Experts share ways to tame your eyebrows, beard, and hair.
The basic locker room routine is straightforward. You need a good body wash, facial cleanser, shampoo, moisturizer, and hair-taming strategy. But once you have that down, a few quick additions to your lineup of products and grooming skills can help you achieve an even more polished and fresh look.
Consider these three tips to level up your beard, brows, and coif in just a few minutes.
Fill in your beard.
If you’re ready to showcase your facial hair but notice that it’s a little patchy (or even lighter in some spots than others), New York City-based groomer and barber Erica Sauer (whose clients include Donald Glover, Alexander Skarsgård, and Will Smith) has a trick: “You can fake it by applying tinted brow gel with the applicator in the areas where needed,” she says. “It fills in the beard in a natural way.”
How to do it:
Clay Nielsen, a New York City-based stylist who works with Zachary Quinto and James Franco, says to try out a few different shades (there aren’t that many to choose from) at a makeup counter to find the one that best matches your beard hair color.
As for the application, Nielsen recommends using light strokes to avoid getting streaks of color on the skin.
Apply hair product to the back and sides first.
When you’re about to put gel, pomade, or a styling cream in your hair, your intuition is probably to start immediately with the top and front.
But according to KC Fee, a Los Angeles-based makeup artist and groomer who works with Armie Hammer and Luke Evans, this is a misconception. “This method leaves the hair heavy, and with some products like pomade, it becomes greasy with too much shine,” she says.
How to do it:
Emulsify the product in your hands by rubbing them together before applying for a more even distribution, Nielsen recommends.
Then, “work from the back and sides and then move to the front, so you don’t oversaturate the front with product,” Fee says.
As for how to get the right amount of hold, the best method is to pretend the hair is a towel and you are trying to wipe your hands clean,” Nielsen adds. “Focus the product on the roots first (with your fingertips).”
Mind your eyebrows.
While it’s not necessary to have a perfectly manicured arch, it is important to clean up the perimeter and snip any excessively long brows. You can even style them into place subtly.
How to do it:
“Trim hair that goes above the brow line,” suggests L.A.-based Mira Chai Hyde, a groomer to Michael Phelps, George Clooney, and Kendrick Lamar.
To do this, use a disposable mascara wand, a firm bristle toothbrush, or a fine tooth comb to brush the eyebrows up, Nielsen suggests. Then snip along the natural shape of your brow with brow scissors.
Afterwards, Chai Hyde recommends using shea butter to tame them into place.
Photography by Troy Covey