It might come as a shock to most fellows, but there is a right way to comb your beard every day. If you're reading this, chances are, you are through the growing stages and have surmounted that scratching and itching beard phase. So, now you want to sit back and enjoy your nice flowing beard. Combing your beard properly will not only change the way your beard feels, but it will also improve the way you feel.
What Is a Beard Comb?
A beard comb is a beard grooming article used to brush, style, and moisturize beard hair. It can also be used to shape facial hair to grow in the direction you want. Beard combs come in different materials such as metal, wood, horn, and cellulose plastic.
Wood
Wooden combs are the most common types and are the best option for a beard comb. Most serious bearded men would recommend wooden combs because of the benefits associated with them.
The first advantage of wooden combs is the smoothness of the edges. If the edges of a comb are rugged, it will pull on your beard, which may lead to breakage. Fortunately, this mostly never happens with wooden combs.
Metal
Experts advise against using plastic combs by all means. Well, the same thing applies to metal beard combs. The edges of metal combs are very rough and will damage your hair follicles and cause beard irritation.
Cellulose Acetate
Cellulose acetate is a similar material to rubber, and some beard specialists admit that it’s one of the best materials for beard combs. These beard combs are very easy to clean, and they don’t cause hair breakage, static, or friction.
Plastic
Plastic combs are the cheapest largely because of the inexpensive material, which leads to inferior quality beard combs. These combs are not only fragile, but they generate static within your beard hair and don’t smooth out your facial hair as thoroughly as other combs.
Bone/Horn
Beard combs made with ox horn or bone materials are of the highest quality combs out there, and they last a long time. The high quality makes it easy to train your beard hair to achieve that go-to look.
Benefits of Quality Beard Combs
If you have a long enough beard, combing it correctly starts with getting the right instruments. With that in mind, here are some benefits of using a quality beard comb.
Averting Ingrown Hairs
Ingrown hairs are the last thing you want to deal with because they usually cause unpleasant blemishes overtime. Those tiny bumps and red spots on your cheeks and neck are ingrown hairs that whirled around and started growing beneath the skin.
A quality beard comb helps your hair grow in the right direction, which stops ingrown from forming in the first place. Combing your hair every day ensures all those beard hairs will grow as they should, so you can avoid those unsightly and painful ingrown facial hairs.
Lining Up the Hairs
To give the impression of a full beard, all those hairs should align perfectly with your face structure. When you comb your beard every day, you train different hairs to grow in the desired direction. Just like trimming and combing the hair on your head will make hairs grow in a certain direction, to have a fuller beard, every day combing is absolutely essential.
Keeping the Mouth Area Clear
A well-kept beard is a healthy beard, but it involves more than just washing your beard at shower time. Combing your beard is an essential step in maintaining a clean beard, first because combing the beard removes dirt and food scraps, which can leave it looking untidy. Nothing takes away months of work, like looking at a beard that has little dirt and scraps ensnared in it.
Moisturize the Beard
If you've read anything else on beard grooming, you know how important it is to apply a beard balm or beard oil to your beard hair to help it stay healthy and flowing while ensuring the skin underneath is sufficiently moisturized.
Because you can only reach so much when you apply a balm to your palms and rub it into the hair, opt for a comb instead. When you comb your beard every day after applying a moisturizer, the pegs of the comb will equally distribute the product throughout your beard.
Getting the Look You Desire
When you brush your beard hair with a comb, you can style whatever look any way you like. Cease to comb for a while, and you will see just how uncontrollable those facial hairs will become. If you're for a particular style, combing the hair every day is the surest way to achieve that fancied look.
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How to Comb a Beard
Step 1: Pick the right comb.
We can't stress this enough, choosing a comb with the right pegs and the right build is essential. Stay away from plastic combs because it causes static, snags, and it breaks your beard hair.
Step 2: Start from the bottom.
Begin by combing the beard from the bottom and work your way upward and outward. This combing should start at the neck and work towards the chin and cheeks. By brushing this way, you separate all the facial hair, so the beard looks fuller and healthier.
Step 3: Do not pull and tug the knots.
Chances are you will run into some knots in your beard while working your way through it. Don’t try to pull at them! Instead, gradually and gently work your way through these knots. Beard oil is a great tool to deal with knots, and when used with a comb, it can help the comb glide through your beard more easily.
Step 4: Comb the beard down.
After the entire beard has been combed upwards, now start working your way down so that you can style it in the way you like.
Step 5: Do not forget the mustache
Comb that mustache off to the sides and away from your lips.
Step 6: Work slowly.
Never comb your beard too aggressively, and avoid gliding the comb very quickly through your beard hair. Be patient - the proper way is to comb slowly and gently.
Takeaway
Maintaining a healthy, flowing beard involves more than just letting the beard grow without touching it. You need beard grooming products like beard oil, balm, and grooming tools like beard combs to help you achieve the task. When it comes to beard combs, don't opt for the cheapest - buy a high-quality comb such as those made of horn or wood.
Also, check out more of our beard care content for your reading pleasure.