What Is a Beard Fade and How to Get It

Learning the proper way to fade a beard is a skill that any bearded man who seeks to try a new style should know how to do. If you shave the sides of your head or love the bald life, faded beards are essential to maintaining your overall appearance. 

The idea of a faded beard is to make the blend from your hair to your sideburns and beard appear seamless and smooth while avoiding any catastrophic missteps. Once you know the proper steps, achieving a beard fade is easy and versatile. 

What Is a Beard Fade?

If you are just beginning to learn the beard’s ins and outs, you may not know what exactly a beard fade is. A beard fade is similar to a fade on your head, but instead, it is on your face. It is essentially a subtle blending of long hair to shorter hair to gradually change the length without being too obvious. 

Faded beards are a beautiful balance between looking manly and looking manicured. They provide you with a modern style, though there is a good amount of upkeep required to maintain it. Faded beards can be long or short, but keep in mind that the longer you choose to make it, the more dramatic the fade’s overall effect will be. 

Should You Fade Your Beard?

Most men who choose to rock beards along with semi-shaved or completely shaved heads should strongly consider fading their beards. When you have a full head of hair that leads directly to the sideburns and beard, the transition is not completely obvious or in-your-face. However, if you are a man who does not have a head full of hair, the transition can be very obvious. 

If you do not have a faded beard and have shaved, faded, or short hair, your facial hair’s overall appearance can look scruffy and make you appear ungroomed. A faded beard’s idea is to incorporate a manly look with the manicured, clean look everyone desires. Chances are if you have found yourself wondering if you would benefit from having a beard fade, the answer is yes. 

How to Fade Your Own Beard

Before you begin the actual fade process, you will need to prepare your beard for a fade.

Preparing Your Beard for a Fade

1. Choose the length that you want your beard to be. If you have a short beard, place your trimmer on the longest setting and cut down to the desired size. For a longer beard, you will need to take more off along the sideburns. 
2. Once you have trimmed everything, you need to tighten up the neckline. Begin by brushing stray beard hair down and placing your finger in the center of your neck. Run your trimmer circularly until you get to the top of your jaw on either side. 
3. Trim any hairs that remain or appear loose with scissors. 

Now, you can begin fading your beard. 

Fading Your Beard

There are four simple steps that you need to follow when you are fading your beard. 

1. Begin by creating a rounded line that starts at the top of your sideburns and ends at the top of your mustache. Do this on both sides. 
2. Using either a pair of scissors or a trimmer on your cheeks, trim up, and in an outward direction, so you do not accidentally go over the new line that you have just made. If you do not wish to line up your cheeks, at least cut any straggling hairs under your eyes.
3. Begin the fade by trimming about an inch above your jawline, ensuring that the length setting is set one below the length of your beard. Doing so will trim the hair slightly to begin the fade. 
4. Move to your sideburns and trim about another inch towards the top of them. 

Repeat this process until you have reached the top of your sideburns, close to your hair. This can also work in the opposite direction (from the top of the sideburns downward) and achieve the same effect. 

Different Beard Fade Styles

There are a lot of options when it comes to styling your beard fade. Here are five of our favorite options to help you rock the faded beard look. 

Low Skin Fade with Line Up and Textured Top, Long Beard

This look is very sleek and professional. It is an option that appeals to a younger crowd or those who wish to maintain a manicured look. The sideburns and hair blend seamlessly to create an overall beautiful faded effect. 

Low Razor Fade With a Short Curly Top and Shaped Beard

This is a clean and professional look for African American hairstyle and those with curly hair. If you like to keep your curly hair short, this look is a great option for you. Adding the shaped beard, though more maintenance is required, will make you look especially well-groomed. 

Shape Up with a Full Beard

The shaped look with a long beard looks fantastic and screams that you care about your appearance. If you prefer to have a longer beard, consider shaping it up and adding a fade with shaved sides. 

Beard Fade for Bald Hair

If you have little or no hair on top of your head but like to keep a full beard on your face, this is the style for you. It is easy to achieve and gives you a sophisticated and modern look. Fades look great with bald hairstyles, so learning how to give yourself one is essential.

MoHawk with Beard Fade

If you are looking for a faded beard look that is slightly different from the generic styles, you should consider going for a mohawk to beard fade look. This option will set you apart from the crowd without making you look un-groomed or scruffy in any way. 

Final Thoughts

A faded beard is all about achieving a smooth flow from longer to slightly shorter hair. The blending should be as seamless as the length changes. Faded beards are a sophisticated look for all types of beards. If a fade is done the right way, you appear cleaner and well-groomed. Faded beards are fairly easy to maintain once you get the hang of it, so get out there and get to work on your new style. 

Pin On Pinterest