Coarse beard hairs are itchy, uncomfortable, and they make your beard look and feel rough. No bearded man wants to deal with that -- here’s how to soften your beard.
Related: How to Maintain a Beard
Tips to Soften Your Beard
The best way to get a softer beard is by creating a facial care routine and following it each day. Here’s how to start maintaining your beard to make it look and feel better than ever!
Washing Your Beard
A beard brush is helpful while washing your beard; it will exfoliate your skin underneath the hair. Use it in the shower to get rid of dead skin that can cause itching and remove excess oil buildup that causes the hair to be coarse.
A clean beard is a soft beard; the best way to get a happy, healthy beard is by using shampoo created specifically for them. Beard wash and beard shampoos are a necessity for every bearded man -- regular shampoo isn’t going to cut it.
Beard shampoos serve another purpose; they also clean the skin underneath the air. Regular shampoos also contain harsh ingredients that irritate your beard or damage the hairs.
After washing your beard, it’s important to rinse out all of the shampoo. Extra beard wash that sits in your beard can actually dry out the hair and make it rougher instead of softer.
Drying your beard is another important step. Don’t skip it, but don’t be too rough with the towel, either. Pat it dry; don’t scrub it with a towel.
So, how often should you wash it? Between three and five times a week is a good place to start -- this is enough to get rid of the stuff that accumulates in your beard throughout the day.
Related: How Often to Wash Your Beard
Conditioning Your Beard
The next step after cleaning your beard with the right shampoo is to use a quality beard conditioner. Beard conditioners work because, like the shampoo, they moisturize not only your beard but the skin underneath it as well; this also helps reduce the stubble stiffness that most bearded men are all too familiar with.
Once you’ve cleaned your beard, you’ll want to apply your beard conditioner and massage it in thoroughly. It’s best to do this with your back to the shower so that you can get as much of it as you can deep into your beard. Then, rinse it all out, and pat your beard dry with a towel.
Using Beard Oil
Out of all the beard softening options, beard oil is by far the most effective (no, this doesn’t mean you can skip the washing and conditioning!). Every guy who’s serious about their beard knows the power of beard oil.
For those new to the beard game, let’s go over a few things about beard oil.
Beard oil is made from carrier and essential oils. Carrier oils make up the base of beard oils and are the majority of the composition. A small amount of essential oils are added for their scent (your beard will be soft and smell amazing!).
You’ll notice the benefits of beard oil immediately after your first use -- no waiting game here! Beard oil will minimize your itchiness and rough hairs by taming and softening your beard.
After only a few days of incorporating beard oil into your routine, you’ll notice that any beard dandruff will become nonexistent -- dandruff comes from dryness. When the skin underneath your beard gets dry, beard oil will moisturize and rehydrate it.
Using beard oil regularly will give you a softer, more manageable beard. Here’s what to know about using it.
Don’t apply beard oil to wet hair; the water won’t let the oil spread evenly over throughout your beard. All you need is 2 or 3 drops -- rub it in your hands and use your fingers to massage it into your beard. If you use too much, your beard will appear oily. Even with massive beards, a few drops will suffice.
The best time to apply beard oil is after you’ve showered and dried your beard -- the heat from the shower helps the oil penetrate the beard hairs more easily.
Related: Beard Oil vs. Beard Balm
Beard Balm
After your beard is clean and moisturized, it’s time to add the beard balm! The balm basically acts as a leave-in conditioner to keep your beard soft and hydrated throughout the day.
The best beard balms are made with cocoa or shea butter to moisturize, soften, and condition your beard.
Beard balm will give you a little bit of hold, but if you’re looking for something stronger to help shape it, beard wax is what you’re looking for.
Related: Beard Balm vs. Beard Wax
Like beard oil, beard balm is made with carrier and essential oils to soften the hairs and help stimulate blood flow that can make your beard grow fuller, faster.
To use beard balm, start applying it at your neckline and work your way up and reverse the direction once you reach the top of your beard, and work back down to the bottom.
Applying beard balm only adds a couple of minutes into your daily beard routine, but it will help give you a softer, less irritated beard. You can use it separately from beard oil, but it’s best to combine the two for the best results.
Applying beard balm after the oil will trap it in, providing extra nutrients to your beard to keep it feeling soft and looking neat.\
Related: How to Apply Beard Balm
Trim Your Beard
Split ends are a big reason why your beard isn’t as soft as you’d like, and a regular trim will help keep them at bay. Trimming your beard every week or two will help get rid of split ends and reduce the chance of them developing. Do you have an awesome beard routine, but it’s still feeling a little rough? It’s probably split ends.
The best time to trim your beard is when it’s clean and dry.
You can use a beard trimmer to clean up your neck and cheek lines, but a pair of sharp shears work best to trim up your beard unless you’re keeping it at a relatively short length.
Does your beard need a little love? Show it some with a beard care kit from Beard Gains -- everything you need for a softer beard in one package!