should i grow a beard?

Does anyone trim their underbeard shorter than their beard? My beard is both wooly and a little patchy, so I need to grow it long enough to cover the patches, but if I grow the underbeard to the same length it starts to add volume that I don't want.

Yes, I trim to 3mm on the moustache and underchin area, 5mm for chin and jawline UGH TOO MUCH INFORMATION MAKES ME SOUND LIKE CRAIG DAVID

I shave in the direction of Joel-Kinnaman-in-The-Killing now, but I still refuse to use the trimmer more than once every couple of weeks so it sometimes gets a bit 1970s

man alive, I would strongly recommend you trim your beard in whatever way you think looks nicest on you and you're willing to put up with.

so basically RIP IT OUT ONE HAIR AT A TIME

FWIW I switched to a Wahl trimmer and find it works way better than the Philips -- takes less than half the time to do an even trim. I'm experimenting with lengths now -- gradually increasing the guard size I use and I'm up to the 16mm for the face and 10 or 13mm for the underside (plus a little spot trimming). Kind of curious to see whether it gets more or less bushy as it lengthens. I've also been combing it a lot with the tiny fine comb that came with the trimmer, which seems to help with the unruliness.

keeping a short covering in situ for a while now

ive hair like brillo tho

obv dont want to purchase anything that whiney would rightly mock on a thread about the immorality of marketing anything towards men

so can anyone tell me how to soften my beard while avoiding paying ten times whats necessary for something in a lumberjack tin

thanks x

Jojoba oil.

thks jojosh

I use conditioner. Also bought some beard oil and some beard balm, which I haven't used yet.

just normal conditioner?

I've always heard that conditioner, while it makes your beard feel soft, is actually bad for your face. Maybe that's bs.

yeah, just normal hair conditioner.

Hmm... Now I guess I need to look into whether it’s bad for skin. Haven’t noticed anything bad yet. I use some Aveena stuff.

The cheap coconut oil shampoo from the health food store does very well for me. Good for the skin too.

Sometimes I wonder: will I ever go back? I think not. Or at least not until my face looks much older.

I briefly shaved mine off and didn’t like the result. Have grown it back to 9mm and I think I’m just going to keep it there. I find a daily 2-min trim is the best way to keep it neat - catch those stray longhairs and give the edges a chance to grow in for a fuller shape.

This is more of a sideburns Q than a beard Q, but I have been trying to keep my beard neater and trimming it more regularly (I wear it short). As my hair grows, I've noticed it's really hard to trim my sideburns in a way that looks good without getting a bit of a toupee effect, i.e. the point at which my sideburns meets where my hair gets longer always looks fucked up. I've tried lifting the trimmer gradually and "fading" it, but I can't get it right. Any tips?