Got beard?
Oh buddy - you need a beard brush. Like, yesterday.
Beard oils have a firm place in every beardsman’s bathroom cabinet, but not nearly enough focus is placed on its best friend - the brush.
By using a beard brush on a regular basis, you don’t just magnify the benefits you see from all of the other beard care products you’re applying - you also tap into a whole host of benefits the beard brush itself brings to the table.
You’ve got the beard. We’ve got the brushes. Here are 5 reasons you need one in your life - plus some key buying advice to take into consideration. Let’s jump in.
5 Beard Brush Benefits Every Beard Deserves to Feel
Short beards. Long beards. Thick beards. Thin beards. Regardless of the shape and size, every beard deserves to feel the difference a high-quality beard brush can make.
1. Beard brushes tame unruly beards
Fed up of annoying flyaway hairs ruining your beard’s appearance? Keep finding crayons, small woodland animals and bits of last Thanksgiving’s dinner?
If you answered yes to some or all of the above, you definitely need a beard brush (and beard shampoo. And potentially medical assistance.)
The premise is simple. By working through your beard with a brush on a daily basis, you’ll work through any annoying knots that could be tying up your style and creating unnecessary business.
A good quality beard brush will bring even the most unruly of beards to heel, helping you to style it into a more manageable, well-kept state.
2. They soften beard hair
Spoiler alert - if you’ve started to notice your beard is sharp and scratchy to the touch, your significant other (or any others lucky enough to get that close, you gorgeous man) will have noticed too.
And if your beard is one of the hallmark features that caught their gaze in the first place, then scratchiness is going to burst that bubble.
Fear not - the beard brush comes to the rescue.
When you brush your beard, you stimulate the natural production of sebum. This miracle oil is produced near your hair follicles to keep your beard hairs soft and conditioned. When you apply beard oil, what you’re actually doing is trying to mimic the effects of sebum.
While too much sebum isn’t going to do you any favours (which is why regular washing is important), if your beard is coarse and tough to the touch, you could probably do with a little more.
By brushing, you won’t just stimulate that sebum production, you’ll also help to evenly distribute your skin’s natural oils throughout your hair too. It’s a win-win.
3. They stop (and prevent) beard itch
Beard itch is the bane of any beardsman’s life, and it’s a problem that many struggle to solve.
However, you guessed it - beard brushes can help.
Us humans lose about 200,000,000 skin cells every hour. When you’ve got a beard covering your face, those dead skin cells can start to build up, clogging pores and hair follicles, and causing inflammation and uncomfortable beard itch.
On top of this, if sebum or beard oil starts to build up on your skin and is left unchecked, you can get a yeast growth on your skin known as Malassezia which can cause flaking.
This can make even the most well-kept of facial hair look nasty.
By brushing your beard before your morning shower, you can help to exfoliate the hard-to-reach spots at the base of your beard, removing dead skin cells and beard dandruff so it’s ready to be washed out by your beard shampoo.
Brushing your beard like this will give your pores a chance to breathe and get your beard primed for applying beard oil or beard balm.
4. They straighten beard hairs
Don’t click ‘Buy’ on that beard straightener just yet, buddy. What if we told you that you could get your facial hair viking-straight without applying potentially dangerous levels of heat?
We’ve got news for you - there is.
By using a beard brush (like one of these) on a daily basis, you can actually train the direction in which your hair grows. With some commitment and dedication, you can whip those stubborn flyaway hairs into shape, training them to grow in a certain direction.
If you’ve got a bushy, curly beard, this could be brilliant for you.
5. It helps evenly distribute beard oil
Many of us apply beard oil by adding a few drops to our hands and rubbing them through the beard.
But our hands aren’t perfect instruments, and hairs are always going to be missed.
Beard brushes aren’t just a pretty face. Run one through your beard after applying oil, and they’ll help to evenly distribute the product, ensuring you reap the maximum benefit from its use.
Buying considerations to help you find the best brush
Why? Because you deserve it, you bearded beauty. What more reason could we need?
Boar bristles vs synthetic bristles - which one’s right for me?
Boar bristle beard brushes are the clear winner in this category. Tough enough to tame your facial hair but soft enough to be kind on underlying skin, a boar bristle beard brush will give you the best of both worlds.
Synthetic bristles, on the other hand, can be sharp. This can lead to split ends and hair breakage, as well as scratches on your skin. Open wounds + beards is a recipe for infection, so this is best avoided wherever possible.
However, this largely comes down to personal beliefs and preferences. If you’re not okay with using an animal-based product as part of your beard care routine, synthetic beard brushes can still work.
However, whatever you do, don’t go for the cheapest one you can find. As mentioned, synthetic fibres can cause damage to face and skin, so you want a company that’s taken the time and money to create a quality product.
Should you use a beard brush every day?
Beard brushes are designed for daily use. As a general rule, you should use your beard brush for around 1 minute in the morning, and 1 minute in the evening too. For best results, use your beard brush just after applying beard oil to help evenly distribute the product.
Do beard brushes actually work?
Beard brushes absolutely work. Not only have we tested them and proven them to be effective at softening and straightening beards and eradicating beard itch - thousands of bearded men across the globe have done the same. We've also seen them to be effective at stimulating hair growth by promoting blood flow.
So, if you're staring at beard growth supplements wondering "are they safe?", then put them down and take a beard brush for a spin.
A lot of kits include beard combs - where does this come in?
Great question. Beard combs are best used before brushing to remove any annoying tangles and knots. For this reason, they're more useful on longer beards, but a great tool to have in your wash kit regardless. By using a beard comb, you'll get your beard ready for brushing.