Growing sideburns. In the 1970s, wearing sideburns was pure lifestyle. They often consisted of flamboyant strips of hair that made their way down from above the ears and blended with the wild beard hairs.
Now, sideburns are often neatly trimmed, thanks in part to the advent of clippers and trimmers. Additionally, barbers have contributed by giving sideburns a neat and trendy shape.
There are still enthusiasts of those bombastic, rugged Johnny Cash sideburns. However, it is an art to shape the right sideburn styles and make them end exactly symmetrically so that your face is perfectly balanced.
On the way to full sideburns
Growing your sideburns is the least work. They naturally reach full maturity. For some, this happens faster than for others. Before a sideburn has any volume, you're about 4 weeks in. When the hairs are about 3 centimeters long, it's time to guide the sideburns into the right paths with a refined scissors, trimmer, or a good clipper.
Then the question: how long do you want to style your sideburns? Your sideburns run parallel along your ears and jawline downwards. Often to the top of the neck or to neck height. But you probably don't want the sideburns to grow to that area, so you need to determine where you want them to end and how wide and thick you want them to be.
How can I best style my sideburns?
There are many sideburn styles that partly determine your appearance. With short hair, a sideburn up to halfway the ear is aesthetically neat. With medium to longer head hair, the length of a sideburn up to the top of the earlobe is a stylish look. Although it also depends on the width and length of your face.
And then you also have to decide how thick you want the sideburn to be. Note: With a thick sideburn, you get a fuller, broader face. If you have a tight, narrow sideburn, you get an optically slightly elongated face. What accent do you want to emphasize? Short sideburns give you a balanced appearance. A sideburn point is also tasteful. Often a trendy design to mask beginning baldness.
If a sideburn doesn't suit you, you can remove it. However, there is a basic principle that when you let your head hair grow, you let the sideburn increase in more or less the same volume. The longer and fuller the hair on the head, the fuller the sideburn. And if you have a short haircut on the head?
Then you cut the sideburn to just below the top where your ears begin and trim the sideburn to a maximum of 2 to 2.5 centimeters. Although it's certainly not set in stone. Test along the way what you like.
How do you trim your sideburn?
Touching up your sideburn. Fortunately, there are various tools to make it easy for you. Once the length and volume of your sideburn allow it, you can get started. When and with which tool?
With a good trimmer or clipper for sideburns, you can quickly achieve a neat outline of the sideburn. You simply set the beard trimmer to your desired setting. Usually, about 3 centimeters is a perfect length to give the sideburn the right shape.
If you want to appear a bit more artistic, you can also opt for a wider setting. With a trimmer or clipper, you can achieve a perfect result in no time.
Tips & Tricks on how to best trim sideburns:
- Make sure the hair is clean and that no pomade, gel or other hair products are sticking to it.
- If the sideburn is rather messy, comb it forward first and cut away the hairs outside the line of the sideburn with a scissors. You can also combs the hairs backward, towards the ears, and carefully trim the stray hairs there as well. With a good comb, you ensure that the sideburns are brought neatly into shape.
- Make sure you use a good trimmer with an attachment. This allows you to precisely set the centimeters so you can determine the exact model and thickness of the sideburn.
- Hold the trimmer upright and place it against the sideburn. Trim the sideburn by sliding the device down over the hairs.
- Trim the bottoms of both sideburns exactly the same without an attachment. The trick is to trim your sideburns to the exact same height in front of the mirror. A handy tool is your index fingers by placing the tips against the sideburn. In such a way that your index finger on both sides of the sideburn indicates a certain line where you want the sideburn to stop. You can mark those spots on your face so you can clearly see where the sideburns can be neatly trimmed and achieve the right symmetry.
- If the sideburn needs to remain wide, it's best to take the scissors in hand. Fuller sideburns match perfectly with slightly longer hair, so trimming the sideburn is an excellent way to style without taking too much off and is in line with fuller head hair. It does, of course, require some practice before you shape your sideburn as neatly as the barber.
With a razor, you can keep the outer lines of the sideburn neat. Anyway, if you're already busy with wet shaving, you can perfect the line of the sideburn in this way. Although it can sometimes be difficult to determine the right length, especially when the face is fully lathered.
Then afterward, a trimmer or clipper for sideburns is a solution to get the length and symmetry in order. Of course, with a good Henson safety razor, you can also give the sideburn a certain sharp design.
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. So it's a matter of getting handy with the index fingers and, of course, looking sharply in the mirror.
Only with the right tools can you achieve the best results. Of course, we have perfect products to maintain your sideburn perfectly. Check out the instruments below and try them out!
Braun - Beard Trimmer
Enjoy an extremely precise, yet effortless, trimming session with this Beard Trimmer from Braun. With its German ergonomic design, the trimmer fits comfortably in your hand, giving you optimal control during trimming.
Using its precision dial and included attachment comb, the trimmer offers you 20 length settings from 0.5 mm to 10 mm. This makes the trimmer perfect for precisely trimming almost any short to medium-length beard and hairstyles. Then use the trimmer without a head to create sharp lines along your beard.
The trimmer has a lifetime sharp blade that effortlessly cuts through your hair and is also faster, sharper, and more efficient than previous versions. A full battery guarantees no less than 50 minutes of trimming pleasure, and then you can charge the trimmer with the included smart plug. The trimmer is fully charged in 10 hours.
Bossman - Barber Scissors
This scissors from Bossman is the perfect scissors to maintain and trim your beard, moustache, and hair. The unique shapes of the scissors ensure that the scissors fits perfectly in your hand, giving you full control during cutting or trimming. The scissors is made entirely of 4cr stainless steel, making the scissors very durable and even used by professional barbers. The scissors comes in a modern, luxurious packaging with a magnetic closure.
Foligain - Beard Comb
The Foligain Beard Comb is a sturdy and compact comb suitable for all beard types. The comb is an all-in-one tool. It is equipped with measurement indicators and a double comb to refine your beard style. With this comb, it is possible to create sharp lines and polished edges. The Foligain Beard Comb can be used for shaping your neckline, jawline, cheek line, moustache, goatee, sideburns, etc.
Of course, we hope to support you sufficiently with these tips, tricks, and necessary instruments so that trimming sideburns, shaving sideburns, and cutting your sideburns becomes a breeze.
Good luck!
Your friends, The Alpha Men.