Beard Maintenance
Beards, we can’t get enough of them, but with great beard comes great grooming responsibility.
While the way in which you should care for your beard and the type of products you should use, has been highly debated, there are four very important steps that everyone agrees on.
Read on for our basic four step guide to maintaining and getting the most out of your beard.
Give your beard time to grow:
If this is your first time growing a beard, you will need patience. Many men will allow their beards three to four weeks of growth before they take a razor, trimmer, or scissors to their facial hair. During this period, it’s not uncommon to experience a lot of itching but this is the perfect time to start using beard grooming products that are designed to help combat the discomfort and get you through the dry itchy phase of growth. Don’t wait! Begin using products the day you decide to grown that magnificent mane.
Choose the right products:
Your beard hair and facial skin are very different to the hair and skin on the top of your head. This is why it’s important that you don’t use regular shampoo and conditioner on your beard as it’s detrimental to the health and condition of your beard and skin. Follow a regime of beard care with products specifically designed for both. Invest in a good beard brush that helps exfoliate dead skin cells and shape your beard, a mild beard wash that won’t strip your hair and skin of its natural oils , a nourishing beard balm , and a conditioning beard oil. Used together, these will help keep your beard healthy and looking and feeling its best while preventing the skin under your beard from itching or flaking.
Your beard grooming kit:
Once you have allowed your beard to grow enough, you will have a reasonable amount of hair to work with. Invest in a full beard grooming kit that consists of a wash, balm, oil and brush but that also includes a beard trimmer and/or beard scissors. If you use a razor to shape your beard, you will run the risk of removing too much hair in an area, leading to a patchy beard. A beard trimmer will allow you to have better control over the length of beard you cut off. You will need the beard scissors to help remove hairs with split ends and trim the hairs of your moustache that hang over your lip.
Maintain your beards’ shape:
Depending on how you would like your beard to be shaped will depend on how you maintain it. Many men decide to have a medium length beard with clean lines. If you decide to wear your beard in any other style, remember to keep the shape well maintained. You will want to make sure that your beard doesn’t creep up your cheeks or down your neck. Use your beard trimmer to keep your cheeks clean and trim your beard to just above your Adam’s apple and NOT higher. The most important thing to remember is to keep your beard symmetrical.
ALTERNATIVELY, if shaping, trimming or cutting your beard scares the pants off of you or is simply not your thing; find a reputable barber who takes the time to listen to your grooming needs and keeps your beard in tip top shape.
Beards are no longer just a trend and in fact have become a lifestyle choice for hundreds of thousands of men around the world, with even the most conservative of workplaces embracing and accepting mens’ choice to grow facial hair. . If you do decide to grow a beard, it is important to keep it healthy and well maintained, to keep the gentlemen look on the outside while maintaining your caveman on the inside.
Visit www.bonafidebeards.com for all of your beard grooming and shaving needs. Their products are all natural, made with the finest ingredients and are very proudly South African. Click on the “Barber Shop” page to make an appointment at the very unique Bonafide Barbers in Parkhurst JHB, for a haircut, beard trim, hot towel lineup or full shave.