Signs That Your Beard Isn’t Getting the Care It Deserves

beard

Men wear a beard for several reasons — one is to look masculine. While it makes you look manly and ruggedly handsome, maintaining facial hair requires intensive grooming, much like scalp hairs.

Are you noticing beard problems cropping up now and then? Do you see flakes or split ends? These are indications your fuzz needs extra loving and care. Here are prevalent signs your beard isn’t getting what it deserves.

Itchy and Red Skin

As your beard gets longer, it’s harder to reach the skin underneath when washing your face. What typically happens is instead of clearing away dirt, it gets trapped in the jaw and chin. Over time, oil combines with dirt and clog your pores. When hair follicles are blocked, it causes itchiness, redness, and sometimes acne.

Proper exfoliation can resolve this problem. It’s one healthy habit your beard will thank you for. Exfoliate your face fuzz like a boss in these four steps.

1. Wet your face with warm water.

2. Grab your go-to beard wash and create a lather.

3. Spread the shampoo to your mustache using a scrubber and gently brush the area.

4. Rinse and pat dry with a towel.

5. Apply beard oil or conditioner to hydrate the skin below.

Flakes or Dandruff

Men don’t get flakes on the scalp alone. The beard skin can also get dandruff, medically known as seborrheic dermatitis, leaving you feeling unhygienic. When yeast grows on the chin or jaw, the result is scaly and grainy skin.

Up to 40% of men experience beard dandruff. Proper beard care is vital to prevent this from happening. Otherwise, you’ll need to shave your beard away. Choosing a good shampoo is the easiest treatment method. Look for a variant with 1% ketoconazole, pyrithione zinc or selenium sulfide. These active ingredients have antifungal properties that kill and stop yeast growth on the skin.

Here’s how to achieve the best results by using antifungal shampoos.

1. While dry, apply enough shampoo to your beard. Ideally, do this a few minutes before showering.

2. Massage the shampoo thoroughly, making sure it reaches the skin. Use a beard scrubber if necessary.

3. Rinse it thoroughly. Ensure no residue is left on the skin. You can reapply the shampoo on wet skin if you want.

Dry and Brittle Hair

One of the signs of poor beard care is dry, brittle facial hair. Looking at them is as uncomfortable as having them. You can sometimes solve it by switching to another brand of beard wash, as your current product could be drying the hairs out or irritating the skin.

In other instances, dry and brittle hair can be caused by dehydration, overswimming and extreme weather.

Not drinking enough fluids can affect the skin under your facial hair. Meanwhile, pools and salt water have chlorine and salt drying to the hair. Lastly, extremely hot or cold weather makes your beard vulnerable to damage. Here are some solutions to this problem.

1. Swap to a different beard wash or shampoo. Consult a dermatologist if you need help picking out the right brands.

2. If swimming, coat a layer of beard oil first to protect your fuzz from harmful chemicals. When you leave the pool, wash and condition it by applying an oil or a balm.

3. If you live in an area with harsh weather conditions, moisturize your mustache frequently. Choose absorbent products so it doesn’t leave a sticky feeling.

Hair Loss and Patchy Beard

A patchy beard is most likely due to alopecia barbae — a condition related to alopecia areata — characterized by hair loss. In such a case, the immune system sees hair follicles as foreign objects needed to get rid of. As it attacks, the damage results in signs of hair loss, including patchiness, thinning and loosening of follicles.

Alopecia barbae is an auto-immune disorder with no cure but is treatable through medications and other means.

Corticosteroids are immune system suppressors injected or applied topically to the bald spot. You may see effects within one to two months after treatment.

Minoxidil is a topical cream used to treat baldness. It encourages hair growth.

Beard care is essential during treatment as these products can make your hair feel greasy. Blot your fuzz with a dry paper towel and use a gentle beard wash to combat this.

 Split Ends

Split ends are a disheartening sight on your face after following the best beard care advice on the internet. Facial hair split ends make your beard look unkempt, dry and coarse.

The sebum produced by the sebaceous gland coats facial hair to retain moisture. Since the skin only secretes a limited amount, nourishing the beard is harder after it gets past a certain length. The ends can become dry and brittle, eventually followed by split ends.

Apart from this natural cause, using low-quality and harsh beard products and improper grooming habits can cause the problem. Unfortunately, split ends are not repairable. The only way to get rid of them is by trimming the broken hairs.

Prevention is key to side-step split-end problems. Here are some tips:

1. Use a gentle beard wash that doesn’t strip natural oil.

2. Moisturize it with beard oil or balm.

3. Brush your beard to maintain its shine.

4. Eat a balanced diet.

Positive Lifestyle for a Healthier Beard

The growth of facial hair is influenced by testosterone, a hormone dominant in men. If the body has less of it, the beard grows poorly.

A healthy lifestyle can help maintain an equilibrium in the body’s hormonal levels. Here are some tips.

  • Diet: Good nutrition, including lean protein and zinc- and iron-dense food sources, like liver and nuts, can contribute to a healthy and fuller beard.
  • Exercise: Physical activities promote blood flow, stimulating hair follicles.
  • Sleep: The body produces testosterone mainly during sleep. Interrupted rest may disturb the process.
  • Supplements: If you’re not getting adequate nutrients from food to support beard growth, talk to your doctor about oral supplementations.
  • Regulate stress: High cortisol levels are a sign of hormonal imbalance that can affect your beard.

Effective Beard Care Combines Grooming Habits and Lifestyle

Your beard requires proper grooming to look its best. It means spending a few more minutes in the bathroom to apply oil and balm to nourish it. Be wise in choosing your beard products. It’s safer to pick brands with gentle and natural ingredients as they generally suit various skin types. Ask a dermatologist or beard expert if you need guidance in selecting the best items.

A positive lifestyle also affects its appearance. Exercising, getting enough shut-eye and eating nutritious foods can help maintain its glory naturally.

How Using Beard Oil Will Keep You Looking GQ

Edwin Jagger Beard Oil Sandalwood BOSW

How Using The Best Beard Oil Will Keep You Looking GQ

beard oilWhen thinking about growing a beard for the first time, many men believe that having a beard means cutting time off their daily grooming routine and being able to have a certain “devil may care” approach to just letting that facial hair grow wild. Little do they know that their beard will require just as much time and care as a freshly shaved face. With a beard, a whole new world of grooming products become staples, such as beard wash and beard oil.

You could say that beards are high maintenance. But that is only true if you want your beard to look good, your girlfriend to enjoy being close to you and your boss to not complain that you look too “wild” for the company image. Yes, having a beard takes effort. But making that effort appear effortless is what real beardsmen are about.  We will show you why getting yourself the best beard oil money can buy will pay off.

 

Beard Oil Is Your New Best Friend

Oil made specifically for the beard hydrates your beard and keeps it looking healthy, well-kept and handsome. It makes hair stronger, yet softer at the same time. Because this oil is meant for beards, it does not do what regular skin creams and lotion will do. Those products not made for beards have chemicals that damage fine facial hair and make it rough and unruly.

Beard oil also helps keep your skin healthy and moisturized underneath your beard. This is very important, even though no one can see your skin beneath all of that hair. Your skin needs moisture to keep growing your luscious facial locks and not become itchy. Keeping the itch away will help ensure you enjoy having your beard and do not decide in a fit of itch to just shave the whole thing off, as many men do.

Selecting Your Beard Oil

Edwin Jagger Beard Oil - Limes & Pomegranate - BOLP
EJ, model BOLP is the Best Beard Oil

While oil is a longtime favorite of many men, some prefer beard balm. That is a personal choice and the two are generally interchangeable as part of the grooming routine. People who do not like a heavy, greasy feeling usually prefer oil. Those who like the more solid form of beard balm and can keep it from getting too heavy or greasy use the balm.

A favorite beard care brand for many men is Edwin Jagger. Edwin Jagger beard care products are available in a variety of scents, such as the Sandalwood Edwin Jagger Beard Oil or Limes and Pomegranate Edwin Jagger Beard Oil.

Formulated with natural ingredients and organically cultivated plants, Edwin Jagger brand products, including the oil, are great for your skin beneath your beard and tame facial hair into a well-coiffed tribute to beardsmanship. Hair becomes stronger and shinier, while skin is moisturized and remains hydrated longer.

Applying the Oil

Four or five drops of oil into the palm of your hand is sufficient for daily beard maintenance. That is, unless your beard is longer than average. Experiment with how much oil you use, keeping in mind that it is always easier to add more moisture than to take excess away. So do not go too wild and crazy with too much oil.

When you have oil in your palm, rub your hands together to work it all over both hands and warm it a little. Then start at the bottom of your beard and work your fingers and hands through the hair, reaching the skin to hydrate it well. When your beard is moisturized, apply some of the oil to your mustache. Finally, use a brush, wide-toothed comb, or beard comb to evenly spread the oil throughout your facial hair. This combing will ensure there are no hair knots and leave your beard looking well-groomed and smooth.

Have questions on the use of the best beard oil?  Just contact us and we will get back to you right away.