Chastain noticed how much trouble he was going through to maintain his beard, not to mention the complaints he heard from his clients. Guys have a few issues with their facial hair, he says, and the big one is that by growing a beard, they feel like they look like theyve let themselves go. At least, it feels that way when it gets scraggly, dull, and crispy. To help his bearded brethren, he invented the Kuschelbar , a heated brush thats somewhere between a traditional beard brush and a flat iron.
Why would you put a hot piece of metal onto your face? Because its not that hot, for starters. Chastain specifically designed the Kuschelbr to heat enough to smooth hair but not enough to burn your delicate skin. The secret is the prongs: longer inner combs keep the heated element away from your face, but shorter heated ones wrap around facial hair to smooth and straighten hair quickly and effectively. Its way easier than going at your chin with a comb and blow dryer and can be used on almost all beards as long as theyre at least a half-inch long.
Smoothing and straightening your beard, according to Chastain, can take it from Grizzly Adams to George Clooney in about 90 seconds. It allows you to control the texture of your hair so that its softer, shinier, and points in the direction you want, he says. That means flyaway hairs smooth into your beard, its easier to trim it and maintain clean lines, and it doesnt puff out and add volume to your face while still maintaining fullness (making your face look more chiseled is the point of having a beard anyway, right?). And it works on your head hair, too, so getting a sick side part is just as simple even if you have very short hair.
Getting your own Kuschelbr has never been easier its now stocked at Art of Shaving stores and online, which means you can have a well-groomed beard to kick off the new decade. Once youve plugged yours in, follow the tips below from Chastain himself.
5 Beard Straightening Tips From Hairstylist Jeffrey Chastain
1. The slower you brush, the straighter your hair gets. If you dont want a super straight beard, do one or two passes to just smooth it out and make it soft. It will make the texture and quality of your beard a lot better, he says.
2. To trim your beard, use the Kuschelbr to brush your hair in the direction you want to see volume (usually downward). Then trim it to create the face shape you want.
3. Always use it on dry hair. It will take about three times as long to do and you wont like the results, if you use it on a wet beard, says Chastain.
4. Dont be afraid to be firm. You wont get burned, so get in there and put some strength into it, says Chastain. If you press and go through slow, it will take about 90 seconds to do the whole beard, he says, but if youre timid, it will take longer.
5. Put some product in before you use it. The thicker the product, the straighter your hair is going to get, he says. Oils will make your beard shiny and smooth and a balm will make it straighter and hold it in place. Add more product afterward for extra hold.