Fellas, your time has come. We know you’re out here, reviving and transforming your natural hair regimens with NaturAll Club's hair tips. We love hearing about your results using NaturAll Club tips and products on your natural hair! But we know there's still one pivotal topic we haven't addressed: How to grow and care for your beard.
While we encourage men to follow NaturAll Club's natural hair tips for the hair on your scalps, you need to switch up the playbook when it comes to your beard. You can’t just take your same products and regimen and use them on your beard, because your face is far more sensitive than your scalp. Keep reading this guide to learn more:
So finally, it's the moment you've all been waiting for: a dedicated feature post on beard care. Whether you’re growing a beard for the first time, already have a beard, struggling to achieve growth, or have a friend who could use these tips, this article will provide everything you need to know.
CHOOSE PRODUCTS: SOME RULES OF THUMB. You already know that some chemicals can damage and dry out your hair, but those chemicals are extra bad for your beard because they irritate the skin on your face, which is more sensitive than your scalp. Unless you already use exclusively natural ingredients on your hair, you’ll want to choose a different set of products for your beard. Here are some rules of thumb:
- Never put sulfates, artificial fragrances, alcohols, or any of these ingredients on your beard.
- Select lighter products (to avoid clogging your pores) and gentle products (to avoid irritating your skin.)
- Don't feel limited to products made specifically for beards, but when in doubt, select these products to be safe.
WASH AND SCRUB. Just like the hair on your head, your beard needs to be clean in order to breathe and grow. This also goes for the skin underneath your beard (beard dandruff is NOT a good look.) Once a week, use a cleanser to wash your beard and skin, and a scrub or exfoliator to clear away dead skin cells. Don’t use a harsh shampoo or soap, which will irritate the skin on your face. Use an all natural shampoo, like NaturAll Club's Cleansing Avocado Shampoo, or a cleanser made specifically for beards. If your beard feels oily or dirty before the week is up, use a co-wash to refresh your beard mid-week.
CONDITION AND MOISTURIZE. The sebaceous glands on your face have a hard time producing enough oils to moisturize your face and beard, so you’ll need even more moisture for your beard than your hair. Heavy conditioners or moisturizers meant for natural hair are likely to clog the pores on your face, so save them for your hair. You can find specific "beard conditioners" at the store, but many black men find that oil does the best job.
- You can use oil every day depending on how much moisture your beard needs. Always apply oil after washing your beard.
- Dampen your beard before applying oil.
- Jojoba oil and argan oil are the best oils out there for beards (you'll find that most prepackaged "beard oils" are jojoba or argan oil-based.) You can apply these natural oils directly, or use them as carriers for small amounts of essential oils: we recommend rosemary, lavender, and tea tree oil.
- Depending on your skin and hair type, you might also want to use a beard balm once a week for additional moisture, protection, and shine. Beard balms are thicker, often contain Shea butter or beeswax, and can help with styling.
GROW. To encourage growth, rub a few drops of NaturAll Club’s Jamaican Black Castor Oil Growth Serum into your skin and roots, 2-3 times a week. Take this opportunity to lightly massage the skin underneath the beard, promoting blood circulation and hair growth. You’ll find that this helps moisturize your skin as well.
DEEP CONDITION. What, you've never deep conditioned your beard?? This is the best way to keep your beard manageable, soft, and luxurious. Use NaturAll Club's Avocado Deep Conditioner for best results. To avoid clogging your pores, deep condition before you wash your beard.
TRIM. Without regular trimming you’ll develop split ends, which make your beard less soft and less manageable. If you know you can't go to the barber every week, invest in a nice beard trimmer. Don’t use low quality scissors- they will only make split ends worse. Note: if you’re starting your beard from scratch, don’t trim for the first 4 weeks. It needs time to grow!
DETANGLE AND STYLE. Invest in a beard brush for detangling, styling and distributing oils and balms throughout your beard. Don’t use a plastic or metal brush- this will damage your beard and cause breakage.
MAINTAIN. Once you nail down your beard care regimen, build a lifestyle that keeps your body, and by extension, your beard, as healthy as it can be!
- Fill your diet with nutrients and drink plenty of water. This will nourish and hydrate your beard from the inside out.
- Get plenty of sleep (and do that sleeping on a satin pillowcase to reduce breakage overnight!)
- Exercise regularly and reduce stress. Believe it or not, both of these practices encourage hair growth!
