Having a healthy beard requires effort and willingness to experiment with products until you find something that suits you best. Just like women invest a significant amount of time and money into making their long hair healthy and shiny, men who want to have a strong beard need to develop the same level of dedication to it.
Sometimes, men take their beard for granted, thinking it will grow naturally looking neat all on its own, but the reality is quite different. If you want to grow a beard that looks and feels good, it’s paramount to take good care of it, and that means keeping it clean, trimming it regularly, and using products that will let you shape it how you want. Using beard balms and oils is beard care 101, so let’s see what makes them so beneficial.
Why should you use beard oil?
If you’re growing out your beard and start feeling itchiness underneath it or even spot beardruff, your skin needs hydration. As your beard hairs get longer, the glands attached to them (sebaceous glands) can’t produce enough natural oils (sebum) to keep the skin and the hair moisturized, so both start to suffer.
This is where beard oils jump in. A beard oil is there to replace sebum that’s lacking, all the while nurturing your beard and skin. This is a tradition that withstood the test of time, and for a good reason – your beard needs a bit of zhuzh to look its best.
Moisturizing properties of your beard oil come from its carrier oil, most of which are already famous for their fantastic effects. Argan, coconut, castor, jojoba, and sweet almond oils are the most common carrier oils, and their superpower is to make the hair sleek and shiny and your skin soft and moisturized.
Quality products usually have essential oils in the formula as well because they add a number of benefits, like non-comedogenic properties, additional nutrients, and a pleasant scent. Not only that, but beard oil relaxes and tames flyaway hairs that could make your beard look bushy and disheveled.
You should choose a beard oil based on your preferences and needs. The right beard oil will give you an array of benefits, including improved skin health, softness, shine, and faster beard growth (especially castor oil).
Bear in mind that beard oils can’t directly help you with styling your beard (waxes and balms can help with that), but they can make it more manageable and, more importantly, healthier so that you can grow and shape it to your liking.
Why should you use beard balm?
Now that you’ve got your beard oil figured out, let’s talk about the perks of using a beard balm in your beard care routine. In some ways, a beard balm is to a beard what conditioner is for the hair, and while it shares similarities with beard oils, it also offers additional benefits.
While beard oil is liquid and doesn’t directly help you with styling and shaping your beard, a balm will do just that. Balms usually come in a thicker paste-like consistency, and this is because one of its most important ingredients includes beeswax and some type of natural butter.
Beeswax is absolutely indispensable in a quality beard balm because it helps to seal in the moisture that long beards require. Add to that shea or cocoa butter that gives the balm that extra moisture kick, and it’s easy to see why using a beard balm is a must.
These ingredients also make your beard easier to style, especially if you’ve got a longer beard and curly hair that just won’t stay put. This is where the consistency of the balm comes in handy – because of its buttery texture, it will melt as you rub it between your fingers, you’ll be able to apply it down the length of your beard easily, and it will help hold it in the shape you want.
Including a balm into your regular beard care routine is a game-changer for men with longer beards – not only will your beard look healthy, but it will also be much more manageable and tame.
Combining Beard Oils and Balms for Maximum Effect
To make the most of your beard care routine, combine beard oils and balms, they’re a match made in heaven.
The process is very simple – make sure your beard is clean and slightly damp, then apply your oil of choice on your skin and beard, and let it soak in all the nutrients and moisture. Once the oil is absorbed, apply your balm and work it through your beard, after which it’s ready for styling. Combining beard oil and balm will make your beard look shiny, healthy, neat, and soft to the touch, which is the ultimate goal!
Conclusion
If you’re just learning how to deal with your beard and what products to use, don’t worry, once you establish a routine, it will become as natural as showering. We recommend doing some research to find the products that will fit your needs. The time you invest will pay off every time you look in the mirror and see your gorgeous beard.
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