If you have been spending your days staring at the mirror, observing the hair sprouting above your lips, along your jawline, extending down your sideburns and circling your neck, congrats! It's officially time to take the reins of your life in your own hands and decide whether you want to sneak in a full-fledged Shaving Kit or order yourself a stylish Beard Trimmer.

While it’s normal to have divided sentiments around trimming and shaving, both techniques will leave you a winner in the end. Just like the age-old debate over tea and coffee on which one is the superior nectar, this comparison between the two grooming tools is quite futile. One cannot be better than the other and there’s no thumb rule to make a choice between shaving and trimming. Both of them have quite unique results, which work best in a cohesive unison. But as a first timer if you were to invest in either one of them, here’s an exhaustive comparison between the two and you can select the one that comes closest to your expectations. 

Friendly disclaimer: Neither of the two affects the speed of your hair growth, texture, thickness or colour. So, don’t move ahead with any prejudice against one or the other. 

WHAT IS TRIMMING? 

Trimming is the act of cutting, shortening and styling the hair growth on your face to achieve a uniform and neat look. It helps you tame the facial wilderness without depriving you of the joy of still sporting some amount of facial hair. Trimmers, with different-length comb attachments, allow you the freedom to carry your unique style by letting you trim your facial hair to different lengths. In short, they set you on a journey of self-exploration that will liberate you through the freedom to achieve multiple looks.

 

BENEFITS OF TRIMMING YOUR BEARD

       

• Ensures Better Safety

Trimmers are extremely easy to use, just like a new Bluetooth device that requires you to start listening to your favourite music with a simple step of connecting it to your device. You just hit the power button and go at it. Thanks to this ease of use, it is less likely to give you any nicks and cuts. This makes it a great choice for beginners and amateurs. Here are a few things you should keep in mind while buying a trimmer online.

• Faster & Convenient 

Trimming is the quickest way to get rid of facial hair and also the most convenient one. This, especially, makes it perfect for you if you’re new in the game. All it takes is a few swift movements here and there and bam, you’ll see yourself sporting a super neat look.  

• Doesn’t Make You Shockingly Different

You’ve come a long way from when the first strand of fluff started growing on your skin, and you have seen yourself like that ever since. Sudden removal of all your hair may make you look very different for a day or two. A Beard Trimmer gives you the freedom to customise how much hair you want to remove, thanks to the different trimmer combs that allow you to choose your ideal hair length, while still ensuring the desired measure of neatness.

• No-Hassle Promise

It saves you from elaborate preparations, so all you need to do is keep it charged and trim your beard. 

• Freedom To Style

A trimmer allows you the freedom of experimentation. You can create any look while still sporting some facial hair. So, if you are at a stage where you already have fuller beard growth that can be styled, you will love your trimmer even more. 

        

WHAT IS SHAVING? 

  

If you’re excited about finally putting a blade in the Razor and no more just ‘pretend’ to shave, you deserve the steel in all its glory. Shaving delivers a super close hair removal from your face, so get ready to put your neatest face forward ever since you hit puberty. It does come with a slightly longer list of caution because of the sharp blades involved, but nothing comes closer to feeling like a man than going all in for a shave.  

If you're wondering how to choose the best razor for yourself, here's first timer shavers' guide to buying a razor

BENEFITS OF SHAVING YOUR FACE

• Better Sense of Control

There’s no involvement of an electronic motor (in traditional razors) and so it gives you a better sense of control while removing facial hair through shaving. You learn everything from applying the right pressure to the art of gliding with a handheld razor while enjoying a better sense of control while shaving. The absence of any machinery operating on the face makes a handheld Razor less intimidating and easier to establish your command over.

• Gives You a Neater & Sharper Look

You may or may not have a beard that is full enough to be styled and carrying an uneven spread may not project a tidy look. This is where shaving comes in. It helps you create that sharp, clean, and edgy look which is appreciated better for teens and young adults in the academic and professional sphere.

• Helps You Maintain Healthy Skin

In your young years, it is essential that you take good care of your skin. Shaving your facial hair periodically reduces the chances of accumulation of dirt and impurities. Plus, using enriching Shaving Products can even help you replenish your skin with its natural nutrients and help you achieve healthier skin.

 POINTS TO REMEMBER ABOUT SHAVING 

• More prone to give cuts and bumps

Shaving involves a manual movement of a blade across your face, and lack of experience increases the chance of causing cuts and nicks. Having said that, this is a route you will have to take in order to gain those golden bits of experience and master the act of shaving. Just make sure you give your undivided attention to the whole process to avoid hurting yourself. 

• Needs regular switching of blades

Contrary to the popular misbelief that shaving with a sharp blade can lead to more cuts, blunt blades are more likely to hurt and cause razor burns. Razor blades need to be regularly changed to avoid inviting such problems.

• Can result in ingrown hair

Shaving with razors can cause ingrown hair on your face, which is when hair, instead of growing out, starts to grow inwards. This may cause irritation and redness that may last for 2 to 3 weeks. This can be avoided with the following steps:

• Shave with the grain. Don’t shave in the opposite direction 

• Exfoliate your facial skin regularly

• Keep your razor blades sharp

• Do a warm water shave with shaving cream or foam

IN SHORT…

In the end, it’s your call whether you want to trim or shave your facial hair. Both methods solve different purposes and should be learnt and mastered to make them useful in the long run. Sooner or later, you will indulge in both, when it comes to experimenting with your looks. So, now that you have a fair idea of how both processes work for a beginner, you get to choose what helps bring out the best of you.