Upon realizing the facial hair that usually grows at 5 pm after shaving in the morning looks great, many men started to shave their beards and mustache minimally to produce the desired style without waiting for it to grow in the afternoon naturally. This style is called the 5’o clock shadow, and it is currently considered the manliest of men as one of the best styles of facial hair.
The 5’o clock shadow is a middle point between clean-shaven and scruffy, and because you have to trim your facial hair as carefully as possible to achieve the correct amount of hair, this specific style if often pretty tricky to pull off. As such, most men typically go to the barbershop just to get a 5’o clock shadow, but with the technology that we have today when it comes to shaving, you can now get the perfect 5’o clock shadow at home. Here is a guide to achieving a great 5’o clock shadow on your own.
Preparations
Before we get started, the most important thing that you should have to get a 5 o’clock shadow easily is a trimmer. Any trimmer will do, but it is best if you have one that has a pivoting flex head so that the trimmer will follow the angles and curves of your neck and face as you shave.
One of the best trimmers to have for the 5 o’clock shadow is the Conair Man i-Stubble Ultimate Flex Head Trimmer, which has not only a pivoting flex head but also 15 digital settings that you can customize if you want the trimmer to cut hair longer or shorter.
How to Get the Perfect 5’o Clock Shadow
If you now have an electronic trimmer, then it is time to get shaving. After turning on the trimmer’s power, set it to the lowest setting and start shaving in an upward motion from your neck up to the highest point of your facial hair, which is usually the bottom of your cheeks.
Remember to shave against the grain to receive greater results. Shaving against the grain can also prevent razor bumps and razor burns from occurring, and dealing with shaving-related skin conditions can be quite challenging and irritating, as you would have to buy several skin care products to treat it. Instead of spending money on treating burns and bumps, just keep in mind that you should always shave against the grain.
Shave as lightly as possible so that you won’t cut the hair on your face completely. However, you should shave the facial hair on your neck more often to make it look lighter than the ones on your chin and on the bottom of your cheeks, but don’t shave it too much as you won’t be able to produce the fade needed for the 5 o’clock shadow.
To shave the hair under on the bottom of your nose, pull your lips inwards and hold them using your teeth as you begin to shave upwards or against the grain. Make sure that there is still a little bit of facial hair there, as the 5 o’clock shadow wouldn’t be complete without a subtle mustache. You can match the shade of your mustache to your beard, but you can also make the mustache darker if you want to make it the highlight of your facial hair.
While your lips are still pulled inwards, shave the goatee at the top of your chin in an upwards motion as well. Remember to match the lightness of the goatee to the facial hair on your chin and jaw to make it look even.
Once you’re done shaving the goatee, put a little bit more emphasis on shaving the facial hair under your cheeks and try to create a fade. Place the trimmer lighter on the bottom part then gradually make it touch the hair slightly harder as you reach the top that is directly under the cheek. However, you can still go for a bear without a fade if you think that it will look better on you.
After shaving the bottom of your cheeks, choose the settings on the trimmer that is one or two levels higher, and then start shaving the facial hair on your neck again. Same as before, make sure that you shave as lightly as possible if you want a fade, but you can also get it clean-shaven if you don’t like having facial hair on your neck and at the bottom of your jaw.
So there you have it, the easiest way to get a 5 o’clock shadow using only a trimmer. If you think that you are not confident with your shaving skills to perform the said method, it is recommended that you go to your local barbershop instead of risking getting an uneven shave on your own.