Skin care under beard

[rebos]

I've grown my beard out longer than ever before. I want to be sure I do my beard and my skin justice and practice good grooming standards so as to keep the skin underneath my beard happy.

Yeah yeah, this is shaving site, I know. But I know that a bunch of you guys have had a beard at some point. And this is my go to place for helpful advice. . What kind of measures, if any, do yo take to keep the skin under your beard healthy and happy?

What prompted this thread was my Dad telling me about someone he knew who grew a beard and then had bad skin from then on out, after they had shaved. This sounds like a one-off kind of case, and I think that dude was a grubby mess and so any number of things could have prompted his bad skin.

Anyways, I'd appreciate any helpful advice you might be able to send my way --and hopefully put my worries to rest.

Thanks all.

 

[smalltank]

Growing a full beard can have its drawbacks..doesn't let your face breath..but it does keep you warmer during winter season...my father in law only trims his full beard for the past 10years..I doubt he does much for it...I would go off and on with growing a full beard..6 months on...6 months off..just my $.02

 

[rebos]

Interesting about the face needing to breathe.

I feel like it would be just as feasible to say that having a beard protects the skin from the elements and thus keeps it healthy; provided that the beard-wearer is moisturizing the skin under the beard etc. etc.

I imagine that there must be a ton of variables that come into play, with regard to proper skin care for beard wearers. For some, perhaps, not much care is requisite --How is the skin under your father in law's beard?

I figure, I've learned how to shave properly, I should learn how to grow a beard properly too --and keep my face feeling fine when shaven and when not.

 

[Niles]

I have a full beard now. (Need to change my avatar to reflect it). All I do for mine is keep it trimmed neat and wash it with the same facial soap I always use. I may be one of the lucky ones that doesn't need to do much for my skin.

 

[rebos]

which facial soap might that be, Dennard?

 

[Niles]

I actually should have just said bar soap. I use Yardley of London.

 

[rebos]

I've been using the body shop shampoo and conditioner combo. It has been working out quite well. The beard feels plenty soft and tangle-free after showers.

I've had a pretty good run; this is the longest my beard has ever been --but I think I'm going shave this week.

I wonder if my face will be two-tone from the slight suntan I have.

 

[beardybrewer]

I dunno about the face needing to breathe. Nothing different about the skin beneath your beard than what works for your scalp.

I just use a non-soap face cleaner in the shower. If you want to go mad you can use conditioner on any hair, not just the hair on your head.

 

[Niles]

I wonder if my face will be two-tone from the slight suntan I have.

It will be interesting to find out. I am very fair skinned, so you can't easily see a difference when I shave

 

[boogieman_]

Shampoo it every day, and condition sometimes. For some reason I didn't shampoo it (just bar soap) and I got psoriasis on my face. It itched like a mother. After shaving my beard off it went away. This cycle repeated itself several times before I realized duh, it's hair it needs shampoo. I kind of want a beard for winter but I think I am too addicted to DE shaving for it to happen this winter. I don't know, once we are on ungodly overtime at work, I may decide to grow it out.

 

[Deltaboy]

When I wore a beard more in college I just use Vaseline and Hot towels to keep my face and beard in good shape. My Barber got me some Lucky Tiger Cream and it worked great too.
As far as a tan it depends on how much you have taned

 

[dchapman]

My face tends to flake and break-out when under a winter growth. I solved that problem with head and shoulders shampoo. Treat your beard like the top of your head and the skin underneath like your scalp and they will thank you.

 

[rebos]

I'm going to shave this weekend. I have grown a full-on three inch beard. This is longest beard I've ever had. It was a good run but I have plenty of new products to try out that I've purchased while in beard-mode.

Any advice on shaving after it's been so long?

I figure I'll just trim the hair down as close as I can get to the skin with scissors (I don't have a trimmer) and then maybe spend a bit more time with prep than usual --really soften things up.

Seems like it should be the same routine as usual for the most part, right?

 

[Niles]

Any advice on shaving after it's been so long?

I figure I'll just trim the hair down as close as I can get to the skin with scissors (I don't have a trimmer) and then maybe spend a bit more time with prep than usual --really soften things up.

Seems like it should be the same routine as usual for the most part, right?

You should be fine doing this.

 

[Toothpick]

i wore this for about 7 months. i groomed it daily (ran a comb through it) as well as washed it with my shampoo (just like i did my head) every shower, sometimes used conditioner. a quick towel dry and comb to de-tangle always. after a rather sloppy meal (BBQ, spaghetti) i'd do a quick rinse around my mouth and a quick comb. i never had any skin issues under the beard as i kept it well groomed. about a month ago i decided a change of career was in order so i shaved it off to make ready for the interviews. went back to DE shaving and been BBS ever since with no skin issues at all. it was like i never had it.

i will say i do miss all the compliments (and stares) i received. i plan on growing another one some day, but not soon, as i am in a weeding next year so i'll stay BBS for now.

 

[Niles]

i plan on growing another one some day, but not soon, as i am in a weeding next year so i'll stay BBS for now.

It's tough being a fan of facial hair and wetshaving. I have a beard for much of the year, but it isn't as cool as yours. I have to keep mine on the short side, or else it gets out of control.

 

[DFSDAILY]

View attachment 278510

i wore this for about 7 months. i groomed it daily (ran a comb through it) as well as washed it with my shampoo (just like i did my head) every shower, sometimes used conditioner. a quick towel dry and comb to de-tangle always. after a rather sloppy meal (BBQ, spaghetti) i'd do a quick rinse around my mouth and a quick comb. i never had any skin issues under the beard as i kept it well groomed. about a month ago i decided a change of career was in order so i shaved it off to make ready for the interviews. went back to DE shaving and been BBS ever since with no skin issues at all. it was like i never had it.

i will say i do miss all the compliments (and stares) i received. i plan on growing another one some day, but not soon, as i am in a weeding next year so i'll stay BBS for now.

If I had a beard like that I'd grow that sucker out mountain man style. That's impressive.

 

[rebos]

Thanks Dennard and DEshave (& nice beard dude)!

This will certainly not be the last of my bearded days.

 

[Toothpick]

thanks for the props! as much as i love wet-shaving, the only joy of taking it off was trimming it into designs before taking it all off. i will have a beard again. i will. i still used my DE to keep my upper cheeks clean.