Avoid These 7 Mistakes That May be Harming Your Beard

Once you grow your beard, you'll find yourself compelled to stroke it and enjoy its luxurious feel... and so will lots of other people. This isn't necessarily a problem, but it can be.  Our beards can run afoul of a number of bad habits if we’re not careful. Making a beard mistake here and there may not seem like an issue, but they can add up and do real harm in the long run. That’s why it is important to know which beard-damaging mistakes you'll want to avoid. Otherwise, you can find yourself on the road to a beard reset before you know it.

Not cleaning your beard

A face has to deal with a lot over the course of a normal day. Maybe it's the elements: A roaring winter wind or the sweltering heat of the deep sun. And of course there are the crumbs of food from an overzealous meal, which pair not-so-neatly with beverages and liquor quaffed in a sloppy rush. The beard takes the brunt of your food, weather, and drink action if you're not careful. It's essential to keep an eye on your beard everyday, and part of that means cleaning it. Otherwise, you'll have to go through the whole day with a sticky, smelly, and unclean beard—definitely not the kind of beard anyone will want to touch.

Using damaging chemicals & soaps

Never use an ordinary shampoo on your beard. (If you can help it, try to avoid using regular shampoo on your head as well.) Most store-bought shampoos and conditioners contain a wide range of caustic detergents, unlike Beard Club products, which are created organically and naturally. Many of these shampoos lack essential oils, or else they contain so many negative additives that any benefits you'd stand to gain from those essential oils are lost. Sustained use of shampoos and soaps like that can lead to a dry beard and skin that flakes due to dehydration. Before long, your beloved beard becomes your daily nemesis, brittle and uncomfortable.

Improper drying

It’s not something most guys think about, but drying your beard properly is critical. Sure, it's easier to let it air out on its own, but your beard will fare better if you take a few minutes after washing to take control of the drying process. Dry your beard by patting it down, taking care not to let it frizz out as you do. When drying after a visit to the pool or beach, it’s best to use Beard Cream or Beard Oil to moisturize it and restore some of the natural oils that can be stripped away by chlorinated or salt water. Any excess water left over after a shower should be dried quickly, as air drying can leave your beard stripped of those same natural oils, which leads to brittleness. Unless you encounter an emergency situation and absolutely need to dry your beard immediately, you'll want to avoid using a blow dryer. Sure, they're convenient, but even on its low settings, the heat of a blow dryer causes stress to your beard that causes it to become brittle and depleted of essential oils. Towel-drying may take a little longer, but it's much better for your beard.

Unhealthy eating

Your beard is what you eat. Promoting healthy beard growth can be as easy as laying off the junk food and instead shifting your diet towards fresher foods. This is also good advice in general, of course. On top of that, a healthy, balanced diet contains nutrients that will help hair grow faster, stronger, and thicker. A lack of folic acid, a biotin deficiency, or general downturn in your health won't do any favors to your hair—both your whiskers and the hair up top. But this is an easy fix; simply adjust your diet and start eating healthier today, and you'll see positive results quickly. While everyone's nutritional needs are different, a proper diet typically consists primarily of green vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, supplemented by a smaller proportion of meats and dairy products. For vegetarians and vegans, protein-rich foods like beans, nuts, and soy will provide the same benefits as meat. Whatever your diet, you'll definitely want to keep sugary foods to a minimum.

Rough handling & picking at your beard

It starts small, but it can balloon into a real problem. Stroking your chin hairs every once in awhile is fine! It makes you look scholarly and wise. But beware that it doesn't become excessive. That's unwise, and it'll just leave you looking ragged. The issue here results from the act of repeatedly picking and tugging at certain areas of your beard. It causes stress on the underlying skin, damages the hair, and leaves your whiskers dirty. Eventually, all that tugging turns your beard patchy and strips it of its natural oils.. There is one kind of beard-stroking we can fully endorse, though! To keep your beard smooth and healthy, it’s important to maintain a Beard Oil or Beard Wax routine. They're guaranteed to help protect your chin hairs and keep your beard feeling soft. So soft you'll want to stroke it... just not too much, you know?

Overwashing your beard

Ask any long-haired man about how he keeps his look so fresh and he'll tell you that the key to those luxuriant locks are a routine of proper hair care—and that means taking it easy with the shampoo. An easy mistake to make with beard care is washing too much. It's a natural error: You want your beard to look its best, so naturally, that means caring for it constantly. Right? Well, maybe not. The same rules apply to a long beard as for long hair. Guys with a simple crew cut need to simply rinse and repeat, ideally every day. But once your hair grows out more than a few inches in length, it's ultimately going to stay much healthier if you allow its natural oils to remain for a few days between washes. It's the same with a beard. Stubble needs frequent cleansing, but too much washing damages a longer beard. No one wants to walk around with a filthy beard, but an over-washed one is no better. It becomes dry and ragged-looking. Consider this cleaning routine for a longer beard:

• Wash only every few days.
• Keep it dirt-free between washes by combing and applying Beard Spray.
• Continue your routine.
• If you shower daily, try to keep your beard dry except on cleaning days.

Never trimming stray hair

We’ve all forsaken the razor and trimmers—but even the mountain men among us should only take that so far. Like they say, "Moderation in all things, but don't overdo it." Again, the same care rules apply to lengthy beard hair as to any other kind of long hair. It's going to be at its healthiest in its earliest stages, and the longer it grows, the more damage it absorbs. Even a perfect beard care routine will result in some dead, dry, or split hair ends. You may have sworn off the razor, but you'll still want to keep scissors or a trimmer around to clear away those scraggly ends and maintain your overall beard health. Trimming the ends of your beard, or cutting stringy and brittle hairs, is a great way to do some housekeeping and maintain a sharp look and a healthy growth pattern. Those split ends are begging to be tamed and cut so that stronger hair can grow. Do you have your own beard care dos and don'ts? Let us know about them in the comments, or hit our social channels with your bespoke wisdom!