A beard is not only a trendy facial style but an event. At first, only celebrities eased into this craze. Today, anyone can grow a beard if you’re ready to go through the grueling task of maintaining it. The secret is to develop a routine that you stick to religiously. Here are five steps to help you:

1.      Wash the Beard Using a Natural Shampoo

Wash the beard 2-3 times a week to keep it clean and remove sweat or oil buildup. You should avoid washing it every day since doing so strips off essential beard oils and causes it to dry out.  Also, since facial hair is coarser than the rest of the body hair, you need to use special beard wash or natural shampoo. The beard wash cleans the skin underneath and the beard hair without leaving harsh chemicals used in regular shampoo.

Rinse and follow it up with a beard softener. Allow it to sit in the beard for 2-3 minutes, rinse and dry the beard. The softener acts as a regular hair conditioner in that it hydrates the hair and the skin, which can dry out after cleaning the beard.

2.      Apply Beard Oil

Regular washing keeps your beard clean, but it also strips off the beard’s natural oil. But, beard oil was developed; as a result, to keep your beard hydrated, soft, and shiny. However, ensure the oil does not contain parabens, sulfates, or silicones as they prevent the beard hairs from getting essential nutrients. Additionally, they hide dry beard hair creating the illusion of well-conditioned hair. The following tips come in handy when applying beard oil:

·         Squat a few drops of oil on your hands; huge beads need more oil (7-8 drops)

·         Massage the oil into the base of the beard

·         Use your hands to work it into the hair tips to ensure it spreads evenly

·         Be sure to apply the oil once a day after taking a shower. If living in humid climates, apply it 2-3 times a week

3.      Apply Beard Balm

A beard balm is particularly useful if:

·         You have a dry beard

·         The beard hair breaks and strays

·         The beard needs shaping to keep it in good form

4.      Trim the Beard

Beard hair is bound to grow in different directions, especially when the beard is not fully mature. Thus, trimming is critical to keeping a beard neat. Some essential beard shaping tools any person growing a beard should have include:

·         Combs: Look for a comb with wide and narrow teeth arrangements. The narrow teeth are designed for your mustache and the wide teeth for combing the beard

·         Scissors: It keeps the beard well-trimmed and in good shape

·         Hairbrush: It removes any bed-beard and helps you style the beard. Brush the beard first thing in the morning to remove dead skin cells, grime and dirt lodged in the beard

5.      Brush the Hair

Brushing is the last step of your beard care routine. It would help if you brushed the beard every day to stimulate the production of natural oil and ensure proper distribution of beard balm and oil. Other benefits of brushing beard hair include:

·         Brushing adds volume to hair

·         It softens the beard hair

·         Is a natural treatment for your beard as it distributes natural oils throughout the beard

Note: If brushing a relatively short beard, use a bristle brush. Any other brush irritates the skin. Also, brush once a day while applying beard oil. Excessive brushing creates split ends, which can damage facial hair.

Conclusion

Keeping a neat beard is not all that difficult. This five-step beard routine should help men who just started growing a beard and those with a full-grown beard maintain a neat and well-trimmed beard.