Robert B. Brown
You’re probably asking yourself these questions: Should I comb my beard? How to comb a beard? Some men say they are too manly to worry about combing their beard. But then I compare my neat and stylish beard to their wild and messy bushes on their face and realize that a real man takes care of his facial hair properly.
Why Comb Your Beard?
On the top of your head, your hair grows in many different directions. Through years of us brushing and combing our hair, we start to form hair parts and our hair begins growing in the direction we want it to. Facial hair actually grows in the same way. Many people continue to have scraggily and wild looking beards because they do not properly comb their beard and just let it grow as it wants to.
By consistently brushing your beard hair in a downward direction, it will start to grow in the same direction. This goes a long way to make your beard look more sophisticated. Combined with a beard oil and a really good beard shampoo, combing your beard can also help to soften the beard. This is helpful for those with wiry and bristly facial hair.
Longer beards don’t benefit from brushing, they REQUIRE it. In addition to all the benefits previously mentioned, brushing to ensure knots are not forming. And let’s be honest, we need to check for random bits of food that get stuck in our beards. Yes, they are fantastic “flavor savers” but we need to clean them up every once in a while.
Combing can also help to avoid ingrown hairs, a common issue that develops when full beards are not properly groomed.
What Type of Comb?
A comb with two widths of teeth like the Natural Organic Sandalwood Fine Tooth Brush is a smart investment. The wider teeth work better on thicker parts of the beard and the closer teeth are effective on the mustache and other smaller areas. A two-sided comb is the best bet, so you can just flip it around while combing and not have to grab a second comb.
As for the material of your comb, try to avoid plastic since they are cheaper and break easier. Metal also puts extra strain on the hair and can cause breakage. A high-quality wood comb is going to be your best bet and last a long time.
How Often Should I Comb My Beard?
Excessive brushing can cause more damage to the hair than help. You will start to pull hairs and loosen the follicle. For these reasons, stick to twice a day, three times at the most. Ideally, add it as part of your morning routine and as part of your bedtime routine.
So, How Do I Comb My Beard?
Start by combing upward. This is going to allow all the hair follicles room to breathe and have adequate space. It should feel amazing, kind of like scratching an itch that you didn’t know you had. Combing upward allows it to get a bit fluffed up and feel a bit softer too. If you get a snag, don’t force the comb forward. Stop, pull the comb out, and then go back in. Most snags are hairs getting stuck in the brush and not actually knots.
If you use a good beard oil (and if you don’t, what the heck?), now is the best time to massage it in. With your beard brushed up, the follicles are all in a great position to get the oil massaged into them. Another reason to use a wooden comb is that it helps to spread oils better than other types of brushes. It will help disperse all of the beard oil evenly throughout the beard.
Once you have gone through all of the layers of your beard in an upward direction, finish by smoothing them all back down again. This is going to reinforce the training process where we are trying to grow the beard hair in a downward direction. If desired, a light balm or putty can be worked in to the beard to further keep it in place.
