Growing and maintaining a beard is a long tedious process. Unfortunately, caring for your beard doesn’t end once the beard of dreams is grown and paired with a great-looking mustache.
Maintaining the awesome look is equally important than growing the desired facial hair. This can be achieved by routine and systematic beard care.
This article is an ultimate guide to maintain a beard. It includes every aspect of a beard care from combing, brushing, washing, styling your beard, and more.
Follow our tips below and we promise you’ll have a healthy and awesome-looking beard forever.
How Do you Maintain a Beard?
Once you get the desired shape of your beard, the next stage is to maintain it that too in a healthy way. But, for that you need certain products and tools.
For instance, you will need a beard oil or balm to keep it moisturized. If you have coarse hair, you need a brittle brush or comb to frequently keep it in place.
Scissors can also be used to not only trim down the beard and mustache but also aids in getting rid of split ends.
Not just these, in order to maintain a beard, you need to follow a proper grooming routine. We have got one for you here. Take a look.
1. Wash your Beard Frequently
Your beard can get coarse and dry when you don’t care for it. Dust and crumbs can get stuck in your beard, which can cause the hair to fall off. So, you need to wash your beard regularly to keep it clean and dirt-free. For this, you need to invest in the right beard wash.
Since the face produces less oil in comparison to the hair on the head, it’s highly recommended to use a wash specifically formulated for the beard. The normal face washes are seen to leave the beard dry as it is seen to strip the natural oils from the beard. Some of the top brands in the market include Honest For Men Beard Wash and Medicine Man’s Itchy Beard Wash.
2. Hydrate and Condition your Beard
Having a soft and shiny beard is a dream for every man. But for this, you need beard oil or a beard balm. They moisturize both the skin underneath and also the hair preventing flakes and itchiness.
What Exactly is Beard Oil?
Beard oil is an oil type that is applied to the beard to naturally balance its hydration. Washing the facial hair on a regular basis will not only aid in keeping the dirt at bay but will also strip away a small portion of the beard’s natural oil. This was the major reason behind the beard oil development as a leave-in conditioning product.
How to Use it?
- Predominantly celebrity groomers recommend the beard oil application immediately post a shower in the morning. A warm shower is seen to aid in opening up your cells and pores, which in turn allows the maximum oil absorption.
- Make sure to pat dry your beard using a soft towel prior to the beard oil application as this product is seen to work best on damp but not soaked beards.
- Depending on the beard size, one may need to rub some extra drops of the oil for complete coverage.
- Long beards may need 7 to 8 drops, on the contrary, smaller ones may only require 3 or 4 drops.
- For longer beards, one can make use of a comb to be sure the product not only coats every hair but also moisturizes the skin beneath it.
Some of the top beard oils with price include:
1: Bearded Chap Original Beard Oil ($40)
2: Blackbird The Present Beard Oil ( $38)
3: Burroughs Beard Oil ($28)
4: Tree Ranger Beard Oil ($25)
5: Proraso Beard Oil ($16)
Points to Remember:
- The best quality beard oils are usually lightweight and contain natural ingredients like jojoba oil.
- Budget-friendly beard oils contain carrier oils like olive and almond, and these oils may be a little bit thick and will be difficult to get absorbed into your beard hair.
What is a Beard Balm?
Beard balms are especially for men with dry and flaky skin. It is a great product for medium and long beards. It is thicker in texture than the beard oil and takes more time to get absorbed into the skin. But, once absorbed it keeps both the skin and hair soft for a longer time than the beard oil.
You can apply this right after coming out of shower as your hair will be more receptive during that time.
How to use:
- A little amount of balm is generally sufficient for any length of beard. So, always take a nickel’s worth of balm first and then take some more if necessary.
- As it is thick in texture, to make it more manageable, rub it first in between your hands till all the grains are dissolved.
- Then, rub your hands against your beard and the skin in a smooth manner.
- Apply properly in the dry and patchy areas of your face.
- Most of the beard balms available in the market melt when they reach a certain temperature. So, it is quite normal if you find any grains in the balms.
Some of the top brands of utility balms include:
1: Honest Amish Beard Balm
2: Seven Potions Beard Balm
3: Smooth Viking Beard Balm With Shea Butter & Argan Oil
4: Rocky Mountain Barber Beard Balm
5: Natural Beard Balm Sandalwood Leave-In Conditioner.
Both the beard oil and the beard balm can create wonders to your beard when applied in the right amounts. But, when you overuse them, you might also face hair loss. So, be careful of the amount of product you use.
Note: Most of the hair stylists recommend using the beard oil before using a beard balm for best results and glossy finish.
3. Trim the Beard
To keep your beard good looking and healthy, you must also trim it while applying all the essential products. There are many trimming tools available in the market, which you can use to trim your beard once every few weeks. Here are some of the best beard tools you can easily find in the market:
Beard Tools:
These are the helpful tools that help in trimming and guiding the beard according to your taste. Here are some of the essential tools:
1. Beard combs
Groomers predominantly recommend having separate combs for the beard, mustache, and head hair for many reasons.
- Using a comb which is coated with beard oil on the mustache or hair can improve the holding properties of the products.
- If your beard is curly, coarse and has crossed more than an inch, then a regular comb will not suffice for you. You must go for the combs with teeth wide apart, so the detangling process becomes easier.
Also, there are specific combs designed for mustaches that can help you create the style you want. These combs have fine teeth that align your hair properly and give you maximum control over your hair.
How to use:
- Firstly, hold the beard comb in a way that the teeth are faced upwards. This is a mandatory step in this process.
- Do not hold the comb too tight or too loose. Just hold it for a perfect grip to comb the hair effortlessly.
- Start combing the beard in an upward motion so that it moves away from the face. The goal is to separate the hairs of the beard so that one can more effectively get rid of the bed-beard look.
2. Boar’s hair bristle brush
A boar’s hair bristle brush is made from a boar’s hair. It is not only a great tool for training the hair to grow in the direction one wants but also provides a ton of benefits to the skin and hair. The bristles are seen to have a scaled texture, which is seen to aid in sweeping away the dust and grime, uniformly distributes the oil of the skin, and also stimulates circulation in the scalp and face.
How to use:
- You don’t have to use a beard brush more than once a day. The best time to use this brush is in the morning after you wake up or right after you step out of the shower.
- When you brush your hair right after you wake up, your hair will get rid of dirt or dead skin cells that are settled from the previous day.
- While using the brush, you need to start by combing the facial hair out. If your beard is short, you just have to simply brush it down. This way you can choose the direction in which you want to grow your beard. This brush can also be used to groom your mustache.
Note:
- If you use a beard brush on the shorter beard hair, it might lead to irritation. So, it is recommended to not not comb the recently grown beard hair and wait till it grows full.
- If you brush your beard hair too frequently it can cause split ends and breakage.
- Brushing in the proper way can improve blood circulation and promote hair growth.
2. Scissors
The beard and mustache hair is harder than those on your scalp and it is easy to escape the cutting surfaces of the normal shears you use for trimming.
So, you need a pair of small scissors that have a micro-serrated edge so that even the tough and coarse hair will be cut accurately. As these scissors are small in terms of design, they provide a proper control while trimming your beard and also the mustache.
When compared to razors, scissors are much safer to remove the short cheek hairs. Also, the probability of cutting the beard hair too deep will be greatly reduced when you use scissors for trimming.
3. Beard trimmer
A beard trimmer is effective in maintaining short beards. One simply needs to select the guard that corresponds to the desired length and run it through the beard against the grain for a set look. It’s also a useful tool for maintaining the neck and cheek lines. These are also great to create a softer cut at the end of the beard hairs before the last shave prior to embarking on the beard growing experience.
Some of the best brands with the prices available include:
1: Wahl Model 9818 ($60)
2: Panasonic ER-GB80-S ($80)
3: Philips Norelco Multigroom MG3750 ( $20)
4: Braun Multi-Grooming Kit MGK3045($30)
5: Andis T-Outliner ($59)
6. Electric razors
Unlike scissors, electric razors are the better options for trimming and grooming your neck and cheek lines. Once you establish these lines with the help of scissors or a trimmer, you can smoothly shave everything below this line using an electric razor.
Electric razors have become quite popular as the traditional blades give you the risk of developing accidental cuts and injuries.
Some of the best razors used by many men include:
1: Braun Electric Shaver, Series 7 7865cc Men’s Electric Razor ($200)
2: Panasonic ES-LV95-S Arc5 Electric Razor ($140)
3: Philips Norelco one blade ($50)
4: Remington WETech Rotary Shaver ($50)
5: SweetLF 3D Rechargeable 100% Waterproof IPX7 Electric Shaver ($35)
So, there are multiple options when it comes to maintaining a healthy beard. And, with the right techniques and the right ways to use these tools, maintaining your beard becomes a cakewalk.
4. Stay Healthy
A thick and healthy beard cannot be just grown through proper grooming but also on your healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle is nothing but having a proper sound sleep each night, making exercise a part of your daily routine and having a balanced diet that is rich in all nutrients.
As your beard is grown with the help of fats and proteins, you must consume protein-rich food like eggs on a daily basis. You must also heavily consume food rich in vitamin B3, B5 and B9. These vitamins are present in nuts, milk and plenty of green leafy vegetables.
Conclusion:
After having a glance at this article, we hope you’ll get some necessary insights on how to maintain your beard and make it look glossy and healthy. With the right products and the right lifestyle, maintaining your beard is not a hassle anymore. Do tell us in the comments section if this article has been useful for your grooming routine. Also, don’t hesitate to ask any doubts regarding your beard or mustache growth. We’ll help you anytime!