“My Beard is already LIT* - surely a little more heat wouldn’t hurt?”
It’s 7:03 am. You usually aim to leave at 7 but your beard is still dripping wet. You opted for that extra snooze and now you hate yourself for it.
However, regardless of the countless times you’ve told Louise to stop leaving the hairdryer plugged in on the bed, this morning she may have just saved you.
BUT WAIT. Think about this... You’ve heard a thousand times on TV about how heat is bad for your hair. “Hair protect this”. “Heat protect that”. “Keratin something”.
You know you probably shouldn’t but you’re already sure you keep hearing the bus go past.
What should you do?
Using a Blowdryer on Your Beard: Blowdrying your beard is okay if you use the lowest heat setting to avoid damage.
Drying Process: Towel dry your beard first, then air dry while doing other morning tasks before blowdrying.
Beard Care Products: Apply beard oil before blowdrying and beard balm after, and keep the dryer at a distance from your face.
How Heat Damages Your Hair: Heat can damage your beard by drying out cuticles, weakening hair proteins, and causing irreversible moisture loss.
Recommended Setting: Use the 'cold' setting on the hairdryer for the best beard health and maintain a punctual morning routine.
Can You Use a Blowdryer on Your Beard?
Yes, you can, but there’s a process. Heat is extremely - and we can’t say this enough - extremely bad for your beard hair and underlying skin.
If you’re going to use a blowdryer on your beard, make sure it’s on the lowest possible heat setting.
Here’s the process we recommend:
Immediately after your shower, pat your beard dry with a towel until it’s no longer dripping.
Allow to air dry while you complete as much of your morning routine as possible.
Pick up the blowdryer. Turn it to its lowest heat setting and recreate the front of the ship scene from ‘Titanic’ for like a minute. Don’t hold it too close to your face.
If you have/use beard balm, apply. Comb through.
How Does Heat Damage Your Hair?
We won’t get too scientific; you don’t particularly care and I can’t be bothered to research it. So here are the simple facts:
When your hair is first exposed to higher temperatures, the surface (cuticles) start to dry out. This results in cracks and fissures. Eventually, the cuticles can be lost completely leaving your hair unprotected. Unprotected = bad.
Next, the heat can start to damage the protein structure of your hair (denaturing). These helical proteins provide strength to your hair and the stress of the heat can open them up, resulting in a weakened structure. Also bad.
Once hairs have been thermally damaged, they can not fully regain the moisture they lost. This is mostly due to the change of structure previously mentioned.
No excuses from now on. You’re ready to live a beautiful, punctual life. Crack out that hairdryer, shift the setting to 'cold', and blow away, my bearded friend.
*It made us cringe too. We’re sorry.
