New beard- beard care question

[nobie381]

I am growing a beard for the first time and trying to figure the best product to soften and keep a healthy beard?
I was looking at a conditioner or a oil etc but not sure the best thing to use. I have a course beard and it's just in its infancy (3 weeks) but don't want an oily look and as I don't use Cologne I am good with a slight sent.

 

[Razor Ramon]

Go with a good soap to clean your beard. Do not use shampoo or body wash. They make specific beard soaps (1740 is a good source) but any mild commercial or artisan soap will work. Look for clean ingredients and nothing you can't pronounce. Make this part of your daily ritual. I use the same soap for my face and head (either shaved clean or close to it). Makes a good pre-shave soap.

At your current length I would go with a beard oil. Apply as required to keep it soft and manageable (I use this of balm daily). As it gets longer you may want to switch to a balm which will provide some hold. I am currently using Grave Before Shave products but I've gone through periods of using others too. I used 1740 for a long time but my beard is more manageable now so I went with a product with a little less hold.

I also comb mine daily. Generally on my drive to work after my the balm or oil has settled in a little. A wide gap wooden comb works before for me.

Good luck

 

[August West]

After much trial and error I found Grandpas Pine Tar Soap is the best product for washing my beard. Not the shampoo. The bath bar.
Beard oils I found were too oily so I have removed them from my regimen. Again, after much trial and error with balms and waxes I settled on a wax. It provides the essential oils along with the hold I prefer as my beard is quite full.

I am presently using this. It works well, but I dislike the name.

Pamper that man mane by brushing and combing it with many loving strokes each day much like a southern belle would treat her Rapunzel-esque locks.

Happy Bearding!!

 

[Merk61]

I really like Bluebeard's Beard Rinse. It takes care of the facial dandruff problem and when I had shaved down to a goatee and decided to grow the full beard back it prevented the itch during the transitory stage. It has a slight citrusy smell that isn't overbearing and you only use about a dime sized blob.

Dale

 

[troy]

[MENTION=111170]nobie381[/MENTION] Nice beard!

I just use whatever shampoo my wife has in the shower. I like beard oil in the winter, but in the summer I use it very sparingly and I'm fine to use nothing at all. But my skin tends to be a bit on the oily side and the hair usually behaves pretty well on it's own.

 

[Komboloi]

I don't like to get too complicated with my products, so I use the same shampoo and conditioner I use on my hair. I'll admit I haven't tried beard oil or specialized beard cleansers, but it ain't broke, so.... And as a general rule with most things, I like to try the simple obvious solutions first before jumping to the more complex and expensive.

 

[rob746913]

I use the mad viking brand beard oil and balm. Been using it for a year now. The different scents are great. And the oils and balms leave my beard soft and smelling good. No itch or beardruff since using.

 

[Luukii]

I have only used oil so far, had a balm but didn't like it. Considering going to a balm again. I can also recommend that when it gets longer to not overwash it with regular shampoo since it might becomre more brittle and unruly. It's something that you have to decide yourself and how long you want the beard to be of course. I shower every day, sometimes twice depending on when I hit the gym and only wash my beard 2-3 times a week with a shampoo. I always use a conditioner after that aswell. I only use products intended for the beard since my beard is unruly without maintenance.

Tips for beard oil: The Bear family (swedish)

The weather also affects my beard alot so depending on if it's cold/dry I have to put oil in it twice. It still doesn't look oily. I sometimes wonder if I have goblins that drink it inside the beard. These tips are just in case you are saving a beard and the skin goes dry you can get insane dandruff, I almost shaved my beard due to amount of dandruff I had. With my routine now I can enjoy a healthly lookign beard.

 

[Seraphim]

I find that the best way to care for a beard is to not care for it at all.

Sure, rinse it out every time you take a shower. trim it as you see fit. But don't shampoo/condition/etc it. Just rinse and go.

No need for conditioning oils and associated "fancy boy" frills. Just let the day's accumulation of spilled soup, mayonnaise from your sandwich, and assorted drippings give your facial mane it's lustrous sheen.

I tried the "care for your beard" routine: shampoo the beard...but then it gets too dried out...so then you have to add conditioner to the beard...and then it starts to feel greasy...which means you will want to condition it again....and thus you are now lashed firmly to an unending wheel of slavery to your beard care, when the idea of growing a beard in the first place was a sense of manly freedom, was it not?

But hey, it's your beard, do as you like....

 

[Razor Ramon]

I find that the best way to care for a beard is to not care for it at all.

Sure, rinse it out every time you take a shower. trim it as you see fit. But don't shampoo/condition/etc it. Just rinse and go.

No need for conditioning oils and associated "fancy boy" frills. Just let the day's accumulation of spilled soup, mayonnaise from your sandwich, and assorted drippings give your facial mane it's lustrous sheen.

I tried the "care for your beard" routine: shampoo the beard...but then it gets too dried out...so then you have to add conditioner to the beard...and then it starts to feel greasy...which means you will want to condition it again....and thus you are now lashed firmly to an unending wheel of slavery to your beard care, when the idea of growing a beard in the first place was a sense of manly freedom, was it not?

But hey, it's your beard, do as you like....

I would disagree with your point but only how it applies to me directly. Beards are like razor blades....YMMV. I've had a beard on my face everyday since the spring of 2007 and during that time I've learned a thing or two about how my beard behaves based on my maintenance routine.

Firstly, it depends on the length of my beard. Anything under an inch in length doesn't really require much "love" but anything longer than that and I started getting skin dryness, beardruff and have little control with what my beard is doing. I combat this by using a good natural soap for my beard (I was my face with it also). This soap does a good job of keeping my beard clean, removing excess oils, and getting down and cleaning/conditioning the skin. I follow up with product almost everyday. At shorter lengths I will just use a good beard oil (1740, Grave Before Shave, etc....) and if used properly, the beard oil will not make your beard greasy. If your beard is greasy, you're doing it wrong. As my beard gets longer it starts to develop a mind of its own, and maintenance becomes much more difficult. I keep up with the same routine as mentioned above but generally use a balm. I used to use 1740 daily which gave me excellent hold but was a little greasy. I recently switched to Grave Before Shave and found that it was much less greasy albeit with less hold. I found that this product in combination with brushing would almost "train" my beard allowing me to skip a day or two of my grooming regime and not suffering. I can also use an oil sometimes in place of the balm without any issues. I have done a lot of things over the past year or so to limit the greasy feeling most people get from balms. I think I have figured it out and I generally use ALOT of balm.

My beard hairs are very thick, wavy/curly and wire like. It seems that my beard requires more attention than most people as its true nature is to misbehave. Currently my beard is over 4" long which is hard to control when you work in a business environment. This is where the above mentioned maintenance comes in. My beard when conditioned properly is soft, clean, and smells fantastic. I still get dryness but mostly in the summer when I spend a lot of time in the water and in the sun.

I own 15 razors because I want to, same goes for the beard care. I enjoy the process of caring for my beard so I may take it further than most but I can tell you it is way more enjoyable since I started actually taking care of it. I'm also bald so this is the only hair a really have to work with.

 

[Seraphim]

I still think you should try the soup and mayonnaise treatment....

 

[troy]

I find that the best way to care for a beard is to not care for it at all.

Sure, rinse it out every time you take a shower. trim it as you see fit. But don't shampoo/condition/etc it. Just rinse and go.

No need for conditioning oils and associated "fancy boy" frills. Just let the day's accumulation of spilled soup, mayonnaise from your sandwich, and assorted drippings give your facial mane it's lustrous sheen.

I tried the "care for your beard" routine: shampoo the beard...but then it gets too dried out...so then you have to add conditioner to the beard...and then it starts to feel greasy...which means you will want to condition it again....and thus you are now lashed firmly to an unending wheel of slavery to your beard care, when the idea of growing a beard in the first place was a sense of manly freedom, was it not?

But hey, it's your beard, do as you like....

I'm in the less is more boat too. Before I joined B&B, that is pretty much the way I took care of my beard. I have started using beard oil though. I do think the oil helps keep thing in control, at least when I have more than an inch or two of length. I do shampoo most days, but I get pretty dirty at work. when I don't get so dirty I just rinse. I try to skip shampoo at least once a week. I'm sure products are very YMMV. I've never really had any dryness, itching or dandruff issues though. Also I work construction so I don't want to look too over groomed.

 

[troy]

I would disagree with your point but only how it applies to me directly. Beards are like razor blades....YMMV. I've had a beard on my face everyday since the spring of 2007 and during that time I've learned a thing or two about how my beard behaves based on my maintenance routine.

Firstly, it depends on the length of my beard. Anything under an inch in length doesn't really require much "love" but anything longer than that and I started getting skin dryness, beardruff and have little control with what my beard is doing. I combat this by using a good natural soap for my beard (I was my face with it also). This soap does a good job of keeping my beard clean, removing excess oils, and getting down and cleaning/conditioning the skin. I follow up with product almost everyday. At shorter lengths I will just use a good beard oil (1740, Grave Before Shave, etc....) and if used properly, the beard oil will not make your beard greasy. If your beard is greasy, you're doing it wrong. As my beard gets longer it starts to develop a mind of its own, and maintenance becomes much more difficult. I keep up with the same routine as mentioned above but generally use a balm. I used to use 1740 daily which gave me excellent hold but was a little greasy. I recently switched to Grave Before Shave and found that it was much less greasy albeit with less hold. I found that this product in combination with brushing would almost "train" my beard allowing me to skip a day or two of my grooming regime and not suffering. I can also use an oil sometimes in place of the balm without any issues. I have done a lot of things over the past year or so to limit the greasy feeling most people get from balms. I think I have figured it out and I generally use ALOT of balm.

My beard hairs are very thick, wavy/curly and wire like. It seems that my beard requires more attention than most people as its true nature is to misbehave. Currently my beard is over 4" long which is hard to control when you work in a business environment. This is where the above mentioned maintenance comes in. My beard when conditioned properly is soft, clean, and smells fantastic. I still get dryness but mostly in the summer when I spend a lot of time in the water and in the sun.

I own 15 razors because I want to, same goes for the beard care. I enjoy the process of caring for my beard so I may take it further than most but I can tell you it is way more enjoyable since I started actually taking care of it. I'm also bald so this is the only hair a really have to work with.

I think beards are even more YMMV than razor blades. Lots of great info thanks for posting. Props for rocking a long beard in a business environment.

 

[Luukii]

Wall of text.

I hope you are not offended for shortening your text, just doing to get your attention. I was wondering about the bearbalm. I have been thinking about since my beard has a will of it's own when it gets longer. Some days the oil and a brush is enough, but on other there is no way to get it to behave. How much do you use and do you just warm a bit in your hands?

My beard is curly and quite thick, I am embracing it and therefore will try to make it work but can't just get it to behave at longer lengths.

 

[Razor Ramon]

My process has evolved a little and generally involves a shower (or at least wetting my hair), followed by a quick brush (wooden comb works best for me) in the direction I wish the beard to be in. Dry my beard off until it is damp and hydrated then apply about an almond sized dollop of balm. I generally use a small wooden scoop (came with some 1740 balm) then rub my hands together until it melts. Then work it through my beard with my fingers in all directions, sometimes a boar hair brush (hair type) is helpful when my beard is long. Then I form it in the general direction of where I want it to be and leave it for awhile before I comb it again (usually on my drive to work). The direction of my hair growth changes quick a bit so I had to learn this as part of the "styling process" and working with what I have. I also learned that I have absolutely no control of my sideburns so I keep these shorter than the rest of the beard. This is also helpful given that I shave my head.

I find that brushing daily has trained my beard somewhat and it has become way easier to manage. There are days when it just falls into place and others where it is a complete pain. Most people don't use beard balm everyday but I generally do. At least 5 days a week. Each balm is different. 1740 beard balms have a high bees wax content and provide a lot of hold but can be a little greasier than some. This was my go to for a long time but after my beard became more user friendly I was able to transition to something with a little less hold (Grave Before Shave). I still go back and forth between the two.

My beard can handle lengths up to 4" or so before getting to the point where I cannot handle it any further. Then I go to the barber, have it knocked back to an inch or so and start the process all over again. My beard at one point was uncomfortable but now it is extremely soft yet still has a mind of its own.

I hope some of that was helpful

 

[Luukii]

My process has evolved a little and generally involves a shower (or at least wetting my hair), followed by a quick brush (wooden comb works best for me) in the direction I wish the beard to be in. Dry my beard off until it is damp and hydrated then apply about an almond sized dollop of balm. I generally use a small wooden scoop (came with some 1740 balm) then rub my hands together until it melts. Then work it through my beard with my fingers in all directions, sometimes a boar hair brush (hair type) is helpful when my beard is long. Then I form it in the general direction of where I want it to be and leave it for awhile before I comb it again (usually on my drive to work). The direction of my hair growth changes quick a bit so I had to learn this as part of the "styling process" and working with what I have. I also learned that I have absolutely no control of my sideburns so I keep these shorter than the rest of the beard. This is also helpful given that I shave my head.

I find that brushing daily has trained my beard somewhat and it has become way easier to manage. There are days when it just falls into place and others where it is a complete pain. Most people don't use beard balm everyday but I generally do. At least 5 days a week. Each balm is different. 1740 beard balms have a high bees wax content and provide a lot of hold but can be a little greasier than some. This was my go to for a long time but after my beard became more user friendly I was able to transition to something with a little less hold (Grave Before Shave). I still go back and forth between the two.

My beard can handle lengths up to 4" or so before getting to the point where I cannot handle it any further. Then I go to the barber, have it knocked back to an inch or so and start the process all over again. My beard at one point was uncomfortable but now it is extremely soft yet still has a mind of its own.

I hope some of that was helpful

Awesome tips man, will try it! Thanks alot for taking the time. I will pick up some beardbalm and try it to see if I can keep the beard a bit longer

 

[Razor Ramon]

No problem. Best of luck

 

[Jeff10236]

I had a beard or goatee for 25 years which I just cut off Dec 1 due to all the gray. With the Grizzly Adams length beards that are popular these days, you need a lot of beard care and product or it will look scraggly. At your length and somewhat longer, you really don't have to do much (one of the reasons many guys like beards is that they are easier).

Use a good quality soap. Not Irish Spring, Ivory, or other mass produced stuff. Find good soaps with little in the way of extra additives. If you don't want to buy online, you can find what you need at Whole Foods or Wegmans if you have them near you, and Trader Joes has good soaps for cheap.

If you have dry skin, you can use a regular hair conditioner (never use regular shampoo though). I also liked Tea Tree brand Hair and Body moisturizing lotion (available at many/most chain barber shops if you can't find it elsewhere). Either of these products will also make your beard quite soft so if your significant other doesn't love the feel of the beard naturally, this should help.

You may want to run a comb or brush through it occasionally, especially if it gets any longer.

 

[Razor Ramon]

Solid advice there