October 13th, 2024

Beard Care

As someone who takes pride in his beard, I'm often asked about proper beard care and maintenence. Despite the misconceptions, most guys can't wake up and just run a comb through their beard with any expectation that it'll sit properly or look presentable.

Washing and rinsing
Similar to the way most women maintain their hair, it's not ideal to wash your beard every day. Daily beard washing will strip your beard of its natural oils and, ultimately, cause damage to it over a long term. That doesn't mean you shouldn't wash your beard. It simply means you should stagger your washing with rinsing. In my case, I wash my beard 1-2 times per week unless it's otherwise needed. There will always be situations where salt, oil, or dirt get in it and it requires a wash vs. a rinse.

For washing, I suggest avoiding typical bar soaps that are intended for your body. These soaps are meant to cut oils and will be too harsh for use in your beard. Instead, my preference is to use an unscented goat's milk-based bar. Why goat's milk? Well, goat's milk contains fatty acids and nutrients that are gentle on your beard. In addition, it contains lactic acid that helps with the removal of dead skin cells. On rinse days, I simply run warm water through my beard and either use my hands or a comb to work through the hair, as I rinse it. For the soap, I'd always suggest sourcing something locally, if you have someone in your area that makes it. However, if you're looking for a good alternative, The Soap Haven has a nice Oatmeal & Honey Bar that will do the job.

Moisturizing and preparation
Whether it's a wash day or a rinse day, I always follow up my shower by blow drying my beard. This part is crucial as it will help to straighten the beard and tame it, prior to oiling it. When I dry it, I hold the blow dryer above my face and angle it down the beard, as if pointing at my chest. While doing so, I comb through the beard (from top to bottom). This process elongates and straightens the beard so it will lay flat instead of curling up in a rat's nest. This should be repeated as long as it takes for the beard to dry, completely.

Once done, I immediately grab my favorite oil and work it into my beard.

I make my own beard oil from a blend of sweet almond oil (as a carrier), tea tree oil (for moisturizing), and a combination of essential oils (for scent). I have a few different variations but, some of my favorite combos are cedar and eucalyptus, orange and eucalyptus, or peppermint and fir needle. All of these offer a warm but crisp scent. The eucalyptus and peppermint create a light tingling sensation on the face. I'll go into a "how to" tutorial under another post, at some point, so I can share the process and measurements for creating your own oils (and balms).

When I apply the oil, I put a few drops in my hand (for my 8"-10" beard, I use 4-6 drops), work my hands together, and start applying from the bottom. While doing so, I lift the beard and work my hands through it. I then move to the outside top of the beard and repeat the process, while working my way down (don't forget the mustache). It's important to make sure you're pushing the oil all the way through your beard and into the skin. This ensures your beard is evenly oiled and your face gets some love, too.

Combing
After the oil is applied, I run a comb through my beard to ensure it's evenly spread throughout it and to work the hair into the desired shape. For the first few passes, I make sure to point the comb 90 degrees into my cheeks and neck. This continues to help ensure the oil is pushed into the beard and not stripped out of it. After a few passes with the comb pointed into my face, I angle it down and begin shaping the hair while straightening it.

Balm or Beard Cream
Applying either beard balm or cream is necessary to ensure the beard holds its form and to avoid fly always. In this case, I will either use homemade balm or a conditioner/cream like Billy Jealousy Beard Control. In either case, the amount of product I use is very small (maybe a pea or dime-size). I work the product into my hands and lightly apply it down the sides and front of my beard (almost as if I was just trying to coat the outside of it).

Grooming and maintenance
One of the biggest challenges I see other beard owners struggle with is proper beard trimming. Most guys will simply trim the bottom of their beard (if at all) but, that doesn't do much for shaping and keeping a clean/tight look. When I trim my beard, I use a combination of electric trimmers or clippers and a pair of scissors.

To begin with, I pull the hair away from the face or comb it out from the side of my face a bit and start with a larger guard on the trimmers. I work my way down my sideburns and into sides of the main portion of the beard. I repeat this process with a shorter guard, each time, and reducing how far I work my way down my face. Eventually, I will remove the guard altogether and trim just the top of the sideburns. This fading process allows me to remove all the excess hair on the sides of my face and beard that normally "fluff" up and cause the beard to look out of control or ungroomed.

Once done with the sides, I comb out the lower portion of the beard and trim under it (no guard on the trimmers), aiming for a rounded bottom. It's important to comb through the beard, several times, and repeat this process. That helps to make sure you catch any hairs that might have been tucked up in the main portion.

From that point (with no guard) I lightly work my way down the sides and front of my beard to catch any additional hairs that might not have been captured in any or the prior steps. This portion helps to ensure the beard looks smooth and tight.

For my mustache, I use a brush and pull it down into my lip to make sure everything is straight. I use the trimmers (with no guard) to trim an arc that's just lower than my upper lip. Everyone's face is a bit different but, I find trimming above the lip causes your mustache to look short or odd. Trimming too far below your lip won't look as bad but, you'll be dipping it in every drink you take a sip of. So, I find the happy medium to be just below the upper lip.

Lastly, I'll use my razor to cut in or trim the tops of my cheeks (above the beard) and, in my case (since I'm bald), the tops of my sideburns, as well. Razoring the tops of the cheeks is another area where I see many beard owners fail with maintenance. This is crucial for a clean and healthy looking beard. High hair lines on your cheeks can be very off-putting and unsightly. In this case, the shape should form a sweeping arc from the lower edge of your mustache up to your side burns (think of something similar to the Nike logo swoosh).

Before bed
While it may not be completely necessary, I also like to brush my beard with a coarse boar's hair brush, before bed. This is a great way to ensure the beard is tangle free and helps with softening it.

My preferred tools and products
I want to be clear that you can use any decent quality tools you might prefer. The grooming and maintenance is the important part. However, I've included links to some tools that I've come to prefer, over the years, after much testing and disappointments with other alternatives.

While there are alternatives to any/all of these tools and products, the one that I'm truly a hardcore believer in is the Dorco line of razors. I've been shaving my head for nearly 25 years and can tell you that there aren't many razors that will give you the same value and longevity for the money. I've tried an absolute litany of razors from women's razors to overpriced men's razors and Dorco crushes the competition in every way. I first stumbled upon Dorco when I looked into the source for Dollar Shave Club's products. I came to find that they used a variation of Dorco's handles and blades. This is partly how they were able to maintain a cheap but, high quality solution for their customers. Dorco is a South Korean company that has been around since the 1950's. Their razors are the highest quality, sharpest, and longest lasting of any I've used. In addition, they're gentle on skin and offer a smooth/clean cut. The model I've listed, above, is a 6 bladed cartridge with a single blade on the rear, for edging. They do offer a 7-bladed option (SVA3000) but, I prefer to stick with the 6-bladed version, because of the edging blade.

Dorco Logo

Final thoughts
Regardless of which tools, products, or solutions you use, the important thing is that you take care of your beard. Proper grooming and care will not only make sure your beard stays healthy and strong but, it will also ensure you represent the bearded community well.

Stay bearded, my friends.

This post is the 5th of my #100DaysToOffload challenge. Want to get involved? Find out more at 100daystooffload.com.