Ways to Wash a Beard
Sporting a good beard is sure to make you look dashing and charming. It gives you a manly look and greatly enhances your appeal.
But, only you know how much time and effort it takes to maintain this beard! Many times, you need to also spend money to buy a quality beard trimmer, beard soap, beard oil, beard balm and more.
Besides spending money, you also have to put in some effort to wash and trim your beard often, so as to maintain the same shape and size. In fact, you will have to wash your beard, sometimes multiple times a day, especially if you live in a hot and sweaty place. Washing your beard often and keeping it clean will prevent skin infections, rashes and itches.
Now, let’s see how to wash your beard properly, so it continues to give you those charming looks.
Use Water At The Right Temperature
You can’t randomly go to the bathroom, pour some water on your beard and wash it. Why? Because there are a lot of scientific concepts that connect the temperature of the water to your beard!
When you use very hot water, it dries out all the hair follicles. Over time, it can lead to uneven beard growth or even bald spots on your beard, if some hair follicles get damaged in the heat. At the same time, cold water doesn’t help either because it doesn’t open the skin pores to remove all the dust and grime accumulated in it through the day.
Use lukewarm water that is just right for you. The mild heat in this water will open the skin pores and will bring out the dirt. Also, using a lukewarm water enhances blood circulation, thereby increasing your beard growth.
So, now you understand why you need the right water temperature to clean your beard?
Lather It Up
Once your beard is wet, bring on the lather. Start with a good cleanser and work your way through your beard. Apply the cleanser generously and give your beard a good scrub to remove all the dirt in it. Start with a quarter-size amount and add more as you rub into your beard. This is an important, yet an often overlooked step, but one that could help to keep your beard clean and infection-free.
Massage Your Beard
Washing is the right time to give your beard a nice massage. This gives two benefits – cleans your beard thoroughly and improves blood circulation to your lower facial muscles. And both of these are important for beard maintenance.
Use your fingertips to massage your beard using a beard shampoo. Dig deep and move in all directions, ideally in a circular scrubbing motion. In the process, your skin is hydrated and your follicles also get a big boost, thereby leading to better growth.
Rinse, But Mildly
When you’re done with the lathering and massaging, rinse out all the soap. Again, use warm water for consistency, so your hair follicles are not shocked by the sudden change in water temperature!
Rinse gently, but thoroughly. Use your fingers to move all the soap and lather out of your beard. Do it at a steady pace and all over the beard consistently. In fact, it is better you rinse multiple times to get all the soap residue out.
This is another important step that requires patience because when soap residue remain, it can make your beard itchy. Also, it can enter your skin pores and cause infections as well.
Dry Your Beard
Once you’re done pampering your beard and cleaning it thoroughly, use a clean towel for drying. It is best you use a microfiber towel as it removes the leftover dirt and soap residue without being too harsh on your hair follicles.
When you use cotton towels, it can leave some lint behind, that in turn can cause itchiness. To avoid this microfiber towels are the best. As a bonus, these towels reduce the drying time by more than 50%, which means, you can start grooming it faster without having to wait endlessly for the beard to become dry completely.
Avoid Blow Drying
Though it is tempting to use a blow dryer to quickly dry your beard, it’s not a good idea at all. The hot air from the dryer can damage your hair follicles. It can even damage your hair and make it brittle.
However, if you’re in a hurry and want to dry your beard, keep it at the lowest possible setting. Also, make sure it is at least six to eight inches away from your face.
Remember, your face is more sensitive to heat than your head. Also, you head has more hair cover to give an extra layer of protection, but your beard is way thinner. For these reasons, it is best to avoid a blow dryer if you can.
Moisturize Your Beard
After your beard is completely dry, apply a beard moisturizer. This hydrates the hair follicles and also helps to avoid any stray hairs from sticking out. Applying a good moisturizer can also give you a well-groomed look.
Comb Your Beard
After you moisturize, leave it on for a few minutes. Then, take a beard brush and gently comb the hair. Always comb from top to bottom and from side to the center because that’s the direction in which a hair grows. When you follow the same direction as that of your hair growth, it strengthens the hair follicles.
If you have a really long beard, use a comb with wide teeth for removing any tangles and follow it up with a comb that has smaller teeth. This will give you a smooth finish without pulling out your hair.
Lastly, trim your beard if you think there are any stray hairs or it needs to be cut for groomed looks.
Overall, washing your beard and maintaining it can take quite some time and effort. But, in the end, your dashing looks is worth all this effort!
