Everyone knows how to grow a beard. Just sit and wait, and if you're lucky ... voila. But turning that facial hair into an epic mane is another thing, and keeping it that way another entirely. In this article we'll show you not only how to keep yours epic, but cover a range of different looks and the problems men face trying to grow a beard.

We'll also cover the best grooming products you'll need, to keep your skin and face healthy too. And we'll show you how easy and important keeping your whiskers in top condition is, if you want to maintain the mane of your dreams. With the best grooming kit, you can make beard thicker, tame scraggly beards, and help to cut in your perfect look. Follow our beard grooming tips below to stay epic.

How to Care for a Beard

Before you learn how to style beard, it's important you get your entire beard grooming game up to speed. To do this, we need to start with the basics: because so many people think they can miss these steps out. Maintenance is actually pretty simple. Learning how to brush your beard and doing it regularly, and applying the right products, should be considered the pillars. 

Apply Beard Oil Regularly

For beards, beard oils work in two ways: it's great for your whiskers first, hydrating and nourishing, making it easy to control, trim and manage, and keeping it noticeably softer. It's also great for the skin underneath,  allowing you to moisturize spots which are now obscured by your facial hair. Win. Win.

Use Beard Wash Every Day

Beards, just like the hair on our head, have to put up with a lot during the average day. On top of that, they're right by your mouth. So we shouldn't have to restate the importance of keeping your beard clean with beard wash. The importance of the right shampoo might not be so obvious however. Normal shampoos will strip moisture from hair, so if you want to keep your facial hair hydrated, clean and soft, you need a dedicated shampoo. If you still have issues with dryness, a beard conditioner will help.

How to Brush and Comb Your Beard With a Beard Brush

When you're learning how to take care of beard, knowing how to comb a beard (or how to brush beard) is key. Brushing or combing requires a different approach to the hair on your head. You should use a dedicated beard brush or beard comb. Facial hair grows downwards, and you need to learn how to comb your beard against the grain, to remove knots and give your volume.

So you'll be brushing beard upwards, instead of downwards in this instance. Work your comb or brush through up from the bottom, carefully working out any snags or knots as you go. This is also how to use a beard brush before trimming your beard with clippers, ensuring all hairs are upright and untangled ready to be cut with clippers.

Once you're done, brush your beard back down into the manner you wear it. Brushing regularly will help your beard to look tidy, and stop you looking like you just got out of bed.

How to Keep Beard Hairs From Sticking Out

Facial hair grows unevenly or tends to get straggly, leaving many men wondering how to shape up a beard that has flyaway hairs. Of course, you could and should work round with scissors or a trimmer to eradicate them, but how can you prevent them?

Split ends in beards are quite common, and a cause of straggling hairs. Washing with beard wash, and using oil will help keep your beard healthy. This is also one of the benefits of brushing and combing: but be gentle.

In terms of ingrown hairs beard maintenance is crucial. You need to keep your hair as soft and hydrated as possible, use your trimmer or beard scissors regularly, and brush or comb daily.

How to Straighten a Curly Beard

Straightening a beard is actually surprisingly simple, but of course it depends on just how curly your beard is. To straighten beard you need to hydrate: dry beards tend to curl, so even if you have naturally curly facial hair, washing and using beard oil regularly will help you soften and control your beard. Brushing down with a beard comb will help in training your beard to fall straighter, and balm will help too by holding it in place. 

How to Style a Beard

Styling a beard requires different approaches depending on the length and how you wear it. Knowing how to keep stubble looking great with a beard trimmer is of no use if you've now got a full beard to contend with. Long beard grooming is a different skill entirely. And knowing how to sculpt a beard into shape is great, but it's no use if you don't know how to work it everyday to keep it looking perfect. Luckily, the answer to this one is fairly simple.

Use Beard Balm

Using all you've learned from above about brushing your beard, you should be able to get your look together roughly using a brush and oil. To keep this locked in though, you need to use beard balm. Balm coats the hair, adding a little extra weight and giving you much more control over your beards style. For a proper beard, you need balm.

How to Sculpt and Shape a Beard

You know how to style a beard, but first you need to cut in the right shape. Using clippers, scissors and a little skill, any man can sculpt his own look. Make sure you have the right beard grooming tools and research the best beard care kits: it's always easier to work with a healthy beard.

 Where Should My Beard Neckline Be?

The easiest way to find where your neckline should be is to imagine a line above your Adam's apple. Then, imagine a U shaped kin that meets it, starting from each ear lobe. This is roughly the neckline. If you shave in around here you will be able to find the right shape for you: depending on your facial shape, you might want to shave a little higher. The important thing is to keep your neck clean, and the under chin area bearded.

Match Your Beard to Your Face Shape

Learning how to style a beard is pointless if you don't have the right look for your face shape. There are countless different beard styles, but not every dude can rock every beard look. Although some men do get lucky.

The best look will be one that balances your looks. This checklist should help, and to find the best beard style for your face shape, check out our article on the 24 Best Styles For Every Face Shape.

Triangular: This describes guys whose jaws are wider than both their cheekbones and their forehead.

Round: If you have a round face, the distance between your cheekbones and the length of your face are similar. The jawline is less defined and the forehead is smaller than the space between the cheekbones.

Oval: An oval face is widest at the forehead, and the jawline is narrower and more rounded.

Diamond: A diamond face shape has a pointed chin, and length is the longest measurement. Then it’s cheekbones, than the forehead, and the jawline would be the smallest measurement of them all. 

How to Groom and Style a Goatee

To execute a goatee, shave downwards along the outside line of your mustache, through the beard, and leave a little underneath on the chin. Everything else can go! You might want to use trimmers to precisely trim the edges. To groom a goatee, the same applies as to all: wash regularly, and apply oil daily. It is also important to comb a goatee.

How To Style A Freestyle Beard

Our Lifestyle Brand Ambassador Todd McBeardo is a three time World Beard & Moustache competitor, Founder of the Brisbane Beard Bandits and a long time user of our products. Todd shows some of the basics to creating a freestyle beard just in case you want to give it a try or throw your hat into the ring at a competition!

How Do You Maintain a Scraggly Beard?

Growing a beard is easier for some guys than others. If your beard growth is scraggly, don't despair: here are a few simple tips you can follow to help you keep it in check.

1. Wash your beard regularly, with a dedicated shampoo. This will keep it healthy and hydrated, which will in turn make it easier to control.
2. Brush or comb, to remove any knots and get all the hairs moving in the same direction. This will also help prevent any split ends from forming, so long as you are gentle when removing knots.
3. Use product: at least beard oil, to soften the hair and make them softer and easier to control, and nourish your skin. Products like balm can help too.
4. Trim your beard with a pair of scissors or a beard trimmer, so that you can remove any hairs which refuse to obey!

Stopping Beard Itch

In the early days the itch for many is the biggest barrier to seeing the process through. For some guys, it never goes away. Luckily there are many ways to beat the itch. If you already have dry skin beard hair can irritate it. If the beard is dry too, this will certainly not help. Using beard wash, oil and even balm will help not only to hydrate the skin underneath, but keep your whiskers soft, leading to less irritation and yes, less itch.

Using these tips, you should be able to maintain an epic set of whiskers. With regular washing, brushing or combing, a pair of scissors, and by using beard oil and balm, you can keep your beard looking great with the minimum of fuss. Try the Bearded Chap's all natural beard grooming products and get started on your journey to an epic beard.