Three decisions before growing a beard

Beards have a reputation for being the easy option: you stop shaving and that is it. In practice, a beard with no decisions taken is what tells a man with a beard apart from a man who has not shaved for a few days.

They are three decisions, and they are best taken beforehand, not when there are already two centimetres in the way.

01First: how far it goes

The neck line is what ages a badly kept beard most. Too high and the face is shortened; too low and it looks neglected. The reference is not a straight line from ear to ear: it is the natural curve above the Adam's apple.

02Second: what shape you give it

A beard with volume at the sides widens the face. A beard that is fuller at the chin lengthens it. There is no better one: there is one that suits you according to your oval, and it is exactly the same conversation as the one about the haircut.

A beard with no decisions taken is what separates a man with a beard from one who has not shaved for a few days.

03Third: how much you are going to maintain it

Every beard needs maintenance, but not all of them need the same. A short, defined beard needs frequent attention and forgives little. A longer beard holds up better between visits, but it needs care for the hair and for the skin underneath, which is where the itching and the flaking appear.

Choosing the one that fits the time you will actually give it avoids the cycle of growing it out, getting tired of it and shaving it all off.

04The first two weeks

They are the worst and almost everyone gives up there. The hair grows unevenly, it itches and it still has no shape. It is worth getting through them without touching anything — except the neck, which is worth keeping clean from the start — and leaving the first serious trim until there is something to work with.