Beard Fade: How We Blend Your Beard Into Your Haircut

A beard fade blends your beard into your haircut: the hair gets gradually shorter from the beard up through the sideburns until it meets the faded sides of the cut, with no line between them. It's what makes a cut and a beard look like one finished style, and blending the beard into the cut is part of our Haircut & Beard service.

Faded beard styles

Stubble fade

Stubble kept at 1 to 3 mm, fading to the skin at the sideburns. The easiest beard to wear, and sharp with any fade.

Short beard with a skin fade

A short, even beard on the cheeks and chin that fades up through the sideburns into a skin fade. Clean from every side, and easy to keep up.

Fuller beard with a taper

The length stays on the chin and jaw, and only the sideburns are faded. It keeps a full beard looking neat without losing any length.

Beard fade with a sharp line-up

The fade plus a crisp cheek line and neckline. It's the cleanest finish there is, and the one that shows up best in photos.

How we fade a beard

1. Start from the haircut. The fade on the sides decides where the beard fade begins.

2. Bring the sideburns down through the guards, shortest at the top, so they match the fade.

3. Set the beard length on the cheeks and chin with a guard.

4. Blend where the beard meets the sideburn, flicking the clipper out so there's no line.

5. Line up the cheeks and neckline with a trimmer. The neckline sits about a finger or two above the Adam's apple.

6. Finish with a hot towel (an add-on) and a little beard oil.

A Haircut & Beard takes 60 to 75 minutes. A beard trim or line-up on its own takes 15 to 40.

Should you fade your beard?

If you wear a fade, yes: it connects the cut to the beard so the two look like one style. It also makes lighter growth on the upper cheeks look intentional, and it keeps a fuller beard neat at the sides.

What fade looks best with a beard?

A low or mid skin fade, or a taper, suits most beards because it keeps enough hair at the sideburns to blend into. A high fade looks best with stubble or a short beard. And with a shaved head, the beard itself gets the shape and the clean lines.

Beard fades and face shapes

The fade sits at the sideburns on every face. What changes is where the beard keeps its length:

• Oval: almost any beard works. Keep the cheeks a little shorter than the chin to hold the balance.

• Round: keep the cheeks tight and some length on the chin, with sharp cheek lines, to lengthen the face.

• Square: stubble or a short beard shows off a strong jaw; a slightly rounded chin softens it.

• Triangle (wider at the jaw): keep more fullness on the cheeks and less on the chin.

• Diamond: fuller on the chin and jaw to balance wide cheekbones, shorter on the cheeks.

• Heart: fuller on the chin and jaw to add width to the lower face.

• Long (oblong): fuller on the sides and shorter on the chin, so the face doesn't look longer.

What to tell your barber for a beard fade

Three things: how short you want the fade to start at the top of the sideburns (skin, or a 1/2 or a 1 to match your haircut), the guard for the beard on your cheeks and chin (for example a 2 or a 3), and how you like your lines (a natural cheek line or a sharp line-up, and where the neckline sits). If you're getting a haircut too, ask for the beard to be faded into it.

How long a beard fade lasts

About two to three weeks. The fade grows out first at the sideburns, so most clients touch up the beard with every haircut.

Keeping it sharp between visits

• Comb it out and trim with the same guard your barber used on the cheeks.

• Keep the neckline where your barber set it; don't creep it up toward the jaw.

• Leave the fade at the sideburns for your next visit; it's the hardest part to redo at home.

• Use beard oil daily to keep the hair soft and the skin underneath comfortable.

Beard fades and beard trims at Rooted

A haircut and beard, faded together, by barber level:

• Student barber: $22

• Junior barber: $42

• Senior barber: $57 to $67

• J-Roots, master barber: $127

A beard trim or line-up on its own is $12 to $42, or $82 for a line-up and beard with J-Roots. See all prices. We're at 15 Simcoe St S in Downtown Oshawa, open Monday to Wednesday 12 to 10, Thursday to Saturday 10 to 10 and Sunday 12 to 8. Book your haircut and beard.

Beard fade questions

Is a faded beard attractive?

It looks clean and deliberate from every angle, and it ties your beard to your haircut, which is why it pairs so well with a fade.

How long does a beard fade take?

With a haircut, 60 to 75 minutes in total. A beard trim or line-up on its own takes 15 to 40 minutes.

How much is a beard trim in Oshawa?

At Rooted, $12 to $42 by barber level, or $82 for a line-up and beard with J-Roots. With a haircut it's $22 to $127.