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    How to Trim a Balbo Beard

    The Balbo beard is named for Italo Balbo, an Italian commander and aviator. The beard is defined by the separate moustache and beard. The beard extends along the jaw to either side with a small soul patch, while the moustache sticks to a classic, simple facial hair look. Robert Downey Jr. showed us a clean Balbo beard as Iron Man and reawakened this iconic moustache style.

     

    There are several similar facial hair options, but they all differ a little bit. The handlebar moustache is generally styled with beard wax and doesn’t have a matching beard. The Van Dyke beard is a slimmer beard. A chin strap beard lacks the hair under the lower lip. Nothing is quite the same as a classic Balbo beard.

     

    Growing a beard can be tricky. The most notorious issue a lot of people find is sporadic hair growth leaving a patchy beard in place. This can be a nightmare when you’re wanting to achieve a full, thick beard. Fortunately, the Balbo beard is shaped in such a way that it avoids the areas that commonly experience patchiness. Making it one of the best beards to try out for those with this problem.

    There aren’t too many tricks to growing Balbo beards, but there are some to perfecting and defining the shape.

     

    Before you start, consider using a facial cleanser to soften the hairs and make shaving easier. Softer hairs are less likely to clog your razor while you’re in the middle of beard grooming, and they’re less likely to catch and pull while you use an electric razor.

    how to create the balbo beard

    Step 1:

    With a beard style like this it’s easiest if you trim your whiskers first. If you have a beard, you can leave the hairs around your mouth and on your chin longer: give the rest an even trim (around 3-5mm) with a full-size trimmer.

    Step 2:
    With your precision trimmer create the outline of your Balbo beard. Shave your cheeks first, leave plenty of beard hair along the jawline. Then trim under your lower lip so that your beard is about 2-3cm wide at the centre of your bottom lip. Curve downward and outward to create a thickness of around 6cm on either side of your chin, leading into the chinstrap. Remember to use light, gentle strokes for safety and to prevent mistakes. The last thing you want is to ruin the perfect beard.

     

    See more below ↓

    What you need

    Beardtrimmer series 9000

    Beard trimmer

    BT9297/15

    Beardtrimmer series 9000 Beard trimmer

    BT9297/15

    World's 1st Laser Guided Beard Trimmer

    Perfect your beard with our exclusive laser guidance system. Follow the red line of light to get a sharp, symmetrical trim on both sides of your face. See all benefits

    Unfortunately this product is no longer available

    Suggested retail price: $199.00

    World's 1st Laser Guided Beard Trimmer

    Perfect your beard with our exclusive laser guidance system. Follow the red line of light to get a sharp, symmetrical trim on both sides of your face. See all benefits

    World's 1st Laser Guided Beard Trimmer

    Perfect your beard with our exclusive laser guidance system. Follow the red line of light to get a sharp, symmetrical trim on both sides of your face. See all benefits

    Unfortunately this product is no longer available

    Suggested retail price: $199.00

    World's 1st Laser Guided Beard Trimmer

    Perfect your beard with our exclusive laser guidance system. Follow the red line of light to get a sharp, symmetrical trim on both sides of your face. See all benefits

    Step 3: Defining the Balbo
    By now you should have something of a chinstrap beard with a moustache and goatee attached. While a ducktail beard might extend up to your sideburns, the Balbo doesn’t, so it’s time to remove the hair along your jaw, leaving a bit of a W shape—the first leg of the W is one side of the hair along your jaw, the middle is the goatee leading to your lower lip, and the last leg is the other side along the other jaw.

    Step 4: Shape your moustache
    Still using the precision beard trimmer, create a tiny part in the middle of your moustache. Some choose to ignore this, but it’s possible it can end up looking more like a ducktail beard than a classic Balbo. After that, trim and shape your moustache so that each part follows your lip line down to the corners of your mouth. Use moustache wax or beard wax to turn it into a handlebar moustache at this point if you like.

    Shaving is a hot bathroom or during the heat of the day can make razor burn worse. Try shaving in the evening to give irritable skin a chance to recover overnight.

    Step 5: Close shave
    Shave with light, gentle strokes along your cheeks and any part of your jawline that isn’t included in your Balbo beard. A clean-shaven face is essential in helping your handsome Balbo beard style stand out. This style, more than other facial hair styles, will need some trimming to keep it as neat as Robert Downey Jr.’s.

    Trim your beard regularly and keep your face clean shaven to maintain this handsome Balbo look.

     

    This beard look relies on some steady hair growth before you even get started. (To promote hair growth, regularly brush your beard to stimulate the follicles and use beard oil or other appropriate beard products to nourish the roots.) Once you have this beard though, and you look after it with proper beard care, you’re sure to start receiving some complements on this retro-inspired look.

     

    It’s worth noting that anyone can try a Balbo beard, but because of the Balbo shape, it’s best suited to people with square or round faces.

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