How To Fix Beard Hairs That Stick Out

August 10, 2026

How To Fix Beard Hairs That Stick Out

You wash your beard.

You apply your products.

You comb it.

You brush it.

Everything looks good.

Then you notice one hair sticking sideways out of your face like it's trying to escape.

Welcome to having a beard.

Stray beard hairs and flyaways are completely normal, particularly when you're growing a beard to any meaningful length.

You can control them.

You can make them less noticeable.

But you're probably never going to have every single hair perfectly aligned all day and that's okay.

The trick is knowing which hairs need styling, which need more length and which genuinely need trimming.

Here's how I deal with beard hairs that stick out.

Why Do Beard Hairs Stick Out?

The main reason is simple:

Not every hair in your beard is the same length or growing in exactly the same direction.

Your beard is made up of individual hairs growing from individual follicles.

They're not all synchronised.

At any given moment, you have hairs that are:

longer;
shorter;
growing;
resting;
newly emerging;
naturally shedding;
curlier than others;
growing at slightly different angles.

That means even when the overall beard is long, there will always be shorter hairs sitting somewhere within it.

Those shorter hairs don't yet have the length or weight required to fall naturally with the rest of your beard.

So they stick out.

Shorter Beard Hairs Don't Have Enough Weight Yet

Length makes a massive difference.

If a beard hair is only an inch long and naturally grows outward, there isn't much encouraging it to lie flat.

Once that same hair reaches two, three or four inches, its own weight starts helping.

Longer hairs are also easier to:

brush into position;
coat with beard balm;
train in a particular direction;
blend into the surrounding beard.

This is why men growing a beard often experience an awkward stage where it seems to stick out everywhere.

The hair isn't necessarily doing anything wrong.

It simply isn't long enough yet.

The Awkward Beard Stage Is Real

If your beard is around an inch long and sticking out in every direction, there may not be a magic styling trick that completely fixes it.

Sometimes you have to grow through it.

This is similar to growing out the hair on your head.

There is often a length where it isn't short enough to sit neatly but isn't long enough to behave the way you eventually want.

Your options are basically:

Keep trimming it back to the tidy length.
Accept a slightly awkward period and keep growing.

If your goal is a longer beard, I'd usually choose the second option.

You can't reach a three-inch beard without first owning a one-inch beard.

Use Beard Balm To Control Flyaway Hairs

Once the beard has enough length, beard balm becomes one of the easiest ways to control hairs that stick out.

Beard balm contains heavier ingredients than beard oil and provides some light hold.

That allows you to guide stray hairs towards the rest of the beard rather than simply coating them.

The basic routine is:

Take a small amount of beard balm.
Warm it thoroughly between your palms.
Work it through the entire beard.
Pay particular attention to troublesome areas.
Brush the beard into the direction you want it to sit.

Don't just put balm directly onto one stray hair.

Coating the surrounding hairs helps everything sit together as one shape.

Think of it like styling the hair on your head.

You're guiding a group of hairs rather than trying to control one stubborn strand in isolation.

How Much Beard Balm Should You Use?

Start small.

One of the easiest mistakes is using far too much balm because one hair refuses to behave.

That usually leaves the entire beard feeling heavy or greasy without solving the underlying issue.

For most beards, begin with roughly a pea-sized amount.

Longer or exceptionally dense beards may need more.

You can always add another small amount.

Removing too much product is considerably harder.

Read our full guide on how to use beard balm properly for the complete technique.

Brush After Applying Beard Balm

The beard balm provides the hold.

The brush provides the direction.

Once the balm has been worked through the beard, take your beard brush and brush the hair into its normal shape.

Start close to the skin and move through the beard rather than only brushing the outside.

The bristles help spread the product across many individual hairs while encouraging them to sit together.

For hairs sticking out at the sides, brush down and slightly inward towards the main body of the beard.

For hairs underneath, brush them into the shape that gives your beard the volume and outline you prefer.

Read how to use a beard brush properly if you want the full brushing technique.

Can You Train Beard Hairs To Grow in a Different Direction?

You can't completely rewrite the direction a follicle naturally produces hair.

But you can influence how longer hair sits.

Consistently:

applying balm;
brushing;
styling;
positioning the hair
can help longer hairs settle in a more predictable direction.

I've done the same thing with my moustache over the years.

Regularly guiding the hairs out towards the sides has made that the natural way I now style it.

It won't happen overnight.

Think in months rather than days.

Beard Oil vs Beard Balm for Hairs That Stick Out

Beard oil and beard balm have different jobs.

Beard Oil

Primarily helps with:

conditioning;
softness;
skin moisture;
reducing dryness;
making the beard easier to comb.

Beard Balm

Adds:

light hold;
shape;
control;
help with flyaways.

If the problem is specifically one hair sticking sideways out of your beard, beard balm is usually the more useful styling product.

That doesn't mean you have to choose one or the other.

My normal routine is:

Beard oil
Comb
Beard balm
Brush

The oil handles the conditioning.

The balm handles the additional control.

Read beard oil vs beard balm if you're unsure which you need.

Should You Trim Beard Hairs That Stick Out?

Sometimes.

But don't immediately reach for the scissors every time you spot a flyaway.

Ask yourself:

Is this hair actually too long or is it too short?

That's an important distinction.

A short hair sticking sideways may eventually become long enough to blend into the beard.

If you repeatedly cut it every time it emerges, you'll continually reset it to the same awkward length.

It grows.

It sticks out.

You cut it.

It grows.

It sticks out.

You cut it again.

You've created an endless cycle.

Sometimes the solution to a short flyaway is simply patience.

Related Reading: How To Stop Damaging Your Hair

When Trimming a Stray Hair Makes Sense

Trimming can be useful when:

one hair is dramatically longer than everything around it;
the hair breaks the beard's outline;
it's damaged or split;
you're preparing for an event and want a very clean shape;
the hair genuinely refuses to sit with the rest despite adequate length.

Use sharp grooming scissors and remove as little as possible.

Don't start chasing individual hairs around the entire beard.

Once you begin looking closely in a brightly lit bathroom mirror, you'll find another one.

And another.

Before you know it, your tiny tidy-up has become a full trim.

Step away from the mirror.

Why You Shouldn't Obsess Over Individual Beard Hairs

There is no such thing as a perfectly uniform natural beard.

Even the huge, immaculate beards you see online will have stray hairs.

Lighting hides them.

Camera angles hide them.

Beard balm hides them.

Editing can hide them.

And sometimes the photograph was taken two seconds before a hair decided to stick out again.

Don't compare a living, moving beard on your face with a frozen image online.

People standing opposite you aren't analysing every individual follicle.

They're seeing the overall beard.

That slightly rebellious hair on your right cheek probably matters far more to you than it does to anybody else.

Why Wind Makes Beard Flyaways Worse

If you're outside in strong wind, forget perfection.

Wind will:

lift hairs;
separate sections;
twist the beard;
create tangles;
destroy carefully styled shapes.

No sensible amount of beard balm is going to make a large beard completely windproof.

That's simply the nature of having long hair attached to your face.

When I'm walking outside in strong Scottish wind, I'll often tie my beard.

That controls most of the length and stops the entire beard flying into my face.

There will still be shorter hairs sticking out.

That's fine.

There's a difference between styling your beard for work or a wedding and expecting it to remain immaculate while you're walking through a gale.

What About Hairs Sticking Out From the Moustache?

The moustache can be particularly stubborn because individual hairs may naturally grow:

upwards;
downwards;
towards your mouth;
sideways;
in slightly different directions on each side.
If one hair is wildly different and continually irritates you, carefully trimming it may be the easiest solution.

But for general moustache control, I'd rather use:

beard balm for light control;
moustache wax for stronger hold;
regular combing;
daily training towards the sides.

If the main problem is hairs going into your mouth, read how to keep your moustache out of your mouth.

Why Your Beard Sticks Out After Washing

A freshly washed beard may look unusually fluffy or unruly.

That's normal.

During washing, hairs move around and separate.

After drying, the beard hasn't yet been styled back into its normal shape.

A simple post-shower routine helps:

Step 1: Dry Gently

Pat and squeeze rather than aggressively rubbing the towel through the beard.

Step 2: Apply Beard Oil

Work the oil into the skin and throughout the hair.

Step 3: Comb

Use a wide-tooth comb to remove tangles.

For long beards, begin near the ends and gradually work upwards.

Step 4: Apply Beard Balm

Warm a small amount and work it through the hair.

Step 5: Brush Into Shape

Finish with the brush to distribute everything and control flyaways.

Give the beard a few minutes to settle before deciding it needs scissors.

Why Dry Beard Hair Can Stick Out More

Dry or damaged hair tends to be less manageable.

It may feel:

rough;
wiry;
brittle;
frizzy;
difficult to control.

Keeping your beard properly conditioned won't change the direction your follicles grow, but softer and more flexible hair is generally easier to style.

Use a quality beard oil as part of your normal routine and avoid repeatedly exposing the beard to unnecessary drying or damage.

Does a Beard Straightener Fix Hairs That Stick Out?

Heat can temporarily change how beard hairs sit, but it isn't necessary for everyone.

If you use heated grooming tools:

avoid excessive temperatures;
don't repeatedly run over the same section;
follow the manufacturer's instructions;
stop if the hair becomes increasingly dry or brittle.

Heat may temporarily make a beard look straighter, but you still need to work with the beard's natural growth pattern.

For most everyday flyaways, beard balm and a brush are usually enough.

Should You Just Let Flyaway Beard Hairs Grow?

Often, yes.

Particularly when they're shorter than the surrounding beard.

Time solves many beard problems.

A two-inch hair sticking sideways can become a four-inch hair with enough weight to fall naturally into the rest of your beard.

That's why constantly trimming every imperfect hair can work against you when your ultimate goal is additional length.

Give it a chance.

How To Fix Beard Hairs Sticking Out at the Sides

This is one of the most common areas.

Try this routine:

Apply beard oil after washing.
Comb out any tangles.
Warm a small amount of beard balm.
Work it thoroughly through the side of the beard.
Brush from the cheek down towards the jaw.
Use your palm to gently press the beard into shape.
Leave it for a few minutes to settle.
Reassess before trimming anything.

If the hair is simply too short to stay down, leave it.

If it's unusually long and breaking the outline, consider a tiny trim.

How To Fix Beard Hairs Sticking Out Under the Chin

Don't automatically flatten everything underneath.

The hair beneath your chin contributes massively to the overall density and shape of a longer beard.

Flattening it too aggressively can actually make the beard look thinner.

Instead, brush the underside up and outward first to separate the hairs and create volume.

Then shape the exterior into your preferred silhouette.

The aim is control not crushing the beard flat against your neck.

What If One Side of Your Beard Sticks Out More?

Beards rarely grow with perfect symmetry.

You may have:

stronger growth on one cheek;
more curl on one side;
a different growth direction;
a cowlick-like area;
different density.

Try styling before cutting.

If the asymmetry genuinely affects the overall shape and remains obvious after styling, a light professional trim can help balance it.

But don't expect both sides of a natural beard to behave identically.

They're hair, not moulded plastic.

When To Get a Professional Beard Trim

If you're constantly trying to correct individual hairs and losing the overall shape, it may be worth visiting a beard barber you trust.

A professional can look at the beard from angles you can't easily see yourself.

They can determine whether:

the outline needs balancing;
one section is genuinely too long;
the beard just needs styling;
a few damaged hairs need removing.

Explain that you're trying to retain length before they start cutting.

A good tidy should support the beard you're trying to grow, not automatically turn it into somebody else's preferred shape.

Final Thoughts

So, how do you fix beard hairs that stick out?

Start with styling rather than scissors.

Once the hair is long enough, a small amount of beard balm followed by proper brushing can control many flyaways and encourage them to sit with the rest of your beard.

If the hair is very short, patience may be the answer.

Let it gain enough length and weight to become easier to control.

Trim genuinely troublesome or damaged hairs when necessary, but avoid turning every tiny imperfection into a cutting job.

Most importantly, remember that you're growing hair on your face.

It's going to move.

It's going to react to wind.

New hairs are going to appear.

Some are going to stick out.

That's what a real beard does.

Control what you can.

Then get on with your day.

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