Top 5 Best Beard Scissors For Your Beard & Moustache

Why Do You Need Beard & Moustache Scissors?

After a couple of months of growth, your beard will naturally develop a few split ends. Even if you’re concentrating on increasing its overall length, there will come a time when you need to give it a minor touching up.

As split ends hinder healthy hair growth, it unfortunately becomes an obligatory chore. Moreover, split ends can cause the beard to appear coarse and unruly. Therefore, if you want your beard to look its best, you’re going to have to trim it at some point.

First and foremost, beard and moustache scissors offer unparalleled precision compared to scissors for when grooming your beard. For this reason, they’re better suited for highly stylised or longer beard styles. Furthermore, beard scissors are an ideal choice for when seeking to grow out your beard as much as possible.

Through the use of beard scissors, you can give minor touch-ups to your beards and remove stray hairs without reducing the beard’s length. Although convenient, beard trimmers have a tendency to be particularly aggressive and can remove far more length than was originally desired.

Secondly, even the most expensive scissors can be somewhat more affordable than decent quality trimmers. They’re also far more simpler to use. However, they can be a little more difficult to master and more time consuming to use. Nevertheless, they’re a handier choice and easier to take with you when travelling.

Therefore, if you have a longer style that requires only minor touching up, beard and moustache scissors are for you. You’ll also face fewer risks in ruining your beard, which even the slightest muscle spasm can cause with trimmers.

However, if you have a short, well-trimmed beard, scissors may be of little use to you. Instead, consider investing in some quality beard trimmers.

How To Choose The Best Beard Scissors

Firstly, there are two considerations to take into account before choosing the best beard and moustache scissors for you: quality and size. Whilst the quality dictates the type of steel used to make the scissors, the size plays a role in their versatility and portability.

Both aspects are relatively independent of one another and it can be hard to find genuinely high-quality scissors in smaller sizes. For instance, there are many unbranded smaller scissors that claim to be ideal for moustaches and beards.

However, these affordable tools often lack the quality of higher-end hairdressing scissors. Nevertheless, high quality hairdressing scissors can be both far too large for using on your beard and they’re also very expensive.

Japanese Vs. German Stainless Steel

The most celebrated steels used for hair scissors are either from Japan or Germany. Both differ in terms of sharpness and durability and so offer different types of quality. However, take note that both are high quality steel but offer different experiences.

Japanese steel is more refined and therefore more delicate. Yet its curved cutting edge cuts smoothly with a clean action. Japanese steel is by far one of the most precise materials yet it requires a greater degree of maintenance. As the steel is more refined, it tends to dull faster and therefore requires regularly sharpening.

German steel is a sturdy alternative to Japanese manufacturing. It is formed with thicker plates and the cutting surface is slightly bevelled. Therefore, it is designed to hold hair more confidently. As the steel is less refined and more hardy than Japanese steel, it takes longer to dull and is less likely to develop nicks.

Although these may feel like only minor concerns, you may want to keep the above factors in mind if you want a high quality pair of scissors.

Scissor Length & Handedness

Many scissors for home-use usually come as ambidextrous models. However, they tend to lean on easier usage for right-handed people. Furthermore, some professional-grade scissors are only available for right-handed use.

Nevertheless, there are options available for left-handed men, which you will find in our top 5 selection. Be sure to keep this factor in mind when choosing scissors if you’re left-handed.

Although length comes down to personal preference, it’s hard to make the decision without having tried them first. As mentioned above, the highest quality scissors are used by professional hairdressers. Therefore, their length tends to be slightly longer from 5.5 inches (14 cm) to up to 7 inches (17.75 cm)!

Needless to say, 7-inch barber shears are far too long even for the mightiest beard. However, 5.5 inches is ideal for longer and thicker beards. A possible alternative can be found in moustache and travel scissors, which are around 4 inches (10 cm) in length.

Yet if you’re looking for something versatile and usable on most beard and moustache lengths, you would fare well around the 5 inch (12.7 cm) mark.

How To Use Beard & Moustache Scissors

Although tricky and somewhat awkward at first, simply follow these steps to use beard and moustache scissors properly:

1. Wash your beard and dab dry with a clean towel.
2. Comb the beard properly as explained in our beard comb guide.
3. Beard comb out to reveal all hairs on their ends.
4. Ensure your beard is fully dry before you continue.
5. Carefully cut down one side in increments using a comb as a guide.
6. Don’t over-cut and remove the same length all over.
7. Comb down cut side to see the results
8. Cut down the same side.
9. Comb out the hairs under the chin and cut away stray hairs.
10. Comb hair back and cut away any remaining strays.
11. Wash the beard again to remove remaining hair clippings.
12. Oil and brush your beard to replenish cut ends.

Firstly, remember that it’s always better to cut your beard when dry. This is because your beard will hang differently off your face due to gravity and hairs will stick together. When dry, it will be its usual self and you’ll be able to trim more accurately.

Furthermore, consider using a comb to help cut away the right length every time. Combing through the beard at a slight angle helps you identify what you want to be removing with what comes through the teeth.

Be sure that you cut away the same amount with some consistency and be especially careful not to take away too much. Consider taking off less than you want at first then comb the hair back a few times to check how close you are from the desired length.

Scissor Maintenance

Remember to clean your scissors when finished and store them somewhere dry and secure. Some steels are carbon-based and are prone to rust. Moreover, they’re quite fragile so make sure they’re not somewhere perilous where they can crash onto the bathroom floor.

After about 6 months of use, you may notice the blades beginning to dull. Make sure to get them sharpened so they don’t tug or pull at the hairs, which causes uneven cutting.

What Next?

Now that you have read about beard and moustache scissors, be sure to check out our other beard accessory guides. For instance, you can read our beard comb guide, an indispensable addition when using scissors to trim your beard.

Otherwise, check out more of our related content:

• How To Grow & Trim A Beard
• Best Beard Oil
• Moustache Guides
• Hairstyle Guides
• Bespoke Unit Grooming Home