The cold temperatures and dry air of the winter seasons can sometimes cause damage to your beard, leaving you with a dry and itchy beard that has a scruffy appearance. Some common effects on a beard are split ends, brittle hair, dry course hair, and dry skin.
Split ends are more common with longer beards because of the lack of sebum oil. Sebum oil comes from the sebaceous and sometimes has difficulty reaching the tips of longer beard hairs. It can also be caused from the dry cold days of winter. Brittle hair is generally caused by your diet and lack of quality maintenance. Dry hair and skin are the two most commonly occurring symptoms of a winter beard. The dry cool air causes the moisture in your skin and beard air to be quickly dissipated. This often leaves a beard dry and course feeling which can become itchy and highly uncomfortable if not treated properly.
To treat a winter damaged or unhealthy beard, the solution is simple, regular maintenance. Follow these simple five steps to have your beard back in great shape in as little as a week.
- During your shower, don't use regular soap or shampoo on your beard. Instead opt for shampoo/conditioners that are made for beards, so they won't strip away the much-needed natural oils of your beard.
- Pat dry your beard. Avoid a blow dryer because this will cause more dryness. Avoid ruffling a towel on your beard because this will cause you to pull and strain the hair roots, causing then to fall out or become malnourished leading to brittle hair.
- Use a quality beard oil with a jojoba oil base carrier, and an essential oil that is going to have some added benefits on your beard. Make sure to look up the best essential oils for your beard, for healing and hydration focus on lavender, cedarwood, peppermint, and alma oils as they all have great skin, hair and hydration benefits. Jojoba oil with cedarwood and peppermint is a great combination. The jojoba oil hydrates the hair and skin; the cedarwood prevents acne, hydrates and prevents inflammation; and the peppermint invigorates the skin causing more blood circulation, healthy growth and increase sebum productions. Rub on your hands and then massage into your beard all the way down to the skin.
- After applying oil, use a beard comb. The comb is important, the wider spacing between the comb forks will not cause as much pull as a brush and help untangle the beard.
- After combing, use a quality brush that has natural bristles. The natural bristles will help maintain the natural oils that are now on your beard. The best choice is boar’s hair, because the bristles will be stiff enough to clean your beard, yet flexible enough not to pull too hard. This step is done after the comb, so the beard is tangle and knot free and the oil is spread throughout. The boars brush will soften and shape your beard, so it is nice and robust looking.
Do this process at least once or twice per day. The goal is to make sure you have enough oils in your beard and on your skin to maintain the moisture through the day. If you follow these steps you will be able to revitalize your beard and establish healthy habits to continue growing your beard for years to come.