Bad Beard Habits

You finally have been able to grow a beard worthy of other men’s attention (let’s face it, men are more interested in other men’s beard than anyone else), so what’s with these bad habits you’ve adopted? Lack of care, attention and knowledge means it won't be long before you notice the effect on your beard's health and look. You will be dealing with patchy spots, split ends, dry and brittle beard, itchiness and much more. Having some awareness of your bad beard habits can help you to avoid them and pick up better ones along the way.

Using hair shampoo on your beard

There is a reason why beard soaps and shampoos have been created – The ones for your scalp and skin are way too harsh for your facial hair and contain chemicals that may be damaging to the skin. Invest in good beard soap/shampoo as they are normally gentle on the skin since they are made from natural ingredients, including essential oils and produced to soften, hydrate and eliminate beard dandruff. My only advice would be to use it only 2-3 times a week because washing your beard to often strips the strands of natural oils and has the opposite effect, drying it out.

Pulling or Picking on your beard

A common habit to occupy your hands or maybe your partner is the culprit behind this one. Either way it needs to stop! Pulling or picking your beard can cause damage, including hair loss, bald spots and holes. If bad enough, the only solution may even be to shave it off and start all over again – why waste all that hard work in growing it?

Even if it’s just a gentle and slow motion, if aways in the same area, long term, there’s a gradual damage to the hair which makes it weak, it falls off and now you’re sporting a big ugly patch. Not a good look!

Stroking your beard

Just like above, this is another common issue amongst beard growers. However, it’s not as harmful. There’s nothing wrong with giving your beard a gentle stroking now and then. Especially if you aren’t tugging on hairs causing them to fall out. The trouble here is making sure your hands are clean before doing it. Throughout the day dirt, food, a build-up of oil and bacteria becomes embedded in between our fingers and in our nails. If we haven’t washed our hands, we then transfer this into our beards which can result in an onset of acne or beard dandruff. So, wash your hands thoroughly first!

Not cleaning your beard tools

We at CBN encourage you to maintain your beards by trimming, combing, and brushing it regularly. But are you cleaning the tools properly? Clippers, scissors, and combs are a breeding ground for bacteria and so it’s important to make sure you clean them after every use. Get yourself a spray disinfectant to make your life easier, or you can use a little rubbing alcohol instead. Try to stay on top of this if you do not want the consequences to erase all your hard work!