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Mumbai-based celebrity hair stylist Aalim Hakim (in pic) believes that no professional hairstylist would advise that you cut your own hair while in lockdown. However, if your hair keeps getting into your eyes and you are in dire need of a trim, here are some quick tips to get your haircut and beard style right:

Gather your tools: a pair of scissors, comb, mirror and a towel.

Pick the right cut for your face: Finding the right hairstyle for your face is half the battle won. Hakim recommends that those with a round face should keep the sides a little sharp and add a little length on top so that their face looks more elongated and sharper. Similarly, keep the back short and sharp. Those with a thin, lankier face should try and keep hair longer on the sides to cover their ears and the rest of the hair floppy so their face looks more oval/diamond-shaped.

Dampen your hair prior to cutting as it is important and makes it easier to cut. Post this run a comb through it to keep it inline.

A large mirror is preferable while you do this. If you don’t have one, ensure you lean in closer to the bathroom mirror. Keep checking the mirror while you cut your hair. Once you have your desired look, stop.

When it comes to beards, however, celeb hairstylist Hakim believes the lockdown is the perfect time to experiment with a new look. Some of the styles he’d recommend men try are the anchor beard, a french beard, a soul patch and a handlebar moustache. He shares some step-by-step guidelines for each:

- Using your scissor and comb, bring down your overall moustache length to about 1/5 of an inch. Keep it longer at the edges around your mouth

- Start defining the shape of your handlebar moustache by following your lip line to the corner of your mouth and trimming in a downward direction. Create clean edges and tidy up any stray hair around your handlebar moustache

- Create a neat parting with rounded edges in the middle of your handlebar moustache

- Give yourself a clean shave on the cheeks, chin and neck, taking extra care around your moustache

- Comb and re-shape the ends of your moustache by twisting the edges around your fingers into a curl you like

- Start shaving by moving inwards from the side locks towards the centre leaving the beard around the mouth and chin area including the moustache

- Smile to check the desired line for the French beard. Imagine a line that runs from the sides of your nose down the corner of your lips and shave everything in between that line and your ear, leaving the hair around the chin and moustache

- Make sure the moustache and chin remain connected creating a square or round shape depending on the face shape

- You can switch up this look by experimenting with different lengths

- Use scissor and comb to even out your beard hair length

- Wash your face with hot water or apply a hot towel on your beard as it will help soften the facial hair as well as opens the pores

- Apply a shaving gel or foam and massage it in a circular motion all over the face and neck area to condition the skin for a smooth shave

- To achieve this look, the soul patch and goatee at the chin will be connected to create an anchor shape. The corner of the anchor should hug the jawline of the face. Keep the length and shape as required

- You can keep your moustache in a pencil-shaped or a pyramid-shaped disconnected with your anchor beard

- Give yourself a close shave

- After finishing, wash your face with cold water and apply aftershave lotion or balm to close your pores and soothe the skin

- Clean shave your entire face while leaving a small downward-facing triangle of hair below your lower lip that extends to a small spot above your chin

- Your shaving strokes can be in a downward direction from the sideburns to the chin going through your neck

- If you need an extra close shave you can use your strokes in an upward direction against the grain of your hair

- Try different lengths with this look. A short soul patch can be barely noticeable while a long one can create an air of mystery