Removal of a beard would, for most people, be the best excuse for visiting a barber rather than trying to take care of it yourself.

Shaving "long hairs" can be painful, tedious, and messy. But a decent hair clipper (electric or even the old mechanical squeeze-n-rip) can cut it painlessly back to where just about any razor can handle it without trauma.

I general do shave "under the chin," due to some slight tenderness there; but since I don't go out often it's occasionally several days between "full cleanups." If it's been more than about 4 days, the clippers come first, then the shower and shave.

The problem is that I can't remember whether the clippers I'm using were from the "home barber kit" or are the ones I got in the "pet trimming kit" back when I had a poodle that required maintenance.

The clippers in both were essentially identical, but I had to do a little "tweaking" to take some rough edges off and square up the blades on the pet set. (Both clippers are about 30 years old.)

John