Although beards did fall out of fashion in the mid to late 90s and early 2000s when clean-cut, clean-shaven, floppy-haired men were deemed to be more aesthetically pleasing (at least in terms of the fashion industry anyway), recently they have made a huge comeback, with more men sporting beards than they would have been just a few years ago. 

Yet it’s one thing to grow a beard, and it’s quite another to maintain it and take care of it so it looks less like Hagrid’s and more like the kind of look you’d see in Hollywood or on a billboard. So what can be done? Surely a beard will just grow how it likes and you’re either lucky or you’re not? Well, this is not the case. As with most grooming and fashion, it’s all about the effort that we put into it, and with enough knowledge and time, your beard can look exactly how you want it to. Read on for some great tips on just how to take care of your beard. 

 

Wash Your Beard 

You might not class your beard in the same category as the hair on your head, but just like that hair, your beard needs to be washed regularly too. It won’t need to be done every day (again, just like the hair on your head), but once or twice a week would be excellent, and ensure it stays in the best condition. 

You can buy specialist beard shampoos that will help to keep the moisture in, and you can even choose different formulations, depending on the kind of beard you have. If you want it to be less frizzy or more bushy, there’s a shampoo for that. Plus you can choose a scent that works for you (or no scent at all). 

Don’t try to cut corners and use a normal shampoo on your beard though; this doesn’t have the same effect, and will only serve to dry the beard out, making it harder to style. 

Nourish Your Beard 

A clean beard is good (especially if you tend to get food caught up in it), but a clean beard that has been properly nourished and moisturized is even better. Using either a beard oil or beard balm, you can do just that. 

 

 

What’s the difference between the two options? It’s all down to the style. A beard oil will moisturize the beard and can be used as a conditioner after the shampoo. When you use this oil, your beard will look healthy and shiny, which is important when it comes to your self-confidence. A beard balm will do the same job, but it also has a holding formula in it, allowing you to style the beard or keep it in place, much like hair gel would do (only with more conditioning power). This is ideal for longer beards. 

Use A Beard Comb 

If you’re going to use an oil or balm (or even if you’re not), you won’t be able to just leave your beard to grow in any which way. Or rather, if you want a neat and good looking beard, you won’t be able to leave it. A beard comb will help you to tame your beard and keep it looking the way you want it to.

You should comb your beard every day as this offers a variety of benefits including keeping your hair growing in the right direction and avoiding the problem of ingrowing hairs, which can be very painful, especially if they become infected. 

See A Barber 

It’s great to be able to take care of your beard yourself, and most of the time you can, but it’s always a good idea to go to a barber once in a while, perhaps every six weeks or so, to ensure that your beard looks as good as possible.  

 

 

A barber might have the reputation of shaving beards off entirely, and if that’s what you want, they’ll be happy to oblige, but as well as this they are able to trim your beard, helping you to train it to grow how you want it. Because that’s the amazing thing about beards. With enough time and effort, you really can make your beard do what you want it to do, including growing in some places and not others if that works for you. 

Seeing a barber to help you achieve this is the easiest option; they know just what to do to give you a beard to be proud of. 

 

Thanks for reading and y’all stay dandy.

-Diego

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