A lot of serious beard-growers might have mixed feelings on using heat styling tools on their beards, and for good reason. Heat styling tools such as hair dryers and straighteners are known for banishing moisture content from hair and causing heat damage.
However, a 2011 study published in the Annals of Dermatology, found that holding a hair dryer 15 cm away from the scalp resulted in less damage to the hair follicle than air drying.
Personally, I think there’s nothing wrong with using a little heat to help with straightening out your beard, particularly if you have a course, curly hair pattern. Just take your time and follow these steps:
- Wash and condition your beard like you normally would with good quality beard products and gently dam with a soft towel.
- The secret to reducing damage from the blow dryer is to use low-medium heat and to hold it at least a foot away from your face. Begin drying your beard in a downward motion over your beard using a small, round brush with vented ceramic plates to style your beard as you go along. The vented metal plates help reinforce the heat, which you can use to take the curl out of your beard.
- After you’ve brushed and blow dried your beard with heat, you’re ready to set the style with cold air. To do this, switch your blow dryer to a cold setting and brush your beard with the round brush the same way you did with warm heat.
- To avoid letting all your hard work go to waste, pick up your Constituted by Nature beard balm to lock your style into place.
- To finish off, comb your beard to distribute the product throughout as well as making sure that your beard is perfectly symmetrical.
Following these steps will help to ensure you’re using the safest method possible for your beard, and it should only take a few extra minutes to complete in the morning. It’s worth it if you want to look like the smoothest