Fact #1: People love beards.
Fact #2: If you’re not using beard care products on the regular, your beard probably doesn’t love you.
The truth is, if you’re boasting a bustling beard and you’re not using beard products on the daily, you’re not just missing out on growth opportunities – you could also be causing unnecessary damage to the hairs you have.
Fret not, though. If your relationship with your beard is strained, a solid regimen of beard care products is the counsellor that can help you piece it back together. Think couples therapy, but without the tissues and uncomfortable questions.
In this article, we’re going to cover why you need beard care products, as well as how you can fit them into your daily routine. Read on to find out more.
4 Signs Your Beard Doesn’t Love You – and the Beard Products to Rekindle the Flame
It’s not you, it’s me – if your beard is giving you sass, it’s definitely you. Watch out for these telltale signs of a rocky facial hair relationship.
1) You Got Beard Itch.
When you wash your face, you break away dead skin cells and create room for new, healthy growth. You also unclog pores and prevent blockages and irritation.
Beards make this a little harder, because as your facial hair gets longer, it’ll get harder and harder to cut through the hair.
You’ll get a build-up of dry skin, beard oil and natural oil will clog your pores, and your beard is going to get real unhappy.
When a beard is unhappy, it’ll let you know about it. And trust us, it’s no fun at all.
It’ll quickly get itchy, and when you go to scratch it, you’re going to set off an avalanche of beardruff.
The beard care product to fix this:
A high-quality, 100% boar hair beard brush.
Boar bristles walk a perfect, fine line between stiff and soft. They’re hard enough to pass through hair and exfoliate your skin, but soft enough not to cause irritation.
Beard tip: don’t be tempted by plastic bristles. They might be a little cheaper, but on a microscopic level nylon bristles will be jagged and damage your skin. Use your beard brush once or twice a day and you’ll notice a huge difference within a week.
2) It’s Doubling Down as Tupperware
There’s a reason your Granddad always had a little bit of carrot in his beard after Sunday lunch – food and debris are attracted to beards.
And whilst Jim’s carrot collection was easy to point out, when it happens on a smaller level, it’s not so easy to notice.
And that brings us to ground rule #1:
Just because your beard looks clean, that doesn’t mean it is.
And although you should wash it with water every day, debris will still build up, so you’re going to need something a little better if you really want to do the trick. If you don’t, it’s going to look dirty and man, it might even smell a little.
Nobody wants that. Here’s what to do.
The beard care product to fix this:
Unless you want to be evicting a small family of sparrows from between your bristles next spring, you need beard shampoo.
Do not be tempted by normal shampoo.
It’s fine for your scalp but your face is a different story and you’ll cause yourself a lot of problems (and itching) down the line if you use it.
A high-quality beard shampoo won’t just gently cleanse your beard and remove debris, it’ll also strengthen your beard and promote healthier growth overall.
Beard tip: where possible, avoid scary-sounding artificial ingredients and go all-natural. Also, steer clear of anything including ‘palm oil’, because it’s bad for the monkeys and that’s not cool with us.
3) There's Snow (and it's not Christmas).
What’s the difference between Siberia and your beard?
- One of them should be expecting snow this time of the year.
Terrible jokes aside (we’re not sorry), if you don’t keep your beard moisturised, you’re just asking to be hit by a freak storm of beardruff.
When Sinatra sung about a White Christmas, this wasn’t what he was dreaming of.
Don’t worry, though – we got you. With 2 minutes of your time each day, you can build a beard care routine that fortifies against beardruff.
The beard care product to fix this:
Beard oil. Or balm. The choice is yours.
Both beard oil and beard balm are packed with ingredients designed to moisturise your skin and give it everything it needs to produce the best beard hairs it can grow.
Beard tip: avoid artificial ingredients. Also, generally speaking, if you opt for a beard oil that’s under $10, you’re paying for expensive water. Don’t put anything on your face unless it comes from a brand you trust, because cheap, low-quality beard oils can come with some nasty side effects. Like dandruff.
4) It’s Thin, Patchy, and Refusing to Grow.
Your beard wants to grow as big and strong as it can, but not all of us can stop shaving on a Monday and roll out of bed the following week with the beard of a Greek God.
In fact, most men fi