As soon as facial hair became fashionable again, men began to be interested in the secrets of beauty and health of hair no less than women. And this is not surprising: any bearded man wants the stubble to successfully complement the image, and not hopelessly spoil the appearance. To figure out how to make a truly soft beard, men are ready to study fashion magazines, seek help from professional barbers and even use folk recipes, provided that they make the facial hair obedient and silky. And only by choosing suitable options for themselves, they can be sure that the enthusiastic views of the beautiful half of humanity are provided for them.
What can be done
How to make a beard softer and more pleasant to the touch, if by nature the facial hair is rather tough and prickly? First, be patient: short bristles always bristle in different directions and look untidy, it is extremely difficult to lay and shape them. It is possible that as soon as the beard grows back, it will become more obedient and well-groomed without any special tweaks. But if time has passed, and the miracle has not happened, it’s time to take the initiative into your own hands. The first step is to figure out why facial hair is overly coarse. There are several reasons:
- Dryness… Alas, this nuisance concerns not only the hair on the head. The beard can also be dry, so regular moisturizing is an essential part of caring for it. And we are talking not only about special cosmetics — the appearance of hair largely depends on the lifestyle of a man. These are both bad habits, which it is better to get rid of, and the daily diet. To improve the condition of facial hair, it must be enriched with omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin A by eating salmon, tuna, walnuts, soybeans, flax seeds, etc.
- Split ends… Men who want to grow a beard but forget to trim it regularly are familiar with this problem. The bristles need to be shaped by trimming the ends, even if they have only grown a couple of centimeters so far. Otherwise, the hair will stick out in different directions, dry out and break. Although you shouldn’t be too zealous either, appearing in front of the mirror twice a day with a typewriter or scissors in hand. Of course, there will be no split ends, but the hairs will not be able to round out, which means that the vegetation will remain prickly and unpleasant to the touch.
- Attention deficit… A beautiful beard effortlessly is a myth. Cutting your hair alone is not enough to make it look attractive and stylish. You need to take care of it at home, using high-quality cosmetics and tools, and regularly «transfer» it into the hands of professionals.
Not all men can boast of a soft beard inherited from nature. And with age, the stubble becomes stiff and naughty anyway. Therefore, you need to take care of the condition of facial hair daily, without absenteeism and vacations. Only under this condition will the beard be a real decoration that favorably emphasizes the attractive features of the face.
So, it is important for bearded men to remember that:
- it is recommended to wash your facial hair no more than 2-3 times a week;
- it is better to use emollient shampoos, balms and conditioners designed specifically for the beard;
- after each wash, facial hair should be moisturized with oils or nourishing masks;
- It is better to comb the beard with a quality brush with natural bristles, which smoothes unruly hairs and massages the skin.
Frequent washing of the beard, especially in hard water, will noticeably worsen its condition. Natural oils are washed out of the hair, making the vegetation obedient, and they themselves split and lose their smoothness, which makes it an overwhelming task to give them the desired shape. Improperly selected care products, especially unnatural ones, with low-quality ingredients that provoke allergies, and a high content of alkali, which dry out the hairs, also contribute.
But some men, deciding to give the image brutality with the help of stubble, may question these rules. It would seem, how can daily «bath procedures» harm facial hair? And isn’t it more profitable to wash your beard, and with it the hair on your head, with ordinary shampoo or even just soap, than spending money on buying special products and time to use them?
Anyway, what’s the difference: go to an elite barbershop, where there is everything you need to give your beard a shape and a well-groomed look, or look into a hairdresser around the corner, where the stubble will be “professionally” trimmed with a hair clipper? If the beard was not grown in order to become a man’s adornment, then of course, there really is no difference.
But those who do not agree with this position will still have to stock up on jars and bottles of professional bristle care products, sign up for a real master of their craft, who will put the beard in order and give valuable advice for the future, and not be lazy to devote every day a little time to the appearance, then to catch the admiring glances of the ladies.
Effective softening agents
How to soften the beard, making it not only beautiful and obedient, but also pleasant to the touch? As soon as unshaven on the face gained popularity among men again, special cosmetics appeared for her care for every taste and wallet. Of course, you should not expect that after them the hair on the face will become as soft as on the head — they differ in structure and will be stiffer in any case. But with the right approach, the bristles can be easily shaped, stylish and pleasing to the eye. What specific means are we talking about?
Shampoo
Choosing the right shampoo for washing your beard is half the battle. Dirty facial hair looks, to put it mildly, unpleasant — it constantly accumulates food debris, grease and dust. It is better to give preference to products with natural ingredients — the less in the composition of the «chemistry», the safer they are not only for hair, but also for the skin of the face. For a beard, mild shampoos are more suitable, gently cleansing and exfoliating dead cells. When washing, it is better to use warm water and be sure to thoroughly rinse off the foam, otherwise the hair will stick together after drying.
You can add a little black seed oil to the shampoo for extra effect. By helping to soften bristles, it reduces irritation and leaves a fresh and pleasant scent for a long time.
But it’s better to forget about using soap to care for facial hair. After it, the hairs will become even tougher and begin to stick out in all directions, and it will be difficult to shape them even for a professional. Only if the skin of the face does not react well to other cosmetics, you can switch to mild baby soap, remembering to thoroughly moisturize the bristles after each use.
Air conditioning
For high-quality beard care, it is better to buy a 2 in 1 product — shampoo and conditioner at the same time. Using it, you can get rid of dirt and dust and make your hairs soft, silky and manageable — they will be easy to comb and style. If the conditioner was bought separately from the shampoo, it is applied to the beard after each wash, and after the time indicated in the instructions, it is thoroughly washed off.
Balm
With regular use, balms radically change the condition of the bristles and skin of the face — they nourish, moisturize, heal and solve the problem of split ends and microinflammation. Without them, it is quite difficult to stylishly style a beard and give it the desired shape. The balm is applied to the hair after shampooing, but unlike conditioner, it does not need to be rinsed off.
Men with sensitive skin can easily choose natural-based care products with a minimum of synthetic components, and a wide selection of fragrances on the modern market can satisfy even the most sophisticated needs.
Oil
Cosmetic oils are considered to be the basis for moisturizing and softening facial hair. Many bearded men cannot do a day without special oils for bristle care, without which the hairs quickly become tough and unruly. And those who have just started growing a beard will hardly be able to find another remedy that would just as effectively cope with redness and irritation on the skin — the «side effects» of a couple of millimeters long stubble. Beard oils are suitable for men with sensitive and dry skin — they are contraindicated in alcohol-based products that cause itching and burning.
To heal your facial hair, just a few drops of oil a day are enough — they need to be lightly rubbed between the palms and evenly distributed over the beard with smooth movements, repeating the procedure in the morning and in the evening after washing. In addition to moisturizing, cosmetic oils also give the facial hair a pleasant aroma — the longer the beard, the more odors it “collects” by absorbing cigarette smoke or garlic scent. And some of them contain additional components that strengthen hair follicles and accelerate hair growth.
To enhance the effect, you can pamper your beard with spa treatments a couple of times a week. To do this, it is enough to thoroughly steam the face, for example, by taking a hot shower, apply oil to the bristles and cover it with a terry towel for 5-10 minutes, then rub the rest of the product into the hair roots and skin.
In addition to cosmetic oils specially formulated for the care of beards and mustaches, bristles can also be softened by their natural counterparts, such as coconut, almond or grape seed oil. The only exception is olive oil — it is practically not absorbed, leaving a greasy film on the skin and clogging the pores.
Traditional recipes
To soften the beard, not only purchased shampoo, oil and balm are suitable, but also self-prepared products. For example, at home you can make a useful and completely natural infusion for washing facial hair. To do this, take in equal proportions hop cones, birch leaves, calendula flowers and burdock root, you need to briefly pour 50 ml of hot beer, strain and use as a shampoo.
Likewise, not only professional care products, but also ordinary vegetable oil cope with overly hard and unruly hair. For example, burdock, which costs a penny in a pharmacy, but makes the hair silky, shiny and strong. To achieve this effect, it is enough to thoroughly lubricate the bristles with a massage brush for 10 days in a row, paying special attention to the roots, and then cover it with plastic and a terry towel for an hour. After that, the beard should be washed with warm water and shampoo and combed.
Especially popular with bearded men are softening stubble masks, if they can be easily prepared at home. First of all, protein, for which you need to mix 5 quail or 2 chicken proteins, slightly warmed up in warm water, with 1,5 tsp. gelatin without flavorings and dyes. The mask with the help of a shaving brush is applied only to the hairs — it is not harmful to the skin, but it will not bring much benefit either. After 15 minutes, the beard must be thoroughly washed, otherwise the protein, when dry, will harden and make it even tougher.
An oil-based softening mask can also improve the condition of facial hair. This requires argan essential oils and vegetable oils — olive and burdock. They need to be mixed in a ratio of 1: 4: 4, resulting in 8-10 ml of liquid, and applied to steamed skin and bristles, preferably after a shower. After an hour, the mask is washed off first with tar soap, and then with a mild beard shampoo.
Another popular option is the mustard mask, which consists of ingredients to soften bristles and stimulate hair growth. To prepare it, you need to mix 1 egg yolk, 2 tbsp. l. dry mustard and 2-3 tbsp. l. warm water or kefir. The resulting gruel is applied to the skin and beard, and after 40-50 minutes it is washed off with clean running water, without detergents. On the basis of mustard powder, you can prepare another recipe by mixing it with burdock oil, but you only need to wash off such a mask from the bristles with shampoo.
Obviously, each of the listed products contributes to softening and moisturizing facial hair, but in order to achieve the maximum effect and fix it for a long time, it is better to use them in combination, providing 100% care for the mustache and beard.
Natural bristle massage brush
In addition to cosmetics that effectively soften the beard, a high-quality comb is also needed for full-fledged facial hair care. To make the stubble obedient and easy to shape, it is important to brush it daily, preferably after a shower, while the hairs are damp and pliable. This is not just a beard care, but also a skin massage — blood circulation in the hair growth zone is increased, and the bristles become thicker and stronger.
To achieve this effect, it is better to purchase a special massage brush with natural boar bristles. It thoroughly cleans the vegetation from dust, food debris and gently acts on the skin without scratching it. You can apply emollient oil to the beard in parallel, distributing it along the entire length. At the same time, it will act on the hairs from the inside, and the brush will smooth them out and give an attractive look.
As a last resort, you can buy a plastic beard comb, but it is better to choose it in a store with professional hairdressing tools, preferring a model with infrequent and wide teeth. The main thing is that it is made of high-quality material and does not electrify the hair.
If the vegetation on the face was left unattended for a long time, and the hair is very tangled, it will be possible to put them in order also with an ordinary massage comb, slowly moving from top to bottom, first releasing the tips and gradually moving to the roots. In the future, combing the beard should be given at least 15 minutes a day, putting it in order after a morning shower — only with this approach will the hair be soft, silky and obedient.
Recommendations of specialists
Having decided to acquire facial hair — the pride and adornment of any man — it is important to understand how you can soften a beard and learn how to properly take care of it, ensuring your hair is attractive and well-groomed. And the best thing for this is to find out in advance what the professionals advise to bearded men — they are aware of all fashion trends and will always help to cope with the inevitable problems that beginners have. So, experts recommend:
- From the first days of the «life» of the bristles take care of its shape. If she managed to grow 5 cm, it’s time to go to the hairdresser. And it is better if it is a professional barber. He will help you choose the right shape for her, remove excess hairs and teach you the basic rules of care in order to maintain beauty until the next visit to the barbershop.
- Unruly hair, which bristles in different directions and make the beard look unkempt, «pacify» with wax or balm, trying once again at home not to use scissors. A haircut is, of course, important for facial hair care, but if tackled by a layperson and too often, the stubble quickly becomes stiff and prickly.
- If you need to maintain the shape of your beard yourself, use a trimmer for short stubble and trim long hair with sharp scissors.
- Never use an electric shaver for cutting. After it, hairs of different lengths with split ends remain, and the bristles become prickly and unkempt in appearance.
- After each meal, carefully examine the beard and remove crumbs. The more dirt accumulates in it, the harder the hair becomes, not to mention the unpleasant odor and unkempt appearance.
- More often, soften facial hair naturally by taking a hot bath — steam helps to moisturize it and enhances the effect of using oils and balms.
- Getting used to the idea that taking care of your beard does not mean washing it every day. Frequent contact with soap or shampoo, even if they are designed specifically for facial hair, will wash out the natural oils from the hair, without which it will lose its softness and pliability.
- At the end of each wash, rinse skin and hair with cold water. This makes the bristles softer, more manageable and helps to shape them faster and easier.
- After water procedures, dry your beard with a soft terry towel. Firstly, most of the bristle care products are applied to damp hair, and, secondly, the hairdryer is categorically not suitable for bearded men for daily use. Constant contact with hot air will make the bristles stiff, brittle and unruly, and in men with sensitive skin it can cause dandruff.
- Know when to stop using any beard and mustache care product that does not require rinsing. In this case, the rule «the more the better», alas, does not work. To soften and moisturize the bristles, just a couple of drops of oil or balsam are enough, and their excess, on the contrary, will make the vegetation dry, tough and naughty.
- For the beauty and health of hair, take care not only of the bristles, but also of the skin of the face. The longer the beard, the more nutrients it «sucks» out of the upper layers of the epidermis, leaving behind a feeling of dryness, itching and irritation. The situation can be saved only by regular moisturizing of the skin with the help of creams and oils, especially in the cold season.
- Having decided to disguise gray hair or radically change the image by painting the facial hair in a different color, give up buying regular hair dye and even more so trying to use it at home. To prevent the bristles from losing their softness and shine, it is better to do this in the salon, relying on the experience of a professional and special beard paints.
- Every morning after washing, devote a few minutes to self-massage. This treatment improves the condition of the skin and hair, stimulates blood circulation and hair growth. To achieve this effect, it is enough to walk with your fingertips over the face, moving in a circle and gently massaging the skin.
In addition, the features of caring for a beard depend on how long ago a man decided to get one. In the first few weeks, the bristles are particularly stiff and prickly, so your main focus should be on softening them with oils and moisturizing balms. Itching and irritation also most often bother bearded people at this time, until the hairs have grown to a certain length. Therefore, the skin needs to be soothed with various creams or folk remedies, for example, rinse daily with chamomile infusion after washing.
Once the beard is one month old and for the next few weeks, only care about its shape can ensure the softness and pliability of the beard. At this time, the use of a trimmer comes to the fore, although washing the beard is gradually gaining special importance. In 1-2 months, the facial hair of many men grows so much that it is necessary to buy a special shampoo and conditioner for it, without which it is simply impossible to cope with unruly hair. Well, a bearded man with an experience of 3 months is simply obliged to acquire a good barber, which will finally give the regrown stubble shape and style and teach you to maintain the beauty and softness of the hair.
And most importantly, you should not touch the beard unnecessarily — the hair structure will only suffer from constant mechanical impact, not to mention its unkempt appearance due to frequent contact with dirty hands.
Reviews of bearded men
The advice of true masters of their craft is always invaluable, but sometimes it is equally important to find out what the owners of beards and mustaches themselves think about various cosmetics and methods of softening stubble. And many of them are ready to share their personal experiences and talk about the little tricks they have learned while caring for facial hair every day. So, according to the reviews of the bearded men:
- Professional stubble oils can be easily replaced with regular coconut oil. This is an absolutely natural product that does not cause allergies even in men with sensitive skin, and the effect of its use is no worse than after expensive purchased products.
- Instead of a special conditioner for facial hair, you can use a similar hair product — after that, the beard is very easy to comb and becomes silky. Such a purchase will cost significantly less, and the space in the bathroom instead of two bottles will only take up one.
- When buying products for the care of facial hair, special attention should be paid to their aroma. This smell will be a constant companion, and if it starts to irritate or cause a headache, you will have to spend money on new cosmetics. It is better to immediately make a choice in favor of unobtrusive compositions that are successfully combined with the scent of eau de toilette and deodorant. In addition, it is better to choose all the products — shampoo, conditioner, oil, wax and beard balm — from the same line, otherwise the mixing of odors, even very pleasant separately, can lead to the opposite effect.
So, all the secrets of facial hair care have been revealed: now it is absolutely clear how to make bristles of any length soft, silky and obedient. All that remains is not to be lazy and every day to devote a little time to taking care of her in order to get the beard of your dreams that arouses the envy of other men and admiration for women.
