Summer is fast approaching and the heat as well as the air conditioning can wreak havoc on your lustrous beard. We have a few tips on how to wash and care for your facial hair to keep that beard and mustache in top health.
How Often Should You Wash?
There are a lot of opinions about how often you should wash, whether it be every day, every few days, or even at all. For this post we decided to ask the experts. According to The American Academy of Dermatology you should wash your beard every day, but don’t overdo it. They recommend using a gentile wash made specifically for beards. Avoid over-enthusiastic scrubbing as this can damage your beard and leave your beard and skin under it dry and itchy. Washing regularly removes dirt, sweat, oil, germs, and dead skin.
The Products You Use Are Important
Once again you do not over wash, so once a day should be sufficient and avoid using soaps not designed for your beard. Body wash and most bar soaps are made for use on your body and not intended for use in beard hair. Even most products like 2 in 1s or shampoos and conditioners for the hair on the top of your head can damage your beard since a lot of them contain chemicals like sulfates or other aggressive detergents that can strip all the important nutrients from your beard. These products can contain chemicals like petroleum or paraffins that will end up coating your beard keeping your beard from being able to absorb the oils it needs to stay healthy. Even though facial hair can be very tough looking and masculine, the hair on your face can be a bit more of a delicate flower than the hair on the top of your head. Because of this it needs products that are specially created for facial hair. I was shocked when I polled some of my bearded friends on their beard washing habits only to find out that they used Old Spice and Irish Spring on their facial hair.
Always moisturize your skin and beard after a wash. The washing process will gently remove dirt and grime that can build up throughout the day, but it also washes out the much-needed oil and sebum from your beard.
How to Properly Wash Your Beard and Care for It After
- Using lukewarm water, wet your beard.
- Apply the beard wash of your choice to your palm and rub them together to create a rich lather.
- Gently massage the wash into our beard, making sure to get down to the roots of the hair and skin underneath.
- You’ll want to leave the wash in for a minute or two.
- Using warm water, rinse out the beard.
- If you use a beard conditioner now would be the time to break that out, applying it to the freshly rinsed beard. Once again make sure to get all the way down to the roots and skin.
- Leave the conditioner in for another few minutes.
- Rinse the beard thoroughly.
- Pat dry leaving it slightly damp.
- While the beard is still moist, apply your after-care products such as beard oil or beard balm to your fingertips then work the product into your beard and mustache.
Applying after-care products to a damp beard will not only help spread the oils around more easily but will also help them absorb into the beard better. This will help replenish the nutrients lost during the washing process.
There you have it. The simple truth. Now with a clean and conditioned beard, go out and enjoy this weather.