What is beard oil? Do I need to use it? What does the brush do? What is in beard oil? Why is my beard so itchy? When will it end? We attempt to answer some of your questions on the early stages of growing a beard…

As the men about town have recently become the men about (dressing) gown, we’ve seen an uptick in the growth of facial hair and have had some questions on the best way to manage it. It’s a good time to experiment with a new look, especially when nobody is there to witness the awkward, patchy, early stages. But you aren’t entirely on your own in isolation, and however far you may wish to socially distance yourself, it’s quite likely you’ll end up on a Zoom/ FaceTime/ Skype call for work or talking to friends and family. Whilst the addition of a beard might be to self-isolation as suntan is to summer holiday, it’s probably best to make it look like a choice rather than a default.

This means a minimal amount of grooming is in order. Quite apart from how it looks, an unkempt beard is rather uncomfortable. The itchiest stages of beard growth are between the first and third week. For the first couple of weeks you can use a normal moisturiser to soothe the skin. Once the beard bristles have become longer than you could easily shave with your usual razor, it’s time to think about a beard oil.

Will beard oil help to make your beard less itchy? Yes, but that’s not the only benefit of using a good beard oil. The skin on your cheeks, chin and neck will be used to receiving a daily dose of sunlight which will have been keeping the skin healthy. A sudden change in sun exposure may cause the skin to dry out and, worse, flake. This is not only an undesirable look but can also be a portent of worse things to come such as more serious dandruff and even psoriasis. Using three to four drops brushed in daily will help to keep the skin and hair in good condition.

Using a good stiff brush is just as important, if not more important, than using a beard oil. Our brush is a boar bristle version and the natural stiffness and finish of the bristles gets through even the thickest of beards easily. Using a beard brush is important for several reasons. Firstly, it acts as an exfoliant, helping to revive your skin and removing dead skin. Secondly, the act of brushing promotes the production of sebum oils from your skin’s sebaceous glands. This natural oil conditions the hair making it softer. Thirdly, brushing helps to distribute these oils so that they reach all parts of the beard. The outer extremities won’t often be getting much of these oils so brushing, alongside the use of beard oil, will help to keep the ends of longer beards in good shape.

Should you have flaky skin and no redness then it is likely that you just have dry skin and you need to moisturise. As mentioned previously, this can be with your normal moisturiser for short beards/ long stubble and beard oil for anything longer. If the skin is flaky but also red and more aggressively itchy then you may have a form of dandruff. This can be caused by an excess of oils. If this is the case then, again, brushing is important, but in a softer manner. You should also aim to remove some of these oils by washing. You don’t need a dedicated beard shampoo but for more severe cases of beard dandruff, as with the hair on your head, we would recommend Medicated or Therapeutic Shampoos. Work them in through the beard bristles and leave them to sit for a couple of minutes before rinsing out. After you have done this, it is essential to moisturise with a few drops of beard oil.

The formulation contains Abyssinian oil, which is easily absorbed by hair to give it a lustrous quality, and jojoba oil which replicates sebum and can prevent its overproduction.

The D. R. Harris Beard Oil is fragranced with Windsor, a blend of grapefruit, black pepper and vetiver. It’s one of our most popular fragrances and works wonderfully in this format. The formulation contains Abyssinian oil, which is easily absorbed by hair to give it a lustrous quality, and jojoba oil which replicates sebum and can prevent its overproduction. Jojoba oil also softens and strengthens hair so you won’t have any brittle hairs snapping (yes, it can happen).

Let’s not forget that using a beard oil and brush has one much more immediate positive effect: it instantly makes you look  put together and, by turning beard grooming into a daily habit, you will more quickly notice the rogue hairs which need a trim. With both you, and your friends and colleagues, spending more time looking at your face on a screen, it’s best to try and not look too distractingly dishevelled.

What’s more, after you’ve applied beard oil, you’ll immediately want to wash your hands with soap and water, which is about the most important thing you can do now anyway.