Amidst this whole working from home caper, emerges the perfect time to experiment with growing a beard or changing up your appearance. Working in your PJ’s does not have to equate to being a lousy, unkempt mess. A little self maintenance will ensure that your new beard works to accentuate your best features and may see you emerge from this pandemic with a brave new look that you otherwise would never have attempted.

Trimming and shaping a beard, like any other skill, is improved with practice and patience. Without the guiding hand of a skilled barber, it is easy to make unattractive and painful mistakes when doing so. Don’t forget that we are still open and you don’t need to brave this journey on your own. Nevertheless, if you’re adamant that you’d like to get stuck into the experimentation yourself, it is important to have the right tools at your disposal:

Clippers: make trimming large areas go along more quickly.

Beard comb: can be used for detailing and homogenising the grain of a long beard.

Beard scissors: are specially designed for trimming one’s beard and moustache, they ensure straight cuts to avoid split ends.

Straight razor: the finest detailing and a clean finish will be achieved with this tool.

Once you have the tools, you’ll still likely have to buckle up for the long wait that it takes to grow out your man mane. Remember to keep your beard clean with a beard wash and moisturised with a good beard oil or balm. This will keep your skin and follicles healthy underneath and keep the growing process comfortable.

When you have obtained some considerable length it is time to consider some styling. A goatee is not only a bad ass way to present your glorious mane, it is also a good fallback for when you make mistakes in trimming. The goatee can definitely provide a certain ruggedness and this type of beard will help to accentuate your jawline.

To get through to some serious length you obviously need to grow through some shorter stages first. A beard that is only a centimetre or two in length is still going to need regular maintenance. Just like the hair on your head, it will need regular treatment, trimming and styling to look good.

Round beards that go all the way from sideburn to sideburn, are better for men with prominent cheekbones, as the curve of the beard accentuates these features. For those who are new to the realm of the big beard, you’ll quickly learn that symmetry is more difficult to attain than you’d expect. To avoid the disappointment of loosing your hard gained growth through over trimming, you might wanna venture out and see the professionals here at the barbershop.

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With isolation aside, beards have experienced somewhat of a renaissance in men’s fashion as of late. While there are many that are sceptical about its viability as a fashion choice, this working from home period seems to present the perfect opportunity to give growing a try. After all, it’s winter, it’s cold and the worst case scenario is you’ll learn it’s not for you.

For those who do give it a good nudge, don’t go it alone, leave the trimming to the pro’s, come in and see our team of master barbers on the ground floor in Wollongong Central, we’re open seven days a week and also stock the best products to serve all your beard growing needs.