Most men who have grown a beard out understand exactly what it feels like to have a dry beard. This occurs frequently in men who are growing in a new beard, but it can also occur with an established beard.
This can also happen to the skin underneath your mustache and goatee as well. It is such an annoying problem, but the good news is that you can fix it. No guys likes to have dead skin cells visible in their beard.
If you have any symptoms like beard dandruff, beard itch, split ends, or brittle facial hair, then you likely have dry skin underneath your beard.
We will cover several different areas for this topic. It is important to understand the causes, prevention, and treatment. Let’s take a look. If you are a guy who is growing a beard, this will help you a lot. You want to make sure that your beard remains healthy.
What Cause Dry Skin Under Your Beard And Mustache?
Having an uncomfortable beard is no fun. So, it is important to understand what caused this in the first place.
Here are 4 things that causes your beard to become dry and flaky:
- Using the wrong product to wash your beard
- Using hot water when washing your beard
- Cold And Windy Weather
- Lack of hydration
Using The Wrong Beard Wash
If you are using a bar of soap to clean your face and beard, then you are doing it wrong. Bar soap contains a lot of harsh chemicals that are designed to strip away dirt and natural oils. This is a good thing if your skin is really dirty. But, the skin on your face is different, and it is more prone to dry out from harsh chemicals.
This also applies to shower gels. Most of these are also filled with harsh detergents and surfactants. Again, this is not good for your facial hair. All of this can promote dryness underneath your beard and mustache.
Washing With Hot Water On Your Face
Hot water will strip the natural oils on your face. These oils are what helps to keep your skin and facial hair moisturized and protected. If you are in the habit of constantly washing your face, or if you take a lot of hot showers, then it can cause dryness and itchy skin.
Your body produces a natural oil called Sebum. It’s job is to protect your hair and skin. If you are stripping it away constantly, then it may lead to your skin drying out.
It can be comforting to take a long hot shower after a long day, but you need to consider what else it is doing.
Improperly Drying Your Beard
Another cause is when you improperly dry your beard with a blow dryer. There is a right way and a wrong way to blow dry your beard.
Do not take a blow dryer on max heat and hold it close to your face. Yes, it works faster, but it will dry your beard out too much. Your skin will also suffer.
Weather Conditions Can Cause Your Beard To Become Dry
Dry windy weather is a factor that can cause beard dryness. According to The Cleveland Clinic, dry skin is common during the winter. This occurs because there is less moisture in the air. That means that beard, mustache, and skin will dry out more.
Also, you are spending more time indoors. This means that your furnace is on blasting dry hot air throughout your house. This is another factor that contributes to you beard drying out and getting flaky.
Even though your skin’s sebaceous glands are producing oil to keep your facial hair moisturized, cold winter winds can dry that up.
Lack Of Hydration
Hydration is also a major factor when it comes to your skin. If you drink a lot of caffeine and very little water, this can lead to skin that does not have enough moisture. Look at it this way, your skin is your largest organ, and it needs water. The skin beneath your beard is very important when it comes to keeping your hair hydrated.
Tips To Remedy Dry Skin Under Your Beard And Mustache
When growing a beard, it can be difficult due to so many struggles. If your beard is itchy and bothering you, it can make you miserable. The great news is that there are lots of ways to combat skin irritation under your beard.
There are several ways to treat dry skin underneath your beard and mustache:
- Only use proper beard wash and beard conditioner
- Dry your beard the right way
- Use a beard oil
- Use a beard brush
- Control the air in your home
- Stay hydrated
Shower To Care For Your Beard
Adjust your shower routine. This can include using the wrong temperature of water on your face, using the best products to wash your face, and using the best products to wash and condition your beard. The skin underneath your facial hair is still sensitive to the elements.
Wash your beard and the skin on your face with appropriate products. A beard shampoo and a beard conditioner should be something that you use. You should avoid hot water on your beard as well. It can dry you out more.
If you are going to wash your face, we recommend products that are designed for your face. Jack Black makes a product that is designed for your face. You can find more information about Jack Black Beard Wash, but it is designed as a cleanser and toner which is not harsh on your face. It contains a small amount of aloe which is an amazing ingredient for your skin.
Cremo makes a product that is a beard and face wash combo. It uses natural ingredients, and it is scented with essential oils which we love. This can help to remedy beard dandruff and dead skin cells.
In addition to changing the products that you use to wash your face, one of the best things that you can do is to add a beard conditioner to your grooming routine. A beard conditioner is exactly what you think it is. It is a product that is designed like hair conditioner except it is specifically made for your beard hair. Your beard hair is very different from the hair on your head, so grabbing a conditioner off the grocery store shelf is not the best option.
Even when you wash your beard with a mild cleanser, you will still lose natural oils in your follicles. A beard conditioner will help to restore moisture to your beard hair, follicles, and your skin under your beard.
An example of this would be Bossman Beard Conditioner. It comes in several different scents, so you should be able to find something you like. If you regularly wash your beard, and you suffer from dry skin, this is a great product to add as it will return some of the moisture that was stripped away from the wash.
Dry Your Beard The Right Way
After you wash your beard, make sure to dry your face and beard properly. Do not use the high heat setting. Also, keep the blow dryer far away from your facial hair. Bring it in too close, and it could lead to more dryness.
For a full guide on how to blow dry your beard correctly, we have you covered.
You can also towel dry your beard. Just take a towel and pat it around your beard. Do not aggressively rub it around. This will just irritate it more.
Use Beard Oils As A Remedy
A repeated theme in this article is bringing moisture to the skin underneath your beard. Using any hand lotion off the shelf for your beard is not the best solution as it can possibly clog your pores and cause break outs. A proper beard oil will help control beard dandruff, and it will keep the skin beneath healthy.
The best way to beat flaky skin under your facial hair is to use a beard oil. There are a lot of options out there, so you need to make sure you choose the right one. In our opinion, the best beard oils are all natural, contain no synthetic ingredients, and only use essential oils for scent.
There are tons of beard oils that are “natural” but use synthetic fragrance components for scents. We are not big fans of coating our beard and face with synthetic chemicals. While that may be OK for a cologne with a few sprays on your neck, it is not the best stuff to put on dry skin beneath your hair.
We recommend Badass Beard Oil because we love their ingredient profile and their use of essential oils for scent.
To apply these for dry skin, simply put a small amount in the palm of your hands, rub your hands together, and then rub your hand and fingers through your beard. Make sure to coat all your facial hair and skin. You will learn how much to use after a few tries. If your hands are overly greasy after you apply it to your beard, try using a drop or two less. If you do not feel like your beard is coated fully, then use a drop or two more next time.
A beard oil will definitely moisture the skin under your beard, and it should relieve the dryness and flakes. This is just one effective method to prevent beard dandruff.
Use A Beard Brush
There are many reasons to use a beard brush or beard comb to combat dry skin under your beard. A beard brush helps to spread your skin’s natural oils around, and it will exfoliate your skin a little. By using a brush to exfoliate your skin, it will help to control beard dandruff, and it will remove dead skin. It also does a good job to help make your beard soft.
Control The Air In Your Home
As a last resort, you can improve the moisture in the air in your home by using a humidifier. This may be necessary in the winter months if you are having issues. One of the main causes of beard dandruff is dry skin. A humidifier will help to control the moisture in the air. This in turn will help with your skin under your beard.
Drink Water To Stay Hydrated
Dry skin comes from lack of hydration. If you want to fix your dry and scaly skin under your beard, then you need to drink lots of water. Yes, it is that simple. Drink lots of water every day to stay hydrated. This is just one other method that will combat an itchy beard.
How To Prevent Dry Flaky Skin Underneath Your Beard And Mustache
The best way to prevent dry skin under your beard and mustache is to keep it moisturized. You also want to reduce anything that promotes dryness.
If you have fixed your dry beard problem, you also need to take steps to keep it from happening again. Prevention is always the key to great success.
You should also maintain a healthy diet. Foods that contain vitamins for your beard can help a lot. This includes fruits that contain Vitamin C and nuts that contain Vitamin E.
As we mentioned earlier, a proper wash and conditioner is key. You will need to keep using these products for your beard care routine. This is especially true in the winter months. If that is not doing the job, then you can add in a beard oil, beard balm, or beard butter.
