Make Your Beard Softer – So you’ve decided to grow a beard. Even better, you were successful! So now that you’ve got this magnificent marker of manhood adorning your face, you might be running into some of the problems that bearded men have faced for millennia. Namely, you might be trying to straighten, shape, or tame your beard in one way or another and it seems like an uphill battle. Most importantly, you may be asking the eternal question: how do I make my beard softer?

Thankfully it looks like you came to the right place because we’ve got some great information for you about the care and upkeep of your beard. There are a number of products designed to make your beard the best it can be, and we’ve organized everything you’ll need to know to get the best use out of them.

WHY SHOULD YOU MAKE YOUR BEARD SOFTER?

Softness is a relative term, of course, but I think we all know what’s meant when talking about beards. We don’t want the beard to become a barrier to intimacy, first of all. Your significant other may like the way it adds a mountain of ruggedness to your profile, but they certainly won’t be fans of having it scratched across their face like an amorous brillo pad. Secondly, that scratchiness affects the beard owner just as much as his better half. This is to say that, within a few days of sporting a full beard, you’ll start noticing how itchy it can truly feel.

Making your beard softer does more than help with comfort issues. In fact, a softer beard is a more pliant beard. You can simply style and control it better when it’s kept properly clean and soft. When a beard gets beyond a certain length, it’s impossible to simply let grow wild, unless you want to look like you’ve wandered in from the set The Walking Dead. Sure it may look rugged, but a totally untamed beard is by no means attractive.

Whether you’re going for a specific style or simply trying to tame your beard, softening is the key to getting your way.

HOW DO YOU MAKE YOUR BEARD SOFTER?

There’s a lot of style and upkeep advice out there for men with beards, but not all of it is perfect. We’ve seen the mistakes that happen when our friends try home remedies that wandered in from strange corners of Pinterest and Tumblr, and we don’t want that to happen to you! What we’ve done is gathered a list of the most effective steps you can take to make your own beard softer, making a one stop shop to your future softly bearded bliss.

Follow along with our steps. Not all of these must be done together, but each is an important step toward getting a beard you and everyone around you will love.

Brush or Comb – This step seems pretty self-evident, but you might be surprised to learn how many men don’t realize that the grooming of hair down here is just as important as what’s up top. You can buy any simple comb to at least get knots out and get started on seriously grooming, and then move on from there. This will get any loose hairs out, prevent knots, and get you ready for more robust grooming. Combing is especially important if you want to start training your hair to grow in one direction. If you want to take it to the next level, there are beard-specific brushes available nearly everywhere.

Soap – Seriously, and it sounds weird to say it, but beard hair is hair too. You can and should wash it as often as you wash your head hair. The key to keeping softness, unsurprisingly, involves making sure you use a good conditioner as well. Now, you don’t need to go all fancy right away with anything more than what you’ve already got in your shower, but try it out and see how it feels. You should notice a softness and smoothness improvement right away. If you’re feeling ambitious, maybe go for a leave-in conditioner or even try out one of the many beard-specific shampoos and conditioners on the market.

Beard Oil – Now we’re getting into serious territory. Ask any of your handsomely groomed and heavily bearded friends what the secret to their follicular success is, and you’re likely to hear about beard oil. This product is highly specific and carries a strong reputation, especially among those more experienced beardsmen. What beard oil does is restore moisture to your skin and hair, by direct contact. The best practice is to rub it into your beard by hand, getting all the way down to the pores and combing it through the hair with your fingers. Do this in the morning and your beard will keep its moisture all day, leading to softer hair.

Beard Wax – If you’ve ever seen a handlebar mustache, or one of those fancy curled-up ones, you’ve seen a man with mustache wax in his facial hair. Beard wax is the same thing, a product designed to let you shape and sculpt your beard, perfecting your style, and eliminating that frizzy, wild, untamed look. This product uses a handful of ingredients, often including beeswax or petroleum, and is the perfect solution to flyaway hairs and a beard that won’t aim in one direction. This won’t soften your beard on its own, but is a handy companion to any beard upkeep routine.

Beard Balm – Now we’re into the most serious product. Beard balm is basically the perfect halfway point between beard oil and beard wax. It’s packed with the essential oils that make beard oil so good for your beard’s health and softness, while offering the styling hold of wax. This means that many men will be able to get by purchasing a single container of beard balm instead of other separate products, adding moisture and style in one fell swoop. You’ll be able to work it in like the oil and use it to shape your beard at the same time. However, be warned as much longer beards, those beyond 4 inches or so, will need the stronger hold of actual beard wax to stand up for a full day’s styling.

IT ALL COMES TOGETHER.

So, we’ve covered several options and approaches to take when it comes to softening your beard. In fact, these steps will help with your overall beard health and styling in general, so take it all as great advice even if your beard feels soft enough. No matter which solution you end up going with, your beard will be healthier, softer, and much more attractive.

However, we’ve learned that it takes a combination of these steps to get the best results. You can’t simply start brushing without applying any products, and you certainly can’t begin slapping on beard oil without properly cleaning or combing your beard. What we advise most is taking it one step at a time, and working your way toward the heavy stuff.

Begin with a routine that includes washing your beard every time you shower and lightly combing it for knots. When your beard is clean and brushed, it’ll be much more receptive to the beard-specific treatments we’ve listed above. The best routines, we’ve found, involve working a few drops of beard oil into your skin and facial hair in the morning, after washing your face with hot water. This sets the moisture in for the day, protecting against dryness. Then, style it with wax or balm to your preference, if that’s your thing. At the end of the day, after showering, rub gently warmed beard balm into the hair and let it stay. This will take care of split ends and knots, leading to a gentler touch tomorrow.

CONCLUSION

After a couple weeks of this routine, your beard will be noticeably softer, more easily styled, and way more handsome. You’ll want to touch it all the time, and if you’ve got a significant other, they’ll have a hard time keeping their hands – and face – away. The results speak for themselves. Just remember to take it slow, ramp up your comfort level with these products, and maintain a steady routine. The hair on your face is just as important and deserving of care as that found on top of your head.

Once your beard has been upgraded to top level softness and style, make sure to show it off!