Trim
Trimming your beard can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Take care to ensure that your trimming device of choice is properly cleaned and sharp. If it’s full of leftover stubble or residue from your last grooming session, it won’t glide smoothly when you need it too now. A device that isn’t cleaned properly, or with blades that aren’t properly sharpened, will leave you with more split ends than you started with and can actually cause some serious damage. Damage is obviously bad on its own, but think about split beard hairs like you would the hair on your head. When individual hairs become split and frayed, it makes it nearly impossible for each strand to lay flat against the next. This leads to an unruly, wild, caveman-style look.
Protect and hydrate
The real star of the whole beard treatment process is something called beard oil. It’s a product designed specifically to help protect and hydrate your beard hair as it grows, encouraging a smooth and soft feel when it otherwise might tend toward unruly or dense. While it can, too, be as straightforward as applying and heading out the door, it’s better to see it as an excuse to treat yourself.
Using Beard Oil Well
To really make the most of a beard oil treatment, go for a product that’s rich in nutrients. To help evenly distribute the oil, pump a few drops into the palm of your hand and rub together to warm. Separate your palms and begin to work the product through your beard. Drag the palm of each hand in downward motion along each cheek. Then, again using your palms, rub from the underside of your neck or chin – depending on your hair growth – upward towards your jawline. After these two steps are done, start to use your fingers to massage the product more deeply into your hair, making sure to be thorough and not just surface level. The idea is for your hair to absorb the oil, softening it. Think moisturiser rather than styling gel. With the oil evenly distributed, it’s all comes back to Number 2: Brushing. Using your fingers or a comb, brush the hair beneath your jawline upward. This will help to straighten and detangle any strands you may have missed. Then, again using a comb or your fingers, begin shaping your beard into your desired style – always working towards the jawline, which ultimately defines the final shape. After a few days use, you should see your beard oil really going to work – softening your strands for a smoother feel and easier shaping. Ready to treat yourself? Why not opt for a hot oil treatment? Simply repeat the oil application process but, before shaping and styling, apply a towel soaked in hot water to your beard area. Lay back and enjoy. As it cools, add more hot water, wring your towel out again, and reapply for up to 30 minutes of pure relaxation.
The Added Bonus of Beard Oil
Even beyond soft facial hair, beard oil has benefits galore. It’s a great agent for taming stray hair and training your beard into shape. Consider it a skin care go-to as well. When you sport a beard, even with the best intentions, the skin beneath tends to get overlooked. Beard oil is specifically designed to help nourish this skin while it’s out of view so if you ever decide to go clean shaven, you won’t discover a difference of skin texture or sensitivity. And if you don’t? You’re at least giving your hair and skin a good moisturising. It’s a win-win.