Beard care may seem simple, but maintaining a healthy, stylish beard requires consistent care and attention. Proper beard care isn’t just about looking good: it’s also about promoting healthy hair growth and caring for the skin underneath the beard. To help you achieve these goals and, simultaneously, ensure that your beard conveys the look you’re going for, we’ve put together a list of essential beard care products tailored to common grooming needs:
On this post:
- The basics of beard care: Products you’ll need
- Beard shampoo: Choosing the right one
- Beard oils and conditioners: Must-haves for hydration
- Waxes and balms: For hold and shine
- Beard dandruff treatments: Preventing flaking and itching
- How to trim and shape your beard
- Common beard care mistakes to avoid
The basics of beard care: Products you’ll need
Caring for your beard may seem straightforward, but facial hair often has a mind of its own. In those cases, getting it to where you want may be daunting. Having the right tools at hand can be a true game-changer.
Beard shampoo: Choosing the right one
A proper beard care routine starts with cleansing. Of course, you can use a regular cleanser, but many prefer a beard-specific product. Specific beard shampoos are usually more conditioning, thus ensuring that the beard stays smooth. Of course, many also have scents that men tend to gravitate towards, to make them extra pleasant to use. You can usually choose between woody or herbal, refreshing scents.
The texture of the product is also relevant, with gel or foam being the most common textures for beard shampoos. Foams are easier to apply, but gels tend to produce more foam and clean more thoroughly. For this reason, we tend to recommend foams for those with shorter facial hair and gels for those with denser beards.
Beard oils and conditioners: Must-haves for hydration
If beard care starts with cleansing, then the next step should be conditioning. The beard, like every other body hair, can use a little help to stay healthy and looking its best.
The best way to keep longer beards looking their best is to use a beard oil. Beard oils are blends of oils and conditioning agents that keep beard hairs smooth and split-free, and they’re super easy to use. All you have to do is apply a few drops of oil to your hands, warm them up, and then use your fingers to comb through your beard.
If beard oil seems too complicated for you, you can also choose to use a beard conditioner after your shampoo.
Waxes and balms: For hold and shine
Taming your beard can be challenging, but it becomes easier if you have the right products. Sometimes an oil can be all you need to soften your beard; however, if your beard is coarse (or if you wish to achieve a particular look), you may need extra help.
Beard waxes and balms provide just the right amount of control, helping you tame stubborn hairs or produce a sharp or refined look. Moreover, these waxes and balms can also help you achieve a perfect finish: most balms provide a bit of sheen, while waxes achieve a more matte look.
Beard dandruff treatments: Preventing flaking and itching
Beard dandruff is one of the most common concerns regarding beard care. For those with beards, flaking and itching are widespread concerns, both in appearance and in terms of comfort.
The good news is that, most often than not, these issues are caused by seborrheic dermatitis and can be easily handled by simply replacing your regular beard shampoo with an anti-dandruff shampoo.
In more severe cases, you may also benefit from using a spray lotion on the most affected areas. However, a shampoo suitable for oily dandruff will cover most cases, so you can start with that approach.
How to trim and shape your beard
In addition to using the right hair and skin care products, one of the most important steps in maintaining a fine beard is to keep it trimmed. This not only helps maintain the desired shape, but also prevents split ends that will make the beard look messy.
To ensure a proper beard trim, you need the right tools. A trained barber will know what they are and how to use them, and that’s actually our first recommendation when it comes to trimming your beard: go to a trained barber to keep your beard up to your standards. If that’s not possible–or simply not your thing–then here’s how you can do a fine job on your own:
Prepping your beard for a trim
Before trimming your beard, follow a few simple steps. You’ll recognize these as the basic steps of any beard care routine:
- Cleanse your beard. Start by washing your beard to remove dirt, oil, and product buildup, which can affect the precision of the trim. Use lukewarm water to avoid drying out your hair and skin. Follow with a thorough rinse to remove product residue;
- Condition. Apply a good quality beard oil or conditioner and let it sit for 20 minutes. This will soften the hair, making it easier to manage and trim. After the 20 minutes, you can pat your beard dry (without rubbing it, as this will create frizz) or blow dry it with a hairdryer;
- Comb and detangle. Before trimming, use a wide-tooth comb to detangle your beard. This will help remove any remaining knots and makes the hair easier to cut.
With your beard clean, conditioned, and neatly detangled, you’ll be able to easily identify the areas that need attention.
Selecting the right trimming tools
Now that you’re ready to start trimming your beard, it’s up to you to decide whether you prefer manual or electric tools. Whether you prefer to work with blades and scissors or electric trimmers, the most important thing is that your chosen tools are high quality and that you feel comfortable using them.
You can even opt for a mixed approach: many excellent barbers–and beard grooming enthusiasts–like to use electric tools for the broad strokes and manual tools for the detail work. (Although more and more seem to be converting to electric precision trimmers, which are great for shaping the beard at the edges).
If you opt for electric trimmers, be aware of the differences between corded and cordless options. With a corded trimmer, you get consistent power without the risk of running out of battery in the middle of the process. On the other hand, cordless trimmers provide more portability and freedom of movement.
Common beard care mistakes to avoid
Now that you know the basics of what to do, here’s what you might want to avoid:
Overwashing or using harsh products
While it’s true that hair, including beard hair, is just a bunch of dead cells, it’s also true that hair behaves differently depending on how harshly you handle it. Keep this in mind, particularly when cleansing your beard: if you’re going for a sleek and polished look, washing your beard with soap and letting it air dry won’t produce that result. In fact, it might actually overwash the beard, remove all the oils from the hairs, and start to cause breakage, frizz and eventually split ends.
The alternative is simple: use a specific beard shampoo and condition your beard after washing. Just like that, you can give your beard the right amount of love with just a few key actions. We don’t expect you to spend 20 minutes a day caring for your beard–although you can!
Neglecting the skin beneath your beard
No healthy hair will ever grow from unhealthy skin. This is true for people who want to care for their hair without taking care of their scalp, and for people who want to care for their beard without taking care of the skin underneath.
Even if the skin under your beard never sees the light of day, you still need to take its needs into account. A great way to do so is to make sure you use a gentle beard shampoo that will cleanse your beard and skin without damaging them.
Consistent care is key for a strong, stylish beard. You can decide to unleash your creativity with the shape of your beard, or you can simply opt for a clean, polished look–either way, having the right tools and products will make all the difference. Explore more beard care options in the shop and immerse yourself in the world of neat beard bros.
