Beard Trimming in the City

Looking to keep your beard in tip top condition and have it trimmed to perfection? Then look no further, because luckily for you, Pall Mall Barbers are the beard experts!

And with 3 barber shops in Central London and another about to open near Liverpool Street,  beard trimming in the city is going to become very convenient.

Whatever the length of your beard, whether you’re just starting to grow it or it’s a full on bushy mass of facial hair, the most important thing is to keep it in good condition. Regular beard maintenance is crucial.  Washing and conditioning your hairy face, as well as regular beard trimming to keep it in shape and applying a really good beard oil to keep it soft and tamed and the regular things that you should be doing.  No-one wants to look at a musty, scruffy looking beard that may contain all manner of things from crumbs from your lunch to toothpaste to drops of your favourite tipple. And image all that sitting right under your nose.  Not good!

So, here are some tips on not only getting your beard in good condition and shaped well, but for on going beard maintenance.

Firstly, we’ve got a  great beard shaping video from Pall Mall Barbers if you’ve got a bit of growth started and don’t quite know how to shape it. Erin’s tips will help you make your beard look a lot thicker and more even overall. If you’re not that confident, or you’re a first time beard grower, make an appointment for beard trimming in the city and one of our experienced barbers will not only shape and trim your beard for you, but can also show you exactly how to do it at home yourself.

As it grows, it’s important to wash and condition your beard just as you would your hair. So every time you’re applying shampoo to the top of your head, do the bottom of your face too. It will only add seconds to your showering routine.  We’ve developed our own range of shampoos and conditioners for men that are ideal for your facial hair too. If you’ve got drier hair, go for the Argan Oil range, or if your hair is finer, greasier or your have a sensitive scalp then the Tea Tree Oil range would be a better choice. You can buy all our men's shampoos and conditioners online or instore.

So, you’ve got to the stage where your beard is looking pretty impressive. What now? Facial hair can get unruly quite quickly as it tends to grow in all different directions. Trim it regularly.. and carefully!  We’ve seen many a wonky moustache that needs rescuing! Come along for beard trimming in the city and then keep it looking as good as possible by using a quality beard oil.  It can be used for styling – it’ll look healthier and shinier and the hairs will sit in place better. But also, beard oil is a great deep conditioner for your facial hair applied when it’s wet. This will help you to style your beard as the hair becomes softer and more pliable. If you want to see exactly how to do this, here’s  another video featuring the top beard skills of Erin!

So don’t forget, wash and condition your beard, get it trimmed regularly and use a beard oil.  Easy! And for beard trimming in the city, book an appointment online or call one of our Central London Barber shops.

Beard Shaping

Have you tried beard shaping yourself but it’s not quite looking how you want it to?

Beard shaping can be quite tricky, but fortunately here in London we’ve got some of the best barbers in the business. And at our Pall Mall Barbers salon in Trafalgar Square, the Manager Erin is right up there with the very best.

With her knowledge of beards, facial hair and men’s shaving she can give the best advice and tips on beard shaping in London.

Maybe you’ve started to grow your beard, it’s got past the stubble stage but it’s now beginning to look a bit scruffy or unkempt. So what’s the best advice for beard shaping in this instance? Well, we’d recommend watching this beard shaping video on the Pall Mall Barbers Youtube channel. It features Erin advising on how to get sharp lines, how to make your beard look thicker and fuller and how to get it more even all over when it may be growing at different rates.

But what about beard shaping when you’re lucky enough to have quite a full, bushy face of hair? A boxed beard is quite a strong look, that still maintains a smart and professional air. In the next video, Erin talks through and demonstrates how to shape a boxed beard.

The great thing about a beard is that like your hair, you can change the look and shape of it. Grow it a bit longer and you’ll have different options on beard shaping that you can try.  So, what do you fancy? Maybe a Van Dyke?  This is a more pointy beard that needs cutting into shape.  It’s the style of beard Leonardo di Caprio was rocking in Django Unchained. Again, our beard supremo Erin, can talk you through how to get this look with this beard shaping video.

Still don’t feel like you’re ready to master the art of beard shaping yourself? Then book an appointment at any of our London barber shops and get a professional to do it for you.  They’ll look at the shape of your face, the direction of hair growth and can discuss with you the best style of beard for you.  Once styled right, it’ll be far easier for you to manage yourself.

You can book a beard shaping appointment online or order any of the Pall Mall Barbers Sandalwood and Clove beard grooming products.

History of the Beard

The history of the beard is fascinating. We've been going through a particular phase of beard loving in recent years so no doubt sometime in the future, people will look back and analyse our own social landscape as reflected by the hirsute amongst us right now.

When you look into the history of the beard, you can often identify a period by the style of beards popular at the time. For example, Henry VIII's bushy, fully grown beard was shaped as a "spade" and squared off at the chin. The style was much copied in the 16th century with most noblemen growing their facial hair as it was widely considered a sign of a man's virility!  The King even introduced a Beard Tax in 1535, knowing that men would pay it, as they wanted to keep their facial hair as a reflection of their masculinity.  Sneaky, eh?

By the time of the Stuarts reign in the 17th century, beards were shaped into a more of a pointy style quite often with the moustache separated from the beard hair under the lip and on the chin. This was known as a "Van Dyke".  In more recent years, this style has been sported by Johnny Depp, Heath Ledger and Jonathan Ross at various times.

When you look into the history of the beard, one thing is fairly constant. Beards being a reflection of a man's virility.  But they were also thought to prevent germs by preventing noxious substances getting into the mouth. Although given the lack of personal hygiene over the centuries we think a beard could have actually been harbouring more germs than was good for anyone.

Luckily, that's not the case today, even though the most favoured style of the moment is still a bushy, full on face of hair. With beard oils to keep beards in good condition, combs to shape and the general recommendation from barbers being to wash and condition the beard as you would your hair, then they really are something you wouldn't mind getting close to.

If you'd like to know more about the history of the beard, there's a great piece on The Conversation Blog.  It's written by Dr Alan Withey, who we had the pleasure of meeting when he came into Pall Mall Barbers and was filmed having a luxury wet shave as part of his research for a show on the BBC.

It's a fascinating read and you'll learn some little known facts about the history of the beard - like the development of fake beards made from goats hair in the middle of the 19th century for those who couldn't quite manage to grow their own!

Don't forget to call into one of our Central London barbers shops for all beard related products, beard trimming appointments and general beard care advice from one of our professional barbers.

Exhibition About Beards

We know beards are still really, really popular.  Whether that's the full on bushy variety or the more subtle stubble look, even though on the grapevine, it's reported that the whole hipster look seems to be waning.

We disagree and a clear indication that beards are as popular as ever, is an exhibition about beards currently on at Somerset House in London.

Featuring 80 portraits of men (and one woman!) with beards by the photographer Mr Elbank who has a fascination with facial hair and beards in particular.  At his exhibition about beards you may even recognise some pictures, particularly if you use social media as one of his early portraits of Australian charity campaigner Jimmy Niggles, who grew Oz's most high profile beard, went viral and he became a social media sensation.

Some of the images at this exhibition about beards are being shown for the first time, exploring that art of male grooming and featuring some amazing pictures of the likes of John Hurt, Ricki Hall, Billy Huxley plus the bearded woman Harnamm Kaur who's been growing a beard since the age of 16 as a result of a medical condition which causes excess hair growth.

It's a fascinating exhibition about beards that we'll definitely be going along to see, and it's on from March 5 - 29th.  You can get more information on the Somerset House website.

And don't forget if you need some grooming advice on your own beard care and how to look after it, book an appointment for a beard trim or shaping with one of our top barbers.  We've also got some great beard grooming products such as our Sandalwood and Clove Beard Oil, available online or in store.

Look after your own beard, keep it in shape and healthy looking with beard oil, and you never know, you may be featuring in your own exhibition all about beards!

Beard Advice

Beard advice.... you can never have too much.  Everyone's facial hair grows differently, looks different and will need to be styled differently so any beard advice or tips tend to be fairly generic.  Read them all and then take the bits that apply to you - that's what we'd suggest.

This article is the New York Times is full of beard advice and how to tame yours.  There are various products like beard oil, balm and cleanser mentioned for general beard maintenance. But if you're looking for a great all round product to keep your beard in great condition and great shape, then you can't go far wrong with Pall Mall Barbers Beard Oil.

Scented with the masculine and luxurious sandalwood and clove, this beard oil not only conditions the hairs on your face but also the skin underneath it.

One common complaint we hear from men as they start to grown their beards, is how itchy it can get. It can become really annoying, so much so that some men just decide to shave it off again. But our beard advice would be to use conditioner on it. Just as you shampoo and condition your hair, do your beard at the same time.  It will soften the hair so that it doesn't feel so scratchy.  And remember, the itchy phase does pass!

At our barber shops in Central London, we offer a range of beard maintenance services - beard trims, beard shaping and cutting in.  We can also offer loads of beard advice on the best way to care for your beard.  Why not book an appointment with one of our beard experts! You can book it online.  Not only will they get your beard looking in the best shape possible but they'll share their beard advice and tips with you that are tailored to your particular facial hair type and the look you're going for.

We've now got 3 barber shops in London and have extended opening hours, so pick a location and a time to suit yourself.

Beard Oil

Beards are still the look of the moment and it seems the bushier the better.  But that doesn't mean it should be scruffy.

At our barbers shop in Central London, Pall Mall Barbers see beards of all shapes and sizes and we've got loads of tips and advice on how to keep them looking good and in shape.

The best product you can use on your beard, is beard oil.  The one we use at Pall Mall Barbers, is our very own Sandalwood and Clove Beard Oil.  We've developed it ourselves, using the finest ingredient and testing it on our customers.

Our beard oil contains three different essential oils that are blended together to leave your skin and beard hair in unparalleled condition. Sweet Almond Oil, Jojoba Oil and Vitamin E Oils will protect and moisturise your skin, as well as leaving your beard hair revitalised, soft and above all else in perfect condition to style and manage.

Scented with the Barbershop Traditional favourites of Sandalwood and Clove, our beard oil will fit perfectly in the dob kit and at home.

You can buy it on the beard oil page of the Pall Mall Barbers website or in any of our Central London barbers shop.

Beard Care Advice

For all things beard related, Pall Mall Barbers really are the experts. So if you're looking for  beard care, styling and maintenance,  the team have compiled their top tips for guys participating in Decembeard.

Since 2011 Beating Bowel Cancer has invited men to take part in Decembeard and raise money to help those affected by bowel cancer by getting sponsored to grow a beard. Every December, the campaign is designed to raise money for the charity, helping and supporting people with bowel cancer and their families and raising awareness of the disease, its symptoms and the need for early diagnosis.

TOP TIPS

• In the initial stages,  use trimmers to beard trim and keep it sharp. Even light stubble can look stylish with some lining out and shaping.
• Don’t throw your razor away just yet; keeping the neck and cheeks clean shaven, this gives the beard a more prominence and adds to the overall shape.
• Shave away the flyaway hairs on your cheeks and keep the lines on the face quite natural with a nice curved line.
• Your neck line, depending on your beard type i.e. natural, styled or stubble, will vary.  But try not to let the beard grow too far down the neck; taking the neckline higher will give a fuller and thicker look.
• When determining the neckline, start anywhere between the top of your Adam’s apple and the crease in your neck that leads to your jaw.
• To keep the beard looking neat and healthy use a shampoo and/or a conditioner, you will notice the difference straight away; it will be easier to manage and will become a lot easier and a comb will fly through those knots.
• A good looking beard requires good styling and home maintenance. A small beard kit is essential to keep it  in line. A basic kit should consist of Scissors, a fine tooth comb, beard oil and a moustache wax.
• To keep unruly facial hair in order with a healthy shine, add a few drops of beard oil and smooth over the beard. Pall Mall Barbers Sandalwood and Clove Beard Oil which helps to condition beards.
• Even with these great tips, you may not fancy doing it yourself. If that's the case, call into one of our barber shops or make an appointment online and book in for a beard trimming service from London's beard experts.

We trim your beard and get it into shape for you, so that it'll be easier to care for and maintain.

You can also pick up our luxury Beard Oil in store or order it online.  And we've got a great video of Erin from Pall Mall Barbers showing you how to use it. Watch the beard shaping video here.