The most important part of beard growth is beard maintenance. While the sheer length and magnitude of your beard may be impressive, its appearance can be marred by tangled hair. Not only will tangled hair look messy to others but it’ll be painful for you. Plus, you’re left with damaged hair that inhibits healthy growth. All of this might sound undesirable, but there are some easy ways to stay on top of beard maintenance without altering your daily routine too drastically. Not the least of which is learning how to comb your beard.

The beard comb is your tool of choice in beard grooming. Beard combs are specially designed to handle the thick, coarse hair on your face. Regular combs are designed with longer teeth which can rip out your hair. Beard combs are smaller with finer teeth. Based on the thickness of your beard, you can find options with varying teeth width to suit your needs.

But before you pick up your beard comb, it’s important to moisturize your beard. If you’ve never tried to pull comb teeth through a dry or matted beard, it’s one sensation you don’t need to experience. Combing a dry beard causes breakage and split ends. Both issues can be detrimental to the overall health of your beard.

After you shampoo your beard in the shower, make sure it is completely dry. Using a beard comb on wet hair can be just as painful and harmful. Your biggest ally in combing your beard is moisture, not outright wetness.

Be sure to moisturize your facial hair with effective beard care products like a tea tree & peppermint beard oil. Beard oil works to soften your beard hair while also further encouraging healthy facial hair growth and moisturizing the skin underneath.

Beard Grooming Technique

Once you’ve selected the right tools, dried your beard and effectively moisturized it, it’s time to start combing. It’s important to comb your beard slowly. This isn’t a race. Carelessness and speed can lead to unnecessary breakage and stray hairs. For a guy that doesn’t have full growth, a speedy combing session can leave him with a smaller beard than he started with. Combing slowly allows you to catch knots in your beard hair and carefully untangle them.

Direction is Everything – Should You Comb Your Beard Up To Down?

Also crucial is the direction in which you comb your beard. You should always move your beard comb from top to bottom. You can also comb it from the center to the sides. Combing in this fashion helps you control the direction of growth. In your earlier growth stages, a beard brush helps with this. However, just because you’ve reached fuller growth doesn’t mean you don’t need to continue controlling the direction. Combing your beard in these directions helps ensure your beard keeps growing in nice and even.

When you start combing, start with the end of the comb that has wider teeth. These teeth will help loosen up tangles first. Then, with the narrower teeth, you can move the comb through more easily for styling purposes.

As an added benefit, combing your beard also helps you spread the beard oil evenly through your beard. For any spots you may not have reached with your hands, it’s a great double check system.

Extra Beard Maintenance

Tangles are inevitable, but one way to reduce their frequency is with a thorough cleaning. A few times each week, you should use a beard shampoo to get rid of the extra dirt and grime that a quick rinse can’t reach. The cleaner your beard hair is, the less likely it is to tangle. And alas, it’ll be easier to comb your beard.

Beard maintenance is crucial for growing a healthy, good-looking beard over time. Keep a great beard comb on deck to ensure your facial hair is always in peak shape.