BREAK THESE 5 BAD BEARD HABITS NOW

No matter how dedicated your beard care routine, or how long you’ve been growing a beard, all of us fall into habits. Unfortunately, some habits can set back your beard game. Here are the 5 most common we’ve seen, along with easy fixes. Conquer these 5 bad beard habits and you’ll be on your way to your best beard yet.

You don’t clean your tools

Are you vigilant about beard care but still getting pimples? Dirty tools may be the culprit. If you’re not cleaning your clippers and scissors after every trim, then you’re creating a breeding ground for bacteria to grow. Sterilize your clippers by spraying them with Barbicide Clippercide Spray Disinfectant.

To clean scissors, put a few drops of rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball and rub to remove residue. If you want to keep your tools in good shape for years to come, finish by oiling the scissor blades and clippers with Wahl Hair Clipper Blade Oil.

And don’t forget your combs and brushes! Keep your horn comb clean by rinsing it with water and letting it dry on a cloth. To clean your brush, loosen dead skin and dirt by holding the brush upside down and running a q-tip through bristles. Remove hair by pulling it out with your fingers.

For more information on how to clean combs and brushes, check out our blog post on the subject here.

You don’t know how to shape your neckline

The neckline that delineates your beard should look natural. To do this, master the beard fade: Trim your neck to your desired length, then use a 2 or 3 guard to trim from your Adam’s apple to where your jaw meets your neck. Then use a 1 or 2 guard to trim upwards from the Adam’s apple about an inch. Remove all hair below the Adam’s apple.

Remember: Don’t make your jawline too high unless you want to look totally clueless about what you’re doing. The jawline of your beard should never actually sit on your jawline, but rather lie a little below it.

You don’t moisturize

If you’re not moisturizing your beard because you think it’s “womanly” to do so, you can’t expect to have a respectable beard. Without conditioner and beard oil, your beard will desiccate, becoming dry, brittle, and breakage-prone. On top of harming your beard, you’re leaving your skin vulnerable to the elements. This means flaky skin and inflammation.

Do your beard and skin a favor by using a specially formulated beard conditioner after you wash your beard. Follow with beard oil to restore your hair’s natural oils (which keep your hair protected), reduce inflammation, and lock in moisture to combat itch and tightness.

Distribute the beard oil evenly through your beard with a comb for optimal penetration.

You stroke your beard

Maybe you’re deep in thought, or maybe you’re just in the habit of doing something with your hands as you complete other tasks. Stroking your beard is natural, and it’s totally okay every now and then. But don’t do it too often: if you have oily or dirty hands, you could be adding oil to your face, causing acne. If your skin is dry, stroking your beard can create more dandruff.

But in case you find yourself in a wisdom-giving stroke, make sure to wash your hands regularly.

You pull at your beard

Like stroking, pulling your beard is a bad habit some of us fall into. When you pull or fiddle with individual hairs, you end up either damaging hair follicles or completely ripping the hair out. Do this frequently and you will create bald patches where hair might not return.

Instead of stroking or pulling your beard, play with a pen instead, or try a Fidget Cube.