You’ve successfully achieved expert-level five-o’clock shadow. Now what? Once you’ve got your desired amount of stubble in place, it becomes a process of maintenance. Luckily, you don’t have to tend to your facial hair daily, as you would if you were keeping your face clean-shaven.
Let the following tips be your guide to keeping your low-key facial hair looking and feeling good.
Don't forget to read Part 1: Shaping here.
Trim regularly
For slightly longer stubble, use a clipper. For stubble on the shorter side, opt for an electric trimmer, which gets closer to the skin than a clipper. Since your beard hairs don’t grow evenly, every 3 – 4 days you’ll have to give your stubble the once-over with your trimmer/clipper of choice. This will even out the fast growers. Note that thicker areas of your beard may require more than one pass to maintain proper length.Areas of focus:
- Cheek line – While your beard growth naturally thins out as you go up the jawbone and cheeks, you’ll have to check for stragglers every couple of days. Look in the mirror and turn your face from side to side. If you find dark, thick hairs outside of your beard, do away with them.
- Moustache – Prevent mustache hairs from growing so long they run over your lip and start irritating your skin. For a precise trim, comb the hairs over your lip and use the Zeus Mustache and Detailing Safety Razor to remove stray hairs. Don’t forget to trim the corners of your mouth. Use grooming scissors for hairs that are hard to get with the razor.
- Neck line – If you read Part 1, you already have a gradual fade from your jawline to your Adam’s apple. Maintain this fade by repeating the initial trimming process with the same setting: a lower guard number (2 or 3) from your jaw to your Adam’s apple, and a higher guard number (1 or 2) about an inch up from your Adam’s apple.
Use beard oil and beard balm to reduce itch
You don’t need a thick, lush beard to use beard oil. Stubble is right at that length where things can get prickly and itchy. Plus, trimming your stubble regularly can cause irritation and leave skin more vulnerable to bacteria.Arm yourself with Zeus Beard Oil, which softens hairs, reduces inflammation, and maintains your skin’s optimal pH balance so it stays resilient against everyday wear and tear and infections. If your stubble and/or skin are on the dry side, finish with a very light coat of beard balm to seal in moisture. Zeus Beard Balm also adds a nice, healthy luster to your hair.