We’ve all been there before: employers, friends, family—even girlfriends and wives—hassling you to shave after months of growing out the beard you love…
But sometimes you can’t blame them. Especially if you’re not doing what it takes to keep it looking neat, clean, and presentable.
Don’t worry. It doesn’t take much. Learning how to comb a beard can resolve the issue in a matter of minutes and transform your beard from something your employers nag you about, to an emblem of manliness the whole office will be jealous of.
So, if you’ve ever wondered, “Should I brush or comb my beard?” but never quite got around to it, this article is for you.
How to Train Your Beard
When you were a child, your parents probably stuck you with the same haircut for years and years. After a while, the way you brushed, combed, and cut your hair made it to grow a certain way.
Now you’re a man. And when you were finally ready to change your look, it probably took years to re-train your hair.
Your beard isn’t much different. Just like the hair on your head, your beard does the same thing, and you’ve got to train your facial hair to go the way you want.
- Identify the Hair Type:
The first step of learning how to comb your beard is to figure out what you’re working with. Is your beard more coarse and crinkly? Or is it wavy or straight-ish?
The type of hair determines what type of comb you should use. The coarser the hair, the wider spaces or the larger the teeth you need in your comb. The opposite applies for beards that aren’t as coarse.
- Identify Skin Type:
If you’ve already got a skincare routine, then you probably know what works for your skin and what doesn’t.
But keep this in mind when you’re choosing your products. If you’ve got sensitive skin, choose combs with wider spaces so that it doesn’t tug, and ultimately, irritate your skin.
- Add Moisture:
Untangling and combing coarser hair when it’s dry leads to breakage—and pain! Always moisturize your beard before combing, even if it’s a quick spritz of water.
Ideally, you’ll want to use beard oil. Hemp and jojoba are two of the best natural options on the market right now. Follow the instructions regarding how often you should use it, but we recommend using it daily.
- Start Combing:
If your beard has a bad habit of tangling, then you’re going to want to start at the ends. Starting at the chin can push the knots closer together, and that can be difficult to undo. Working your way up is simply easier and less painful.
If combing leads to painful tugging, and your beard is long enough, hold the root of the hair so that your hand puts a barrier between the tugging and your skin.
- Finish Up with a Brush:
If you decide to use water to add moisture when combing your beard, give it some time to air-dry before brushing. You don’t want to brush it when it’s too dry, but you don’t want it to be sopping wet either.
Wet hair curls can cause the curls to wrap around the bristles, leading to more tugging and breakage. If you’re in a rush, then just towel-dry it real quick.
- Keep Up with It:
Combing your beard once every so often won’t cut it. You need to comb it every day to see the awesome results you’re looking for. The best time to do this is at the start of your day with the rest of your grooming routine.
For instance, some men prefer combing their beards during their morning showers because water adds natural moisture. Find a solution that works best for you and stick with it.
Why It’s Worth It
For years, skincare and general haircare have been the domain of women. This is obviously changing. More and more men all over the world are doing their part to take better care of themselves and embrace the manly beards they were always meant to have.
Even if you’re in no rush to get a spa treatment, there are plenty of benefits to reap from taking care of your skin and beard by keeping it clean and knot-free.
- Hygiene: When you eat, food falls into your beard. So, when you comb and brush your beard, you get rid of not just knots, but particles that get in there too. These small particles can start to rot and ferment. The coarser and curlier your hair, the less likely it is that washing alone will get rid of them.
- Skin Health: In-grown hairs can be pretty unattractive, ultimately taking a toll on your self-esteem. Combing and brushing your beard helps to straighten the hair. This prevents them from curling back into the skin, which is something that often leads to ingrown hairs.
- Eating: Be honest. How many times have you bitten into a chunk of your beard during a meal? Brushing that mustache and goatee helps train them so they stay in their designated spaces. This makes eating less of a burden and keeps food particles out of your beard.
Finding the right comb plays a crucial role in training your beard. Finding one with multiple purposes helps you maintain smooth lines and beard shapes like a two-birds-one-stone solution. Combs like this help reduce the amount of space your products take up and simplify your life. What more could a man possibly ask for? Keep learning at Wild-Willies.com!
