Beard Care Basics

Keep It Clean

While cleaning your beard may seem like a no brainer, how you wash your beard matters. Experts recommend using a gentle cleanser that suits your skin type and avoiding harsh scrubbing that can irritate the skin underneath the beard. If you are in the stubble phase, exfoliating once or twice a week can help prevent ingrown hairs. Try to avoid touching your beard throughout the day, as this can spread unwanted germs to the face and beard area.

Keep It Moisturized

The skin under the beard matters just as much as the beard itself – use a gentle moisturizer as part of your morning or evening skincare routine. This will help prevent dryness, irritation, and beard hair that is difficult to manage. Moisturizing is most effective when skin is slightly damp, such as right after washing your beard or after a shower.

Keep It Tamed

Products such as beard oil and beard balm are great for adding manageability to your beard. Beard balm (sometimes called beard butter) is a thick wax that conditions the beard while providing additional hold to help shape and tame flyaways. It’s especially handy for thick and course beards that may need extra styling or shaping.

The Benefits of Beard Oil

Using beard oil regularly has many benefits – it moisturizes the skin under the beard, softens beard hairs, tames frizz, adds shine, and can promote fullness. There are many types of beard oils to choose from depending on your skin type and preferences. For sensitive or acne-prone skin, consider one with antibacterial ingredients like tea tree oil or cinnamon oil. You can also make your own using a neutral carrier oil and essential oils.

Below are a few tips on how to apply beard oil to keep your beard soft and shiny.

• Apply beard oil after a shower or with a freshly washed beard.
• While your beard is still slightly damp, gently massage three to five drops of oil into the beard. Start with a smaller amount of oil and then add more as needed to avoid overdoing it.
• Work the oil through the entire beard.
• A comb can help distribute the oil in thick or long beards.
• Leave as is, or follow with a beard balm to style as desired.

Tools of the Trade

If you plan to keep a beard, a grooming kit is a smart investment that will help keep your beard neat and well-styled.

Here a few tools to consider for your grooming kit:

• Clippers to trim the beard as needed
• Sharp scissors for small detailing work
• A beard comb or brush to use before any grooming or to distribute product in the beard
• A sharp razor for shaving the neckline area
• Extra razor blades so you can replace the blade every five to seven shaves