So, you’re thinking about growing a beard — or you already have a beard, but it’s looking a bit on the wild side — and you’re wondering if there is a quick beard care routine that can give you an enviable mane. Beards can be low-maintenance, but they are not no-maintenance (unless you’re going for a yeti look). Incorporate these five steps into your daily routine for a quick and easy way to tame your bristles.
1. Keep Your Mane Clean as Part of Your Everyday Beard Care Routine
Your beard may serve as a food catcher, dirt collector and stress reducer, so it’s imperative to wash it on the daily. No matter how much beard hair you have, keeping it clean is essential to keeping it healthy. You probably touch and tug on your mane throughout the day, more than you realize.
Your hands carry a good deal of grime on them, which then transfers to your whiskers. Food bits get trapped in the tangle, even when you do your best to remember to use your napkin. With so many opportunities to soak up germs and dirt, you need to take a few minutes in your daily beard care routine to lather up.
Shampooing
It’s important to use a shampoo created specifically for facial hair. Otherwise, you run the risk of clogging your pores and stripping the natural oils from your whiskers. Your shampoo should be mild, containing natural and organic ingredients to clean your hair without the harsh effects of chemical additives.
Essential oils such as eucalyptus, vitamin E, peppermint and lemongrass help maintain your beard and skin’s natural oil balance. Shampoos that contain these ingredients moisturize and condition your mane, so you won’t need to use a separate conditioner, saving you a little time in your daily beard care routine. When you shampoo your facial hair, use cool to lukewarm water. Otherwise, you can dry out your skin, leading to not-so-attractive dandruff flakes.
Drying
When you’re all washed up, take a towel to your face — but be gentle! You may be tempted to rub vigorously, as you might do when towel drying your hair after a shower, but doing so can damage the follicles. Pat your beard dry instead and leave it a little damp.
If you want or need to speed up the drying process, use a blow dryer. Turn the heat on cool. The air movement is enough to do the job without drying out your mane or skin and doesn’t add much time to your daily beard care routine. You should also angle the hairdryer in the direction of your beard’s growth to aid in styling and maintain follicle strength and health.
2. Keep Your Beard Well-Oiled
Apply beard oil while your bristles still have just a bit of moisture left on them to help with distribution and absorption. Hemp oil is a great option because it contains the perfect ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids, matching your skin’s natural omega balance. Hemp oil is easily absorbed and won’t clog your pores. It is also good for your whiskers, keeping them moisturized but not oily.
If you want to use an oil in your beard care routine that stimulates beard growth, use one that contains nutrients such as vitamins E and B12 and leaves out harmful fragrances, chemicals, colorants and preservatives. A beard growth oil can help you achieve the look you’re growing for while giving you strong and healthy follicles and touchable, shiny whiskers.
Applying the Oil
You don’t need much elixir to do the trick. Applying the oil to a moist beard helps distribute the product throughout your facial hair. Make sure your beard is clean before you rub it in. Work the oil down to the skin so you get the full benefits of its moisturizing, nutrient-rich goodness.
3. Run a Brush Through It
Taming your mane requires taking a brush to it as part of your beard care routine. A brush made from natural boar bristles is best for this task. Brush your mane once a day to tame the beardy beast and gently remove tangles. It’s also a good way to help distribute beard oils and balms.
You don’t want to overdo it, though, or you might end up with split ends. Generally, you can brush your beard up to three or four times a day without causing damage. Go gentle on your whiskers, taking care not to yank out the tangles. If you’re prone to beardruff, brush your beard before you shower to bring flakes to the surface.
4. Apply Beard Butter Throughout the Day
Beard butter is essential to include in your beard care routine. You’ll want to use this several times a day, including right before bed. The balm tames unruly and flyaway strands, so your mane keeps its cool all day long. It also moisturizes hair and skin, providing the nutrients you need for healthy facial hair and skin.
Make sure you use a balm that contains natural ingredients. Many products use chemicals that can cause more harm than good, irritating and drying the skin and hair rather than moisturizing and feeding them. You may end up with more dandruff, flaky skin and brittle whiskers instead of the shiny, soft beard you’re looking for.
5. Trim Your Mane as Needed
While this isn’t usually part of your daily beard care routine, keeping your mane trimmed is necessary to maintain your good looks. Most men find that they need to trim their beards one to two times a month. To maintain clean neck and cheek lines and shape up your sideburns, you may want to use a beard shaping tool more often.
Get the Right Products for Your Daily Beard Care Routine
Wild Willies has everything you need for your daily beard care routine. You won’t find anything but natural ingredients from sustainable sources in our products because we care about you, and we care about making sure our products don’t harm you or the planet. Live free, live wild with Wild Willies, and give us a shout if you want to talk beards.
