Today, I’m going to cover 5 mistakes that often come up when shaping a beard.

I hope this helps you avoid making them yourself. 

1. The “DIY Disaster"

Picture this, you’re standing in front of the mirror with your trimmer, feeling like a master artist about to sculpt your beard into perfection.

But the truth is, you aren’t an artist, and maybe you’ve never trimmed your beard before.

While asymmetry might be trendy in art, your face isn’t a canvas for random strokes.
 
Symmetry is key.

The mistake to avoid here is simply attempting to trim if you haven’t done your research to know how to first.
 
We have plenty of videos sharing beard trimming techniques, so watch those for some help or you can reach out to us and we’ll point you in the right direction.
 
If you aren’t ready for a home trim, go see a barber first to get your beard shaped up, and then you can work to maintain it as that will be much easier than trying to create the shape yourself.
 

2. The “Rushed Barber Regret”

You’ve procrastinated scheduling an appointment, you’re in a hurry, and you are in a last minute panic of needing a beard trim for date night or some special event.
 
And because you haven’t mastered the art of the at home beard trim….you settle for whatever closest barber has an opening, blindly trusting their beard skills.
 
Sound familiar?
 
Well this is like playing Russian roulette with your beard!

Sure there’s a chance of walking out of there happy, but I’d argue there is a bigger chance of you being disappointed.
 
Most barbers don’t learn beard shaping or beard trimming in barber school and we’ve heard time and time again about how hard it is to find a barber that’s good with beards.
 
So my recommendation to you is to do your research, talk to guys with great looking beards to see where they go, and spend the time finding a great barber you can rely on.
Or, you can watch some more of our videos and learn how to do it yourself so you’re never in a pinch again.

3. The “Patchy Predicament”

Oh, the dreaded patchy beard. None of us want one, many of us have one, and even some of the fullest of beards have patchy spots.

For me, my area around the flavor savor is pretty thin. Added length kind of hides it but it’s definitely a bit see through in certain lighting.

If you struggle with patches, I encourage you to rock what you got, and play to your strengths.
 
If you have no hair on the cheeks, maybe rock a goatee or van dyke beard shape rather than trying to pull off a full beard right away.
 
Give yourself some time to work on improving your beard growth by considering exercising, eating healthier, hydrating, and supplementing with something like beard boost.
 

4. The “Over-trimming Trap” 

Sometimes less is more, and too much is simply too much.

When it comes to trimming and shaping your beard at home, it’s easy to nit pick and spend too much time “perfecting” every little hair.
 
If you’re not careful, you’ll find yourself going over the same areas multiple times and risk a higher chance of messing something up or taking an area too short to try and match it so perfectly to the other side.
 
You’re likely to take too much off the cheek line, or maybe trim the mustache too thin.
Here’s the truth, by the time you go about your day, shower, sleep, drive with your windows down, or just about anything, your beard is going to look different.
 
Yes, you want to get it as symmetrical as possible, but know that it’s never going to be perfect.
 
Don’t fall into the trap of going back and forth too many times or you may just hack your beard up so much you want to shave it off.
 
Don’t do it...
 
Don’t do it. 

Get your beard to a place you’re happy with, and move on. You can always trim again later if needed.

5. The “Wrong tool for the job”

Using the wrong tool for a job usually leads to wasted time and a job needing redoing.
 
When it comes to shaping your beard, the same is true.

Scissors are great for precision cuts which is great for mustache trimming, and also great for hedging the outside of your beard.

They also force you to slow down which could help avoid making a mistake.

A trimmer like our MT-1 is also great for hedging, but absolutely necessary for lining up and fading a beard from home.
 
Make sure you aren’t using the kitchen shears when you’re next attempting your trim. 

6. The “Shape What Your Momma Gave Ya”

Cheeky, I know.

Sometimes to get your beard shaped up nice you don’t need to trim at all.

Beard butter may be all you need to control your hairs and get them to lay down all nice and organized.

This is typically more the case with longer beards as the length and gravity play nice together to draw the hairs downward.A little butter is often times the only missing piece to get the flyway's and add a little fullness to your beard.

So don’t feel like you absolutely have to trim. I’d recommend a little product first to see what you’re working with and then trim away if needed.

Alright guys, that’s all I have for you today. If you need anything at all, throw a comment in or hit us up at support@livebearded.com. We are here to help.

And as always, Live Bearded, Brother!