair, you can create imbalance by trimming the sides of your hair a bit shorter. For guys with wavy hair, it’s best to embrace your hair’s natural texture and let it contrast with your beard.
There are myriad ways to cut and style your hair, so there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to this. Just be sure there’s a bit of visual imbalance happening between the hair on your head and the hair on your face.
Make Hair Care a Priority
Don’t skimp on your hair care for men routine. For the right look, you need clean and conditioned hair. So follow a routine that includes the best natural shampoo for men and a natural hair conditioner for men. Most guys should wash their hair about every other day, though you may need to wash more or less depending on your hair type. And condition about 2-3 times each week to maintain a healthy shine and prevent greasy or dry hair.
Beard Care Matters
As you grow out your beard, make sure you’re keeping those whiskers looking their best. Use a natural beard oil to condition and hydrate your facial hair, keeping it soft and giving it a natural shine. Beard oil also helps moisturize the skin beneath your beard that can become dry and flakey if not attended to.
Nail Your Beard and Hair Style
Avoid the common faux-pas of beard style by creating visual imbalance and taking good care of your hair. Use the best hair care routine for men and don’t forget to hydrate your beard regularly too.
