BEARD OIL
There are a few additional items you’ll need to maximize your beard’s potential. Beard oil, for example, can keep your mane soft, help stave off unwelcome itchiness, and keep your facial hair manageable. No matter the season, we suggest that you eschew big and bushy in favor of neat and trim and an oil can help keep your beard looking its best. You don’t want just any product, however; you want the best beard oils there are and we’re here to help.
Packed with conditioning ingredients like jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, and argan oil, Dove Men+Care hair expert Jason Schneidman believes it is essential for maintaining facial hair.
“Most men don’t believe they need to use any products at all,” says Schneidman.“Men should take care of their facial hair as much as they take care of the hair on their heads.”
Beard oil moisturizes facial hair and the skin beneath.
Beard oil is hydrating to the skin and helps soften and tame beard hair, which means it also does double-duty as a styling agent. According to Schneidman, the ideal beard should look shiny and groomed — not dusty, flaky and shaggy.
The best time to apply beard oil is right after washing your face.
Schneidman recommends putting on beard oil first thing in the morning after showering or cleansing. “This way, your hair follicles, and pores are open and can easily absorb the oil,” he adds. “Caring for skin, particularly cleansing and moisturization, is crucial, especially if you live in a cold or dry climate.”
Beard oil keeps facial hair flake-free and smelling fresh.
So what makes a beard oil good? To be sure, a lot has to do with the scent. The oil will live just beneath your nose, so it should be something you (and, just as important, the person you're intimate with) actually enjoy. Beard oils are generally based on one of a few ingredients, such as grapeseed, jojoba, argan, or coconut oil, all of which are rich in nutrients and readily absorbed by both hair and skin. In addition, look for more specialized ingredients such as rosemary, hempseed, or safflower oil to address specific problems like beard itch, below-the-beard acne, and sensitive skin, without feeling greasy.
The Ingredients:
Almond Oil: This is special oil made from almonds common to Asia and the Middle East. It’s used for its high vitamin content and is commonly found in skin and hair products.
Argan Oil: This is natural plant oil from Morocco that serves as an antioxidant and is rich in Omega-6 fatty acids. Oils like these are also great for the skin in the wintertime as they can serve as a protective barrier against sun and wind damage.
Carrier Oil: This is a base oil that is used with other types of oils like essential oils. It’s also a way to dilute a strong essential oil and make it less potent. It comes from nuts and seeds and is commonly found in most beard oils.
Grape Seed Oil: Made from grapes, this is commonly used in lotions and may include Vitamin E. It serves as an anti-inflammatory and helps to keep skin soft.
Jojoba Oil: This is a natural oil from jojoba plants in Mexico and the southwest. It has an aromatic smell and its natural compounds work well on the skin in lotions and moisturizers.
BEARD BALM
Beard balm is a styling and shaping aid. A good beard balm should moisturize your facial hair, provide hold for styling and make your beard look thicker. For best results, avoid beard balms using synthetic sealants like petroleum jelly as they may irritate your skin and damage facial hair. You need a beard balm that contains all natural sealants like shea butter, beeswax or lanolin. These ingredients are natural, help your beard look thicker and are less likely to irritate your skin.
If you have a patchy or thin beard, consider using a beard balm with shea butter, as shea is especially good at making facial hair appear thicker. In addition to all natural sealants, make sure your beard balm contains all natural moisturizers like jojoba or argan oil.
Without the moisturizers, the sealants will just seal in dryness, making your beard brittle and prone to breakage. A quality beard balm containing all natural moisturizers and sealants will moisturize, condition and provide hold for shaping and styling as well as make your beard look thicker.
The Ingredients:
Beeswax: Beeswax does give you a bit of a hold – but nothing too crazy. If you want some serious hold then you should check out beard wax instead.
Butters: Shea, Cocoa, Kokum and other types of nut butter are used to give beard balm its melting and spreading ability when this stuff is rubbed into your beard.
Carrier Oils: Just like beard oil, beard balm is comprised of carrier oils that give your beard the moisture that you need in order to make it much more softer.
Essential Oils: Last but not least, the essential oils, are well, the last part that is essential to making that beard on your face nice and soft. They can also help stimulate blood flow to get that beard growing quicker and fuller, while also giving off a nice scent.
BEARD WASH & BEARD CONDITIONER
Washing and conditioning your beard should be a part of your weekly beard care routine. Obviously, shampooing your beard cleanses it from any dirt that has to build up throughout the day. Prefer mild shampoos that can scrub the skin while washing the beard. This helps to exfoliate the skin as well. Combined with a conditioner, it makes the beard softer and shinier.
The conditioner now, helps the beard retain the necessary hydration that it requires. At the same time, it makes your facial hair softer and more manageable. On top of the softness, as with the hair on your head, the conditioner will reduce split ends.
Ever heard “I tried to grow my beard out, but I had irritation”?
This is because when you stop shaving, your skin produces dead skin cells that get trapped in the bristles of your new developing beard. Washing with a proper beard shampoo will help clear this up for you while replenishing natural oils stripped away by other shampoos and soaps. A cleansing conditioner will protect the skin underneath with an anti-itch PH formula.
Washing your beard with regular scalp hair shampoo will actually make the irritation worse, leaving your beard hair dry, lifeless, and results in itchy beard hair similar to steel wool in some cases. Beard hair can trap smells such as food odor and cigarette smoke; another reason that proper care is needed to eliminate these odors and keep your beard smelling fresh.
