All I need to know to take care of my beard at home
When it comes time to grow a beard, far too many men have the belief that we just have to let it grow. That time alone does all the rest of the work. That putting his razor away is the only action to take. Unfortunately for them, they often end up with an uneven and/or messy beard. Dandruff and itching of the beard is also a common affair for them.
Of course, the beard, like the hair, requires special treatments in order to have a beautiful appearance and a good odour. Beyond going to our barber on a monthly basis, having a beard requires that we take care of it at home daily. To do so, different products and tools are available to us. The following lines are intended to teach more about how to groom a beard at home. By applying the following tips, anyone should be able to grow a beautiful and healthy beard.
Before we continue, make sure to grab your copy of our brand new Free ebook: The ultimate Beard in 10 easy steps!
Oiling of the beard
When we have a beard, regardless of its length, the use of a good beard oil at home is always highly recommended. Easy and quick to use, it can have a real beneficial impact on our beard growth and the texture of our bristles. Beard oils are specifically designed to help men maintain their beard and underlying skin sufficiently hydrated and pleasantly scented. In doing so, they help among other things to prevent itching and dandruff of the beard. Generally, they are only composed of 100% natural ingredients that have been meticulously chosen for their benefits on the beard and the skin underneath plus are suitable for an everyday use. Some beard oils are even described as nourishing. These are composed of high-quality ingredients such as Moroccan argan oil and aloe oil and are often very rich in vitamin E and/or vitamin B. Of course, if we want to optimize the growth of our beard, it's for these nourishing oils that we must opt. To shop our best beard oils, click here.
Creaming of the beard
During the first few weeks of growth, although one may believe otherwise, this is when the beard and the skin underneath require the most appropriate care at home. Although beard's bristles are relatively short and are not yet present on all desired spots, we want to hydrate, feed and treat them as best as we can. Besides using a good beard oil on a daily basis―as suggested above―using a cream or a beard butter once or twice a week is also a good strategy for strengthening the natural moisture barrier of our beard and skin. Beard creams and butters also help soften the prickly beard and relieve the itching. Rich in nutrients and antioxidants, they are products of choice to maintain a healthy beard and underlying skin. The beard butter of the Canadian Urban Beard brand is one of our favourites. Thick and non-greasy at the same time, it is easily absorbed by hair follicles and facial skin and its effects are quickly felt. To learn more about this beard butter, click here.
Combing of the beard
As we do with our hair, at home, we also want to comb our beard every day. Whether short, medium or long, combing our beard with a good beard comb has a very beneficial effect on its bristles and on the skin underneath. This has a training effect on our beard's bristles and also stimulates our facial blood flow. In addition, this aids in a more uniform distribution of different beard care products we may use. Combs specially designed for beards differ in particular from those for the hair by the size of their teeth and the spacing between them. Beard combs are usually made of hardwood and have an anti-static property. They are therefore perfect for unravelling the morning beard. With a beard comb, it's important to take our time and be soft. We do not want to be too aggressive and damage or tear off our beard's bristles. We want to start with small passes, starting from tips of our beard's bristles, and gently continue with bigger passes, always in the same direction. Finally, since they are available in several variations and there is a beard comb for each type of beard, it is essential to choose his beard comb according to the length of his beard. To shop our best beard combs click here.
Brushing of the beard
The final touch of our daily beard care routine is nothing simpler than a good brushing of our beard with a boar bristle beard brush. Finalizing our beard grooming session by brushing it with this particular type of brush has not only an aesthetic effect but also has conditioning and stimulating effects on our beard's bristles. This helps in part to make the beard looks more tidy, more uniform and much softer to the touch. If we have a thick beard, for instance, a daily brushing will help reduce its volume. On the other hand, if our beard is rather short, it will help to hide its imperfections. In any case, whether the beard is short or long, brushing of the latter also helps remove dead skin that lodge on the surface of our skin thus preventing dandruff. Finally, it also helps to stimulate the facial blood circulation. Of course, stimulation of hair follicles results in an accelerated or optimized growth of the beard. To maintain his beard at home, we suggest men get a boar bristle beard brush like the one of Urban Beard. To learn more about this beard brush, click here.
Washing of the beard
A proper washing of his beard is one of the most important grooming habits to develop a healthy beard. Both the frequency of when we do it and the product with which we do it can have a bad incidence on our beard growth. With that said, we want to do it at the right frequency and with the good product. The beard, like the hair, should not be washed every day. We recommend washing the beard with a beard shampoo every two to three days. On other days, to not drying out the beard, we suggest to simply rinse it and massage it with lukewarm water. Since beard's bristles and the skin underneath have their own specific needs, they require a cleanser or shampoo specially designed for them. Often, this type of beard wash is without aggressive detergents and surfactants and does not contain sodium laureth sulfate. The one the Canadian brand Mammoth Beard Co is a very good example. It is soft and specially designed to wash the beard without stripping it of its natural oils. When we are getting out of the shower, drying our beard is also important. With a microfiber towel, we can gently wipe our beard to help it dry. Once properly wiped, this is obviously the perfect time to apply our beard care products. To learn more about the Mammoth Beard Co Blackwoods Timber beard shampoo, click here.
Embrace what we've got
As ridiculous as it may seem, we must love our beard for what it is and be proud of ourselves. It goes without saying that the beard doesn't grow overnight. We must accept his growth rate and keep our razor away. It might be tempting to take it out at any time because our beard is uneven, but it isn't the solution. Facial hair may take more time to appear on certain areas such as on the cheeks. We have to be patient and give them time to grow. If we shave, we just postpone their appearance. Of course, when one says to love his beard, it also means to cherish it with appropriate products. A good beard care routine with good products like the ones presented in this post inevitably make a man and his beard satisfied.
In summary
All in all, taking good care of his beard at home is relatively easy. We just have to get good products and tools right from the start and have a good beard grooming routine. The more it is complete, the more our beard will thank us. To put it simply, every day, we should first comb our beard to untangle it and then apply a beard oil. Subsequently, one should comb his beard again and finalize with a beard brush. If we also use a beard cream or butter, we have to apply it in the beard before the beard oil application. As for the cleansing of the beard, always remember that too much of a good thing can quickly become a bad thing. We want to wash it every 2 to 3 days, no more. Other days a rinse with lukewarm water is enough. Washed too frequently, it only dries up and damages his bristles.
