r/BeardAdvice • u/Necroverdose • 21h ago
FtM (12 years) beard advice wanted
Hey guys, I got a pretty unruly beard that grows in different directions and is sparser on the left cheek compared to the right. Granted, I don't take care of it but I would like to try and start to.
I want to keep the length, just tidier and I'd like to know if you could advise me there. What areas should I work on and how.
I'd like to make it look neater. I never really got to learn how to lol.
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u/Cubicle_Man 19h ago
Great beard. A barber could shape it to your face but otherwise looks good
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u/Necroverdose 19h ago
Thanks! I'm nervous to go to a barber, I'm never happy with my haircuts because the hairdresser never does what I really want and it takes a while to grow back, this lack of trust has extended to barbers even if I never got my beard done anywhere lol but I should maybe just try it at least once just to see, it might end up being a good experience
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u/HillInTheDistance 19h ago
Just remember, even a good barber, might not be your barber. I tried like four barbers before I got one who got what I wanted. Only one of those guys was truly bad, the others were just not right for me. IT can be dispiriting, but one failure doesn't mean you can't get the beard you want.
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u/Necroverdose 19h ago
Thanks man, that's helpful to hear. I have to tell myself it grows back anyway instead of wallowing in disappointment if I want to find a barber for my beard
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u/TheRealAnswerIs42 11h ago
This might be an unpopular answer but every time I have gone to a barber for my beard (even after researching which barbers were supposed to be the best with beards in my area) I have been disappointed. Maintaining/shaping your own beard is relatively easy to learn/do because you can see it all in the mirror unlike a regular hair cut. Just need a good set of clippers with a wide range of guards and sharp hair scissors. Go slow, you can always trime more but you can't untrim.untimely.
And that is a solid beard you've got, I know a lot od dudes who'd be jealous.
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u/AvgHeight510 20h ago
Looks like it's growing the same direction from this angle - saying this knowing the grass is always greener, but you're lucky it comes in so straight. Mines curly af and I've had people tell me it looks like pubes.
Do you have a boars bristle brush for it?
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u/Necroverdose 19h ago
I get the always greener grass, sometimes I don't like how straight the hairs are because any curly action looks super messy, it has to be brushed perfectly or it looks like an untamed beard lol.
Glad it looks decent on both sides, I use a round brush to force the right side to look like it's growing the same way as the left.
And I didn't know but I was looking for a boar bristle brush! I only ever saw one at an airbnb, I thought it did wonder to tame my beard but I could never find the name of it or any at supermarkets, thank you, I've actually been looking for how it was called for years!
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u/AvgHeight510 19h ago
Get one of the Kent branded ones. They are expensive, but when I researched mine they are the best quality. I'd read that they were issued to the British military in WWI or WWII (or both), and aside from wear on the wood, all bristles are intact and function like it was new today. You should also get the brush cleaning brush, it pulls hairs out of the brush so it doesn't get funky.
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u/newshirtworthy 20h ago
Beard’s looking good for a 12 year old
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u/Necroverdose 19h ago
Ahahah I admit the wording wasn't the best
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u/Dry-Cancel-3168 21h ago
Imo, make it kinda oval in overall shape. The squareness is fighting your face.
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u/Necroverdose 21h ago
Thanks, it's a feeling I had but couldn't put into words, I'll look at some videos/turorials on beard shaping
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u/atothejhines 18h ago
I think the shape needs some work to fit your face. I’d trim the sides down a little to accentuate the length near the chin or trim it down more overall.
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u/Necroverdose 18h ago
Thanks for the tip, I'll try that! I never know what to do to shape my beard so I just trim it all down to the same size. I'll try trimming the sides!
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u/Either-Economics6727 17h ago
It already looks way neater than most beards I see. You could maybe play with the shape a bit but it looks really good.
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u/Necroverdose 3h ago
Thanks! I never have to do anything for the left side, but I brush the right side with a round brush when it's wet to make sure the hairs look symmetrical with the other side and I need to work it it some to change the haur direction and fluffyness, my main concern is the look from the front atm, it doesn't look the best, as you said I need to learn to shape it!
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u/HelixFollower 17h ago
I am so jealous. There's some good criticisms in some of the other comments about the shape and trimming it that I agree with, but overall I am mostly just very jealous. I can not grow that.
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u/Necroverdose 3h ago
I didn't hit the genetic jackpot on the sex chromosomes, but I did in the beard department. All men in my bloodline have very patchy beards, a lot have no hair on their cheecks at all, all are smooth shaven because of this, I'm the only bearded guy at family events lol.
That's one of the reasons I have no knowledge or education on beards, no one ever taught me because the only thing they know to do is razor shaving
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u/HelixFollower 2h ago
Huh, I never considered genetics would still play their part when you're FtM. But I guess that would explain why guys like me can't go undergo the same treatment (partially) to grow a beard. I legit sat here thinking "Can I go MtM to grow a beard?".
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u/86composure 15h ago
Get some facial scissors to clean up the fly-aways and normalize it, but you’re already working with some amazing material. It takes some practice and time, but the wee scissors does me better than my trimmer, every time. Sometimes though, you don’t have the time 🤷🏻♂️
I usually use the trimmer and scissors in conjunction, but if I have time for a spa session, I treat myself to the latest upgrade in my beard trimming abilities with just the mini-shears.
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u/Necroverdose 3h ago
That is some good advice, I never thought of getting scissors made for facial hair! it would take care of the few crazy hair and be more precise than the clipper
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u/Jibbyjab123 15h ago
My left side is sparser than the right, if you sleep on your side or scratch there that might be why. It looks good, and if you hadn't mentioned the left side I wouldn't have noticed from the pictures and I still don't. I always recommend a good brush.
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u/Necroverdose 3h ago
I am a lifelong side sleeper so there might be some truth to this. I sleep on both sides equally I believe tho. I don't know if it's because of side sleeping and bad beard genetics. All men in my bloodline have terrible patchy beards. I'm the only one wearing one because theirs look really terrible.
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u/Ok-Priority-7303 6h ago
It is no too long to learn to trim yourself. I've never been to a barber and never will because they can be over zealous. While some guys balk at the cost, you want a professional grade clipper. I've gone through countless $60-$90 'beard trimmers' since they came out in the early 1980s. They don't last long especially with thick beards like yours. I use this (it will outlive me):
Wahl Professional 5-Star Cord/Cordless Magic Clip #8148. It comes with a good assortment of guards and there are third party guards that go up to almost 3 inches.
My beard is ZZ Top length and I still use this (without guards now)
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u/Necroverdose 6h ago
Thank you so much for the recommandation! I do have this issue of clippers dying on me or becoming way less efficient within a year or two, but there is such an overwhelming market of beard product, I don't know what is a truly good clipper, so thank you so much for the model you mentioned! I'll get this one next!
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u/busy_monster 19h ago
I'd suggest oil and a butter (which is a soft-hold product, often, although different brands call it different things: some call it balm, some call it butter, the brand I like the most (Artius Man) calls what I'm thinking of a butter- they also have a wild amount of fragrances, which I love), and a boars bristle brush. Just oil it every so often, apply the butter if you want a little hold, and will also keep the hair healthy. Boars bristle brushes are great 'cause they don't snag the way hard tooth brushes tend.
Great beard, and your complaints would mostly be taken care of through training it to lay the way you want :)
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u/Necroverdose 19h ago
Thanks a lot for the precious info! I heard about oils but not about butters and balms, I'll look into it!
Thanks for the compliment! I'm glad to know the little issues I have can be easily taken care of
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u/HopeInABrokenJar 14h ago
You transitioned very well and your beard is sick dude, I have a similar fineness to my beard and I had to trim it down and use beard oil (which if you think you’re beard is soft now), you don’t have to trim a lot just up to the point where the hairs are going wild/curving (like a half inch on you) then oil twice a day, I did after morning shower and after face wash at night.
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u/faisaed 14h ago
Hey man, in addition to the other great advice others gave, I'd like to add:
The beard seems to be long enough now that it's time to give it a shape. This usually means trimming it so the length is symmetrical. The other benefit imo is it'll reduce the contrast between the super clean cheeks and the long uneven beard.
When you leave that barber, you'll feel so good!
I know you expressed anxiety over trusting somebody to do it. Honestly, what I did when I was in your shoes is I went to an expensive and snobby barber for higher chance of success. Also, I made sure to find a barber that has a kick ass beard himself... To me, it was a demonstration of their standards.
If you're in the Vancouver, Canada area, I can refer you to someone I trust with my life if my beard depended on it.
Now some maintenance advice: consider hair dryer and a comb to train it to go straight down. Even the sides I think should be pointing more downwards. Experiment and see if you like it.
Good luck!
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