“Ah, sorry boys. I’m washing my beard that night. I’ll have to give it a miss”
Not everything is for everyone.
Except for beards of course.
And that’s why washing your beard is more important than this poker night Davo is planning.
You know it probably won’t go ahead anyway but there’s only a certain amount of times you can agree to the plans before they eventually manifest.
They think it’s weird that you have a beard wash schedule and routine. They think it’s normal that women have similar routines with their hair.
They’re stuck in the 20th century.
So... how often should you wash your beard?
Just like head hair, you should try to only wash it 2-3 times per week. Any more than this and you could be causing unwanted dryness, dehydrated, coarse beard hairs and itchy skin.
When we don’t wash our head hair, it gets oily - we all know this.
What some people don’t know, is that this oil our hair produces is called Sebum, “an oily secretion of the sebaceous glands”, and it’s our body’s natural way of moisturising the scalp and hair.
The same applies to the face.
When we grow a beard, the facial hair pulls the sebum from the skin to help keep itself hydrated. However, your facial follicles only have a finite supply of sebum. So, as your beard gets longer and this supply gets drained, your skin is going to get dry and flakey.
Cue the dreaded beardruff.
Shampooing your beard 2-3 times a week will help you to remove dirt and debris, but your beard needs that sebum. So, if you’re washing it every day, you could well be depriving your beard of nourishment and contributing to the problem.
Is head shampoo okay to use on my beard?
“Cool, so I’ll just splatter some hair shampoo on my face each time I wash my hair?”
No. No, you won’t.
You said it yourself. “Hair shampoo”.
Shampoos contain detergent. Detergent strips the sebum from your (very good looking) face, leaving it, and your beard, vulnerable and relying solely on whatever your shampoo has to offer.
Hair shampoos are advertised to literally ‘remove oil from your hair’. That beard oil you’ve been religiously applying doesn’t stand a chance against this harsh beard enemy.
You could have the finest shampoo in the world - containing unicorn saliva and the tears of Zeus himself, but deep down your face is craving that godly elixir - sebum.
“What should I use, then?”
There are many specialised beard products out there to help you - including beard shampoo.
Beard shampoo teams up with your beautiful face to keep your beard clean while helping lock in colour and moisture.
Use a natural beard shampoo free of detergents like sodium laureth sulphate, and check the label for ingredients like jojoba and argan oil. Jojoba is nature's closest thing to sebum so a beard shampoo containing jojoba will help to offset any potential dryness you might incur from washing out sebum.
Ok, but should I wash my beard everyday?
Good job. This is both a brilliant and very important question, so well done for asking it.
Can you wash your beard everyday?
Technically, yes. Don't let anyone tell you what to do, you beautiful bearded king.
Should you wash your beard everyday?
Probably not.
What we will stress is that just because beard shampoo is not as harsh as hair shampoo, you can’t go washing your beard every time you’re stood admiring it in the mirror.
You should still stick to 2-3 times per week.
Maybe you could use the same schedule as your hair care routine. Maybe you could schedule a specific beard washing routine to counter Davo’s pish poker and quiz nights. The choice is yours.
However, whether you do wash your beard everyday depends on 3 key points:
1. Your climate - if you live in a humid climate, you may find yourself needing to wash your beard more often.
2. Your career - if you're around dust an dirt often, it's a good idea to up the rate at which you wash your beard.
3. Your lifestyle - if you're hitting the gym every day, definitely don't skip the beard wash in your post-workout shower.
If you're washing your beard more often, it's twice as important that you use a beard shampoo over regular shampoo, and absolutely crucial that you find one that natural and packed with soothing ingredients that are kind to your hair and the skin beneath it.
How often should I condition my beard?
Whilst beard shampoos are wash-out products that strip away dirt and can be harsh on skin, beard conditioners are leave-in products that repair, nourish and strengthen your beard hair and the skin underneath.
As a result, the rules on their use are much less strict. For beard conditioners like beard oil, we recommend one application in the morning with a boar-bristle beard brush, and one application in the evening. If you notice irritation, reduce the quantity or frequency of application.