The only thing worse than making a bad beard trimming mistake at home is paying a barber for his or her professional services only to get your beard hacked up.

Trust me, we have all been there before and we know your pain.

In fact, this is one of the most common complaints we hear about on a daily basis. Every day we're asked how to find a great beard barber who actually knows how to take care of a beard.

In hopes of saving your hard earned beard hairs, and money, follow these tips to find a great beard barber near you.

1. Get Referrals

Referrals are a great way to find just about anything, and it's no different for beard barbers.

If you have friends who's beard always looks great, don't be afraid to ask them where they go.

If your friends aren't bearded, then you first need to get them to the beard side, then you all need to go to work to find a great barber in your area. 

Don't be afraid to ask strangers for referrals. We've all been somewhere where we've come across a seriously impressive beard. When you do, give him a compliment, and ask him if he has a barber recommendation in the area.

Don't worry, he'll be glad you asked and happy to share. 

2. Find a Barber, Not Just a Barber Shop

Let's start with the obvious...

We live in a time where we have access to endless information at our fingertips, so use sources like Google, Yelp, and Instagram to find barbershops in your area. 

Once you find some shops near you, you need to take it one step further by looking into individual barbers at those shops. Just because a friend says he gos to XYZ barbershop or you find one with great reviews isn't enough, you need to know who he sees.

Nathan got a referral for Lordz Barbershop in Phoenix, AZ, and was told Zach knew how to sculpt a beard.

We followed the steps below before loading up and putting Nathan in Zach's chair for a cleanup.

3. Check Out Their Work

Social media can be a great tool for both businesses and customers, and a great beard barber should be showing off their work.

Once you find a barber, do some digging on their website or social media platforms for before/after shots and videos of their work.

Every barber will tell you they know how to trim beards, and not to throw everyone under the bus here, but not everyone does.

Spending proper time doing your homework will be way less painful than going in and paying for a hack job.

4. Over Communicate

Once you find a barber and you find yourself sitting in their chair, you need to VERY clearly tell them what you want. 

The more detailed you can be, the better. Never sit in a chair and just say, clean me up, that is entirely too subjective. He may think a clean up is to trim half your beard off. If this happens, the only person to blame is yourself.

Really dig in and understand what beard style you want. Do you want your sideburns short and faded? Do you want it to be more square and boxed or rounded?

Have a clear vision to what you want and take your time so he or she knows exactly what you're looking for.

5. Speak Up

Now, even if you're super crystal clear in your expectations, your barber could trim your beard differently than you hoped for.

If you forget to mention something in your first consultation, or you notice the trim going the wrong direction, speak up during the trim as soon as you notice something isn't right.

If you don't, you'll end up with a bad trim, and the barber will end up with an unhappy customer. This is bad for both of you.

6. Bring a Picture

This may be the best piece of advice we can give you. 

Save some beard styles you really like and use these inspiration photos to guide your barber. This may be an easier way for them to understand your expectations and they should be able to duplicate this look for you.

It is worth saying...

You may not be able to pull off certain beard styles, and that's ok. Depending on how your beard grows in, how thick it is, hair texture etc., you may not have the growth to pull off certain looks.

Setting the proper expectations is important. Your barber should be able to explain what he/she can do to get you close, and we're always here to help too. 

Final Thoughts 

If you do these things, you'll have a much better chance of getting your money's worth, and getting the beard style you want.

When you do find a good barber, make sure to take care of them and help spread the word. As we pointed out in point one, referrals are a huge way for them to get business and you'll be helping other bearded brothers in need.

If you have any questions about this, or anything else, don't hesitate to contact us anytime.

Our mission is to help Beardsmen look, feel, and be their best. We offer a 365-day money-back guarantee, and are here to help however we can. 

Hit us up if we can help and as always,

Live Bearded, Brother!