Kudos to you for keeping your beard this summer. Not all beardsmen make it through these 3 challenging months, opting instead for a more breathable moustache or doing away with their beard entirely. Don’t let your hard work and patience go to waste – you have an epic beard to maintain!
Summer can make it tricky to keep your beard clean, hydrated, and healthy. Sweltering temperatures combined with increased outdoor time can severely dehydrate hair and skin. But there’s no need to just grin and bear it. The following 5 tips will protect your beard from the elements, so you can get back to enjoying those endless days.
Drink lots of water
In the summer, the blazing sun will wreak havoc on your beard, drying it out and causing beard itch (and consequently, beardruff). Should you start scratching your beard, you’ll lose beard hair, too. But if you’re properly hydrating by drinking enough water, you’ll keep your thicket strong and naturally protected.
An epic beard starts with what you put inside your body. Water regulates the circulatory system, which feeds the hair follicle and stimulates hair growth. When you don’t drink enough water, you’ll see it in your beard, with dry, brittle strands that don’t grow as quickly as normal. Aim to drink eight 8-ounce glasses every day.
Tip: There’s plenty more you can do to keep your beard healthy from the inside out. Read our post on how to eat for a better beard here.
Wear a hat – and/or use hair sunscreen
You may think a hat will only block rays from hitting your head, but a hat with a wide enough brim will also shade some of your beard. Take it up a notch by hitting your beard with hair sunscreen spray. The same sunscreen spray that works on top of your head will work just as well on your beard. These sunscreen sprays will hydrate beard hair and prevent the sun from damaging cuticles.Try Clarins Sunscreen Care Oil Spray, which has UV filters and aloe extract to protect your beard from sun and salt water. A bonus? You can spritz it on your face and body as well, saving you time and space in your dopp bag.
Wet your beard before swimming
Wet your hair in the shower before heading to the pool. Your hair absorbs less water when it’s already wet, so chlorine won’t get into your hair as easily.
…Then apply beard oil and beard balm
We're not stopping you from chilling at the pool and hitting the waves at the beach. But salt water and chlorine are terrible for your beard. Both strip away moisture and remove natural oils that keep your beard hydrated.
After wetting your hair with water, create a shield against water loss by applying beard oil (which hydrates) followed by beard balm (which hydrates while locking in moisture with beeswax). The two products combine to form a leave-in beard conditioner that maintains optimum moisture levels.
Follow with hair sunscreen (tip #2) and you’re set.
Rinse your beard right after swimming
Chlorinated waterThe worst thing you can do right out of the pool is to leave chlorinated water in your beard, since it can dry and discolor hair.
The science: Chlorine causes metals in the water to oxidize. Specifically, chlorine oxidizes copper, which then attaches to hair proteins and deposits that dreaded green color.
Salt water
Salt water is just as damaging for your beard, leaving hair lifeless.
The science: Ocean water has a high salt content. Because water moves by osmosis, water leaches out of your hair, causing dry, brittle locks. If you spend a large amount of time in salt water, you can develop beard split ends.
The solution?
Wash your beard right after you’re out of the water. If you've only been in ocean water, using beard shampoo is enough.
But if you've just been in the pool, chlorine requires a stronger cleanser since it chemically bonds to hair. After rinsing your beard with plain water, mix one part apple cider vinegar with four parts water and work it through your beard. Then follow with beard conditioner to smooth and soften hair.
