Paul McCartney Beard: How to Get His Rebel Style

Paul McCartney is remembered as one of the favorite members of the legendary Beatles.

He didn’t stop there as he had a really successful career even after leaving the group.

His legendary songs Let it Be or Come Together will always echo in the minds of fans.

Besides taking his career in a completely new direction, Paul also changed his style and started growing a beard.

It was unusual at first, but later people saw the potential of Paul McCartney’s facial hair.

So much so that many guys wanted to copy it.

You can’t simply style this look as any other beard.

In order to really get the crisp vibe that McCartney had you need to follow all the steps and style it properly.

Here you will find all the info about creating a Paul McCartney beard that you’ll carry with pride.

Mustache Phase

Paul McCartney was in Liverpool with his parents when a good friend visited him for the weekend. They rented two mopeds and set out on a moonlit night ride to the nearby town of Viral.

During the ride, he fell and hit the asphalt head-on. The doctor sewed up his lip, but a large scar remained. To cover it up, Paul decided to grow a mustache.

When he did so, the rest of the band thought it was a brilliant idea. Not too long afterward, all of the four Beatles had mustaches on the cover of the legendary Sgt. Pepper album, which became a worldwide hit.

Naturally, as the Beatles were fashion icons, mustaches were being grown on men’s faces all around the world during the 70’s.  And the Beatles changed a few mustache styles as well.

Paul McCartney’s Famous Beard Styles

During the Beatles era, Paul had grown a beard twice – in 1966 and 1968, but the beard hadn’t stayed for long (the latter one remained for almost a year, though).

It was a simple full-grown beard without trimming or maintenance (except maybe for the cheek lining). But it was never as long as John Lennon’s full beard.

But in 1970, after spending two months on a family holiday on a farm in Campbeltown, Scotland, Paul McCartney grew maybe his best beard. This was just before the Beatles fell apart, and Paul was secluded in Scotland with his family while trying to get away from all the publicity and attention.

A rather unexpected visit happened – a Life Magazine photographer had found them and took a photo of the family. Paul had grown a beard again and as soon as the world saw him with a beard, the mania for facial hair was out again.

Soon after, he returned to London and recorded his first album without the Beatles. They hadn’t even officially broken up yet, but as John Lennon had already announced that he would be leaving the band, Paul wanted to get ahead and release the songs written at the Scottish retreat soon.

Using only a rudimentary four-track recorder, he sang and recorded all instruments, except for backing vocals by his wife, Linda. Three months later, “McCartney” arrived in stores, an album full of brilliant songs but marked by almost amateur sound quality, different from the complex orchestrations created during the Beatles’ partnership with producer George Martin.

While there is nothing stylistically special about Paul’s beards over the years, they have undoubtedly created various fashion trends worldwide. Paul’s beards over the years have been grown and ever-so-slightly trimmed at the top cheeks or shortened a bit with scissors.

Tools Needed to Maintain It

Beard care does not only mean washing and hydrating but also beard trimming, which is extremely important for the quality and appearance of the beard and mustache. Just as you regularly go for haircuts, your beard should go through these “refreshments” as well.

Not everyone has the same beard shape, so it can be a must to use beard tools to pull off Paul McCartney’s beard style. You will need:

Comb

A good beard comb helps you curb beard hair and make it easier to cut.

Choose a wooden comb specially designed for haircuts and beard care or a hand-made beard brush. Wooden combs are a much better and healthier option because they have the ability to absorb excess fat and distribute it properly throughout the beard.

They also do not cause static electricity, which is important if you want to keep your hair under control (and you will have to when pulling off Paul’s beard).

Scissors

Make sure you get quality and sharp scissors because you don’t want them to get stuck in the beard, which is usually stronger and harder than the hair on your scalp. Scissors must be sharp and precise to cut the beard hair as you wish.

Trimmer

Beard trimmers are quite easy to find and buy. Any average trimmer will do for Paul McCartney’s beard style.

If you just let your beard grow, many hairs of uneven length would appear, protruding in all directions.

How to Get This Style

Step 1 – Let it grow

As Paul has had beards that are quite simply in style and don’t need much maintenance, the first step would be to let it grow for a month or two, depending on how fast your beard grows. When the beard reaches the stage of being able to be combed and washed, then a bit of maintenance will be needed.

Step 2 – Combing

During the growth process, the most important thing is combing. Not oils, balms, or haircuts – combing is much more important.

Of course, washing the beard is done for hygienic reasons, and in most cases, it is enough to wash the beard with warm water every couple of days and maybe once or twice a week with beard shampoo. But combing the beard with a perfect wood beard comb will fix a scraggly beard with ease and make it quite healthy.

Namely, combing eliminates ingrown hairs, knots, fallen and unhealthy hair. By combing, we ventilate the beard, straighten it and allow it to grow unhindered. And it has to grow unhindered to pull off the McCartney beard.

The beard is soft without additional oils for some men, while some men apply additional oils to the chin by combing.

Step 3 – Moisturizing

Speaking of oiling, it is the final step to getting it healthy and stylish. Naming the benefits of using the best beard wax, oils, and balms for hygienic reasons is quite unnecessary.

What is important for the McCartney beard style is that oils will enable the shaping of the beard. And when the beard grows a bit too long, using the world’s best beard moisturizer for the best result of combing and trimming is necessary.

Step 4 – Trimming

After your beard has grown fully, it is time to trim it a bit but not too much. The beard will have that full and rich volume that Paul has had but nothing too savage. And you will have no unpleasant experiences of shaving sensitive skin.

• Sideburns – are shortened with scissors to be shorter than the rest of the beard. 
• Cheek line – trimmed with a trimmer to have a slightly curved line. 
• Mustache – no hair over the lips, mustache the length of the sideburns (shorter than the rest of the beard).  
• Front beard – fully grown, shortened with scissors when needed. 
• Neckline – no hard trims, simple scissor cuts for maintaining the length.

And that’s it! You have a beard just like sir Paul McCartney.

How to Maintain and Style It

Quick Trimming Tips

• Always trim your beard when it is dry.
• Before cutting the hair, comb it well and untangle the potential knots to ensure that every hair is in its place. It will be easier to notice and remove if it is not visible.
• Start with smaller cuts and gradually increase them to make as few mistakes as possible.
• Find the hairs that protrude on the mustache and gently remove them with scissors.
• Finally, comb your beard again to ensure everything is the way you wanted it.

In between trimmings, it is necessary to take care of your beard. Do the following:

Step 1 – Clean it

We will try to wash it about three times a week, using our fingers so that the soap reaches the skin. The water with which we rinse should not be very hot since the skin dries out and we will have problems combing it.

Step 2 – Moisturizing 

The most recommended are oils and balms. Before combing it, we will apply a little product to our hands and distribute it throughout the beard, insisting that it penetrates the skin and hydrates in-depth.

Step 3 – Comb daily

It is advisable to comb just after having hydrated it, avoiding doing it when you get out of the shower and after drying the beard with the dryer since, at that time, the hairs become weaker.

Best Products to Maintain This Look

Comb and Brush

Stimulate circulation, massage the skin under the beard, remove dirt and dead skin cells, and prevent the appearance of knots and tangled beards. The comb is for longer and thicker beards (full-grown McCartney beard), while the brush is great for shorter beards (while growing it).

Shampoo

Your beard and mustache must be clean to prevent irritation and maintain the hygiene of the beard and facial skin under it. You can find a premium beard shampoo or nothing too fancy – up to you.

Oils and Balms

For extra hydration and softening of beard hair, make your beard silky and gentle to the touch. Hydration is also important for the prevention of dandruff and itching.

Scissors and Trimmers

For maintaining the length of the beard and mustache.

Bonus: A beard styling product such as wax or cream.

Conclusion

As you can see, growing a beard like a Beatle is no big deal. Those who are lucky enough to have a lush beard and hair can pull off the 60’s and 70’s look with ease. All you need to buy are simple beard maintenance products, which will be the most fuss you’ll ever have with this beard style.

Good luck and rock on!

Photos from: stetsik / depositphotos.com, dusanpetkovic / depositphotos.com, collins_photography