8 Beard Mistakes You (And Your Clients) Are Making

8 Beard Growing Mistakes You Need To Avoid

Never be intimidated to trim a beard again—we’ve got this list of beard mistakes from beard guru and men’s grooming expert Matty Conrad (@mattyconrad). Next time you have a client with a beard in your chair, talk them through these eight mistakes. He’ll be grateful to learn from you, getting you a client for life!

1. Don’t trim the beard when it’s wet.

“I know this seems like the most convenient time to do it, but when the beard is wet, the hair acts different,” Matty said. “When it dries, it shrinks up.”

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2. Beard oil is more for the skin than the beard.

“I know that doesn’t seem to make sense, because it’s called ‘beard oil,’ but it’s meant to replace the moisture in the skin that gets lost,” he said. That’s because as your beard grows, the skin underneath has a more difficult time to produce enough oil to keep the beard smooth and manageable.

Here’s how to add a beard oil treatment to your client service, plus it’s a perfect opportunity to discuss a retail product.

• Work a few drops of Victory Barber & Brand Beard Oil between your fingers. Micro-fine oils absorb easily into the beard and skin without leaving residue
• As you massage the oil into the skin underneath the beard.
• Explain to your client that applying it to the skin will help with any itchiness or flakiness, plus it will leave the beard hair feeling soft and smelling fresh (this oil smells like lavender and cedar!).

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3. Be careful with the outline.

Where you outline the beard is really important to maintaining its density, especially the baseline. The baseline is the low point of the beard where it interacts with the neck. “A lot of guys like to take this really high, which is okay when your beard is very short. But as your beard gets longer, make sure you don’t take your baseline too high. You want to keep it as low as possible.

Here’s Matty’s rule of thumb: Leave the head at a natural resting position and look to see if you can see any hairs on your neck behind the lowest line of the beard. If you can’t, leave it—you’re just fine. But if you can see hair growing in the neck area, just clean it up to the point where you can’t see it anymore. This allows the max area of growth for a thicker, fuller beard.

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4. Don’t set the topline too low.

The topline is where the beard interacts with the face. You want this line to be as high as possible to keep the max amount of growth area on the cheeks. The line should descend from the corner of the sideburn to the corner of the mouth and should be relatively straight or slightly curved. But don’t take it too low!

5. Stop overtrimming.

“I know that every time we see a little flyaway hair, the easiest thing to do is simply to cut it off,” Matty said. “But the more we do that, the more we start to remove the bulk from the beard.” You should really only give your beard a full trim every 4 weeks.

So how do you get pesky flyaways to lay down in between trims? Use a blow dryer, brush and a balm. Apply the balm to the beard, then use the blow dryer and brush to direct the beard hair in the direction you want it to lay. Try Super-Dry from Victory Barber & Brand—it’s matte, so it won’t make the beard look shiny.

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6. Stop using plastic combs.

They are NOT good for beards. Plastic combs have very fine teeth, and pulling one through a tangly beard can remove more hair than you want. Matty suggests a pick or soft-bristle brush to polish, detangle and smooth the beard without removing extra hair. Plus, brushing the beard helps circulate natural oils from the skin to make the beard softer, and stimulates blood flow for better growth.

7. Stop using soap and body wash on a beard.

Ask your client what he’s using to wash his face and beard—and tell him to TOSS the bar of soap! He should use a dedicated beard and hair wash that’s designed for the needs of skin and hair. Wash by Victory Barber & Brand is a great option because it doesn’t leave any residue behind, which can irritate the skin below the beard. It keeps the beard moisturized and soft (and will keep that beard smelling good).

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8. Stop comparing your beard!

This is more for your client, so just reassure him: Everyone’s beard is unique to them. If trimmed properly, it will suit his face shape and style.

Products Used

Beard Oil/Care

Beard Oil

Victory Barber & Brand™

Barbering

SUPER-DRY

Victory Barber & Brand™

Barbering

WASH

Victory Barber & Brand™