Discussion
I know I'm probably opening myself up to ridicule and, in light of some much more serious posts here, it will seem pretty petty but, how do you control your beard ?
At 66, I've started to grow my first beard and the hairs grow in all sorts of directions. I have a boar hair brush and some beard softening oil which seems rather useless.
I have tried hair gel (don't !!!!), hairspray, blow drying, none of which makes a difference after about 5 minutes !
Am I expecting too much or is there a technique ?
At 66, I've started to grow my first beard and the hairs grow in all sorts of directions. I have a boar hair brush and some beard softening oil which seems rather useless.
I have tried hair gel (don't !!!!), hairspray, blow drying, none of which makes a difference after about 5 minutes !
Am I expecting too much or is there a technique ?
I think it needs to get untidy before you can tidy it up.
I gave up a long time ago, I used to get a haircut whenever I needed a shave but it gets scruffy too quickly. Now I shave it off myself regularly.
It's important your skin isn't too dry so regular washing with proper beard shampoo and moisturising. Beard oil and regular brushing to encourage it to grow down, mine never did, hence looking scruffy quite quickly.
I gave up a long time ago, I used to get a haircut whenever I needed a shave but it gets scruffy too quickly. Now I shave it off myself regularly.
It's important your skin isn't too dry so regular washing with proper beard shampoo and moisturising. Beard oil and regular brushing to encourage it to grow down, mine never did, hence looking scruffy quite quickly.
How long is it?
Mine's long, not ZZ Top long but to my chest. Its grey, almost white. Just shampoo it and then comb it. Oil is OK, but it gets everywhere, so I touch my beard, then my glasses, so I dont use it.
If you want it long, you just have to sort of grow through it, I.e you have to either have it short, or once you want it longer, it will be all over the place until its longer.
I also use moisturiser for my skin under it. That will help it look less wild and also my skin can get very flaky under it, so that makes a big difference.
So, moisturiser rubbed well in to the skin under your beard, and then just comb it.
Mine's long, not ZZ Top long but to my chest. Its grey, almost white. Just shampoo it and then comb it. Oil is OK, but it gets everywhere, so I touch my beard, then my glasses, so I dont use it.
If you want it long, you just have to sort of grow through it, I.e you have to either have it short, or once you want it longer, it will be all over the place until its longer.
I also use moisturiser for my skin under it. That will help it look less wild and also my skin can get very flaky under it, so that makes a big difference.
So, moisturiser rubbed well in to the skin under your beard, and then just comb it.
I think a good rule of thumb is that you need to be scruffy for @3 months. Then trim. Sure, use oils, balms etc while its growing, in fact be sure to because particularly oils are more for your skin health than the hair. A good conditioner left in overnight or worked in and then towelled off not rinsed works wonders for the hair. I shaved mine off after 7 years of sporting a full beard, and because of a trimming error!! I'm 4 weeks in now and have a noticeable short beard which is as far as I'm gonna go this time but intend keeping up with the 'maintenance'.
Riley Blue said:
biggbn said:
"... oils are more for your skin health than the hair."
Are you sure? If you didn't have a beard would you oil it or use a moisturiser?I've found that ingredients in some oils can cause skin irritation. Hairy Highlander oils work well for me, any other recommendations?
as above, you just need to embrace the tramp aesthetic for as long as you possibly can.
i haven't been clean shaven for decades as i simply cba'd shaving. i'd just run a cheap trimmer over it at 3-4mm and shave the rogue cheek hairs. but struggled to get a full beard going as i would cave and trim it when it started attracting 'rough weekend?' type comments at work.
then i did 17 straight weeks on a job in mali and decided to 'protest' by not shaving or getting a haircut until i left.
i looked a right mess but then went to a decent barber and he sorted it out and for the first time ever i had a properly respectable beard. clearly women loved it and men admired it so much that it's a permanent fixture.
for a couple of years only my regular barber trimmed it as i was cack handed in doing so. but then i simply asked him to teach me which he did. i'm better now but i still get it reshaped / trimmed whenever i get a haircut, cant beat a proper job.
i also have manscaped beard brush, and use a balm not an oil. if you are trimming at home then wash it properly and comb it out before you do so. a decent facial scrub is also needed, if you don't then it's dandruff central.
it's still way less hassle than shaving btw.
i haven't been clean shaven for decades as i simply cba'd shaving. i'd just run a cheap trimmer over it at 3-4mm and shave the rogue cheek hairs. but struggled to get a full beard going as i would cave and trim it when it started attracting 'rough weekend?' type comments at work.
then i did 17 straight weeks on a job in mali and decided to 'protest' by not shaving or getting a haircut until i left.
i looked a right mess but then went to a decent barber and he sorted it out and for the first time ever i had a properly respectable beard. clearly women loved it and men admired it so much that it's a permanent fixture.
for a couple of years only my regular barber trimmed it as i was cack handed in doing so. but then i simply asked him to teach me which he did. i'm better now but i still get it reshaped / trimmed whenever i get a haircut, cant beat a proper job.
i also have manscaped beard brush, and use a balm not an oil. if you are trimming at home then wash it properly and comb it out before you do so. a decent facial scrub is also needed, if you don't then it's dandruff central.
it's still way less hassle than shaving btw.
You're missing the point of having a beard. It is about idleness and avoiding the hassle of shaving every day, and the associated bathroom hazards such as mixing up the aerosols and squirting shaving foam into the armpits.
Been there, done that, kept the beard...
The halfway house to social acceptability is a beard strimmer to avoid the full on hipster misplaced badger look.
Been there, done that, kept the beard...
The halfway house to social acceptability is a beard strimmer to avoid the full on hipster misplaced badger look.
Beard gel? Doesn't work
Beard cream? Doesn't work
Beard oil? Doesn't work
nothing seems to work
Currently, it's at nipple level and does look rather messy but TBH I'm really not sure how to get it straight - I guess women's hair products like 'friz-eez' (something like that) and/or stuff for split ends might be a step to tryThere's a middle ground in length for my beard that's almost impossible to keep tidy.
However, I do have a very tidy medium length beard now.
Tips:
Daily oil and brush. Brighton Beard Co and Hairy Highlander are top drawer. I use a balm once a week, as a heavier 'leave in conditioner' type effort.
Combing regularly during the day with cedar comb.
Wash every other day, using a proper old school high fat soap. Oil after towel drying.
Next day after wash, heated beard brush instead of normal brush.
Geezer - cracking beardage there - if you did want it neatened, then this approach will work even for you!
However, I do have a very tidy medium length beard now.
Tips:
Daily oil and brush. Brighton Beard Co and Hairy Highlander are top drawer. I use a balm once a week, as a heavier 'leave in conditioner' type effort.
Combing regularly during the day with cedar comb.
Wash every other day, using a proper old school high fat soap. Oil after towel drying.
Next day after wash, heated beard brush instead of normal brush.
Geezer - cracking beardage there - if you did want it neatened, then this approach will work even for you!
Sway said:
There's a middle ground in length for my beard that's almost impossible to keep tidy.
However, I do have a very tidy medium length beard now.
Tips:
Daily oil and brush. Brighton Beard Co and Hairy Highlander are top drawer. I use a balm once a week, as a heavier 'leave in conditioner' type effort.
Combing regularly during the day with cedar comb.
Wash every other day, using a proper old school high fat soap. Oil after towel drying.
Next day after wash, heated beard brush instead of normal brush.
Geezer - cracking beardage there - if you did want it neatened, then this approach will work even for you!
cheers and cheers However, I do have a very tidy medium length beard now.
Tips:
Daily oil and brush. Brighton Beard Co and Hairy Highlander are top drawer. I use a balm once a week, as a heavier 'leave in conditioner' type effort.
Combing regularly during the day with cedar comb.
Wash every other day, using a proper old school high fat soap. Oil after towel drying.
Next day after wash, heated beard brush instead of normal brush.
Geezer - cracking beardage there - if you did want it neatened, then this approach will work even for you!
Riley Blue said:
Geezer, have you ever treated your beard to a professional trim? Mine is, about every six-eight weeks or so and I feel a million times better when I come out. I'm overdue a visit at the moment but here's a pic from a while back, it's much longer now :
having nothing up top, I tend to forget the barbers even exist 
TBF that pic is messier than normal as it's just been blown from pillar to post on a hillside DodgyGeezer said:
Riley Blue said:
Geezer, have you ever treated your beard to a professional trim? Mine is, about every six-eight weeks or so and I feel a million times better when I come out. I'm overdue a visit at the moment but here's a pic from a while back, it's much longer now :
having nothing up top, I tend to forget the barbers even exist TBF that pic is messier than normal as it's just been blown from pillar to post on a hillside You'd benefit from a trip to a good barber to have a bit of a tidy up I suspect. Nothing drastic, but a bit of shaping up will help a lot.
Beard hair is different from the stuff on your head, some things stay the same, others slightly different. Its much thicker, and much more coarse generally speaking.
The outer layer of your hairs are your cuticle layer. Best way to think of it is like slates on a roof. When well treated and in good condition, they lie nice and flat, are a smoothish layer that is shiny and relatively soft.
When they get roughed up or damaged, they become almost like velcro (or opened velux windows
I swear I'm not taking the piss!)
what happens, is if they rough up or become damaged, then the good stuff escapes (mainly moisture), this will lead to more damage, wiry, dry, brittle hair.
Root to tip is key with all hair of any sort. If you comb it, comb from root to tip, if you towel dry, squeeze dry, don't rub or scruff it dry. If you hair dry, point the air from root to tip. all these things help.
Conditioner really is there to help shut the cuticle. In doing so, it makes the hairs less tangly, softer to touch, and shiny. its pressing all these slates flat down. The same sort of principle for oils and balms too. Its a bit like waxing a car, The marks are underneath, but the wax creates a uniform surface that is smooth and reflective.
With regards to your skin, you should really be washing your face, mainly to remove dead skin cells, and also to cleanse the hairs/wash out any old product. this is the same principle as the hair on your head, and your scalp. Most of the time, your removing dead cells, and oils secreted from the skin. Cleansing hair shouldn't take much effort, and if short, is almost a byproduct of cleaning your skin.
A basic routine for any hair type, to keep it in good condition with minimal fuss, would be to wash 2-3 times a week with a mild shampoo. If you need to do it more, gym days for example, just agitate with you finger tips really well in the shower with water, no products. Too much cleanser will dry your skin out.
A pea size of a basic conditioner rubbed through hair and skin, be that scalp or face will moisturise and soften, plus sort the outside layer.
post shower, squeeze/pat dry, comb, and go about your day. If you're beard is coarse or very unruly, you can just leave the conditioner in, just remember, less is more, otherwise you'll get spotty.
Obviously you can do more, drying, products etc. At that point it comes down to what works for you and the look you're trying to achieve.
Don't get me started on polypeptide chains and disulfide bonds!!!
I was a hairdresser for 20 years, so my experience is mainly hair, I'm not so good with beard grooming. Hopefully some of it makes some sort of sense though.
Beard hair is different from the stuff on your head, some things stay the same, others slightly different. Its much thicker, and much more coarse generally speaking.
The outer layer of your hairs are your cuticle layer. Best way to think of it is like slates on a roof. When well treated and in good condition, they lie nice and flat, are a smoothish layer that is shiny and relatively soft.
When they get roughed up or damaged, they become almost like velcro (or opened velux windows
I swear I'm not taking the piss!)what happens, is if they rough up or become damaged, then the good stuff escapes (mainly moisture), this will lead to more damage, wiry, dry, brittle hair.
Root to tip is key with all hair of any sort. If you comb it, comb from root to tip, if you towel dry, squeeze dry, don't rub or scruff it dry. If you hair dry, point the air from root to tip. all these things help.
Conditioner really is there to help shut the cuticle. In doing so, it makes the hairs less tangly, softer to touch, and shiny. its pressing all these slates flat down. The same sort of principle for oils and balms too. Its a bit like waxing a car, The marks are underneath, but the wax creates a uniform surface that is smooth and reflective.
With regards to your skin, you should really be washing your face, mainly to remove dead skin cells, and also to cleanse the hairs/wash out any old product. this is the same principle as the hair on your head, and your scalp. Most of the time, your removing dead cells, and oils secreted from the skin. Cleansing hair shouldn't take much effort, and if short, is almost a byproduct of cleaning your skin.
A basic routine for any hair type, to keep it in good condition with minimal fuss, would be to wash 2-3 times a week with a mild shampoo. If you need to do it more, gym days for example, just agitate with you finger tips really well in the shower with water, no products. Too much cleanser will dry your skin out.
A pea size of a basic conditioner rubbed through hair and skin, be that scalp or face will moisturise and soften, plus sort the outside layer.
post shower, squeeze/pat dry, comb, and go about your day. If you're beard is coarse or very unruly, you can just leave the conditioner in, just remember, less is more, otherwise you'll get spotty.
Obviously you can do more, drying, products etc. At that point it comes down to what works for you and the look you're trying to achieve.
Don't get me started on polypeptide chains and disulfide bonds!!!
I was a hairdresser for 20 years, so my experience is mainly hair, I'm not so good with beard grooming. Hopefully some of it makes some sort of sense though.
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