Dry Beard? 9 Remedies For Your Brittle Beard
Beard dryness is a common problem for guys who have beards. This problem can affect men of all ages and ethnicities, regardless of the length or thickness of their beards.
It is a condition where facial hair becomes dry, brittle, and prone to breakage. The symptoms of dry beards include rough hair, an itchy beard, split ends, lack of shine, beard dandruff, and redness or irritation of the skin underneath the beard.
Fortunately, there are ways to prevent and treat your dry and brittle beard. So, don’t let a dry beard get you down. Take care of it and keep it lookin’ fly.
What Causes Dry Beard?
Beard dryness can happen due to a variety of reasons. Knowing those reasons is important to prevent your beard from dryness. Here are the reasons that caused your beard to be brittle and dry:
Dehydration
Your beard hair requires moisture and vitamins. If your body is dehydrated, your beard hair may become brittle, dull, and dry due to lack of moisture. As a result, growth can stop completely, and your hair can develop split ends.
Harsh Products
Beard hair produces a natural oil called sebum. It makes the beard look healthy and shiny. Excessive washing and using harsh shampoos or cleansers on your beard can strip the natural oils and lead to dry beard.
For instance, sulfates in many beard products reduce the natural oils in your beard. Head hair products can also make your beard dry as they are not designed for beard care.
Heat Exposure
Staying too long in the heat without adequately prepping your beard can lead to a dry beard. Since exposure to the sun eventually cooks the moisture out of your beard, you can notice your beard getting brittle the longer you stay in the sun.
Weather Condition
Walking out in the cold weather with wet hair can lead to serious damage to your beard. High winds or humid climates can also damage your beard.
Chlorine Water of Swimming Pool
Chlorine water in swimming pools is notorious for stripping away moisture from your beard and hair. While swimming in chlorine water every once in a while, is not as bad, doing it regularly can see your beard lose a lot of its softness and some of its shine.
How to Fix Your Dry Beard
Now that you know what factors contribute to you growing a brittle and dry beard, we can move on to how you can solve it. We’ll be more specific about how to protect your beard from all the problems mentioned before.
1. Drink Plenty of Water
The first thing you should do to deal with a dry beard is to drink plenty of water. Drink at least half a gallon of water every day. It can keep your beard healthy and hydrated.
2. Wash Your Beard with a Gentle Cleanser
Instead of trying different products to see which suits you best, you should look for a beard cleanser with all-natural ingredients. Since it doesn’t contain sulfates or synthetic ingredients, you can wash your beard without removing vital natural oils. They might be a little more expensive, but that premium is well worth the benefits that you get from it.
3. Moisturize Regularly with Beard Balm or Beard Oil
Along with using a cleanser to clean your beard regularly, you should also use beard balm or beard oil to moisturize it properly. This is especially important before you are going out under sun exposure since it offers insulation from UV rays.
If it is extra cold or humid, apply beard oil and balm together to lock that moisture into place. This should protect your beard from getting brittle when you are out for a long time. Avoid using excessive oil as overusing beard oil can damage your beard.
4. Use Beard Products before Swimming
Before diving into the pool, cold rinse your beard and dry it to about 90%. Then apply beard oil to your beard and comb it thoroughly.
Wait 5 minutes to let the oil sink in, then apply a balm to keep your oil locked in. Then follow up with another layer of oil. While the chlorine will still strip away most of the oils in your beard, the extra layers of protection can still make a difference.
Wash your beard after coming out of the pool so that all the chlorines get washed away with water.
5. Avoid Over-Washing
Even if you get the best cleanser with all-natural ingredients, over-washing your beard can still lead to dryness. If you wash your beard too often you will strip it of its natural oils. And even if you apply a layer of beard oil afterward, you will still see your beard getting dull. You should wash your beard just enough to remove the product but don’t overdo it.
6. Use a Beard Conditioner
Beard conditioners are an all-in-one solution to most dryness issues you’re dealing with. It nourishes the skin underneath your beard and helps clean out the pores to allow for better natural growth. It also moisturizes the beard from the inside.
Along with the beard conditioner, use a beard balm and oil to lock the moisture into your beard. As a result, you can feel your beard softened and stronger the longer you follow through on the beard care regimen.
7. Avoid Heat Styling Tools
If you use heat styling tools often, you should remember that the combination of heat and the speed at which it reaches your beard makes beard dryness worse. A dry beard can also make the skin underneath flaky, which can make beard dandruff much more prevalent.
8. Protect Your Beard from UV exposure
You can protect your beard from UV exposure with beard oils and balms. Using the beard oil and then adding a beard balm over it can lock that excess moisture into place, acting as a protective layer against the UV rays.
9. Trim It
Trimming the dry ends of your beard can help to get rid of dry and damaged hair. Removing the part of the hair that has already been damaged prevents further breakage. It will also help to make your beard look healthy and strong.
So, by moisturizing regularly, eating a healthy diet, and washing and styling your beard correctly, you can prevent and treat you beard dryness.
