Grooming Your Beard Like An Executive
Gone are the days of shaved-face boardrooms.
Today, more and more men are sporting facial hair, even at the upper echelons of business.
Unfortunately, many men have no idea how to properly care for their beard, so it lets them down, and makes them look less respectable and dependable as a result.
When you need every advantage to stay on top in the work place, either as a high level manager, or the CEO of your own company, coming into work with a poorly groomed beard is a death sentence.
But it can be information overload out there for the busy businessman, so we’ve distilled the most important tips into bite sized chunks, and presented them below.
1. Get The Basics Right
Your beard starts with your health, which means you need to be getting enough sleep, eating enough good foods (red meat and green veg are staples of a healthy, beard-growing diet), and exercising regularly.
Without a solid foundation, your beard will never live up to its potential.
But the basics also include general upkeep, too, which means you need to pay attention to the next few tips. You can’t just stop shaving and expect to have a powerful beard.
It’s important to keep it the right shape and length for your face. Each person is different, so we highly recommend you invest in a great beard trimmer with multiple length settings so that you can keep your beard from getting too crazy during the week.
2. Use A Conditioning Balm Or Oil Every Day
Even if you do nothing else, you need to be applying a beard balm or a beard oil each and every day.
This is the first step to taking your beard to the next level.
The oils in each product will help to moisturize, strengthen, and make your beard healthier.
They will also provide nourishment to the skin underneath your beard, which is often neglected by the newly-bearded man.
Get something with natural ingredients and apply each morning after you get out of the shower.
An oil is best if you have a short beard, or if you have a long beard that doesn’t require a lot of styling.
Balm is best if you have a mid-length or longer beard that you need to style because the balm contains wax to give you some styling capabilities.
3. Use A Beard Brush, No Matter The Length Of Your Beard
This one might sound strange to the short bearded guys, but a beard brush isn’t just for stroking through your yeard.
Not only does it do an excellent job at straightening and detangling a load of facial hair, but it is amazing for the health and cleanliness of your beard and face.
If you use the brush after you apply the leave-in conditioner that we talked about above, it will actually help distribute it throughout your entire beard, which significantly improves the ability of the product to work and turn your beard into something amazing.
However, a big hidden benefit is that it actually helps clean your beard, too. You see, oils and dead skin cells can get caught in your beard and cling close to your face. This is bad for both your beard and the skin of your face. The brush can get right close to the face and help to remove the built up oils, skin cells, and hairs that have fallen out.
A daily brush for even the short-bearded man can do wonders for the health and look of his beard, keeping him looking sharp and in control of even the smallest details.
4. Dial In Those Cheek And Neck Lines
Perhaps the most common mistake amongst beardsmen is the failure to properly craft the cheek and neck lines.
This is perhaps the easiest way to take your beard from a 4 or a 5 to a 9 or 10.
The cheek line should look natural, and should be at about the point on your cheek where your hairs become most uniform.
For example, you might find that you have a couple of small areas where the hairs are straight creeping up your cheeks, but you should try to find the lowest point along your cheek line and use that as the entire line. It will look significantly cleaner if it doesn’t look like you’ve got random hairs growing up towards your eyes.
As for the neck line, cutting your neckline along your jaw line is a serious mistake and can make you look absolutely ridiculous. It can even make you look heavier than you are, and is very unbecoming of a professional.
Your neck line should be at about the point where your head meets your neck, or about half an inch to an inch above your Adam’s apple. Find this point and shave a line across your neck from the middle to either side, curving it upwards slightly to meet the contour of your neck and head.
By following these simple rules, your beard will help elevate your status in the office, rather than distract people.
