As COVID-19 vaccines begin making their way into arms around the world, things may start to slowly get back to “normal” this summer. People are going to be more comfortable leaving their house, businesses and restaurants will get the ok to move into the next phase of their reopening, and offices will start letting people back into work.

And while all these sound like moves in the right direction, are you ready for that? Have you been showering enough? Have you shaved at all? Do you even fit into anything besides aren’t sweat pants anymore?

With offices closed and a lot of people working from home these days, there has been an uptick in men growing out beards. There’s always a point while growing out your beard when you’re in-between looking like you are just being lazy and finally reaching that nice full beard.  Thanks to the pandemic and he stay-at-home orders were a great time to finally try to grow that beard you’ve always wanted.

However, if you’ve never had a beard before you may not know how to take care of it or maintain it in a way that keeps it looking presentable.

Let’s take a look at 5 things men can do to keep their beards looking clean and healthy before venturing back out into the world.

 5 Tips For Beard Maintenance

1. Wash Your Beard

Keeping your beard clean will make it less itchy and keep it healthy. It’s important not to over-wash your beard though as it can cause the hair, and skin underneath, to become very dry and uncomfortable. We would recommend washing your beard thoroughly 3 times per week or whenever you take a shower.

As far as what products to use for washing your beard, normal men’s shampoo will work just fine. There are shampoos out there that are made specifically for beards, but if you’re not looking to spend the money on yet another bath product for your shower, then normal shampoos will still get the job done.

That being said, we do recommend that you try to use gentle or natural shampoos on your beard and mustache, as you’ll be washing very close to your nose and mouth. These are sensitive areas that can be easily irritated. You also want to avoid accidentally ingesting or inhaling the bubbles so just be careful while sudsing up your beard to reduce that risk while keeping yourself clean.

2. Moisturize Your Beard and Skin

Just as with the hair on top of your head, your beard hair can dry out as the strands lose moisture the longer you let them grow. This can lead to dull or lusterless hair on your face.  The skin underneath can also become itchy, irritated or red as well.  Some men even see a flare of their seborrheic dermatitis as they grow out their beard.

Keeping a beard moisturized is similar to keeping your hair moisturized, but instead of a shampoo and conditioner, you should be using a beard oil.

Beard oils are specially formulated to help seal in moisture to your beard hair as well as to the skin underneath. This will help prevent flaking, dryness, redness, and irritation that might occur when your beard loses its natural oils. However, if you feel the oil is making your skin worse you should talk with a board certified dermatologist to get the correct diagnosis for the skin. It could be simple irritation, an allergy or other dermatitis.

If you live in a very dry climate you may want to apply beard oil daily. If you live in a humid climate, or have more oily skin, then 2-3 times per week should be sufficient.

The goal here is not to make your beard look oily (if it does you’re using it too often or too much), it’s to seal the moisture in to the hairs and skin.

3. Don’t Trim Right Away

When most guys start to grow a beard they run into that awkward phase where it looks strange and all over the place. While you may get the urge to start trimming the strays right away, you should resist.

Instead of trimming right away, use some beard oil or balm to help tame those stray hairs until you’ve grown the beard out to your desired length. Once the majority of the hair is to the length you’d like, then you can begin trimming.

Facial hair, and hair in general, doesn’t always grow at the same rate, even when on the same face. Because of this it’s important to be patient and let all your beard hairs grow out to the desired length before trimming them. You don’t want to start trimming before the rest of the hair has had a chance to catch up.

Of course, if you have a couple extremely long stragglers, it’s ok to trim those separately to keep everything in check.

4. Trim Your Beard and Neckline Properly

Everyone’s taste is different when it comes to beards. Just like different hair styles, some trends look better on different people. The same can be said about beard styles.

Certain facial shapes are going to lend themselves better to certain beard styles than others, so it’s important to play to your strengths. Even if your beard looks patchy or thin compared to someone else, it can still look great if you figure out what style works best for your face.

To trim your beard properly you’re going to want to have the proper set of tools. A beard brush and comb, a trimmer, as well as some beard trimming scissors will help you on your beard styling path.

As for your neckline, it’s important to make sure that you pay attention to that area when doing your trimming. There should be some hair down your neck, but there should be a limit. A good way to figure this out is to take two of your fingers and place them just above your adam’s apple, this is where you should start trimming your neck.

Trimming is going to be different for everyone depending on what type of beard you’re going for. But keeping everything nice and tight is the best way to make your beard look clean and professional.

5. Keep Your Body Healthy

Just like the hair on your head, your beard hair needs the proper building blocks to grow in healthy and full.

While there is no foolproof nutrient plan to help you grow a thicker, fuller, beard faster, eating a balanced diet containing vitamin D, as well as vitamin B (B3, B5, and B9) may be able to help. Vitamin D has been shown to help activate dormant hair follicles, while vitamin B can help strengthen and condition hair.

Unfortunately, sometimes genetics just stand in our way. Native American and Asian ancestry generally generates the least amount of body and beard hair.  If you find you can’t grow out the luscious beard you desire, then it may just be the way you’re designed and so far we can’t change our genetics for scalp or facial hair.

Minoxidil (Rogaine) is intended for use on the scalp but may help beard hairs grow longer by extending the growth phase of hair. Facial hair transplant may be the best option to help fill out your beard and give it the appearance you desire, but there’s no magic elixir or lotion that can override your genetic code.

Contact us today at the Limmer Hair Transplant Center for more information how we may be able to help you get the beard you’ve always wanted.