Yesterday I was talking with an old
friend of mine who was and I think still is the craziest guy I know.
Most people remember him for pulling a lot of crazy pranks like gifting
urine for Valentines day, but I didn’t dwell on that much. I simply
remember him as the guy who said he would use spirit to make his beard
grow and did. It took everyone by surprise and trust by the next day,
every guy in school had a bottle of spirit in their pockets.
Unfortunately it didn’t work for them, apparently a beard isn’t that
easy to grow.
Beards are instant confidence boosters
for men. They make you look more mature and can make any man stand out.
However, the will to grow a beard isn’t enough to magically make the
facial hair grow out. You need a bit more than that.
Today, BN Beauty is doing something for the men. Below are a couple of tips to guide you on growing a beard and maintaining it to best suit you.
P.S I would have cropped the first image but I didn’t want to deprive the ladies. Hi Peter!
Start from Scratch
It is always better to start from nothing when growing a beard. It gives
you the flexibility to plan what your beard is going to look like and
helps you groom it even from the beginning. When the hair starts to
grow, it is important to keep your skin moisturised. Dry skin breaks
easily which would cause bumps and irritations as the hair strands push
their way through.
When your stubble (the tiny new growth
of hair) starts to grow, wash it at least three times a week with
shampoo. Hair wont grow unless it is growing in a healthy environment.
Position
Before your beard starts to properly form you should have a defined line
of how you want it to grow and shave accordingly. To locate this, use a
ruler or chalk to draw a line from your Adams apple to the corner of
your jawline. The area segmented is where you want your beard to grow.
To streamline where you want it to begin, use a quality shaver in grade 1
for a stubble or grade 4 or 5 for a full beard and define the outline.
Length and shape
As you are growing out your beard determine what length you are willing
to let your hair reach and how you want your beard to look. After you
have outlined where you want your beard to start and stop, do the same
for the length and shape. There are different shapes of beards out there
for different face shapes. You just have to look for one you are
comfortable with.
Square Shaped Faces
A great beard shape that works well for
men with square faces is an all-over beard. This beard slims the face
and takes away the harsh lines formed by the jawline. Here Ramsey Nouah is showing great example of how this would turn out when joined to your hairline.
Rectangle/Oblong Shaped Faces
The 5 o’clock shadow beard is a great
way to add shape to the rectangular or oblong face. This beard usually
sits below the chin and looks like a cast shadow on the face. This
illusion defines and softens the shape of the face causing it to look
structured. In the image above Mai Atafo has let his beard grow up a little towards his cheeks. It still has the 5 o’clock shadow effect but with more hair at the top.
Round Shaped Faces
A circle beard does wonders for round
shaped men. The beard unlike its name looks more like a rectangle
surrounding the mouth and extends all the way to the chin. With this
type of beard you would need to make sure you have a clean and close
shave to properly outline the beard. Banky W here is
showing a perfect example of how this look would turn out. Just remember
to keep it neat and bump-free to have a good outlined look.
Triangular Shaped Faces
Men with triangle shaped faces tend to
have pointy chins. To compliment or hide it (whichever way you think of
it) grow a semi- full beard. The length should be just enough that your
chin is covered but not too long that it looks overgrown. Here Dbanj has added a straight line cut to the beginning of his chin hair. This creates the illusion of the chin being shorter.
Pear/Diamond Shaped Faces
Just like the triangular shaped face,
pear/diamond shaped faces usually have pointed chins. A different
approach to this is to add sideburns to your beard. The sideburns soften
your features and soften he shape of your face. Here Uti Nwachukwu has opted for a 5 o’clock shadow, a heightened chin hair accent and light sideburns.
How To Style
Today, having a beard goes way beyond just growing and maintaining it.
Now guys are styling theirs in different ways and even dying it to suit
their personality. Check out Lynxxx, Chris Attoh, Davido, Praiz and Adams Ibrahim who have all styled their beards to suit them and maybe you could get some inspiration from their styles.
Another important thing you have to
remember when growing a beard is to have the right tools. Invest in
buying a good shaving kit, equipped with all the necessary things. Apart
from having a good shaving kit, always have a comb and a good pair of
scissors specially for your beard.
Keep a good eye on your beard, watch its
growth and trim regularly so you have an even stub, and that’s it.
Follow these steps and you should be well on your way to having a
healthy face of hair.
Nigerian women’s wear label Mi-Le
(Mee-Lay) has skilfully merged the art of flowers and fashion to
produce its Autumn 2013/2014 collection lookbook. For this collection
the designer Ponmile Olawoye has incorporated the study of botany – the concept of evolution and structure of plants – and 1930′s and 1940′s fashion.
Last week, the news of Angelina Jolie’s
double mastectomy filled the media. Angelina is one actress who smokes
up the screen with her sex appeal and when I heard she had the surgery
my interest was piqued as to what would have motivated her to take such a
drastic step.
