Sideburns are short whiskers extending from the hairline to below the ears are basically hair grown on the sides of the face. Sideburns can be grown and developed on the sides of the face, extending from the hairline to run parallel to or beyond the ear. As they are on both ends of your face, it vastly impacts your final look both from your side profile and your front one. Thus it becomes imperative for one to have a regular trimming session to maintain the sideburns.
History of Sideburns
Sideburns were originally known as burnsides, named after American Civil War general Ambrose Burnside who had an amazing look that connected thick sideburns through a moustache but left the chin clean-shaven. Ambrose Burnside was a commissioner in the U.S. Army till 1853. His tenure as an army officer was less as he was criticized for his ineffectiveness at the Battle of Antietam and held responsible for the crushing Union defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg. After the notable defeat in the Civil War, he spent the rest of his days as a governor and senator of Rhode Island.
Not for his firearms, nor for his military service, but Ambrose’s luxuriant facial hair became famous for. During the times of no sideburns, he was the one creating a trend of lush sideburns. He had such a palpable influence not just on men’s grooming but on English that side-whiskers was changed to burnsides.
Sideburns Trend in the 20th Century
In World War I, sideburns went out of fashion to secure a seal on a gas mask in the early twentieth century. But quickly, in mid and end of the 20th century, it was back with full force and added craze among the people. Finally, after World War I, several armed forces allowed facial hair in all its glory, and many soldiers followed it sincerely.
During the ’50s, all around the world, most men preferred to have a specific pattern of sideburn or moustache as it then symbolized fashion, trend, style and class.
Burns later gained its popularity in the counterculture of the 1960s; the struggle of a New Jersey youth to wear sideburns to his public high school graduation made a newspaper article in 1967. Later on, sideburns were widely related to hippies, rock musicians and also became a symbol of the gay club scenes of San Francisco and Sydney.
Current Trend of Sideburns
Sideburns are still trendy and in fashion, but only if you know how to grow them,trim them and maintain them skillfully. For the one interested in beard, the Sideburns width and length go hand-in-hand, and for the one who interests in clean-shaven, Sideburns define the way the hairline finishes under the temples.
Today sideburns are classified in different names based on the cuts, shapes and sizes such as bristles, goatee, stubble, muttonchops, side whiskers.
Different types of Sideburns
Here are some beards which will never go out of style. Made famous by men in the 19th century, these killer beard styles are making a serious comeback.
1. Mutton Chops
Mutton Chops with Quiff
One among the freshest Mutton styles, this shape has gained a lot of popularity as it is easy to replicate and almost suits all the face cuts. A short and neat line across the jaw where the moustache remains light and hair is omitted from the chin area this look balance off between a nerd and a cool dude look.
Mutton Chops with Long Hair
With the solid comeback of no haircut look, this trim blends best. Keeping the line clean across the cheeks, the moustache whisks outwards to the jawline to give a perfect shape to it.
Wolverine Mutton Chops
Wolverine, famous for his strong facial hair, surely is a trending style these days. Keeping the hair along your cheeks and ear quite full and gradually shorten it as you reach the moustache inline features these styles. This look goes well with a bushy hairstyle.
Stubble Mutton Chops
Guys who want to blend neatly with little growth can go for it. The guide is to keep the length of the hair quite short against your skin and clean and tidy along the edges. Make sure you trim sideburns regularly.
Tips for the perfect Mutton Chops Sideburns
- To grow mutton chops, let your facial hair grow to the desired length, then trim the edges of your beard to get it a traditionally full and natural look.
- Be patient as this may take few weeks to get the desired mutton around your jaw and ears. Proper shaping of facial growth around your ears is quite necessary.
2. Hollywoodian
To get a cool, chic beard style that’s been grown by several celebrities in recent years, you have to cut sideburns you have and let grow your beard along your jawline, chin and mouth. But, if you have prominent cheekbones that you want to show off, this style is definitely a thumbs up as it goes along with all face cuts.
3. Goatee
For this look, your sideburns should be medium length, not extending the midpoint of your ear. The main features of a goatee are that you shape your facial hair from the corners of your mouth down to your chin. For this style, the sideburns should not touch the goatee. In addition, the cheek skin immediately adjacent to the goatee needs to be clear.
Tips for Growing Sideburns:
- Nutrition: Sideburns cannot grow without the correct nutrients in the body. To get them, it’s mandatory to eat fruits and vegetables coupled with a balanced diet, including oranges, Brazil nuts, raisins, potatoes, kale and spinach. In addition, vitamin B5, C, E, Biotin, Inositol and Niacin promotes hair growth.
- Moisturizing: Regularly moisturize your face and keep it clean from dust and dirt to grow the sideburns faster.
- Sleep: Most of us are not aware, but stress and tension can lead to hair loss and stop its growth. So, it becomes essential for one to have a proper sleep of about six to eight hours per day.
- Quit Smoking: Smoking can seriously damage your DNA to the blood vessels that nourish hair follicles. So quit smoking to get the best results.
- Micro-needling: With the help of tiny needles, micro-needling can help awaken the tiny pores in your face, increasing blood flow to your follicles and encouraging healthier hair.
Importance of Sideburns
It frames your face
Framing is a work of art that makes yourself aesthetically pleasing and makes you look absolutely best wherever placed.
Builds up confidence
As sideburns can impact your appearance, you can actually conceal your scars or acne or any marks with it and boost your confidence with its help. Naturally, if you are looking good, you will feel better and more energetic and more confident. In addition, a regular trim can work wonders.
Impacts your final look
As they are on both ends of your face, it vastly impacts your final look both from your side profile and your front one. In addition, it has the power to nullify your great beard and awesome hairstyle. Thus one needs to have well-shaped sideburns with proper length, shape, trim and density.
Self-grooming
To keep yourself clean and hygienic, one needs to go through regular trimming sessions either with a trimmer in the house or with a barber at salons. Self-grooming is not a choice but a need to be fulfilled. With proper tips and knowledge, grooming at home becomes a cakewalk where you can trim all by yourself.
Which Sideburns Will Suit your Face Shape?
More than just the appearance, sideburns are a necessity. With the help of one, you can actually change the shape of your face without going through painful and expensive face surgeries.
Long sideburns
Long sideburns extended to the bottom of the ear can help offset a long face or chin, and they’ll also help a round face look less so. Long sideburns are also best suited for square face shape as it gives your face a narrower appearance.
Short sideburns
Short sideburns that hit mid-ear look good if you have a weak chin or an oval face. Short sideburns that are made a little wide are the best way to reduce the appearance of the Oblong face type.
Medium length sideburns
Medium length sideburns that end right above the mid-ear point are best suited for Diamond faced people. However, even for Triangular face shaped people, a medium-sized is the best option and can be easily done with a trimmer at home.
Once, according to your head shape, you have decided what sideburn will suit you the best, it becomes crucial for you to pick up the correct density for the look, which is directly based on your hair type.
How To Trim Your Sideburns?
You won’t have to do much on maintenance after a fresh cut, but after a while, a small routine to maintain your sideburn will add glamour to your look. All you need is a few tools, i.e. a decent razor, some quality beard trimmer or a shavette. A shavette is the perfect tool for contouring the beard and trimming it skillfully.
Undergoing the following steps will help you to have perfect sideburns at home. The steps are:-
Step 1: Adjust the hair length of your sideburns first and shave around the sideburns. Shape your beard the way you want to, which best suits the sideburn you opt for and trim it.
Step 2: Do pick up the endpoint of your sideburn. Always do remember to keep the endpoint far larger than you want. Large ends can still be trimmed to the desired length, but short ends will leave no opportunity to do so. Thus it is important to keep the length.
Step 3: It is highly recommended to use a shavette to reduce the length of the sideburns and frame an outline. The catch here is to grab and straggle the outgrows that have gotten out of control, so don’t press it to be hard.
Step 4: Slowly let the trimmer do their job and continue with the above process until you are satisfied with the result.
Step 5: Once done, go through a check taking both index fingers to the bottom of each sideburn and analyse that whether they are on even height or not. If not, then repeat the previous few steps to get desired results.
Congratulations!!
You are now the best version of yourself with a natural-looking beard and sideburns.
Is it bad to shave your sideburns?
No..of course not. You definitely should and must shave it. As important is your regular haircut, equally important is your sideburns trim. Trimming the sideburns is an important part of any exemplary haircut. To be fully updated with the current style, it is important to choose the perfect sideburns suiting your head. It matters your side as well as front profile a lot.
It can sometimes be scary to trim it at home without the help of perfectionists, but it surely is not that difficult to do. Following some easy steps from the start to the end can solve the problem in no time. Thus grooming at home can be quite creative and fun, guys.
Moreover, good personal hygiene is important to be saved from external illness and dirt. For example, shaving your sideburns and having a regular haircut can help you safeguard yourself from outside germs and make you feel fresh and wanted all the time.
Maintaining Your Sideburns
Of all the above steps retaining the desired burns of perfect length is the most important step. It is easy to grow one, but maintaining can sometimes be a tedious task to go through.
Beard oil is one option to get, which claims to soften hair as it grows in and results in a beard that appears clean and well-groomed.
If unable to get a hair oil, then coconut oil can play the best substitute as it can soften your burns while protecting its outer layers. It is also widely believed that coconut oil stimulates hair growth. Along with that, it is also used to soften the skin on your face as a cosmetic ingredient for your face.
Your facial hairs and burns need to be properly conditioned after every wash, or else the outgrown will lead to a disaster coming out from everywhere.
Conclusion
Sideburns can be grown and developed on the sides of the face, extending from the hairline to run parallel to or beyond the ear. As it frames your face, it becomes vital to line up and maintains your sideburns.
It also impacts your final look and has the power to nullify your awesome hairstyle; thus, proper attention towards it is quite important. You should choose and trim sideburns always according to your face cut to get the best results and a great look. Regular trimming session makes your sideburns look healthy all the time. All you need is a few tools, i.e. a decent razor, some quality beard trimmer or a shavette to get the desired look in no time.
With proper maintenance, you will now have Sideburns which can make anyone jealous. You can now create the styles, can make the trends, and can head the roads of fashion. With appropriate sideburns and styles, we can all have a positive attitude.
