The “Year of the Beard” is here as more and more men embrace the facial hair trend and lifestyle; while more and more women find them attractive.
A survey conducted by OnePoll found that only 33% of American males have facial hair of some kind vs 55% of males worldwide. However, this number seems to be on the increase, and one of the drivers behind that may be that men are caring for their designer stubble and face-whiskers with beard care products.
If you’re new to the beard-care scene or considering going from a 5 o’clock shadow to a full chin sweater, you are definitely going to need to know your way around a full care & maintenance regime.
Necessities of a Beard Regime
Your 4 staples in this regime are going to be beard soap, conditioner, jelly beard oil and a balm or pomade (or both depending on your beard’s seasonal leanings). How and when you use them to create your personalized routine is totally a matter of preference and will depend on your specific facial hair needs.
Beard Soap
Beard Soap is pretty self-explanatory and the easiest part of the routine. Wash, rinse, hello clean beard! The beard conditioner, jelly beard oil and balm/pomade are where the curation of your beard care regime really begins.
Beard Conditioner
So, let’s start with beard conditioner and why its role is so important. Beard conditioner not only helps your beard maintain a lustrous sheen and softness, but it replenishes the oils stripped from everyday wear and tear. An added bonus is it helps keep the skin underneath nourished, as well. You’ll use it immediately after your beard soap, let it sit for a minute or two, and then rinse it out.
Jelly Beard Oil & Balm
Now we get to jelly beard oil and balm and how they differ from conditioner. Think of beard balm as chapstick for your beard. It is thicker, heavier in consistency and is more of a topical leave-in product. It’s wonderful for longer beards and/or those with drier skin and hair.
Jelly Beard Oil is much more viscous than regular beard oil and is a great finishing product to hydrate the hair, skin and add a healthy shine. It’s also fantastic for colder, dryer months when both your skin and beard need that extra protection and TLC.
Both are must haves in one's beard regime. The combo of jelly beard oil & balm will tame any wayward whiskers and help retain extra moisture needed through out the day.
Find What Works
Again, experimenting to find out what works best for your unique facial coiffeur will be the key to developing and adapting your beard care routine. When starting out, remember it’s easier to add than remove; beginning with smaller amounts and adding more as you go, you’ll be able to customize your personal care recipe in no time!
First-timers in the beard game or old-timers getting back in it, tend think it’s a maintenance free gig. But, with beards, you absolutely get back what you put in (and on) it!
For more info you can check out our famous 4 Stage Process.
