Von Sander - The Beardmen (The Ultimate Guide from A to Z)
A masculine beard with a healthy shine doesn’t just happen: you have to work hard for it. All day long, your beard hair is exposed to various factors that stunt beard growth, and this can cause skin irritation and/or make your beard feel harsh. With these grooming routines and products, your beard will always look groomed and healthy. Let’s get started!
Why beard grooming?
Throughout the day, your beard is exposed to many culprits: rain, polluted air, UV rays, excess sebum and accessories like a trimmer and razors. Especially on days with extreme weather conditions, you can feel your beard hair getting harder and stiffer. And this is not good for your beard, nor for the skin under it.
You just want to look good with a groomed beard. This facial feature tends to look unkempt, so you will have to adopt daily grooming routines.
How to maintain a beard
In this Ultimate Guide we tell you exactly how to maintain a beard. There are three parts to maintaining a beard:
- Using the right beard care products
- Using the right beard accessories
- Applying the right grooming routines
1. Beard grooming: Which grooming products to use?
Applying good beard oil is not enough. It’s important to know what kind of products your beard needs. After all, every beard is different: some grow faster than others, the beard hair is thicker or thinner and there are all kinds of types and shapes.
Below we discuss different products that help with proper beard care. We try to indicate for each product for which beard it is most suitable, but ultimately it is also a matter of trial and error.
If you dig around online, you can find value purchases for beard care products in Britain. Website shops and your local drug store or supermarket are also good places to look.
Using beard oil
Beard oil keeps your beard hair in check and gives your beard a nice shine. It also softens the beard. It is a grooming product and a styling product at the same time.
We recommend beard oil for all types and kinds of beards. It is essential because it also moisturises the skin under the beard. It’s perfect for dry skin.
Shampoo or soap
Wash your beard regularly with a beard shampoo. A beard shampoo will help you remove all residue and excess sebum.
A beard shampoo, like a beard oil, is important for good hygiene and necessary for all beards.
Conditioner
A beard conditioner helps remove natural oils, sebum and other grooming products.
A beard conditioner softens your beard hair. It is especially meant for people with hard and coarse beard growth.
Beard foam
A beard foam is used to soften your beard and has a moisturising effect. It makes trimming and styling easier.
It helps against beard redness and dry underlying skin. A good beard oil makes beard foam unnecessary.
Beard serum
Need to breathe new life into a lifeless beard? Try using a beard serum for a nice shine. It also softens the beard.
A beard serum is especially for owners of lifeless beards that you can’t model.
Beard wax or mustache wax
Styling the beard is done with a beard wax. It gives your beard a nice shine.
Beard wax is particularly suitable for long beards. However, it is important to rinse out the wax thoroughly at the end of the day with a beard shampoo.
Beard butter
Beard butter is made of natural fats that soften your beard and prevent dry and irritated skin.
Beard lotion
You can buy a beard lotion as a cream or a spray. A lotion is mainly for the health of your beard.
Beard balm
A beard balm helps you style your beard hair.
Beard scrub
Use a beard scrub to remove beard dandruff, dander and dead skin cells. This is done by massaging the scrub in slowly. This is considered extra care for a less-groomed beard.
You might think: why do I need a special shampoo or wax for my beard? A good question: because these products are tailored to your beard and the underlying skin which have different needs from head hair. So it’s not like you can use any shampoo or oil.
2.Beard grooming: what accessories do you need?
An attractive beard is not only achieved by using the right products: proper grooming is only possible with the right beard accessories. Which accessories are necessary?
Comb and/or brush
To shape your beard and make sure your beard hair grows in the right direction. Brushing a beard is not only for longer beards, but also for short ones.
Note that a beard comb or brush takes quite a bit of hair with it. Be careful if you want to grow a nice full beard.
Beard scissors
Beard scissors come in handy for trimming whiskers or when you have uneven beard growth. Beard scissors give you more control than a trimmer.
A beard roller is mainly used to stimulate beard growth.
Straightener
A beard straightener is used to style a beard. This turns a curly beard into a sleek beard.
Trimmer
Trimming your beard is important for a well-groomed beard and to remove all dead hair.
3. Daily routines for a healthy beard
To best maintain the beard we recommend the following grooming routines:
- Hair washing: At the end of the day, wash your hair with a beard shampoo. If you use oily styling products, wash your beard with a conditioner.
- Apply beard oil: before going to bed, apply beard oil. Massage it in well. This is good for the beard and the underlying skin.
- Beard balm or wax: shape your beard with a balm or wax. It gives your hair a nice shine. A beard wax is slightly harder and stiffer than a balm.
- Extra care: Do you have dry skin, flaky skin or does your beard hair feel hard and coarse? Use a beard scrub while showering and a beard lotion after showering.
- Cut & Trim: Depending on the desired beard length, cut & trim your beard hair once every 2 – 4 weeks. Stubble or a short beard should be trimmed more often.
Maintaining different beard lengths
Every beard is different and the biggest difference lies in the beard length. For instance, a stubble requires different care than a long beard. Here’s how to best maintain your beard.
How to groom stubble
Stubble is about 1-2 mm long. It is especially important to use a soothing beard oil after trimming. That way, your skin won’t get irritated and your beard and the underlying skin will stay nice and healthy.
Leave your beard on? Then trim only the uneven areas.
How to take care of a short beard?
A short beard has hair about 1 – 2 cm long. With a short beard, you quickly get short and stiff beard hair that can cause irritation. This makes using beard oil all the more important. Brush your beard when your beard hair is longer than 5 cm.
You will notice that your beard growth is not the same everywhere. This can be solved by regularly trimming the beard. This will require a skilled hand, but it will come naturally!
How to groom a long beard
A long beard is less prone to short, annoying hair that can cause a lot of itching. A beard oil is a good grooming product, but for a longer beard a balm is often chosen. It cares for, but also shapes your long beard hair nicely.
As you can imagine, it is important to wash a long beard properly. This is done by massaging a shampoo and/or conditioner into the beard. After showering, comb or brush your beard in the direction of growth. Using a beard brush is especially important for longer beards.
Styling your beard? Use beard scissors to cut off any outliers so that the beard length is the same everywhere.
How to groom a mustache
To maintain a moustache properly, it is important to wash it well and cut or trim it regularly. If you have a long moustache, we recommend using beard oil and possibly a moustache wax to shape the hair. For your cheeks, use a razor or trimmer.
There is a difference between a short moustache and a long one. The more hair, the more attention the underlying skin needs.
Beard grooming tips
For a groomed and beautiful male beard, we have a few more tips for maintaining your beard:
- Regularity is important: stick to your grooming routines. The more you invest in your beard, the more you will get in return.
- Use products with natural ingredients: Choose natural grooming products: This way you can enjoy a beautiful beard for a long time to come.
- Give your beard extra attention in winter and summer: In extreme weather conditions your beard could use some extra attention. Both the beard and the skin underneath it dry out faster.
- Don’t overuse grooming products: Find out which grooming products are right for your type of beard growth. Grooming products are good, but using too many can also clog pores.
- Keep an eye on beard and scalp health: dry skin, itching, bumps or dry skin? It is important to address these ailments as soon as possible by taking proper care of them.
The most important thing is to wash your beard properly and keep it clean. Therefore, the most essential beard products are: beard oil and beard shampoo.
How to trim and cut?
To take best care of your beard, it is important to trim the entire beard regularly. You can do this with a beard trimmer or beard scissors.
Trimming a beard can be quite tricky at first. You do need a practiced hand for it.
Frequently asked questions
Everyone should have a well-groomed beard with a healthy shine. That’s why our website provides lots of tips on how to take care of your beard and encourage beard growth. Below we discuss the most frequently asked questions:
With a starting beard, you will soon have to deal with short and irritating little hair. This can cause quite a lot of irritation. Use a beard oil to soften your beard hair.
From a beard shampoo to a beard balm: there are lots of care products for your beard on the market. The most important ones for good care are: shampoo and beard oil. To shape your beard, use a balm or wax.
To best care for your beard, it is important to wash it regularly with a shampoo. If you have a longer beard, you should brush and comb it regularly. Using beard oil is recommended for both the beard itself and the skin underneath.
With a full beard, it is extra important to take good care of the skin underneath. A full beard makes it harder for the skin to breathe, so beard oil is good to use. Other than that, it is important to exfoliate the hair and skin regularly.