Dropping food into your beard isn’t unheard of, but it could invite unwanted guests. If you don’t manage it well, your facial hair could be a bug’s next feeding ground.
While it may seem unimportant, beard maintenance can go a long way in deterring mosquitos, flies and other insects. Here’s what you need to know about pest prevention for your beard.
How to Keep Pests Away From Your Beard
Growing a beard comes with the responsibility of keeping it clean — otherwise, you could set up a red carpet for bugs to enter your facial hair. Here’s how to keep pests away from your beard.
Consistent Cleanings
Your beard experiences a lot during the day. Work, exercise, parties and family time can take your facial hair anywhere indoors and outdoors. While showing off your beard is fun, you must clean it consistently to remove unwanted contaminants.
Food, dirt, sweat and bacteria build up inside the hair, even if you don’t notice them. A clean beard is essential to keeping pests out and maintaining good hygiene. Experts recommend washing two to three times a week for beard upkeep.
Routine Trims
A messier beard provides an attractive resting spot for pests. Routinely trim your beard to reduce the chance a bug will set up camp inside. This is similar to cutting the grass in your yard to eliminate habitats for snakes.
If you let your beard grow, you could risk trapping moisture and growing bacteria. Thus, trimming your facial hair is critical to fostering a cleaner environment under your chin. A smaller beard is also easier to clean, letting you spend less time in front of the mirror.
Neutral Scents
Smelling fresh is critical to your hygiene. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash and cologne impact how people perceive you. While the scents from these products are great, they could bring unwanted pests to your beard. Research shows carboxylic acid attracts mosquitoes, so refrain from using products with it in your beard.
When in doubt, select neutral scents for your beard care. For example, unscented shaving cream leaves no scent while delivering a fresh feeling. If you like more complex smells, experiment with products to see which ones repel pests better than others.
Careful Eating
When you haven’t eaten in a while, it’s time to chow down. However, overzealous eating can harm your beard if food leaves your mouth. Accidents can happen, so careful eating is essential for beard protection. Sometimes, covering your mouth might not be enough.
Protect your beard by eating slower and taking smaller bites to make it easier on your mouth. Consider using a fork, knife and other utensils instead of your hands to control the food as it enters your mouth. Enhance your beard protection with nearby napkins and wipes to cleanse your face.
Beard Protection
When the ultraviolet (UV) rays are dangerous, people wear hats to protect their scalps. Should you take similar measures for your beard? While there aren’t beard hats, there is some gear to safeguard your facial hair when you walk outside. For example, a beard scarf could be your solution.
Why Bugs Are Attracted to Facial Hair
Why do pests like making themselves at home in your beard? Here are a few reasons they like your face.
Attractive Smells
While bugs may like your artificial scent, there are other natural smells they can’t get enough of. Humans emit carbon dioxide (CO2), thus benefiting plant growth because they need it for respiration. What else has an attraction to this gas? Mosquitoes can sense CO2 from 50 yards away, making it hard to hide.
When bugs smell CO2, it indicates where their next meal could be. Mosquitos use this scent to find your skin, take refuge and begin feasting. While on your body, they find other attractive smells in your beard and take refuge.
Food Search
While humans and insects seem different, they’re both animals at heart. Invertebrates and vertebrates have daily goals to find food. Bugs typically eat plants, but they won’t pass up the opportunity to feast on you.
Beards provide a unique opportunity for insects because the hair traps tiny food particles. While a shower can help the beard, you could be vulnerable to less noticeable messes. Suppose you sweeten Greek yogurt with honey for a healthy snack. The honey could get stuck in your beard and invite bugs for their mealtime.
Temporary Shelter
Shelter is another critical need for insects. If you’re unlucky, they may seek a home inside your beard. Facial hair might not seem large enough for a habitat, but it’s the right size for a tiny bug. Pests see your beard as a refuge from the dangerous outdoor environment where their predators are.
Beards keep you warm during the winter, giving you a natural advantage in the cold. Pests also recognize this opportunity and want to take advantage of it regardless of the season. Research shows insects prefer higher temperatures, so your beard provides the needed spot.
Laying Eggs
When bugs find a safe and warm place, they may see it as an optimal spot for laying eggs. Their spawn needs moisture and warmth inside the egg, so your beard could be a suitable place. Consistent sweat and hot temperatures make your facial hair their next destination.
For example, experts say lice affect up to 12 million people annually, and these tiny bugs can get in your facial hair.
Bacteria Haven
Working hard in the gym or outside means you’ll break a sweat. While it’s a sign of a job well done, the sweat dripping from your face to your beard could bring negative consequences. This fluid contains bacteria that don’t smell great to humans but are attractive to pests.
When you sweat, your body calls pests and tells them to come over. Mosquitos enjoy human sweat because it contains lactic acid and ammonia. Excessive sweat makes it worse, so grab a towel and clean yourself after workouts.