Facial hair

Check all six zones

Start with a front and profile check, in good light. A second mirror helps see the ears and sides of the neck. Follow this checklist, then prepare the tools needed for only the areas you want to touch up; no need to wax or trim everything each time.

• Nose: shorten only the hairs that protrude from the nostrils, without pulling them out.
• Ears: check the pinna, lobes and hairs visible at the entrance, without entering the duct.
• Between the eyebrows: remove individual hairs if you want to separate the two eyebrows.
• Eyebrows: identify abnormally long hairs, without thinning the entire line.
• Cheekbones and upper cheeks: remove isolated hairs above the beard; leave the down discreet.
• Neck and under the jaw: maintain the contour of the short beard or shave with the rest of the face.

Bring a trimmer with a tip designed for the nose and ears, a precision head for facial skin and, if necessary, tweezers. Small scissors with rounded ends can also shorten a protruding hair, provided you can see it clearly. Wash your hands and use clean tools, following the manufacturer's cleaning instructions.

Trimming nose and ear hair

For the nose, keep your head slightly raised and work at the entrance to the nostril with the appropriate tip. Make light strokes over the hairs visible from the outside, without pushing the appliance in to reach those that remain inside. Using scissors, cut only the ends that you can clearly see. Avoid forceps and wax in the nostrils: pulling out hairs promotes irritation and infections.

For the ears, shorten the hairs on the pinna, the lobe and those that protrude at the entrance, without inserting the tool deep into the ear canal. Move the mirror to see what you're doing instead of working blindly. Keep hair removal creams, wax and tweezers out of the duct; a touch-up of the visible parts is enough.

Maintain cheekbones and contours

On the cheekbones or between the eyebrows, grab the few hairs to be removed near their base with clean tweezers, then pull in the direction they grow without pinching the skin. Don't dig for a short or ingrown hair. If there are many hairs or if hair removal regularly leaves spots, choose a small trimmer and avoid repeated passes.

Above the beard, especially remove the hairs separated from the main area, without gradually going down the cheek line. Under the jaw, follow the contour chosen for your short beard; if you are shaved, maintain the neck with the rest of the face. The Beard trimming and shaving sheet details these gestures, and Eyebrows explains how to preserve their shape.

Clean the equipment and plan for touch-ups

Remove the cut hairs, then clean and dry the clipper heads according to their instructions: not all devices can be rinsed under water. On outer skin that has been shaved or waxed, avoid rubbing and apply a simple moisturizer if it feels tight. No need to go over an already red area to remove the last hair.

Take advantage of your usual maintenance to check for regrowth. A weekly check can serve as a guide, but the touch-up depends on what really exceeds: some will need a few days, others several weeks. The nose and ears do not necessarily require the same frequency as the contours of the beard, which can become visible again more quickly.