The 1 Inch Beard: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know

The 1-inch beard is considered a milestone by many men. Some set this landmark length as their objective and work carefully towards achieving it. 

It doesn’t just happen. It takes time, it takes proper grooming, it takes discipline. 

Plus, it’s considered a very respectable medium beard length, and it’s becoming more and more popular by the day. 

If you’re just looking for a good 1-inch beard trimmer, consider the Wahl Self-Cut Clippers Model 79467 is the one to go for. Click here if you’d like to take a look at it on Amazon.

You’re about to everything you could want to know about this beard length. Consider this the complete guide to the 1-inch beard. 

What it looks like, how long it takes, why it’s great, and how to trim it. Let’s get started. 

What Does A 1-Inch Beard Look Like?

It can sometimes be difficult to visualize a beard length in your head. Often, a specific beard length is longer or shorter than you’d originally thought. 

1-inch amounts to 25mm. If that makes it any easier to visualize, great. If not, take a look at this picture. This is what a 1-inch beard looks like. 

How Long Does It Take To Grow A 1 Inch Beard?

Around 7 to 8 weeks. 

However, it’s always a difficult question to answer, as every man’s rate of growth is different. I wouldn’t want to promise you anything, as it may take you longer, or shorter.

But, in general, after 7 to 8 weeks, you should expect the length to be more than an inch. 

Also, you can expect the hairs within your beard to consist of different lengths. Some will be longer, and some will be shorter after the duration of time I specified. 

This is normal. 

What I’m talking about is the average length of all of the beard hair. After 7 to 8 weeks, you can expect this to be a little more than 1 inch. 

Benefits Of The 1 Inch Beard

Now that you’ve been formally acquainted with this beard length, it’s time to wonder whether it’s for you. 

That’s why I wanted to give you a rundown of the benefits it brings to many and could bring to you. 

1. It’s extremely rugged, yet sophisticated

At this length, the beard usually looks thick, full, and incredibly manly. A man who wears a 1-inch beard could never be an “accidental beardsman”. 

Particularly when well-groomed and neat, this beard can speak volumes about a man. It shows that he’s willing to commit to a higher maintenance look, for one. 

There comes a point where rugged and masculine may be seen as shabby and slovenly. 

What I love about the 1-inch beard is that it is a proper beard length, but is still relatively easy to groom and to keep sophisticated. 

If well-groomed, brushed, combed, oiled and so on, it’s still short enough to look very spiffy indeed.

2. There are so many styling options

Stubbled and short-bearded men often become frustrated by the lack of options they have when it comes to styling. 

Sure, short, medium, and heavy stubble can still be shaped and groomed in interesting ways. Short beards too, of course. 

But a medium-length beard such as the 1-inch will give you many options. It’s a length that you would never get bored with. 

From the Hollywoodian to the Van Dyke, you won’t be stuck for very long. If you aren’t sure, rock up with this beard length to your barber and explore what options are available to you. 

3. It’s a nice, round number to remember

“The 1-inch beard” just has a ring to it. It’s short, sweet, and memorable. It just seems to roll off the tongue and stick in your head. It’s also an easy length to give to your barbers whenever you visit them. 

It’s no surprise that it piques the curiosity of so many aspiring beardsmen. 

A Good 1-inch Beard Trimmer

Although there are several that I would say were worthy of your beard, I do only want to recommend one device. 

At these longer lengths, you’re better off using clippers. You’ll be saving yourself a lot of hassle. Besides, there aren’t many decent beard trimmers that would be able to cope at this length.

The Wahl Model 79467 is a high-quality, affordable piece of machinery.

Click here to check it out on Amazon.

Also, the #8 attachment guard is the magical 1-inch length. 

How To Trim A 1 Inch Beard In 4 Steps

This should give you a very good idea of how to trim a straightforward, classic 1-inch beard like the one in the photo above. 

At these lengths, it can be nerve-wracking to trim it yourself with the thought of messing it up hanging over you. 

If you’re at all unsure, go to a barber! They’re the experts. Once you’ve seen them do it a few times, you’ll have a better idea of how to do it yourself. 

Step 1. Grow it out

To trim this length, you’ll need to trim down to this length. In this case, it will need to be longer than 1 inch before you can even start. 

Like I stated above, 7-8 weeks is the usual amount of time it will take. To be fairly confident you’ve passed this length, give it 8 or 9 weeks of growth. 

You may need to neaten it up, groom it, and so on along the way. It can get untidy pretty quickly. You don’t want to wait 8 weeks before you start tidying it up – that could get very unpleasant. 

I’ll give you some grooming tips at the end. 

But give it a good 8 weeks before you start trimming down. If, when it comes time to trim down, you notice that you just aren’t catching enough hairs with your 1-inch attachment guard, it’s not long enough yet. 

Give it a little bit more time, and try again. Every man’s rate of growth is different. 

Step 2. Trim (most of it) down to 1-inch 

I’ll explain the “most of it” shortly. 

Once it’s time to trim, grab your pair of clippers and attach the 1-inch guard. With the Wahl clippers I recommended earlier, the #8 attachment is the one you need. 

Trim your beard, starting from the chin and mustache areas. Starting here allows you to keep the cheek hair a little bit longer.

Hair tends to run thinner in the cheeks, so keeping it longer here gives the impression of thickness and keeps the beard looking more even in length. 

But alternatively, you could trim the cheeks down to 1-inch, and then trim the relatively thick areas of the mustache and chin down to a size shorter. This is another method of trying to achieve a more even length. 

However, you may actually prefer the mustache longer and more “overbearing”. Certain styles take this to the extreme, like the “mustache with stubble”. 

If you prefer a longer mustache, vary the attachment guards to account for this. 

The main point to take away is that slightly varying the length of hair across the beard is the best way to get a balanced, full, and evenly distributed look. 

Step 3. Define the neckline and cheek line 

At these lengths, a beard can quickly be considered unkempt and untidy. The easiest way to reduce this risk is by defining the borders. 

The neckline is the border between your neck hair and neck skin.

Further up north, your cheek line is the border between your cheek hair and cheek skin. 

Neck stubble can look terrible, especially when it starts to crawl toward your chest and chest hair. Stray cheek hair crossing the cheek line can look untidy as well, but some men do prefer this more “natural” look. 

After you’ve trimmed your beard down to 1-inch (on average), it’s time to define your neckline. Here’s a quick step-by-step on how to do this. 

1. Visualize a point two-finger widths above your Adam’s Apple. Now picture a curve that runs from earlobe to earlobe, passing through this point.
2. Slant this curve upwards in both directions, roughly following the angle of your jawline. 
3. Using the naked blade of your clippers, trim this line and everything beneath it.

The cheek line is less technical. It’s usually best to just sharpen up your natural cheek line.

Everyone’s cheek line is different – some men have a curved one, and some a straight one. 

Once you’ve visually marked out your natural cheek line, simply trim and shave any stray hairs that lie above it. 

How To Groom A 1 Inch Beard

These little grooming tips should serve you well. Not only once you’ve reached this beard length (and beyond), but also on your way to it. 

1. Wash it regularly

An unwashed beard is impossible to make attractive. It’ll look patchy and thin. 

Wash it routinely to get rid of debris, unwanted smells, and so on. 

2. Consider brushing

A boar bristle beard brush should become a very close acquaintance. Brushing has its benefits. 

Doing so tames the beard to lay in preferred directions.

Consider the Seven Potions boar bristle beard brush, if you havent already got one. Click here to check it out on Amazon.

3. Use beard oil 

It’s arguably the most popular beard grooming product on the market, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. 

Beard oil often contains essential oils such as argan oil and jojoba oil. 

It can give a beard a nice, mild shine. Knowing when to start using it and how much to apply are topics of other articles. 

4. To comb or not to comb? 

This one I’ll leave up to you. In my opinion, I’d say it wasn’t necessary at 1 inch. It’s not long enough to see much benefit from it.

The main benefits of combing are untangling and styling longer hair. Once a beard has had 2-3 months’ worth of growth, the deeper hair can be difficult for the bristles of a beard brush to reach.