Beard Care 101: How to Maintain Your Beard
Being a beardsman goes well beyond just growing your beard. It takes consistent, proper care to keep your beard looking healthy and manageable.
But it doesn't have to be complicated. There are only 5 key steps you need to take to maintain an enviable beard.
Follow these beard maintenance tips and you’ll have a healthy, awesome looking beard for life (or however long you decide to keep it).
1. Wash Your Beard Regularly
Wash your beard with men’s natural shampoo 2-3 times each week. This will keep your beard clean, smelling great, and prevent any build up (caused by sweat or excess oil) from accumulating in your beard.
Your facial hair is ultimately no different than the hair on top of your head. You don't need a special beard wash - it’s nothing more than overpriced shampoo.
Instead, just go with a sulfate free shampoo made with natural ingredients. Because do you really want to put harsh, potentially harmful chemicals in the hair that surrounds your mouth? Yuck.
2. Keep Your Beard Hydrated and Conditioned
To keep your beard soft and shiny, condition it regularly with beard oil. This also moisturizes the skin underneath your beard to prevent itchiness, control flakes, and maintain follicle health. Remember, your beard is only going to be as healthy as the skin underneath it.
Never used beard oil before? No worries - it's easy.
1. Pour a few drops (less is more) into the palm of your hand and spread it evenly between both hands.
2. Massage the oil into the base of your beard (it can be dry or damp, but not wet).
3. Work your hands through your beard until you’ve reached the hair tips. Spread the oil evenly over your entire beard and the underlying skin.
How often should you apply beard oil?
- If you live in a dry climate or have dry skin/hair, apply it daily or every other day.
- If you have oily skin/hair or live in a humid climate, apply it 2-3 times per week.
- If you notice oily buildup or your beard gets greasy, apply less often.
3. Trim Your Beard
Trimming is essential to keeping your beard looking well kept and healthy. Use scissors instead of trimmers for the best results. Trimmers are more likely to create splits ends, while scissors allow you to be more precise.
Every few weeks, check your beard in the mirror with a pair of scissors and snip off uneven patches and split or loose ends. Make sure you’re following the natural contour of your face. Keep a rounded shape with all the hairs at a uniform length.
Worried about over trimming or uneven beard length? Brush your beard with a small comb while trimming in order to see which hairs are loose and need to be trimmed. Comb down your beard after each cut so you can see the length and trim in the all the right spots without overdoing it.
4. Clean Up Your Neckline
The one case where you should use a trimmer is around your neck line. For most guys doing this every two weeks is plenty. Here's how to do it:
- Stack your index and middle fingers just above your Adam’s apple.
- Trim your beard to where your top finger is.
- Trim a U-shape from your side burns down to meet this point.
- Do not just follow your jaw line. That will result in an awkwardly shaped beard.
5. Stay Healthy
Your beard, hair, and skin are direct reflections of your inner health. If you want a thick, healthy beard, you need to exercise, eat well, sleep well and limit alcohol consumption.