Beard itch can become a HUGE problem for men if left unchecked throughout the beard growth journey. It is uncomfortable, and there are extremes one can experience ranging in intensity from mild and manageable to severe and intolerable.
However, with the right tips and tools in hand, you can manage it. Let’s take a look at what may contribute to beard itch and how to stop beard itch.
What Causes Beard Itch?
There are multiple reasons for beard itch episodes. Beard itch often occurs early on in the beard growth cycle. It can become so unbearable that men will often abandon their beard growing aspirations two weeks into the journey to gain a little bit of relief.
Causes of beard itch have close ties to the beard growth cycle. During the first two weeks of growing your beard, as hair sprouts from the hair follicle, those sharp edges of hair can scrape the skin and edges of the follicle itself, causing the skin under the beard to hurt. Additionally, your skin is more prone to irritation, inflammation, and itching.
How to Stop Beard Itch
1. Keep It Clean
Keeping your beard clean is essential when you want to stop beard itch. You'll want to keep your beard and skin beneath it clean, in order to promote healthy circulation of nutrients that sustain hair growth and minimizes the risk for beard irritation or beard itch caused by dry skin and bacteria. If the dry skin isn't washed and beard moisturized, then beard dandruff is formed.
2. Condition Your Beard Hair and Seal in Moisture
Keep your skin and beard hair moisture-rich. Dry skin will trigger additional pain or itch. Conditioning your skin and beard hair helps to keep your skin adequately hydrated and soften hair that is otherwise coarse and irritating to your skin.
3. Trim Split Ends From Your Beard
During the first few weeks of growing your beard, the urge to initiate trimming activities will be strong. However, you will want to steer clear of all landscaping activities for at a minimum of six to twelve weeks. The reason for this duration is that you want to give your beard time to fill in and for any patchy areas that are present early in the beard growth cycle to disappear. Also, you will want to start with a conservative trim.
4. Comb Your Beard
Next, invest a good beard comb and comb your beard. Beard combs, especially sandalwood beard combs, are an excellent tool to have in your arsenal of beard care tools and products because they provide a load of benefits, including:
- Reduction in the occurrence of tangles
- Distribution of beard oil from the root to tip
- Stimulates circulation
- Promotes one direction of beard growth
- Removes dirt build up
5. Brush Your Beard
Your choice in beard brushes is equally critical for avoiding beard itch. Only boar bristle brushes should be used as a component of your beard care regimen. Beard brushes help to transport sebum and your beard care oils across the entire strand of hair, thereby conditioning it and bestowing a bit of shine.
Make sure you are deliberate in choosing a beard brush. Much like beard combs, you want to avoid plastic or vinyl products.
6. Improve Your Eating Habits
Another tip for stopping beard itch is to develop a few healthy living habits. That’s right! If your eating habits are weak, it may be time to step up your food and hydration game. You know the rules. You need to consume a minimum of 64 ounces of water each day to ensure that your body is adequately hydrated and so that those vital nutrients can travel to where they are needed, transporting oxygen, iron, and hemoglobin to sustain healthy hair growth.
In addition to water, your body needs those essential vitamins and minerals that will also help to reduce the occurrence of inflammation, irritation, and itching of the skin beneath that beard. Your goal should be to eat those foods that are rich in zinc, iron, magnesium as well as vitamins A, B, C, D, and E. This requirement may mean boosting your intake of fruits and veggies.
7. Live Your Best Healthy Life
In addition to eating well and improving your water intake, you want to take control of your overall health. Poor sleep habits and stress can trigger hair loss by disrupting your beard growth cycle. Take steps to ensure that your lifestyle habits will not interfere with your beard growth efforts or yes, contribute to your skin problems or beard itch.
What Can I Use to Repair My Beard?
Beard hair is much like the hair that grows on your head. At some point, you will have to repair the damage that results from your beard care practices or other causes such as spending too much time in the sun or choosing the wrong products. No matter the cause, damage to those precious strands can trigger unwanted follicular irritation and thus, the dreaded beard itch.
What are the Best Products for Beard Itch?
Beard Organics features a fantastic line beard care products that can help to not only condition and moisturize your skin, but also boost beard growth and stop beard itch for good.
Not sure which beard oil will best meet your beard’s needs? Order Beard Organics' Beard Oil Sample Collection today for starters.