How to trim a full beard

1. Give yourself a few weeks of grow time – this mack-daddy beard style is worth the wait.

2. Meanwhile, take some preventative steps to retain a groomed (not grizzled) look. Beards take time, so it’s worth knowing how to maintain a full beard in its nascent stages. Cut back any neck hair, and stray cheek hairs, with regular shaves, using your electric shaver in a gentle, circular motion. 

Tip: Don’t shave too close, or the difference between your neck hair and the foliage slowly growing over your face will make your nascent beard look strangely out-of-sync.

3. After several weeks of growth, your beard is probably looking pretty unkempt. When the beard is clean and dry, use your beard trimmer to even out the length and get rid of any stragglers, setting the comb or zoom wheel to the 3rd or 4th level.

4. Now that your beard has filled out nicely, it’s time to talk about how to shape a full beard. Using a longer setting on your beard comb or zoom wheel, trim the hair on your neck, moving from the middle to the side. Following your natural growth pattern, tidy up your cheekline. The zoom wheel will give you total, reliable control over the length settings.

5. Once your neckline and cheekline have been defined, comb your full beard out and begin shaping it, keeping an eye on the symmetry. If you want to create a nice, soft point out of your beard, remember to increase the length settings as you move from your cheeks to your chin. 

Tip: Find out how to trim your beard neckline and beard cheek line beforehand.

6. When shaping a full beard, remember to first trim, then shave the extra hairs off your cheeks and neck, plus any areas (like below the mouth) where you want to create definition. Use a rotary shaver in a gentle circular motion on your cheeks and neck; for smaller, tighter spaces, first trim with a precision trimmer then clean up with a mini foil shaver. For more tips, check out our beard trimming guides.