How to Take Care of Your Beard

With the re-popularization of beards in the last few years, comes men who aren't really sure how to properly take care of their new beard.  To add to their confusion, everybody and their brother is there to offer advice and that "one weird trick".  While the basics of beard care are fairly universal, the specifics get a bit more in depth.  In this article, I will give you the basics along with the variables that you will use to determine the best routine to keep your beard in tip-top shape.

Using Beard Oil & Beard Balm

You want to make sure your Beard is Healthy and Looks Great, right?  That's where beard care products come in.  Beard Oils and Beard Balms are a necessity.  Okay, maybe not a necessity.  But, they sure are the best thing to come along since the invention of the napkin when it comes to your beard.  They replenish the moisture to your beard and face, making it soft and getting rid of itchiness.  And, they can make it smell amazing.

How Do Beard Balms & Oils Work?

Let's get scientific for a second.  The beard hairs "wick" the oil away from your skin, causing your face to dry out and itch.  For some guys, your skin starts to over-produce it's natural oil (sebum) to compensate.  This over compensation will cause you to have a very oily face at best, and can cause acne at worst.  How does beard oil help?  Well, Beard Oils and Beard Balms (especially those that contain Jojoba) condition the beard hair, and moisturize the skin underneath.  This keeps your face from over-producing sebum.  It makes your beard soft and more manageable.  It really is a magic serum.  As an added benefit, our balms contain wax so they can offer styling hold as well.

How Much Do I Use?

Applying Beard Oil (and/or Beard Balm) is another variable.  How much do you use?  Well, you have to determine that.  The general rule of thumb is pretty simple:  If you appear really oily after using it, you're using too much.  On the flip side, if your beard dries out during the day, you aren't using enough.  That doesn't necessarily mean you need to use more in one application.  You may need to apply twice a day instead.  This is something you'll figure out rather quickly.  It isn't rocket science, after all.

If you decide to use beard oil and balm together, that's fine too.  Just decrease the amount of oil you would normally use.  Apply your oil first, and then the balm.

Washing Your Beard

Most men reading this article are probably using the same shampoo on their beard that they do on their head.  While that's convenient, it's not that great for your beard and face.  Those off-the-shelf shampoos are too harsh for your face.  They strip away your face's natural oils, leaving you with a dry, itchy mess.

"So, what can I use?" you ask.  You want to use a Beard Soap that is made with all naturally derived ingredients - none of that crap you can't pronounce.  These soaps are full of moisturizing, nourishing, rich goodness.  And, they gently cleanse your beard and face without drying it out.

Now you know what to use, but how often do you use it?  This is one of those variables that I mentioned earlier.  A few factors come into play here.  Do you work outside, or in a dirty environment?  Do you have an extremely oily face?  If so, you need to wash every other day or so.  If not, washing your beard once a week is sufficient.  I know that sounds kind of weird and unsanitary, but it really isn't.  Even with the good soap, you wash away some of your body's natural oils.  So you want to keep the washing to a minimum.  On the days that you don't wash your beard, just rinse it out with cool to luke-warm water (hot water is another thing that isn't so good for your skin).

Grooming Your Beard

You also want to think about brushing and combing.  For brushing, most will recommend a good Boar Bristle Beard Brush.  Why boar bristle?  The structure of the boar bristle is able to carry your sebum (and beard oil) from the skin to the end of your beard hairs.  This evenly distributes the oils, giving you the best application possible.  Use this right after you apply your oil and/or balm.  For combing, don't use that .99 cent comb you bought at the local drug store.  You want to get a Beard Comb that won't pull or yank on your beard.  This causes split ends and hair loss.  Medium tooth is best here, as finer teeth tend to tangle in your beard.  Ouch.