A LITTLE ADVICE WHEN CHOOSING TO TRIM YOUR BEARD

So, your beard has started to grow a little out of control, and you now resemble something from the jurassic period. Well there's only one thing that can be done to bring back your charming sharp manly looks and that is to have a light trim of that furry face forest of yours before the local wildlife begin to hibernate within you beard.

But what do you do? the very thought of visiting your local beard barber makes you feel sick and slightly weak at the knees. Afterall, how do you ever begin to entrust another man holding a pair of sharp scissors or a cut throat razor near that glorious furry face of yours?

Rather than run the risk of paying someone to butcher away at your beard, you've decided to 'go it alone' by taking matters into your own hands and as you plan to attempt a little D.I.Y grooming in the comfort and safety of your own four walls, at home. But where do you begin?

Firstly you are going to need to give that face gruff of yours a good and thorough wash from the tips of your beard deep into the skin that hides below. The reason I choose to wash before I trim is because if you're having a wacky beard day it might not sit as evenly as it does usually upon your face, and choosing to bring any form of trimming aparators to your beard could leave you with an unbalanced (and rather obvious!) trim, which isn't pretty for anybody.

Scrub your facial hair with a beard wash and conditioner, making sure your reach deep into the length of your beard and face to loosen up and remove any possible dry, dead skin and other beard nasties that may be lurking beneath the surface. After your beard has been rinsed of all soapy suds, be sure to towel dry the area thoroughly, making sure the beard it completely dry before you start to trim.

Once things are a whole lot cleaner, take a little time to gently comb out any knots and tangles that might be present within your beard and moustache with a wide toothed comb, one of our 'TBS' combs will work an absolute treat here. With your facial hair now being extra clean you should experience minimal pulling or snagging, but if you meet the odd knot gently work them out, rather than pull right through them, which could snap the beard hair follicle rather than correct it.

You'll need to find yourself some basic beard trimming tools. Here's a little list of what I chose to use, and recommend you guys do the same. You'll need a clear mirror, a pair of barber's sharpened scissors, a razor (I use a cut throat safety razor, but choose whatever you're most comfortable with here.) and some 'TBS' beard oil and/or balm.

Always use a clean and clear mirror when trimming your beard, regardless on how confident you are in your grooming skills. Remember, it's much quicker to make a mistake than it it to grow it back, so go easy, Brother. Start out by making sure your beard is combed as straight as possible and dry, then begin with your beards sides and sideburns. Rather than gathering a large handful of beard hairs and chopping, go lightly and often until you meet your required length. You can always choose to use a comb here as a safety guard, much like your barber does when you go for a haircut. Make sure you follow suit on each side to create an evenly balanced trim.

Then once the sides of your facial hair has been trimmed you might notice your beards length may appear somewhat longer, that's simply because the trim you've just made draws more focus onto the beard length rather than the thick face bush it was before. Again go lightly, using the mirror at all times when trimming the length, trying to slightly round your beards shape in the process. The simplest way to practice this is to trim merely millimeters at a time, to avoid any mistakes.

Now it's time to trim the moustache. However you decide to trim this is entirely up to yourself. I choose to comb the moustaches hair over my top lip, then gently follow my lip line as I trim away any staying hairs. This grants me a thick moustache without the concern of eating it each day whilst trying to enjoy my lunch. If you wish, you can also lightly trim into the tash' to thin out it's thickness, although I rarely choose to do this as I don;t feel it is needed for me personally.

If this is all sounding a little complex and rather confusing there are several beard trimmers readily available on the market. I have little to no experience in using these, so wouldn't want to recommend any or offer any advice on the concern of possibly leading you astray. All I will say is be careful and do your homework first. Mistakes are easily made, so tread carefully with anything you choose to do when it comes to trimming that beard, Brother.

Once you've ticked all of the above boxes you might want to tidy up those cheek lines, and this is where your razor comes into play. Use a little soap or shave gel here to foam up your visible face cheeks, then very carefully follow the already made cheek line, which can often be achieved with one simple stroke of the razor. Go careful not to mess up your already formed beard line. Here you are not trying to trim anything off the beards length, but instead remove any straying hairs that might be riding a little higher than they should be. Repeat on the other side and you're now good to go.

Afterwards, rinse your face and beard with a splash of cold fresh water to wash away any shave foam and hair clippings that may be sitting on the surface of your face and beard, lightly towel dry then apply your choice of 'TBS' beard oil or balm depending on your chosen preference. And then relax, take a moment to admire your handiwork. Bravo!

There you have it, a simple guide to trimming your beard at home. If you have any beard related questions tingling away below the surface or would like to add your two pennies in regards to today's blog then please do so by leaving us a welcomed comment in the box you'll find below.