Having a beard goes beyond simply growing it out. Sure that is the beginning, but much like the hair on your head, it needs some care and maintenance in order to look great and be healthy. No one wants a scratchy or dry beard that looks out of control, so here are a 5 easy steps to take in order to manage your mane and make it look amazing.
Make sure you shampoo and condition!
Step one is a simple and obvious step, yet so many people seem to skip it. Just like the hair on your head you need to shampoo and condition your beard! Even if you have a short beard I would strongly recommend this, as it will help control those all-to-common beard flakes and leave your beard smooth, clean and help curb the itching.
Use a Comb and a brush!
I recommend using a good quality boar bristle brush pretty much from day one! While I won’t go into too much detail in this post about the benefits of using a boar bristle brush, I will do a separate post on that soon. But the main points are that they increase blood flow to the hair follicles, which in turn promotes a healthy beard and sometimes faster growth. It also helps spread the natural oils throughout your beard, leaving it nice and moisturised.
As for a comb, this comes in later in the beard growing process. Once you have a decent length beard you will need a solid comb to help detangle it. Again, I won’t go into too much detail here (as I plan to in a separate post), but the general rule is to stay away from plastic and go for either wood or cellulose acetate.
We currently don’t stock brushes or combs, but they are coming very soon, so stay tuned!
Beard oil is you best friend.
Beard oil is a super important step that many people overlook or they make the mistake of just buying the first bottle they see in the shop. Beard oil, if made properly will help with beard flaking, while moisturising your beard & skin, as well as keeping your beard looking soft, tame, clean and smelling great throughout the day. Beard oil should be used once a day with your morning routine.
I highly Recommend buying a high quality beard oil, such as the ones we make here at Urban Pirate, but there are other great options out there.
Look clean by shaving your neck and cheek lines.
This is a big one and while it is a personal preference as to how clean to make your beard, on 99% of the time it looks better to keep at least somewhat clean.
For myself, I shave my neckline about a finger above my adams apple and for my cheek line, I line it up roughly to the middle of my earlobes, but it’s more rounded than square, as I prefer a natural look. I simply eyeball my shaves, but keep in mind I have a full beard, so I have a lot more play than someone rocking stubble or a shorter beard. If you’re unsure I suggest just taking a little bit off at a time or going to a barber the first time and then following the lines they make.
As for the shaver, I use the Merkur 34C and I’m currently using Astra blades. The price of the Merkur might seem expensive, but trust me, it will last forever and once you get past the learning curve of using a safety razor, you will never look back!
The dreaded beard trim.
The last step sounds like a contradiction, especially to people that are new to the beard game, but you’ll thank me later! Unfortunately beards rarely (if ever) grow the way we want them to look. For me, the sides of my beard curl and get out of control. However, there is no better feeling than a freshly trimmed beard! If you’re rocking a decent sized beard, I strongly recommend getting it trimmed and cleaned up every 2 ½ – 3 months. Everyone is different in the way they want their beard to look, so your mileage may vary. 3 months is the sweet spot for me and sometimes I barely get any length taken off, it’s more about cleaning it up. WARNING: Do not attempt to do this yourself, head to a professional barber!
If you’re from Melbourne and looking for a barber check out Uncle Roccos. These guys are absolute legends!
The beard game can be a daunting one when you’re new, but if you follow these basic steps, your life will be a lot easier and your beard will look a lot better.
Good luck on the journey!
Happy growing Pirates!