In high school, I made the decision to rock a beard. it wasn’t a fashion statement; I kept getting damn razor bumps. My face would be all feverish, even if I used Magic Shave. So, I grew my beard. This was before the beard was even big thing nationwide. It was before white hipsters latched onto it or before the Philly beard got really well known beyond the “City of Brotherly Love”. So, I had to learn how to take care of it early on.
The beard is just hair growing out of your face. You need to treat it like the hair coming out of the top of your head. The skin under your beard has the same issues that you will come across with your scalp. You have to keep the beard hair clean, you have to keep it moisturized, and you have to keep the beard hair clean. Yes, you can have brittle beard hair. Yes, you can get beard dandruff. Yes, it can heavy and weighty from just washing it with thick soaps. Lust like you are on top of your hair game, you need to make sure you are on top of your beard care game.
One basic thing that you need to get into the habit to is brushing, picking or combing your beard. You get to clear out all of the smaller debris in the briar patch. It should be a daily operation. The second thing that you need to do is wash your beard with a good quality shampoo. You just don’t need to hit it with the bar soap. Get something that is making sure the natural oils of your beard are retained and is cleaning up the “scalp” under the beard. Finally you need to invest in one of the most essential beard products….beard butter and/or beard oil.
Beard butter is like a beard balm. It has a sealant like petroleum oil, shea butter, bee’s wax or lanolin. Added to that is a moisturizing oil. That moisturizing oil allows for the beard to retain moisture. Without that oil, the sealant will just seal in the dryness making your beard brittle. Beard butter is like a leave in conditioner. It’s also good for shaping and styling.
Beard oil is similar to beard butter, yet instead of a heavy sealant, it uses a carrier oil that is then mixed with an essential or fragrant oil. Good beard oils are going to reduce itching, moisturize the skin and create a healthy beard. Beard oils are good because they are usually in small spray containers and can be applied several times during the day.
With the reassurance of the beard, it is important to make sure that the grooming practices also accompany it. The beard isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it’s making appearances in places where you wouldn’t have thought to have seen it before such as in sports, the average newscaster, your favorite rapper and popular actors. If you have a beard, make its care a part of your daily routine. So here’s to a shiny healthy beard that ain’t got particles of food floating around in it.
