Questions to Ask When Getting Your First Beard Trim in 2024

Most hair salons provide beard trim services and we’re not surprised. Great Clips is one of those salons that offers excellent grooming services for men – and women, too – and their barbers are among the best in the industry.

But first-timers will understandably have hesitations about getting their first beard trim. Perhaps, you invested time and effort in growing your beard and then regularly trimming it so you’re hesitant about letting others do it. Perhaps, you’re anxious that the barber will botch your beard, and it will take more time to grow it back; with a bad haircut, you can cover it up but not so with a bad beard trim.

With that in mind, you should ask these questions of the barber before he gets to work on your beard.

What Are the Styles Available?

According to afreshshave.com, keep in mind that your facial hair is as unique as the hair on your head and as unique as you are! Your facial hair may be finer than your brother’s hair or you may like a moustache instead of a five o’clock shadow. Your choice in a beard is your personal decision and, thus, getting a specific beard trim is a decision you’re entitled to have, too.

You and your barber will discuss the styles available and which one suits your face and lifestyle the best. Keep in mind that while it’s a personal decision, you should also consider other aspects, such as your profession and place of employment.

You have to ask yourself, “How does my employer define professional appearance in the workplace?” You can then decide whether to keep a full-on beard or get a clean-cut look, perhaps somewhere in between. You may, for example, be allowed to keep a long beard if you work for Duck Dynasty but a clean-cut face is a must if you’re in the New York Yankees or in Wall Street.

You may want to bring a photo of a person with the beard you would like to copy – or at least, you were inspired by it. Your barber then won’t have to second-guess about your likes and dislikes in a beard although these topics will come up anyway.

But set realistic expectations about the final result of your beard, with or without a photo. Again, you’re different from the type of facial hair to the shape of your face. Your beard will always be different from others and that’s a good thing!

What Are the After-trim Steps You Should Take to Maintain Your Beard?

While facial hair grows at a slower rate than head hair, it will grow and you have to keep it groomed. You must then ask your barber for recommendations about the best shave products to maintain your beard. You may want to maintain the clean lines around your cheeks and neck, for example, which requires specific products and tools. Also, with an electric shaver, reviews of which you can find at probeardtrimmer.com, you can thin out the beard but still keep it.

You may also ask about the best direction for combing your beard. While it initially sounds like a weird question, it makes sense. Your facial hair grows in different directions so combing it requires a specific combing technique.

Plus, combing your facial hair in the direction it grows trains it, so to speak, to fall in the desired direction. Your beard will then have a more definite shape to it, whether you want a Bavarian-style moustache or a Tom Selleck-style one.

You may wash your face every day to remove the buildup of dust, dirt and dead skin cells on it. But if you have a beard, you shouldn’t wash it every day lest you end up with a dry, rough and abrasive beard.

You can keep it clean by washing it with plain water on days when you shouldn’t be washing it with soap and water. Then again, soap may not be the best product for your beard – ask your barber for especially-formulated face wash for beards.

You will also be asked to come back for touch-ups. Your barber will likely recommend a return date but you’re still the best judge of it. You can return earlier or later than the recommended return date depending on your personal preference.

When trimming your beard at home after the professional trim, you’re well-advised to shave based on your barber’s recommended shave line around your jaw.

Tip: When you smile, your beard shouldn’t be raised above your jawline, and your barber can point out the area.

When should your go to the barber for a trim in the first place? A factoid: Facial hair grows about a half-inch per month, on average. You should then let your beard grow for 3-4 weeks after your last trim. You have to give it time to mature so you can see how it fills in your face. If you however decide that you want to shave by yourself, you can learn more about how to do that and what clips use on this website.

Most important, you may want to stick to the barber that gave you the best possible trim. You will then have the assurance that he knows the shape of your face, your preferred beard style and your lifestyle as it affects your beard.