Having a beard isn’t just about growing it. To keep it in tip-top condition you’ll have to spend time on proper beard grooming. In this Beard Grooming Tips blog we’ll help familiarise you with the type of beard grooming products out there.
Shaping Your Beard
Unless you’re going for the wild explorer look you’ll probably want to give your beard some shape and keep it a certain length. You can achieve this with electric trimmers but by far the best solution is to use beard scissors. Scissors will allow you to fine tune your beard round your upper lip (if you have a moustache) and the neck line as well as giving you great control on overall hair length and shape. It may seem daunting at first but trust me, it doesn’t take long to get the hang of it and in no time you’ll be trimming and shaping like a pro!
Our Alpen stainless steel satin finished beard scissors have been designed with beard grooming in mind.
Caring For Your Beard
Once you’ve achieved the desired shape and length you’ll want to think about keeping your beard hair and the skin underneath clean, moisturised, soft and possibly even styled. Here’s how you can achieve this.
BEARD SHAMPOO
Beards can pick up a lot of bacteria. Just think how many times throughout the day your hands come into contact with your face. So keeping your beard clean is important. You may be thinking that any old shampoo will do but beard hair is different from the hair on your head in that it’s thicker and coarser so we would advise using a shampoo that has been specially formulated for beards to help prevent the hair from drying out and to keep the skin underneath soft.
Proraso have a great selection of beard shampoos that are free from parabens and silicone.
BEARD OIL
Beard oils are designed to mimic the natural oils produced by your skin (sebum). Beard oils will help nourish the skin and beard hair keeping it soft, shiny and smooth. Avoid beard oils that contain silicone as this will prevent the nourishing oils from penetrating the hair and doing their job plus they are also hard to wash out.
The best time to apply beard oil is straight from the shower onto a damp beard (not soaking wet so gently towel off first) as this is when the pores on your skin and the hair will be open and susceptible to taking in all the nourishing goodness of the oil.
Don’t be put off by the price of beard oils. You’ll only need a few drops applying every day so expect a small bottle to last many months.
If you think beard oils are for you take a look at our beard oil range.
BEARD CONDITIONER
Beard conditioners will help soften and repair damaged hairs whilst also conditioning the skin helping to reduce beardruff, itchiness and irritation.
BEARD BALM
Beard balms serve a couple of purposes. First of all they act as a leave in conditioner that moisturises and softens the beard and skin and secondly they act as a styling product. Balms can vary widely from brand to brand with some being less structural and more conditioning. These tend to be more fluid or softer. So if you’re looking for structural definition a beard balm is a great option.
Beard balms typically contain beeswax (making them ideal for styling) but this can sometimes lead to hardening on the beard so apply sparingly to start with until you find the right quantity for your beard.
As with beard oils apply directly from the shower with your fingers, brush or comb through and style to perfection!
If you need structural styling check out our range of beard balms.
BEARD BUTTER
Beard butters are not too dissimilar to beard balms but they are typically made from shea butter rather than beeswax. You’ll still get all the benefits of conditioning and softening of the skin and beard but the hold will be lighter making a beard butter great if you don’t need structural styling but just need something to tame things down a little.
Beard Brushes And Combs
Whilst you may be able to achieve your desired results using just your fingers there’s nothing quite as good as brushing or combing your beard. Using a brush or comb will help straighten and tame your beard hair but most importantly it helps distribute your natural oils (and any product) through your beard.
Use a firm bristle brush for longer beard types and a softer bristle for shorter beards and if you have sensitive skin.
We’ve got beard brushes and combs to suit all types of beard.
So there you have it: everything you need for an awesome beard. And remember we’re always on hand to answer your questions just head over to our contact us page to see how you can get in touch.