Top Reasons Why Getting Some Beard Wash Is So Important

Edwin Jagger Beard Wash Sandalwood – BWSW

Top Reasons Why Getting Some Beard Wash Is So Important

Keeping your beard clean is the biggest responsibility of having a beard. If you do not properly care for your beard, prepare for people to start telling you to “wash that beard,” as an unkempt, uncared-for beard is more obvious than you may think. If you have a girlfriend, wife or other partner, they will be the first to reject you if your beard is not clean. So pick up the beard wash and pay attention!

 

Beard Care Gets Real

 

Let’s face it: when you have a beard, it can get pretty gross. Small bits of food will stick in it, just like food stuck in your braces when you were a gawky teen. Unless you enjoyed rejection then and want to replay those gawky years, you need to regularly check your beard for any leftovers, crumbs or other things saved for later.

Beard WashIf you are someone who smokes or you work or go somewhere people are smoking, you will definitely need to clean your beard on a regular basis. If you are a smoker, you will not necessarily notice how the scent clings to your facial hair because you are used to it. But others will smell you coming and going. This is not the kind of image you want for your beard or yourself.

Many girlfriends and wives have complained about their guy’s beard smelling terrible, holding onto food and being too gross for intimacy. Unless you like endless nights alone, you should probably start washing your beard regularly. Think about what it is like for your loved one to swoop in for a kiss, only to be greeted by last Wednesday’s salad dressing on your facial hair.  Real classy right?

Using A Beard Wash

Edwin Jagger Beard Wash Sandalwood – BWSW
Edwin Jagger Beard Wash

Because you love your beard and almost consider it a separate being, it deserves its own moisturizing cleanser. Beard wash is designed for this specific purpose of cleaning the beard while moisturizing and protecting the skin. After all, the skin is where follicles need nourishment and good health to keep your beard crop growing strong. Regular hair shampoo will dry your facial skin, resulting in poorly growing and unhealthy looking hair.

Edwin Jagger Beard Wash is specially formulated for optimum health, volume and shine. It also helps your facial skin stay healthy and well hydrated for best hair growth. The Edwin Jagger line is a blend of natural ingredients and plant extracts. It will not dry or strip your hair or facial skin, as regular shampoo or soap does.

How to Wash Your Beard

To wash your beard, apply the beard wash generously. Work the product into the beard and onto the underlying skin. Massage the skin and hair with the wash, getting to the roots. Rinse well while working the hair around in all directions to ensure all wash formula is rinsed away.

Be sure you do not use hot water when washing your beard. Hot water dries your skin and hair, limiting healthy growth and making it appear dull, coarse and unruly. Instead, use warm water for rinsing. You can splash cold at the end of the warm rinse, to close your pores and make your beard feel fresh.

Once the beard is rinsed, you must dry it completely. Use a clean towel to gently pat it dry. You can also use a hair dryer at low heat while using a brush to smooth the hair.

Important Steps To Consider When Choosing The Best Aftershave

Important Steps To Consider When Choosing The Best Aftershave

Selecting the best aftershave can be confusing. There is such a wide variety of products available for shaving that selecting this important component of a great, close shave is often made hastily without considering ingredients or attributes of quality aftershaves. To better understand how to find your own best aftershave, we will take a look at some finer points of aftershaves and how to make an informed choice.

What is aftershave?

BAUME.BE Aftershave BalmAftershave is a broad term describing the line of many products used immediately following shaving to relieve irritation, moisturize and protect skin from elements.

There are two primary categories of aftershaves. Those are:

  • Splashes: Splashes provide toners, astringents and hydrosols to cleanse the skin after the shave while also providing antiseptic and antibacterial protection. Best suited for people with oily skin or those living where the climate is hot and humid.
  • Balms: Balms are heavier on the skin and relieve irritation while also moisturizing. Best suited for people living in cold or dry climates. Aftershave lotions are also considered balms. A good example of a quality balm is BAUME.BE Aftershave Balm.

Ingredients in Aftershave

Edwin Jagger After Shave SandalwoodTo select your best aftershave, it is helpful to know what key ingredients are and what those ingredients do for your skin. Below are some of the most common aftershave ingredients:

Astringents and Toners
Astringents and toners cleanse skin while shrinking the look of pores. Toners provide minor skin irritation relief for small cuts, rashes, bug bites and fungal infections. Scars can also heal better through use of toners.

Astringents are the strongest variety of toners. They contain up to 60 percent alcohol and are best used on oily skin due to drying factors. However, drying the skin makes it produce even more oil, so using astringents can become a cycle of removing and producing oil. In essence, astringents harden, dry out and protect skin. So use them only where problem skin exists, such as the T-zone from the chin, up the bridge of the nose and across the forehead.

Ingredients with astringent qualities include:

  • Alum
  • Acacia
  • Oatmeal
  • Distilled vinegar
  • Witch hazel
  • Alcohol
  • Yarrow
  • Silver nitrate
  • Potassium permanganate
  • Zinc sulfate
  • Zinc oxide

Hydrosols
Steam distilled from aromatic plants, hydrosols are often referred to by names such as floral water, hydrolate, essential water, herbal water or herbal distillates. Hydrosols are produced like essential oils and were once thought of as byproducts of distilling. Now, hydrosols are considered worthwhile for inhibiting bacterial growth and helping the skin balance to a normal pH.

Col Conk Unscented After Shave LotionMoisturizers
Moisturizers are not single ingredients, instead being multiple ingredients combined to make the skin’s external layers softer and more pliable. This is achieved by increasing the amount of water held by the skin through reduction of evaporation, not by adding water. An example of a great moisturizer is Edwin Jagger Sandalwood After Shave.

Humectants
Used to increase skin penetration of the best aftershave ingredients, humectants decrease dehydration effects of other ingredients. Humectants commonly found in the best aftershave include:

  • Glycerol
  • Propylene glycol
  • Urea
  • Lactic acid
  • Sorbitol

Best Aftershave Ingredients to Look For

  • Calendula
  • Witch hazel
  • Lavender
  • Aloe vera
  • Chamomile
  • Tea tree oil
  • Rose oil distillate
  • Various vitamins
  • Jojoba oil
  • Grapefruit seed extract

Aftershave Ingredients to Avoid

  • Lemon oil or eucalyptus, if your skin is sensitive
  • High concentrations of alcohol or camphor
  • Grapefruit, if you tend to spend a lot of time outdoors

Looking for additional protection with a Pre-Shave solution? Check out the benefits of using a pre-shave oil on your skin.  You will also want to consider a shaving brush if you don’t already have a couple in your wet shaving tools.

How Using The Best Beard Oil Could Make All The Difference

Edwin Jagger Beard Oil Sandalwood BOSW

How Using The Best Beard Oil Could Make All The Difference

Growing a beard is a major undertaking. You start out thinking it will enable you to be a little more footloose and “fancy free” than the rigors of daily shaving. Soon after your bread sprouts, however, you realize that is not necessarily true. A beard does not absolve you of daily grooming routine. Instead, your routine just changes. Part of this routine lies in ensuring you have some of the best beard oil on hand.

The best beard oil for your needs will be more than just a nice scent to rub through facial hairs. The best oil is one that nourishes your beard, helping it to grow well and look great. Beard oil also nourishes the skin beneath your beard, so those follicles can continue doing the great job of making you a beardsman.

Best Beard Oil for New Growth Beards

best beard oilWhen your beard first starts to grow, you need to nourish your skin and hair to keep them healthy and growing strong. But you do not need the weight of a beard oil designed for keeping unruly hairs in place.

A good beard oil for this stage is also one that helps you get through the phase many men do not make it through without grabbing the nearest razor and going back to their old daily routine. That is, the itchy, uncomfortable emergence of facial hairs. For this, you need a beard oil that soothes.

Ingredients to look for in beard oil for this phase of growth are vitamins A, B, D and E. Proteins and fatty acids are also great for repairing damaged hairs and getting into the follicles to stimulate healthy growth.

Best Beard Oil for Medium Growth

When your beard has grown to one-half to 1.5 inches, you are in the most comfortable phase of beard growth. This is when living is easy and maintenance is almost as carefree as possible. This phase is so carefree that you can use just about any beard oil weight and quality. During this phase, scent and moisturizing are the most important factors. You still want to keep your skin hydrated, follicles stimulated and existing hair length nourished.

A great option for medium growth beards is Edwin Jagger Beard Oil in Sandalwood.

Best Beard Oil for Full Growth

Edwin Jagger Beard Oil Sandalwood BOSWWhen your beard reaches more than 1.5 to 3 inches, it starts taking on a life of its own. It decides which direction it wants to lie and how much the hairs behave. Much like a two year-old toddler, it may take some effort to keep your beard in line at this stage.

Heavier oil works best for full growth beards. This weighs the hairs down and keeps them from sticking out in all directions. It also continues to nourish and hydrate skin and the hairs for continuing good health. Edwin Jagger Beard Oil in Limes and Pomegranate is a great choice.

Best Beard Oil for Long Beards

When your beard is over three inches long, you start becoming as popular as a set of twins. Wherever you go, people remark about your beard. This is a time when heavy oils are important. You will also need to apply more of the oil to ensure these older, longer hairs do not start acting like rebellious teenagers.

Safety Razor Shaving 101

Safety Razor Shaving 101

Edwin Jagger Safety Razor Gold DE89BA11Gbl
Safety Razor Gold DE89BA11Gbl

Safety razor shaving dates back to the Victorian era. Shaving with electric shavers then became the “next big thing” and disposables soon took over. In recent years safety razors have come back into vogue. Now many men enjoy shaving just as their grandfathers once did.

Safety razor shaving involves using a double-edged blade within a stylish reusable razor head. The razor head and attached handle have become highly-regarded personal items, much like cufflinks or a treasured timepiece. Many men select their razor to suit personal style and taste, with many opting for safety razors of gold, silver or other metal design.

But shaving with a safety razor takes some practice. It is a sort of timeless art, one that Grandpa made look so easy and efficient, using his foaming cream cup, badger bristle shaving brush and safety razor as part of a morning routine. You can make it look just as easy over time, once you get the hang of it.

What Is Safety Razor Shaving?

Safety Razor Shaving

Safety razor shaving involves use of one razor blade with double-edged sharpness. The razor has a safety guard protecting skin from all but the razor’s shaving edge, as the name implies. When the razor blade becomes ineffective, it is removed from the razor and replaced. Only the blades are disposable, unlike more modern disposable razors with plastic handles.

Many men of today are choosing safety razors for shaving over disposables and electric shavers for the following reasons:

  • Replacement blades are inexpensive
  • Safety razor shaving enables easier shaving of tight spaces like under your nose and in neck folds
  • Many users believe safety razors result in smoother, closer, more uniform shaving than other methods

Although people enjoy using a safety razor for shaving, it is easier to cut yourself using a safety razor, as ironic as that seems. It also takes awhile to be able to shave efficiently using a safety razor. This means that it may be best to learn to use a safety razor over the weekend or when not in a hurry, so more cuts do not occur and shaving does not upset the morning routine.

Tips for Safety Razor Shaving

Astra Platinum Razor BladesWhen starting to use a safety razor, follow these tips for a smoother transition from disposables:

  • Ensure you are not under time pressure or other stress, to avoid cuts or other problems. Take your time and pay attention to what you are doing.
  • Do not apply heavy pressure. Glide the razor gently over the face, not using brute force with quick motions as with a disposable or shaver.
  • Use short, light strokes with hair growth direction. Do not go side-to-side or against hair growth, to prevent cuts and irritation.
  • Stretch your skin to reduce nooks, crannies, creases, dips and ripples.
  • Rinse the blades frequently although you can simply flip the razor around and use the other side of the double sided blade.