Growing a sideburn. In the 1970s, wearing a sideburn was pure lifestyle. They often involved flamboyant streaks of hair that worked their way down above the ears and mingled with the wild beard hairs.
Nowadays, partly due to the introduction of hair clippers and trimmers, sideburns are often neatly cut. In addition, barbers have contributed to the hair follicle by giving the sideburns a sleek and hip shape.
Although there are always fans of those bombastic tough Johny Cash sideburns . However, the art is to shape the right sideburn styles and to have them end exactly symmetrically so that your face is perfectly balanced.
On the way to a full whisker
Growing your sideburns is the least work. They come to full maturity on their own. One a little faster than the other. Before a sideburn has any volume, it takes about 4 weeks. When the hairs are about 3 centimeters long, the time comes to guide the sideburns in the right direction with a refined pair of scissors, a trimmer or a good hair clipper.
Then the question: how long do you want to style your sideburns? Your sideburns run parallel past your ears and down the jawline. Often to the top of the neck or to neck height. But you probably don't want to grow the sideburns up to that area, so you'll need to determine where you want them to end and how wide and thick you want them to be.
What's the best way to style my sideburns?
There are many sideburn styles that help shape your appearance. With short hair, a sideburn that reaches just halfway to the ear is aesthetically sleek. With medium to longer head hair, the length of a sideburn to the top of the earlobe is a stylish sight. Although it also depends on the width and length of your face.
And then you also have to determine how thick you want the sideburn. Note: With a thick sideburn you get a fuller, wider face. If you leave a tight, narrow sideburn, you will optically get a slightly stretched face. What accent do you want to put. Short sideburns give you a balanced look. A whisker tip is also tasty. Often a hip design to mask starting baldness.
If a sideburn does not suit you, you can remove the sideburn. However, there is a basic principle that when you grow your head hair you let the sideburns grow in more or less the same volume. The longer and fuller the head of hair, the fuller the sideburn. And if you have the coupe on the head short?
Then you cut the sideburn to just below the top where your ears start and trim the sideburn to a maximum of 2 to 2.5 centimeters. Although it is certainly not cast in concrete. Test what you like as you go along.
How do you trim your sideburn?
Update your sideburn. Fortunately, there are various tools to make it easy for you. As soon as the length and volume of your sideburn allow it, you can get started. When and with which instrument?
With a good trimmer or trimmer for sideburns you can achieve a clean line of the sideburn in a short time. You simply set the beard trimmer to the position you want. Usually an inch or 3 is a perfect length to give the sideburn the right shape.
If you want to look a little more artistic, you can also opt for a wider stand. With a trimmer or hair clipper you will have a perfect result in no time.
Tips & Tricks how to best trim sideburns:
- Make sure the hair is clean and no pomade , gel or other hair products stick in it.
- If the sideburn is rather tousled, first comb it forward and use scissors to cut away the hairs outside the line of the sideburn. You can also comb the hair back, towards the ears, and carefully trim away the unguided hairs there as well. With a good comb you ensure that the sideburns are then neatly modeled.
- Make sure you use a good trimmer with attachment. This allows you to set the exact centimeters so that you can determine exactly the desired model and thickness of the sideburn.
- You hold the trimmer upright and place it against the sideburn. Trim the sideburn by sliding the appliance down the hair.
- Trim both sides of the sideburns exactly the same without the attachment. The trick is to trim your sideburns to exactly the same height in front of the mirror. Useful tools are your index fingers by placing the tips against the sideburn. In such a way that your index finger on both sides of the sideburn marks a certain line where you want the sideburn to stop. You can just mark those spots on your face so you can see where the sideburns can be trimmed tight and get the right symmetry.
- Should the side beard remain wide, it is best to take the scissors in hand. Fuller sideburns match perfectly with longer hair so sideburn trimming is a great way to style without stripping too much and it aligns with fuller head hair. Of course, it takes some practice before you shape your sideburns as tight as the barber.
With a razor you can keep the outer lines of the sideburn tight. In any case, if you are already working onwet shaving , you can perfectly update the sideburns in terms of lines in this way. Although it is sometimes difficult to determine the correct length. Especially if the face is full of soap.
Then a trimmer or hair clipper for sideburns is a solution afterwards to get the length and symmetry in order. Of course you can also give the sideburn a certain sharp design with, for example, a good Henson safety razor .
Note: never use the line or position of your ears to mirror the sideburn. It is often the case that your ears are positioned unevenly on the head. It is therefore a matter of getting dexterity with the index fingers and of course looking sharply in the mirror.
You can only achieve the best results with the right tools. Of course we have the perfect products to perfectly maintain your sideburns. Check out the tools below and try them out!
Braun - Beard trimmer
Enjoy a precise, yet effortless trim with this Braun beard trimmer. With its German ergonomic design, the trimmer fits comfortably in your hand and you get optimal control during trimming.
Using its precision dial and included comb attachment, the trimmer offers you 20 length settings from 0.5mm to 10mm. This makes the trimmer perfect for precise trimming of almost any short to medium beard and hair style. You then use the trimmer without the head to create clean lines along your beard.
The trimmer has a lifelong sharp blade that effortlessly cuts through your hair and is also faster, sharper and more efficient than the previous versions. A full battery guarantees no less than 50 minutes of trimming pleasure and then you can charge the trimmer with the supplied smart plug. The trimmer is fully charged in 10 hours.
Bossman - Barber Scissors
These scissors from Bossman are the perfect scissors to maintain and trim your beard, mustache and hair. The special shapes of the scissors ensure that the scissors fit perfectly in your hand and that you have full control during cutting or trimming. The scissors are made entirely of 4cr stainless steel, which means that the scissors last a very long time and are even used by professional hairdressers. The scissors come in a modern, luxurious packaging with a magnetic closure.
Foligain - Beard Comb
The Foligain Beard Comb is a sturdy and compact comb that is suitable for all beard types. The comb is an all-in-one tool. It is equipped with measuring pointers and a double comb to fine-tune your beard style. With this comb it is possible to create clean lines and polished edges. The Foligain Beard Comb can be used to shape your neckline, jawline, cheekline, moustache, goatee, sideburns, etc.
Of course we hope to support you sufficiently with these tips, tricks and necessary tools so that trimming your sideburns, shaving your sideburns and cutting your sideburns becomes a piece of cake.
Good luck!
Your friends, The Alpha Men.