When it comes to facial hair and styling, learning to fade a beard can be one of the best grooming skills you can develop.
A beard fade is trendy and sleek, offering a cool style for any guy with full facial hair.
To taper your beard perfectly, you’ll need the right trimmer and technique.
To help you, we’ve compiled this guide on how to fade a beard. From short to long, learn the best way to trim your beard and create these trendy faded styles.
What Is A Fade?
A fade is a short cut that blends or tapers the hair into the skin.
Fades have been used in the United States since at least the 1940s and 50s, where they were used in military cuts.
The fade technique continued in barber shops all across America, where they evolved into an edgier style characterized by its aggressively tight taper.
The fade haircut began to achieve more mainstream attention in the 1990s thanks to certain actors wearing them.
For instance, Will Smith sported high top fades on screen during his stint on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
According to MensHairstylesNow, taper fade haircuts require using multiple combinations of trimmer and blade sizes in order to create the desired look.
It can be a finicky process, and is often worth visiting an experienced barber.
Fading your beard can be even trickier, and you’ll definitely need a quality beard trimmer.
Types of Fades
Many fashion, makeup and hair trends from the nineties have been making a resurgence, and the best fade haircuts are no exception.
There many kinds of fades and it’s important to choose the right look for your lifestyle.
A low skin fade reveals very little skin and leaves short hair at the base of the skull that get longer as they reach the crown of your head.
A medium skin fade will start getting longer around the middle of your head.
And a high skin fade may reach almost to the crown of your head before it begins getting longer, meaning a lot more skin is exposed.
Fades aren’t only for the hair on your head. Beards are very fashionable right now as well.
The Beard Fade
A beard fade is the gradual blending of your facial hair from short to longer, starting at your sideburns and down to your chin.
If you’re taking the time to fade your hair, you should also pay equal attention to making sure your beard is well-groomed.
An unkempt, out-of-control beard is no man’s friend. Cleaning up your neckline and understanding some fading techniques can help you elevate your look and health to a whole new level.
Know Where To Cut
The most important part of starting to trim and fade the neckline of your beard is identifying the right place to begin cutting.
Your ideal neckline will define the shape and appearance of the beard, and enhance your look.
To figure out where your natural neckline lies, place your middle finger in the center of your Adam’s apple, and place your index finger directly above it.
The spot directly above your fingers is the perfect spot for the lowest section of your facial hair.
Letting your beard hair grow beyond that mark makes leads to scraggly, patchy neck hair that detracts from your beard.
From this spot, you’ll want to map out the rest of your beard neckline.
Your neckline should be a gentle curve that naturally follows the line of your neck, curving upwards like a smile.
This is the ideal line for your beard to finish. If you’re worried you won’t be able to remember where the line is once you start your cut, you can order a barber’s pencil or even just a plain white eyeliner stick to draw your line before the trimmers come out to give yourself a clear, visible guideline.
This will help ensure your cut stays even without having to keep backtracking and evening things up.
If you want to try another method, or just double-check that the route you’ve marked out is a good one, you can also try this simple method.
Tilt your head downwards towards your neck until a crease forms where the underside of your jaw meets the top of your neck.
Put your finger on that crease and raise your head back up.
That should line up pretty closely to the area you’ve already mapped and may be an easier option for some people.
Fading Your Beard
Brush Your Beard
Start by brushing or combing your beard. You should always comb out your beard before trimming.
This will help keep from any patches developing because of tangled or matted hair.
Wooden facial hair combs are the most efficient tool for getting knots out of your beard, but a beard brush works.
Clean Up Your Beard
Next, take your beard clippers and get rid of all the hairs that fall below the line of demarcation you’ve traced with your white pencil.
This should get rid of any patchy stubble or unsightly scraggly neck hairs.
Shave off anything above the top line of your chest hair. This step alone will help you look way more adult and polished.
Fading Your Facial Hair
To take your beard game to the next level and create a subtle, natural finish, fade the neckline of your beard just as you would fade a haircut.
According to the style experts at MensHairstylesToday, you’ll want to invest in a quality beard trimmer that comes with several combs and has been designed with sharp blades and a powerful motor to cut effortlessly through thick hair.
Adjust your clippers to be two settings shorter than you would usually keep your beard.
You will need to choose the right beard comb based on the length and style of your facial hair. A short beard may require a more gradual fade.
Remember how you placed one finger on your Adam’s apple with your index finger above it?
Trim the bottom inch of your hair (about the width of your middle finger) all around the curve of your neckline, using the setting that is two settings shorter than your usual beard.
Then, trim the next inch (about the width of your index finger), following that same curve around your beard line.
For this, use the clipper one level longer than the inch you just trimmed, and one level shorter than the setting you’ll use for the rest of your beard.
Finally, put your clippers to the setting you usually use, and clean up the rest of you beard, getting rid of any longer, bushier spots. You can also trim some long areas with scissors.
Overall, your beard should now look neat and well-groomed. Instead of a hard dividing line from using the clippers at one length, your beard will have a subtle, tapered finish at the neckline.
Aftercare Of Your Beard
Once you’ve trimmed and faded your way to a perfect beard, be sure to help it look its very best with a good beard grooming routine.
Aftercare is essential to maintaining your beard’s new clean lines.
Hop into the shower and wash away any itchy stray hairs that may be sticking to your body.
While you’re under the spray, use a specially formulated beard wash or shampoo. You can also use an in-shower beard conditioner.
Once you’re dried off and dressed, you can apply a beard balm or oil for additional moisture and nourishment.
Beard shampoo will keep your hair clean, while conditioners, oils, and balms make them softer, less frizzy, and more manageable.
They’re also great at soothing itchy, sensitive skin. These products will take your neat trimmed and faded beard and give it extra style and panache.
Check out our post beard oil vs beard balm
Conclusion to Fading Your Beard
Fading your own beard might sound a bit daunting at first, but with this guide, we hope you will now have the knowledge to at least give it a try.
As a professional barber, practice makes perfect and you have to start somewhere. let me know how it went below, did you manage to fade your beard successfully or not?