Suffering from a itchy beard?

You will experience the most discomfort as far as itching during the first few weeks of trying to grow a beard because those new sharp hairs simply irritate the skin surface. Also, thousands of dead skin cells are being shed from your face each day and your new beard catches those cells, and simply holds them close to the surface of your face causing irritation and itching.

You may assume regularly washing will keep your beard clean, this is true, but there are certain rules that need to be followed if you want to keep your facial hair healthy.

Make sure you're using specially formulated beard shampoo that will help with the flaking of the skin and not regular hair shampoo. As your facial skin is far more sensitive than your scalp, using regular shampoo on your beard will dry the skin under your beard, strip the skin of its natural oils and clog your pores, causing skin and hair damage, and also making your beard itch worse than ever before.

Fortunately, specialized beard shampoos were created. They are commonly formulated with organic ingredients that remove all dead skin cells stuck in your beard, whilst also hydrating the skin beneath the beard. To ensure a clean beard select a high-quality beard shampoo. If you're unsure where to start check out our recommend beard shampoos, suitable for all skin types.

Beard wash is great when properly incorporated into your beard routine, this means not overdoing it. Like any shampoo using it too frequently will strip the skin of it's natural oils leading to dryness and eventually damaged hair follicles.

We recommend you wash your beard 2-3 times per week, depending on your daily routine and beard length. If your regularly exposed to dust and dirt, we advise you should then wash more often, but without a beard shampoo. Washing your beard just with water will be enough in those situations. You can also consider using a mild beard soap in this case.

Tip: Brush your beard with a boar bristles beard brush before washing, this will exfoliate the dead skin cells to the surface of your beard.

Similar to the hair on your head, shampoo may not be enough and you may need to consider additional help. Conditioning will ensure you achieve the downy and soft feel. Using the appropriate beard conditioner after washing your beard, will defend against beard itch and tangling.

When considering a beard conditioner, don’t be fooled by a brand name. There are a plethora of them, but in this case, the ingredients play the most significant role. Look for conditioners with primary ingredients include argan and jojoba oil. Argan oil is great for making facial hair thicker and softer. Jojoba oil is known for its strengthening and thickening powers and it is also successful in reducing beard tangles.

The benefits of beard conditioners don't stop here. Beard conditioners are know to lock moisture, which helps keep your beard hydrated, it also makes the hairs softer and more manageable. Besides that, it reduces split ends, which are known as contributors to beard itch.

No matter the beard style, every bearded man sees the benefits soon after using a beard conditioner for the first time. However, men with coarser, wirier and thicker beard need conditioning more than the others. A regular use of a beard conditioner makes tangled beards smoother and softer.

One of the oldest beard conditioners on the market is Beardsley Conditioner. It contains a unique formula that will make the hair in your beard more silky and smooth. However, check out our top recommended beard conditioners.

Check out our top 3 recommended conditioners.

If your beard is just starting, then consider a beard stubble softening product to help you learn how to stop beard itch while the hair is still growing.

The newly growing hairs will not scrape the follicles and irritate your skin.

Conditioner’s job is to nourish the beard, while a beard moisturizers are responsible for the hydration of skin underneath the beard which is often dry and prone to dandruff.

If the skin is not well moisturized, the skin will begin to dry and your body will start producing extra oil to protect it, which causes breakouts and beard itching. As we discussed earlier in the article, beard itch is something completely normal and is expected to occur during the first stages of beard growth

The good news is that you don’t have to clench your teeth and wait for the itching phase to pass. A good beard oil can reduce or completely eliminate beard itch even in the beginning. Less is more when it comes to beard oil, so a few drops will be enough. After just a couple of days, beard oil will eliminate beard itchiness and soften your facial hair. Hydrate your beard daily with some premium beard oil.

Beard balm is a good alternative to stopping or at least reducing beard itch. The only difference is in the ingredients.

Beard balms are made with natural beard butter and beeswax, which are not found in beard oil. However, carrier oils are part of both of these products, and this ingredient does all the work in eliminating beard itch.

Regularly combing/brushing your beard can reduce the chances of ingrowing hairs that can irritate the skin. A beard brush with boar bristles has several benefits in tackling beard itch.

Firstly, running a beard brush through your beard scratches the skin underneath the beard. This relieves of beard itch almost instantly. Quality beard brushes scrub off and bring into the surface dead skin cells allowing you to wash them off easily. Finally, boar beard brush is excellent in training hairs to grow in the desired direction.

By regularly brushing your beard, you significantly reduce the chances of experiencing beard itch and having ingrown hairs, beard knots, and tangles. It is said numerous times that boar bristle brushes are the best for your beard. Boar bristles are cut at different lengths, and they capture all beard hairs.

Furthermore, they spread the sebum across the entire hair strand, and repair dry and damaged hairs. Besides boar bristles, beard brush can have plastic or vinyl bristles.

Be careful when purchasing a beard brush, as plastic and vinyl bristles will damage your beard and cause snags. They are cheaper than boar bristle brushes, though, but have in mind that quality brush will last much longer, so it justifies its price.

Always brush and comb your beard before and after washing it. Brushing hair before the wash will remove any dirt, debris or grim. When doing this after the shower, dry skin with a towel, apply beard oil first, and only then run a beard brush through it. Doing so will make your beard softer and tangle-free.

Tip: ensure you always brush you beard in the direction in which the hairs grow on your beard.

Avoid the temptation in cutting your beard for about 12 weeks when you're first starting off. In that time, your beard will become thicker, and any patchy areas will fill in. Once you've hit the 12 week mark, start trimming to achieve the desired beard shape and keep your facial hair free from itching.

You need three essential tools at your disposal when trimming:

• beard trimmer

• beard scissors

• straight razor.

If used and maintained correctly, these tools will prevent beard itching at any beard growth stage.

Beard Trimmer

Get yourself a high-grade beard trimmer with adjustable settings. While trimming your beard, make sure to start with the biggest clip number and then reduce it when you feel confident enough.

A crucial thing to ensure that your beard trimmer does a good job of dealing with a beard itch is to maintain it properly.

Keep beard trimmer blades oiled and sharp to ensure that they trim the hairs accurately. That way you will avoid experiencing beard split ends that irritate the skin and cause beard itchiness.

We recommend: PHILIPS Series 9000 Prestige

Beard Scissors

This tool is great when you need to be precise and pay attention to details. For example, most men mustache grow faster than the hairs on their cheeks.

Beard scissors are useful here as you will be able to trim the mustache evenly without over trimming them.

We recommend: Equinox Professional Shears

Straight Razor

For a precise and closer cut, a Straight Razor is always the best choice. Straight razor won’t give you any razor bumps or ingrown hairs.

Other razors, especially overused, usually irritate the skin, give a razor burn and cause an excessive beard itch.

If you’re not using a straight razor, at least make sure to use a sharp razor to shape your beard. Make sure that it’s not used more than three times.