It’s sadly very common for us to hear from bros eagerly growing out their beards that they’ve got ugly flakes all through their whiskers. Worse, those flakes shed onto their clothes, their food, their workspaces, and even their loved ones. To cap off the nightmare, their faces itch like crazy!
That flaky crap, friend, is beard dandruff, aka beardruff. Left unaddressed, it can turn your face’s pride into your face’s shame - while driving you nuts.
Whatever you do, step away from the trimmer and the razor! Having a beard does not mean you have to itch like a chicken pox patient or look like you dipped your face in shredded coconut. Beardruff is very beatable! Easily beatable!
Standby for a bevy of info and beardruff solutions that will banish your blues for good.
Simple. Beardruff is flakes of dead skin. Just like dandruff in your hair is from flakes of dead scalp skin, beard dandruff comes from your face shedding little pieces of itself. It is especially common in the early stage of growing a new beard - that’s a big part of why a new beard itches!
Beardruff is a sign that the skin beneath your beard is dry and irritated. And your whiskers provide an ideal habitat for the flakes to cling and collect.
So, you’re not diseased and it is not contagious! But whatever you do, take action now, otherwise it can get worse.
Again the answer is simple: not taking proper care of your beard, your face, and yourself. Being a rugged bro doesn’t mean just letting your facial hair go wild without any work or help. A beard is like a garden. When tended properly, it’s a thing of beauty. Left alone, it goes berserk, develops problems, and can look horrible.
The most common way dudes develop beard dandruff is from not using any beard grooming products at all. It’s also caused by harsh beard grooming products that strip essential oils/moisture, using head hair products on your beard, stress, poor sleep, yeast (fungus), extreme heat or cold, even illness.
Note: if it’s a yeast problem, see a dermatologist. Yeast hates ultraviolet rays from the sun, but can thrive by hiding in the hairs of your beard. Don’t shave - see a skin specialist. A yeast problem can be cleared up easily and quickly.
If you have naturally dry skin, then you already know to clean and moisturize it regularly. That must continue when you sprout a beard. And sweet baby Jesus, don’t use regular soaps or harsh chemical cleansers.
That happens because sebaceous glands attached to hair follicles produce excess sebum oil. But beardruff happens to naturally oily skin too because when the hairs grow longer, that excess sebum isn’t actually sufficient to coat and nourish both your facial skin and the entire lengths of the hairs. When your beard whiskers take most of that sebum, your skin doesn’t retain enough of it and becomes dry, cracked, and flaky.
Put down the dandruff shampoo! This harsh stuff might work on your head but should never go near your face! The chemicals will dry your skin and make the beard dandruff problem worse.
If you don’t, you’ll likely keep on itching. Quality is everything with a beard moisturizer. It should contain the same kinds of fatty acids, antioxidants and organic oils as your beard shampoo, plus include plenty of vitamin E to soothe the itching and minimize flaking.
Rub it in right down to the skin.
If beardruff is your kryptonite, beard oil is the lead that will block it out.
With a new beard that’s itching, there’s no need to just tough it out through this phase.
Remember the sebaceous glands and sebum mentioned above? As your beard hairs lengthen, those glands stay the same and produce the same amount of sebum. i.e. not enough. A beard oil will ensure there’s enough good stuff to go around for your follicles, your skin, and your whiskers. On top of the beard conditioner shampoo and beard moisture, beard oil is a major player in ending that beard dandruff. As the oil lovingly coats your whiskers and skin in nourishing essential oils, it has the added benefit of trapping moisture to make your beard sumptuously soft, glossy, and sexily touchable. Some oils have an irresistible scent, too.
By the way, the essential oils in good beard oil are literally “essential” for another reason… they have antibacterial and antifungal properties. So if yeast is a problem for you, chalk up another win for beard oil.
After washing, towel drying and moisturizing your beard, while it’s still damp, rub a few drops of beard oil in right down to the skin. Then brush the beard well, which brings us to…
Brushing serves several purposes: to distribute the oil and moisture evenly, to straighten out tangles, to help shape your beard, and to remove beardruff flakes, dust and dirt.
But it can’t be any old brush. We recommend a wild boar hair bristle brush. These bristles are stiff yet flexible to provide a comfortable experience that stimulates blood flow to your follicles and will add the finishing touch to your skin exfoliation.
Never ever, ever use the same brush as you use on your head And never use a comb – unless you enjoy painful tugging on your whiskers. Ugh!
Think beard balm is only for cosmetic purposes? Think again! Sure, it’s awesome for sculpting and styling your beard into the shape you want. But it also acts like a barrier and conditioner to hold those essential oils close to your hairs and your skin.
Again, quality matters. Your beard balm needs to be made from pure oils and butters, not synthetic kinds or silicone or mineral oils. A little natural beeswax seals the deal – literally – by holding the shape you like and holding the essential ingredients to your whiskers.
There you have it, bro… your beardruff bible. Having a beard of true distinction doesn’t just happen, and neither does getting rid of beard dandruff. Wisdom and work are needed. Think of your beard like an iceberg. 10% is what people see, while 90% of its awesomeness happens “below the surface” or behind the scenes in your beard care routine.
Say bye-bye to your beardruff blues and say hello to the best you’ve ever looked.
Beard on, bro, and beard brilliantly.
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