Pall Mall Barbers' Guide to Beards

We at Pall Mall Barbers see a lot of different trends, whether it’s in haircuts, clothes or indeed Beards. Man’s facial hair has become a hot fashion tool, with countless studies declaring that women find the beard far more attractive than the clean shaven. Clearly the fairer sex took the expression “taking the rough with the smooth” – quite literally. For the baby faced men out there this is a real kick in the teeth. But not all hope is lost – there’s a lot you can do with not much.

That said before embarking on your hairy adventure you will need to be honest. There are plenty of tricks of the trade to help fashion your facial hair but we can’t work miracles. Should you find your facial hair tricky to develop, you may want to avoid the frustration of trying to begin with.

And with that proviso in place, let’s begin by taking a look at the first step…



1. Commit to Growing a Beard


Growing out your 5 o’clock shadow is going to need a great deal of dedication and patience; undertaking the task requires you stick with it for several months before anything resembling a fully-fledged beard will appear.

It’s probably best to wait until you have a sufficiently long enough ‘break-in’ period before starting the growth, as ‘fluff’ and ‘dirty stubble’ isn’t a great look to take into the office.

Depending on growth rate, most men require four to six weeks before sculpting can commence, so a summer break or sabbatical is probably ideal for the task.

2. Overcome the dreaded Itch

After a week or so, you’ll find your lengthening stubble becomes a facial irritant. Itching is perfectly normal in the opening stages, and it will subside over time.

To avoid being victim to itching, as well as maintaining good hygiene, cleanse the beard daily with a gentle washing agent; baby shampoo is perfect for the job being both mild and cheap.


Moisturizer and anti-irritant salves can also help, but be careful not to use too much and avoid heavy creams that cling to the face; you may find they’re too thick against your stubble and clog up the underlying pores.

3. Soften your Whiskers


Your significant other won’t enjoy the bristly prickle of facial hair on their body during the early stages when the beard still feels ‘tough’. Use a gentle conditioner to help soften the follicles; you may find a ‘leave-in’ variety helps to offer continual softening over the course of the day.


Points to Consider


Facial hair can make you look older and ‘age’ your face. While this may have the positive effect of making a younger man more distinguished, it can also make an older man appear decrepit. Use your own judgement when in doubt. On a flip side to this it can help “frame the face”, especially if you feel you have a weak chin line.


There’s a time and a place. Office politics aside, some professions (especially those relating to food) have staff rules about acceptable facial hair; take a good look over the company handbook, or speak to someone in Human Resources, before embarking on what may be an objectionable endeavour.

Beards are distinctive. Just like a new pair of thick-rimmed glasses, a beard is a significant addition to your look; be prepared for friends, family and peers to make light of your new found whiskers. Remember, comedy is one way we deal with change, so be sure to make yourself part of the joke rather than the butt of it. Go with the flow but stand your ground.


Shaving will not help your beard grow more quickly. It’s an urban legend long since disproven by medical science; while the hair appears coarser after shaving, the speed of growth is merely an optical illusion – two millimetres of growth on a freshly smoothed face appears more prominent than two millimetres on an already established beard.

Finally once you have a beard, don’t forget to look after it. Having a beard isn’t the same as simply not shaving. A good beard will require “shaping”, “trimming” and “washing/conditioning”.

This blog is just scratching the surface of how to grow a beard. For the best tips on managing your beard come in and speak with one of our barbers.


photo by Juan Trujillo