Are you short-changing your beard by using a regular hair shampoo instead of a beard shampoo to cleanse your beard? Beard shampoos or beard wash products are real, and they are producing incredible results, but it only makes sense that you might be questioning whether they are worth the investment of your hard-earned coin.
Let’s take a closer look at the use of Beard Washes vs. Regular Hair Shampoos.
What’s the Difference between Beard Wash and Regular Shampoo?
Let’s start by acknowledging that the hair on your face is of a different quality than the hair on your head. Sure, it might be more convenient and cost-effective to use the same shampoo product on your face that you are using on your head, but you may soon find that using those products is stifling your efforts to grow a healthy beard.
Regular shampoo has a job to do, and that is to strip away oil and dirt from your hair and scalp. The chemicals in hair shampoo are notorious for how harsh they can be on natural hair because they contain chemicals that, even under the best of circumstances, can prove dangerous natural hair textures and scalps. They can disrupt the hair growth cycle due to their ability to rob the scalp of its natural oils and capacity to irritate the scalp. Imagine the damage you may be doing to your face and beard by applying these same products as a part of your beard grooming routine.
Benefits of Using a Beard Wash
Beard washes are different from your everyday shampoo. Beard washes have a formula that makes it most beneficial to use on your skin and facial hairs. They are strong enough to clean the beard, but gentle so that they do not strip your facial hair, depriving it of its sebum oils. Sebum oils are essential for moisturizing your beard and protecting it from becoming dull, dry, thinning, and yes, susceptible to a dreaded beardruff event.
Beard washes protect your skin, leaving it feeling soft and adequately hydrated. Remember, every beard requires a healthy foundation for growth. If that foundation is riddled with inflammation and irritation, the quality of your beard will always be subpar.
Beard Wash Ingredients
So, you’re probably wondering what’s so special about the beard wash formula. Beard washes contain the best blend of essential oils and natural ingredients that may contribute to the overall care of your beard. Argan, jojoba, coconut, and tea tree oils are examples of essential oils commonly found in beard washes. Also, they may contain shea butter or African black soap.
Ideally, they should not contain any of the following ingredients
Parabens. A lot of shampoos contain parabens, which are responsible for preserving shampoos. They help to protect the product from mold or bacteria growth. Unfortunately, parabens can enter your skin and wreak a bit of havoc on curly hair, causing it to become frizzy and dry.
Sulfates. Sulfates are the chemicals that give shampoo their suds. These compounds are common and often appear on labels as sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, and ammonium laureth sulfate. Sulfates can irritate your skin and be damaging to hair.
Phthalates. Phthalates provide fragrance to many hair products. They also help to give shampoos their “gel-like” structure. This substance can affect male fertility.
Ultimately, you want to avoid these ingredients and, instead, choose beard wash products that will not harm your skin or beard. Your beard wash should contain natural ingredients that can clean your beard, leaving it soft to the touch.
How Often Should You Use a Beard Wash?
If you are just getting started with growing your beard, you may find that your skin and beard will thank you for introducing a good beard wash during the initial stages of the process. The initial stages of growing a beard can prove tricky as your skin adjusts to accommodating these sprouting facial hairs. Your face may become dry. You may experience flaking as the old dead cells shed, trapping facial hair and generating irritation, inflammation, and beard itch. Beard washes will bring some relief to those early stages by providing much-needed moisture and nutrients to sustain the production of your hair follicles.
For the rest of you, who have been in the beard game for a while, if you know anything by now about beard care, you know that consistency is the key to achieving and sustaining positive results and occasionally generating a little bit of beard envy. The frequency in which you use a beard wash may vary based on your level of activity. If you are an indoor guy, working from home every day but not generating a whole lot of sweat, you may only need to wash your beard every other day. If your life is action-packed with a lot of your time spent outdoors, then a daily beard wash ritual may be necessary to keep that beard looking good.
Your beard wash regimen should center around how much oil, dirt, or product build-up you encounter throughout the week. The goal is not to allow anything to clog your pores. You must keep blood flowing beneath your skin in check so that your follicles can continue to grow a healthy beard. Nonetheless, washing your beard and giving your skin a good massage using the beard wash once or twice a week should be sufficient.
Can I Use Regular Shampoo on My Beard?
It is up to you how you proceed from here with your beard care regimen. It is not ideal to use regular shampoo on your beard, but should you choose to go down that path for budgeting reasons or convenience, make sure to keep your beard oil game intact. Consistent use of beard oils and proper grooming can provide a wealth of advantages in this situation, which includes protection for your skin and beard.
