Beard Shaping Templates - Do They Actually Work?
In today's Charlemagne Premium blog post we're looking at a beard styling tool that's having a real moment. We're talking about the beard shaping template you now see everywhere. In theory it's a shaving stencil that gives your facial hair the perfect line.
Whether a beard stencil like this is a useful shaving aid for you is what we're going to work through, point by point.
Traditional, or quick and easy?
As so often, the bearded community splits into two camps as soon as a new-fangled grooming gadget turns up.
One side loves it and jumps straight on board. The other side wants nothing at all to do with inventions like the beard template. They'd far rather keep their beard grooming to the traditional methods.
The first thing to ask yourself is which of those two camps you sit in. It's also worth thinking hard about whether a tool's promised benefits are actually achievable. Plenty of men spend their nerves and their money on heavily hyped gadgets, only to go back to the tried and tested methods in the end.
On a question this basic, only you can make up your own mind, however impressive the promises are.
The different versions
Beard templates are made and sold in a wide range of materials and designs. What decides which one suits you is the basic shape of your facial hair. Mutton chops, three day stubble or a Henri Quatre. The template you pick sets the final shape, much like a cookie cutter.
What a beard template is made of
It's worth adding that there are limits to what a beard template can be made from. An inflexible material like wood, which would of course give the tool a handsome, rustic look, simply doesn't work as a stencil because it won't bend. The same goes for a stainless steel beard template. Quite apart from the fact that the cold contact of that material against your face is no fun at all.
Plastics that mould themselves to the shape of a face as closely as possible are the key here. That's the only way to be sure you can actually sit the template against your face properly.
A beard template with a comb
Plenty of beard templates try to score points with extra gadgets. On top of shaping the line for your shave, a lot of the beard templates you find online come with a comb built in.
The idea behind it isn't bad, of course. The execution, though, is little more than good intentions. Teeth that are far too short, often only four of them, have nothing in common with a proper beard comb and only half do the job. Let's be clear about this: a beard template isn't meant to be a comb and can't replace one.
Do it yourself
There are video guides all over the internet showing you how to build your own beard template. If you're not sure whether one of these things really delivers what it promises, building your own is a way to get a feel for it before you spend any money. There's a reason people say if you want a job doing properly, do it yourself.
As you've read, a beard template can help people get their beard roughly into shape quickly and easily. For trimming when you're short on time, a template can genuinely help. We came to a unanimous decision, though: no beard template on earth can replace traditional methods and the experience you build up through beard grooming. A professional beard trim from a barber in particular is in a different league to a shave done with the help of a stencil.
If you want to see how one of these templates handles before you buy and make up your own mind, a video guide can clear that up too. There's information on beard templates in plenty of places online.
If you're more interested in a traditional approach to your beard and the tools that go with it, you'll find no shortage of high quality kit in the Charlemagne Premium shop. And as always, you can pick up the know-how through our ever growing Charlemagne blog. That way you're set up for a simple, quick and perfect shave. Stay tuned.
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As barbers with more than 20 years in the trade between us, we went looking for styling & care products that convinced us completely. There were some good products on the market, but none that gave us everything we needed. After some thought, in 2014 we decided to develop our own range. For two years we spent every free minute after work at the barbershop down in our cellar, refining the formulas. When it came to ingredients, only the best was good enough. We bought the finest jojoba oils available in Morocco, and argan oil from Italy.
After two years and a good many attempts, our first product line was ready, and it has been winning our customers over ever since. We think 98% positive reviews speak for themselves. Since the official launch in 2016 we've kept developing it, of course. That's one of the reasons Charlemagne Premium products have won not just one but several comparison tests in recent years.
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