Beard trims and line-ups: what to ask for, and what to leave alone

Between visits

Wash with a beard cleanser two or three times a week. Regular shampoo strips the oils that keep coarse hair soft.

Brush downward every day. It trains the growth pattern and pulls oil from the root to the tip.

Oil while the beard is still slightly damp — a few drops covers most faces.

Trim strays with scissors, not clippers. Clippers at home are how a shaped beard becomes a short beard.

Leave the neckline alone

The neckline is the difference between a shaped beard and scruff, and it is the easiest thing to ruin. Set it too high and you lose a week of growth; set it too low and the beard looks like it is sliding off your jaw.

A beard trim and line-up at the shop runs $20 and takes about twenty minutes. Pair it with a cut for $50 and you walk out fully reset.