How to avoid the dreaded beard hack job

KEEP YOUR BEARD SAFE

A bad haircut is one thing, but a botched beard trim? Yikes. The thought alone is enough to give us nightmares.

Fortunately, there are some pretty surefire ways to significantly reduce your beard’s chances of falling victim to a hack job.

If you don’t have a reliable barber already, don’t get a beard trim without taking the 5 steps below.

PICK THE RIGHT BARBER

When it comes to your beard, the last thing you want to do is leave it in the hands of someone who doesn’t have much experience working with beards. That means doing your research beforehand. Ask around for recommendations, scope out the Instagram pages of your local barbershops, ask that guy with an awesome beard at the gym who trims his beard — whatever you do, don’t leave it to chance.

TALK IT OUT

You’ve found a barber, made an appointment, and now you’re in the hot seat. Have a conversation with the barber about what you’re looking for. Be sure to talk about any concerns or trouble areas you have with your beard. You know your beard better than they do. Ask the barber what they recommend and how they plan to approach your beard trim.

HAVE A PHOTO

It’s always easier to show a photo of what you’re looking for, and it leaves less room for misunderstanding. Make a folder on your phone of beard styles that you dig. However, make sure that the photos you use as inspiration contain beards that are similar to yours. If your beard is straight and wispy, don’t look to photos of dudes with curly beards for inspiration. Manage your own expectations.

ASK THEM TO COMB IT OUT

A good barber will always do this. But if they pick up the scissor or a trimmer and haven’t combed through your beard yet, ask them to do it. Combing through the beard will help the barber better see your growth patterns and adjust their beard trim accordingly.

STOP IT

This is easier said than done, but if worse comes to worst, don’t be afraid to stop the beard trim altogether if the barber isn’t doing what you asked.

Use these 5 tips next time you’re looking for a professional beard trim, and you should be in the clear.

Of course, if you’re in the Austin, Texas, area, you can always get an awesome beard trim at the one-and-only Beardbrand Barbershop.