The age of facial hair seems here to stay. From stubble to ‘stache,' Ryan Frantz knows how to go about it.
Scruff is the new clean shaven. And how! Unless you’ve been living at the bottom of the ocean, you may have noticed that the rugged masculinity of the Middle Ages has made a comeback, thanks to the likes of Jon Snow, Daario Naharis, Robb Stark and Khal Drogo, who walked right in, looked devastatingly handsome, knocked down conventions and waged a war against the goody-two-shoes clean shaven look. Thus began the age of facial hair.
As a consequence, the 4 o’clock shadow or a bit of scruff no longer gets met with disapproving frowns or raised eye brows. Men have also started discovering the miraculous effect of a bit of stubble or a beard in reducing the effects of double chins. Beards are quite easily, the cheaper option to chin jobs. And men who are balding, are not resorting to ugly combovers and grafting. Instead, they’re shaving off the hair on their northern hemispheres and grooming the hair on the southern hemisphere – and looking hot in the process, too.
So if you have decided to grow a beard, welcome to the brotherhood. Here’s the low down of the journey from stubble to ‘stache.'
Give the itch the ditch
Beards take time. Each man has a different beard disposition. Some will have a rock solid beard within a week, others will take several weeks – so let it take its time. But first, learn to deal with the itch. A week or two after deciding to grow it out, the short, spiky hairs start growing and the itching begins. That’s when most men cave in and shave it off. Don’t. If you experience itching, don’t give in. Just stick it out because this is usually a temporary side effect of shaving. You can sooth the discomfort by applying a gentle moisturising lotion to the affected areas. Your facial skin will eventually adjust as your beard grows longer.
The long and short of it
Depending on how long you plan on growing it and in what style, you may need nothing more than an electric beard trimmer or a pair of scissors. However, for those that do take their swag seriously, a moustache comb, scissors, wax, clippers, trimmers and creams may just be the start of what you’ll need.
Stubble
Stubble starts from the five-o-clock shadow and ends shortly before the scruff. Start your trim with a size 4. Once you have an even length to work with, begin trimming your stubble down in increments to find the right length for you. The length you decide on will ultimately depend on your hair density, hair colour, and how clean of a designer stubble look you want. Think Hugh Jackman. Dry your face with a towel before you start. And remember to use a moisturiser after. Just because you’re covering your face with hair doesn’t mean you can ignore it. If your stubble grows high up on your cheeks, shave or trim the hair just below your cheekbone parallel to your jawline.
Scruff
Scruff takes over where stubble ends and gets you the appearance and sexiness of a beard without going all the way. It is essentially up-to-2-week long facial hair. It’s a beard that you wouldn’t need to comb. But it does take a little work to maintain it looking groomed and not unkempt. In most cases, scruff that’s 3 to 5 mm works best. The most important element here, is your neckline. You want your scruff, side burns and neckline to blend-in, in a way that looks natural. Tapered. A definite line will make you look like a classics professor.
Full beard
This beard style takes the most dedication. It consists of a beard, moustache and whiskers, which will grow together to cover your cheeks, chin and neck. This beard style is therefore suitable for any face shape. You can also shape your beard into a variety of forms and vary the fullness. Before you shave, comb your beard down to get rid of tangles, then comb against the growth to fluff it and make it easier to cut. Also, never shave your neck almost up to the chin. Men think this always sharpens the outline of their face and even makes them look thinner. Wrong! This is the worst thing a guy with the slightest weight issue can do. So don’t.
Feral beard
Once you let your beard grow longer than a few inches, pretty much anything goes. It’s not the most popular of beard styles. It’s really hard to pull off, unless you’re a yogi, Moses, Dumbledore or Khal Drogo. You might want to think about conditioning every once in a while, but other than that, your main goal should be to keep your beard free of tangles, food and nesting birds. It’s also not advisable to get it into a state where a gardener and not a barber would need to be called in to maintain it.
(In arrangement with THE MAN)
