Maybe you’re just starting to grow your beard out again. Or maybe you’ve had a beard for as long as you can remember. Regardless of how long your beard has been in the picture, how are you taking care of it?
Contrary to popular belief, if you want to grow a strong, ridiculously serious beard, you need to put some more care into it than just growing it out and letting it be. Beards need to be washed, trimmed, conditioned, brushed, and more.
There’s also something else to consider: If not properly cared for, a man’s beard may carry more germs than a dog’s coat.
That’s pretty disgusting isn’t it?
So dudes, to reduce the microbial counts in your beard, you need to start taking better care of it, and with the right products. Not just any beard wash, beard balm or beard oil will do, you need products with antimicrobial properties.
As a rule of thumb, if you can smell your beard, your significant other can definitely smell your beard. That goes for any part of your body too. If you smell under your armpits, or anywhere else, it’s almost guaranteed someone next to you can smell you even more.
Are you starting to feel overwhelmed or confused? Don’t be! Taking care of your beard doesn’t have to be difficult, and it’s something you can learn how to do pretty easily. But if you want a soft and smooth, good smelling, and awesome looking beard, you need to learn how to take care of it.
Lucky for you, here at Woodlee’s, we’re here to help. Keep reading to learn exactly how to take care of your beard, the right way.
The Steps to a Happy and Healthy Beard
Hopefully, you’re ready to start caring for and nurturing your beard, because we’re about to break it down for you step by step. Follow these steps to bring your beard to life with strength and style.
Grow Your Beard
We’re going to start by assuming you’ve got a beard but it’s not at your desired length. Before you get to the trimming phases as well as the beard oil phase, you need to grow it out.
If you’ve already got an impressively long beard, move on to the next step. If not, here are some tips you can use to grow your beard fuller and faster:
- Don’t trim it. This may seem difficult, especially if you have patchy stages, but push through until you have some thickness and length.
- Use a beard balm or beard oil. Most beard products contain healthy vitamins that promote growth. While there is no magic pill or concoction that will directly grow your beard for you, products like these can facilitate healthy hair follicles.
- Eat a lot of meat, and other foods high in fat. Not all fat is bad, and you can actually eat healthy fats that will help boost your testosterone naturally.
- Take your daily vitamins. Vitamin supplements should have everything you need to help you grow hair without any hiccups.
- Be patient. Growing a beard takes time for some people, especially those who don’t grow fast, or inconsistently. If you just stay calm, your beard will come naturally.
- Have some faith. Just because a patchy spot is there today doesn’t mean it will be there in a couple months. Time is the best way to grow a beard, there’s no other way around it.
Wash Your Beard
In case you didn’t know, beards can hold a lot of germs. For that reason, and because no one wants a nasty beard, you need to wash it!
You may be wondering what soap you should be using during your beard washes. You shouldn’t use face soap on your hair, so don’t get lazy and use it on your beard.
The best option is a beard-specific cleanser. Find one that smells good, since the smell will likely linger right under your nose. In a pinch, you can use a hair shampoo for your beard rather than a facial cleanser.
When it comes to washing your beard, you don’t want to overdo it. If you wash your beard too often, you might run into really dry hair and skin, especially if you’re already prone to it.
This can lead to flaky skin, and the dreaded “beardruff.” That’s why it is so important to keep your skin and beard hydrated. The best way to do this is to use a specifically formulated leave in conditioner that hydrates your skin and beard.
On the other hand, if you don’t wash enough, your beard is going to start smelling funky, and will grow bacteria on it that can cause acne and other gnarly issues.
You’ll need to put some thought into finding the balance of washing and not washing your beard. This depends on factors such as how oily your face/beard gets, and whether or not your face gets dirty every day.
Condition Your Beard
Once your beard has been washed and is squeaky clean, it’s time to condition it. Shampoo can strip your hair of its natural oils, so it’s important to replenish your beard with a good conditioning after each wash.
Using a beard conditioner is your best option. Some conditioners will need to be rinsed out, while others are designed to be left in to nourish your beard all day long. We are definitely partial to the leave-in conditioner kind.
Conditioning your beard is the best way to keep it soft, so that you don’t find yourself getting frustrated with a scratchy, uncomfortable beard.
A good conditioner moisturizes your beard, leaving it feeling nice and healthy. A well-conditioned beard will also be more manageable and easier to style. If you’re in the business of having your face close to another’s face, you’re going to want a great smelling face, right?
Not to mention, nobody wants to smell two-day-old Big Mac grease emanating from your beard. We know, that’s disgusting, but if we don’t tell you, who will?
Use a Beard Oil or Beard Balm
Odds are you need a good beard oil or beard balm. Sure, there’s the chance that you’re a beach dweller that uses the ocean to wash your body and hair and never takes a shower, we get that and respect that, but also your beard stinks dude.
For most of us, especially during the winter months, our beards get dry, itchy, and downright annoying. If this is the case for you, be sure to massage your beard with some beard oil or beard balm.
But, again, not all beard products are equal. Many beard oils are way too oily and many beard balms have suspect ingredients. You want natural, hydrating, and antimicrobial ingredients in your beard products. Also, these products should benefit not only your beard, but the skin underneath.
The climate you’re in plays a huge role in the amount and frequency of your beard product applications. For dryer areas, sometimes you’ll need to apply beard oil or beard balm a few times per day. In moist areas, once per day may be plenty.
Not only does the climate play a part in using beard oil and beard balm, so do your pores. Not everyone has the same level of oil-producing pores. If you have a naturally oily face, obviously less beard oil is recommended. In this case, a beard balm may be better.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t use it all though, because the essential oils found in quality beard oils and beard balms are actually a healthy substitute for your natural face oils that you just stripped off in the shower.
Trim Your Beard
Just like the hair on top of your head, you need to give your beard regular trims to keep it healthy. It is important to realize that your beard hair probably isn’t going to grow perfectly even, so trimming it is a great way to even things out. You also have the freedom to give your beard some new style with a trim.
The best way to trim your beard is with a quality beard trimmer. Most beard trimmers come with a series of attachments that can help you control your trim. This control can prevent you from giving yourself a horribly uneven cut or unfortunate bald spot, making a good beard trimmer well worth the investment.
Brush Your Beard
To keep your beard from looking unruly and all out of whack, brush it daily. Get a brush that is made specifically for use on your beard, so that you can keep your beard in check.
Brushing your beard can also help to disperse your beard oil, beard conditioner, or beard balm throughout your beard, keeping it nice and healthy looking.
Style Your Beard
Styling your beard is the best way to make it look sharp and fresh all day long. There are a variety of styling products you can try depending on the look you are going for. In this case, again, beard-specific products are best, but many high-quality hair styling products work just as well.
It may take some trial and error to find the product(s) that are right for you, and you might find that the product you use depends on the occasion.
Now It’s Your Turn
Now that you’ve heard our tips, it’s time to start taking care of your own beard. If you take the time to care for your beard (and do it well) you can have a ridiculously healthy and stylish looking beard. It’s not just you who benefits either. Anyone who comes into direct contact with your beard is going to take notice and appreciate your efforts.