An unkempt beard is an absolute no-go. Since the beard – depending on the type – takes up quite a large part of your face, this also has a decisive influence on your outward appearance. Besides, you do not feel comfortable and self-confident with an unkempt beard. We show you which care products you need, how to use them correctly, what you can do in case of specific problems, and how to make your beard splendor perfect.
Beard care products: What really matters
Beard care products are a dime a dozen and each promises to care for the beard even better. The fact is, you don’t need everything that is offered on the market to care for your beard. On the contrary, usually, few basic products are quite enough to care for the beard optimally. These products are dependent on your beard hairstyle and your hair or skin properties.
Longer beards such as a full beard or ducktail beard need of course somewhat different care products than a 3-day beard or mustache. This is due to the different lengths of the hair as well as the affected areas of the face.
Also, of course, the beard hair, and skin of each person are very individual and have accordingly different care requirements. For example, some people have very dry skin and brittle hair, while others have to deal with oily skin and greasy hair. Therefore, these two groups need different products for beard care.
Basic beard care products: these are the products everyone needs
The basics of beard care include only Four products that you really need:
- A good beard oil
- A Comb
- A trimmer or razor
- A simple pair of scissors
With these four products, you provide most beard hairstyles already for a well-groomed appearance. Should you have a special beard hairstyle, such as a twisted mustache, then you need more care products. On these, we will discuss it in another article.
Beard oil: An important companion
Beard oil is one of the few products that are important for the majority of beard wearers. Only with very short beard hair or small beard areas you can perhaps refrain from it. For example, a 3-day beard has such short hair that beard oil is not really necessary. The same applies to the soul patch, which is limited to such a small area on the face that you do not necessarily have to use beard oil here either.
What is beard oil good for?
Beard oil has three important functions:
- It moisturizes and nourishes the skin underneath the beard.
- It provides softer beard hair, which shines slightly and looks fresher
- It gives the beard a pleasant scent
- In addition to these three functions, beard oil helps especially with classic problems. Due to the moisturizing and nourishing effect of the oils, it prevents itching, dry skin, dandruff, and brittle beard hair.
What is beard oil made of?
Beard oil consists of different oils, which are mainly of vegetable nature. A distinction is made here between the so-called carrier or base oils and essential oils. The base oils make up the larger part of the beard oil and provide the caring properties. The essential oils are mainly responsible for the scent, although these sometimes also have caring properties.
Base oils include, for example:
- Avocado oil
- Olive oil
- Almond oil
- Jojoba oil
- Argan oil
- Hemp oil
- Grape seed oil
- Apricot kernel oil
Essential oils come from, for example:
- Lemon
- Lime
- Tangerine
- Orange
- Lavender
- Wood
Use beard oil correctly
So that the beard oil can develop its full effect, the correct application is particularly important.
Beard oil should be applied after daily cleaning. For this, you clean your beard only with lukewarm water, dab it dry with a towel and then work the oil.
The oil must always be worked into the skin under the beard, otherwise, it can not provide it with moisture and care.
The amount used depends on the length and density of the beard. Small areas or short beard hair only need 2 to 4 drops. For longer beards, you can also use 4 to 8.
Your beard mustn’t look greasy, but fresh and healthy. Once you have used the beard oil a few times, you will quickly find the perfect dosage. A universal recommendation does not exist here.
The beard oil should be distributed throughout the beard and all hair should be oiled.
A good trimmer and wet razor is mandatory
A well-groomed beard stands and falls with clean contours and a decent beard length. For this, you need a trimmer and a wet razor. Alternatively, instead of the wet razor, you can also reach for the beard plane or razor. however, A razor needs practice.
Should you want to buy a new trimmer, then pay attention especially to different attachments. An adjustable millimeter attachment is really important if you wear a rather shorter beard hairstyle. If you have a longer beard, then of course attachments for longer hair are essential.
As long as you do not want a premium device with luxury features, you do not need to spend a lot of money on a beard trimmer. Good beard trimmers are already available for 40 euros.
In addition to the beard trimmer, it’s important to smooth the shave of the contours. Here you should make sure that your blade is always sharp. So you can cut the contours cleanly and avoid severe skin irritation.
How to properly shave in three steps
1- Prepare the skin and hair: To do this, simply cleanse your face with plenty of warm water before shaving. The warmth ensures that the pores open and the hair becomes softer. Besides, you should use shaving gel or shaving foam to prevent skin irritation. If you tend to have very dry skin, you should try shaving oil, as it moisturizes the skin even better.
2- Shave properly: The most important rule of shaving is to always shave against the direction of growth so that the hair is really cut off. For this, a very sharp blade is also important, otherwise, you pull the hair, which leads to severe skin irritation.
3- After shaving: Once you have shaved the desired areas smoothly, you should use a good aftershave. This disinfects the skin, moisturizes it after shaving, nourishes it, and prevents razor burn.
Scissors for single stubborn hairs
Even if the beard has been brought into shape, there are sometimes individual hairs that stick out. Furthermore, some places on the face are also very difficult to reach with the beard trimmer or wet razor.
For such cases, you need a pair of scissors. But must it necessarily be beard scissors? No, because there are also simple hair scissors that are very similar or nail scissors that also do a good job in this regard. The classic paper scissors are usually a bit stiff and it is not possible to work precisely with them. However, you can use any kind of scissors.
Beard scissors
Special beard scissors are smooth-running, very sharp, and sometimes rounded at the tips to reduce the risk of injury.
How to wash your beard and Is a beard shampoo even necessary?
This is where many beginners make a mistake. You should not wash your beard too often with shampoo, as it removes the natural sebum and often dries out the skin a lot. Instead, you should wash your beard rather infrequently (about twice a week) with shampoo and only use lukewarm water in the daily routine, because too warm water also dries out the skin.
Beard shampoo application
Which shampoo you use depends on your skin or beard type. Most men can also use a mild normal shampoo without getting problems. However, if you notice that your skin under the beard hairs feels very dry or dandruff forms, then you can also try special beard shampoo. This usually has a less degreasing effect and is more tailored to the needs of the beard hair and facial skin.
Tip:
If you want to take particularly gentle shampoo, then this should be as mild and natural as possible. Sounds strange, but here offer especially shampoos for babies, because they are subject to stricter controls than normal care products and may not be mixed with harmful chemicals.
Beard brush and beard comb: are they really useful?
On this subject, it is first necessary to point out the difference between the two products: A beard brush is equipped with bristles, a beard comb is a classic comb, which is characterized by widely spaced tines.
The beard brush you can use even with shorter beards, while the comb is only relevant for quite a long beard hair.
Both products are primarily used to loosen knots from the hair and bring the beard into shape.
The beard brush you can also use for shorter beards, while the comb is only relevant for a quite long beard hair.
Both products are primarily used to loosen knots from the hair and bring the beard into shape. Beard brushes are also used to better distribute care products such as beard oil and the natural sebum of the skin in the beard, as well as to free it from dandruff.
Beard brush and beard comb beard brush is already interesting for a shorter full beard. A beard comb is needed only for longer beard styles.
You can use any kind of brush in the beginning to remove the knots. A special beard brush is more an accessory of the passionate beard wearer.
With the comb, you should make sure that the tines are far apart so that you do not unnecessarily pull hair from your beard. You should be careful when combing your beard hair and not pull too much. The comb should glide smoothly through.
Beard comb application
If you have a very long beard, whose hair is very curly, then a round brush could be important for you. With the help of a round brush and a hairdryer, you can smooth your beard. Just be careful not to blow dry too hot, so as not to dry out or damage the hair and skin.
What is beard balm and what is it used for?
Beard balm is a care product, which not every beard wearer needs. It becomes interesting only when you wear a longer beard hairstyle.
Beard balm has similar caring properties as beard oil and reminds of the consistency of beard wax. These characteristics make it possible to bring the beard a little in shape, give it more structure, and at the same time intensively maintain. It also ensures that your hair becomes more supple.
Beard balm application
Beard balm typically consists of different oils, butter, and beeswax, although there are also vegan alternatives without beeswax.
The beauty of beard balm is that you can also combine it with beard oil. You should just make sure that the scents of the two products harmonize with each other and that it is not “too much”.
Apply Beard balm
The application of beard balm is simple:
If you combine beard balm with beard oil, then you should first work the oil and then the balm into the beard. Of course, you should wash your beard with lukewarm water before application.
Take a little beard balm from the jar and rub it between your hands. You will quickly notice that a kind of cream is formed, which can be easily worked into the beard. The amount varies depending on the length and density of the beard. However, you do not need much of the product. A fingernail-sized amount is usually enough.
Make sure that the Beard Balm reaches the entire beard. In the end, you can bring it into shape.
Beard Wax: When and what is it used for?
The classic beard wax – also called beard polish – consists mostly of beeswax and various oils. It is less a care product but is used to style a mustache. With this, you can twirl your tips and keep them in shape. The wax is characterized by its hardness, whereby different levels can be used depending on your beard or your beard hair.
The application of beard wax is relatively simple:
The beard wax is usually difficult to remove with your fingers due to its harder consistency. Instead, you should use your fingernail to scrape a small amount out of the jar. Next, you rub the wax between two fingertips and can now twirl your beard with it. In principle, you can also use beard wax to bring longer beards in shape. However, we recommend the use of beard balm, as it keeps the beard smoother than the wax and also cares for it.
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