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Welcome to the wonderful world of beard terms and terminology. Beard lingo is always growing like an unshaven mess of terms and slang. We’re here to provide a bit of smooth silkiness to the order of the language surrounding beards and with a bit of shaping we can tame the English language of the beard and turn it into a silky smooth full luxurious language.
Balm
What is beard balm? Balm is a waxy type substance that is used on a daily basis to smooth and moisturize your hair follicles. Generally composed of various waxy type products such as beeswax, Shea butter and essential oils that provide the hair follicles with moisture and protection from the day’s activities. Balm is great for conditioning and providing the hold for whatever style you’re going after.
Barber
Barbers are generally thought of as professional stylists for cutting and shaving of men’s head and facial hair. Barbers are great for when you’re just starting out with a new beard and hairstyle as they can professionally shave and shape the style you’re after so you can take over when you get home. It can be hard to do a good styling and cutting job when you’re first starting out, so if you’re having trouble visit a barber for a trim and a cut and whenever you want a top-up for your style.
Beard
This is a hair style that encompasses the growing of hair on the lower half of your face and moustache area. Starting at the hairline in front of the ears, down the cheeks and jawline and above and below your lips. There are many different styles that people can wear their beard in.
Bearded
Bearded is the term for a person who grows their facial hair grow into a full beard.
Boar Bristle Brush
This a brush made from the actual bristles of a boar not plastic or other man made materials. It is known to be stiff but not damaging to your beard follicles and helps evenly spread any beard balm or beard oil that you use on your beard.
Bumfluff
This is known as the wispy hair people who can’t yet grow a full and lustrous beard grow on their face. The hair is said to be as fine as the hairs on your bum.
Cheek Line
This defines the upper most area on the cheek that a beard is trimmed back to. Generally considered from the edges of your moustache running up to you hairline.
Clippers
An electric tool that makes trimming and styling your beard much easier then scissors.
Comb
Made of wood or plastic and is a tool used similar to a brush for stroking through your beard but is used for the finer finishing work on your beards style. Generally considered easier to carry in your pocket then a brush.
Configuration
Configuration refers to the way that a beard is worn and styled. You change your beards configuration by cutting, trimming and styling your beard or leave it to grow into it’s natural state.
Cut Throat Shave
A type of shaving that is done with a straight razor instead of a Bic razor. Best left up to the professionals instead of trying to do it yourself. Done more for nostalgia these days then a regular shaving method where the traditional Bic razor is safer and more cost effective on a daily basis.
Dandruff
Beard dandruff is a thing that can derail the best of beard style. It can be unsightly to notice big flakes of skin lurking in your beard hair. It’s best to grab yourself a good beard wash and conditioner if you notice that you have flakes of dandruff in your beard.
Density
Beard density is the measure of how thick your beard or moustache is.
Exfoliate
Exfoliating is the process of opening the pores under your beard in order to remove loose skin and dirt that might lead to dandruff and relive the itchiness that can accompany the growing of a full beard.
Facial Hair
Facial Hair is any hair that grows on your face or neck while growing in your beard or moustache.
Five O’clock Shadow
Five o’clock shadow refers to the stubble that develops in the late afternoon after you’ve clean shaven in the morning. As a beard style you can achieve the five o’clock stubble style by using the lowest setting on your razor so that it leaves behind a bit of hair on your face instead of clean shaving your face.
Front
Your beards front is the hair that is facing outwards on top of your beard. It’s generally the part of the beard that gets the most styling and attention paid to it as it’s the part that everyone sees.
Full Beard
A full beard is accomplished by letting all your facial hair grow in so that it covers the maximum area on your face.
Goatee
A facial hair style where hair is only grown around the mouth area above the lip and below and cheeks are shaven.
Handlebar Moustache
A handlebar moustache is a moustache where the hairs at the edge of the mouth are grown out so they can be twisted and curled upwards towards the nose. Has grown in popularity these days thanks to the Hipster movement.
Itching
Beard itching is an unwanted side effect of growing in a beard. Once your beard hits a certain length the itching becomes unbearable and drives many people to shave the beard off which brings instant relief. This is where your going to want to invest in beard oil and a good beard wash and conditioner. These items will relieve the itchiness and allow you to continue growing that full beard you’ve always desired.
Kits
Beard kits generally contain all the items that a person needs when they getting into the wonderful world of growing and styling beards needs to start them off with such as beard wash and beard conditioner, beard oil, beard balm, a comb and beard brush and scissors for trimming. Beard kits make great gifts for people who are just getting into styling and growing out their beards.
Mutton Chops / Lamb Chops
Mutton chops was a popular facial hairstyle in the 1970’s where the hair of the sideburn is thinner at the top of the sideburn and is grown out to be much thicker at the base of it ending just below the earlobe.
Mane
Mane refers to a lions mane and is a slang term for your beard that you wear with pride.
Moustache
A moustache is the hair that is grown above the lip and below the nose.
Neckline
Your neckline is the lowest point that you trim your hair back to on your neck. If you keep a short beard then it becomes important to maintain a sharp neckline or it will make your short beard style look unkempt. If you grow in a full beard you generally don’t need to worry about maintaining your neckline.
Oil
Beard oil is used for moisturizing your face and beard follicles to prevent itchiness and fizziness with your beard.
Pigment
Pigment refers to the hair follicle color that’s contained in your beard and facial hair.
Razor
A razor is a tool used to trim your facial hair and tidy of your cheek line and neckline.
Scruff
Scruff is referred to as an unkempt beard.
Sebum
Sebum is the oils that your face and pores produce naturally. You will want to a good beard wash and conditioner that can help contain your sebum production and any negative effects associated with it such as dandruff.
Sideburns
Sideburns refer to the hair grown in front of your ears starting at your hairline and generally ending at the bottom of earlobe.
Soul Patch
A soul patch is a small patch of hair grown only in the middle of your chin just below your lips while the rest of the face is clean shaven.
Stubble
Stubble is the hair that grows when you don’t shave for a few days and isn’t styled in any way.
Terminal
Terminal beard hair refers to the course fully matured beard follicle that grows in adulthood. The opposite is vellus hair or “peach fuzz” which is the soft hair that is grown when you are young and turns into terminal hair once you go through puberty and is much thicker once it grows in.
Terminal Length
This refers to the maximum length that your beard hair will grow without trimming or other growth aids. The beard hair directly under your lips will always be shorter than the hair that grows on your chin.
Texture
Beard texture is referred to whether the hair is fine or thick.
Trimmer
Trimmer is very similar to a barbers clippers in that it enables you to carry out your beard styling at home. The main tool in your beard styling arsenal to keep your beard looking it’s best.
Vellus Hair
Vellus hair is the peach fuzz type hair that is grown on the body before puberty and turns into terminal hair once a person has passed through puberty.
Wax
Beard wax is used to keep your beards style in place once you’ve styled it. Contains beeswax and other essential oils to help protect and smooth your beards follicles.
Whiskers
Whiskers is a slang term for beard hair.
Yeard
A Yeard is one full year of beard growth without excessive trimming or shaving. If you can accomplish the task of letting your beard grow unhindered for a year you will be able to proudly say your beard is a Yeard.
ZZ Top
A ZZ Top beard is perhaps one of the most iconic beard styles in rock ‘n’ roll history. This style refers to a full grown chest length beard.
Conclusion
Hopefully you’ve been able to expand your vocabulary for your forage into the wonderful world of beard styling. You can let us know if there is a term that we are missing as we’re always looking to update our list of definitions as beard lingo is always growing.
Make sure to check out Best Beard Product Recommendations page if you’re looking to get serious about your beard styling and maintenance routine.