All You Need to Know About Caring For Your Beard
As a male grooming products care company, we get a lot of beard-related questions from customers. Do you actually need to use a beard oil? Is it possible to make your beard grow thicker or faster? And why don’t regular shampoo and conditioner cut it for your beard?
To simplify your journey to a beard fit for a god, we’ve assembled a page with our most frequently asked questions. You’ll not only learn more about Beard products and how to use them optimally, but also the facts behind why your beard acts the way it does (dry skin, dandruff, itch, etc.) and how to combat these issues.
CAN I USE A FACIAL CLEANSER OR REGULAR SHAMPOO FOR MY BEARD?
You might think that using regular shampoo is fine for cleaning your beard, but this is not the case. Facial hair tends to be frizzy and unruly, causing the skin underneath to become irritated and itchy. Meanwhile, regular shampoo dries your skin, which aggravates the irritation and itch that already comes with growing a beard. Facial cleansers have a similar effect, stripping your beard of natural oils and leaving hair brittle.
Formulated by industry experts and tested by beard aficionados, Beard shampoo is made to target the specific issues associated with facial hair. Beard Shampoo and Conditioner not only clean and condition your beard and face, but also protect you from the elements with natural antioxidants. Regular use of Beard Shampoo and Conditioner will keep your beard soft, fresh, and looking great.
WHY DO I NEED TO USE A BEARD OIL?
Long story short, beard oil makes your beard smell, look, and feel better.
To understand the benefits of beard oil, it’s important to first understand the cause of the most common beard ailments. Your skin naturally produces a substance called sebum. Sebum is secreted from your sebaceous glands through your hair follicles and sits on the surface of your skin to maintain optimal skin health. It does this by:
Preventing your skin from losing too much water
Keeping too much water from entering your skin
Protecting against bacterial and fungal infections
Maintaining the skin’s optimal pH balance
This oily barrier is essential to keeping your skin supple and free from infection. It protects your skin from premature aging and is vital to the skin’s appearance and health. Ideally, you would have the perfect amount of sebum on your face to keep it just moisturized enough to prevent dry skin, but not so moisturized that you end up with breakouts. But this isn’t always the case. This oily barrier is compromised by a number of daily occurrences:
Washing the skin with soap
Dry weather
Poor diet and/or water consumption
The wicking away of sebum by the hair
One of two things occurs as a result:
Your skin dries out from a lack of sebum. Flakiness, itchiness, and irritated skin result from the unprotected skin.
Your skin compensates for the lack of sebum by creating more sebum. The skin becomes excessively oily, leading to clogged pores and acne.
So how does beard oil help? In essence, beard oil mimics your skin’s sebum to maintain optimal skin health. An effective beard oil contains a mixture of natural oils that replenish and protect the skin underneath your beard to stave off common beard ailments like dryness, flakiness, itchiness, and acne. Beard oil also conditions hair, making your beard softer, shinier, and more manageable. Just a few drops applied daily will revitalize and rehydrate your beard for softer, more manageable hair. Regular use will soothe the skin beneath the beard and hydrate your hair without any oily residue. We have taken into account the average man's beard needs while working with the experts to develop a uniquely effective product.
SHOULD I BRUSH / COMB MY BEARD DAILY?
Brushing and combing your beard should be done regularly. Obviously, we all want to look our best and not have an unkempt appearance. But brushing and combing your hair goes beyond just looking sharp. The coarseness and wiriness of beard hair means it can tangle easily and cause irritation to the skin beneath. Using a beard brush and comb will combat this rather uncomfortable situation by straightening the hair and detangling the knots, leaving you with a softer and more manageable beard.
WHAT IS THE BEST TYPE OF BRUSH TO USE?
As you might have already guessed, there are a lot of options when it comes to beard brushes. The trick is finding the correct one for your beard. Typically these brushes come in different sizes, and the stiffness of the bristles varies quite a bit.
The most common and highest quality bristle for these brushes is natural boar hair. For shorter beards, we recommend using a softer, second cut boar bristle brush. The softer boar bristles will feel more comfortable against your skin and will help to distribute any beard oil or balm evenly, resulting in a smoother appearance.
For longer beards, the stiffer, first cut boar bristle brushes are the perfect tool. The firmness of the bristles will penetrate the base of your beard, stimulating hair follicles to promote healthy, thick growth.
WHAT IS THE BEST TYPE OF COMB TO USE?
Combing your beard with a regular hair comb can be difficult, not to mention painful. Regular combs almost always have teeth that are too narrow for coarse beard hair, and more often than not, the flimsy teeth will break or bend, producing sub-par results.
We recommend using combs that are made with acetate, a material which is stronger than plastic and reduces static. Our plant cellulose acetate combs move evenly through all beard types. If you have a thick beard or just require extra detangling, our larger combs have wider teeth to work through any hairy situation.
HOW DO I MAKE MY BEARD GROW THICKER?
Unfortunately, there is no magic potion for hair growth. Other than eating well and staying fit, the only way to make your beard thicker is to maintain it. Brushing your beard and using beard oil will stimulate hair growth and promote a healthier, fuller looking beard, but this does not mean it will work for everyone. Let's face it: we can't all grow beards, but with the help of beard grooming products, we can improve our chances, and certainly make our beards appear thicker if nothing else.
To make your beard appear thicker, use beard balm. Beard balm helps to cover any spots that might be lacking growth by matting down the hair - sort of like a facial comb-over.
HOW DO I TRIM MY BEARD?
Trimming your beard is key to looking sharp. Electric trimmers are great tools for the job, but can be difficult to use and may cut off more hair than you desire. Using professional-grade scissors - is by far the better option for trimming. Not only will trimming with scissors be easier, but it will also give you more control over how much hair you take off.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO GET RID OF BEARD ITCH?
Itchiness and irritation are common side effects of growing a beard. The coarseness and sharpness of beard hair can irritate the skin on your neck and face, causing an unpleasant sensation commonly known as "beard itch.” This can be combated by using specially formulated products that will soften facial hair and moisturize the skin beneath. Cleaning your beard regularly with shampoo and using beard conditioner is the best place to start if you are suffering from an itchy beard.
In addition to regular cleaning, the use of a leave-in conditioner like Beard Balm or Beard Oil will help to keep your hair and skin hydrated and irritation free. And don’t forget to brush your beard — doing so will exfoliate the skin underneath and remove any knots that may be contributing to the problem.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO APPLY BEARD OIL AND BEARD BALM?
Beard oil should be applied when your hair is dry or close to it. Put a small amount of oil into the palm of your hand. Rub your hands together and work the oil into your beard using your fingertips. Be sure to reach the skin beneath the beard and apply the product evenly. Using a brush or comb will allow for a more even distribution of the oil throughout your beard.
Beard Balm can be applied to your beard whether it is wet or dry. Place a small amount of product into the palm of your hands and rub your hands together. Using your fingertips, massage the balm into your beard evenly and be sure that the product reaches the base of your beard. After the balm is applied, you will be able to tame any stray hairs with your brush and style your beard as desired.
