11 tips to Combat Beard problems

It is impossible to grow a healthy beard without facing any issues. Here we will discuss all the beard problems you might face during your beard care journey.

Beard dandruff or beardruff

Beard dandruff or Seborrheic dermatitis is when you dust white flakes out of your beard. Also, your face suffers itching, greasy skin full of rash and redness.

Reasons why beardruff happens:

It is not always your hygiene problem. Sometimes it is the weather. Oil-rich humid weather helps fungus (Malassezia globosa) to build on your skin.
The fungus breaks down the oil in your skin pores and leaves oleic acid that irritates the skin and turns it greasy and flaky.
Sometimes your skin cells regenerate too often, which causes beard dandruff by creating a humid environment on the face.
Some other common reasons are rarely washing your beard, not combing your beard, skin dryness, stress, and lack of moisture.

How to treat beard dandruff?

Follow a beard care regimen that includes exfoliation, cleansing, moisturizing, and grooming.
For cleaning, you can use the best beard shampoo for dandruff which contains ingredients like,

2% zinc pyrithione, 1% ketoconazole, 1% selenium sulfide

For exfoliation, use a face scrub and brush your beard daily. Also, moisturize your skin with beard oils and conditioner.
You can also try home remedies for treating beard dandruff. You can try aloe vera, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, honey, etc.
In some cases, grapeseed oil and eucalyptus oil did wonder for beard dandruff.

Beard acne

Beard acne or red bumps under beard is an ailment where you face inflammation in certain areas that can lead to pain and itchiness.

Reasons why beard acne happens?

Due to your oily skin, bacteria and dirt are always present on your beard and skin.
You rarely exfoliate your skin, due to which unwanted things get trapped in your skin for a longer duration.

If you are suffering from acne, never exfoliate at that time. It will worsen the situation.

Do not clean your face often. It is not that bacteria and germs are present only on your skin, as our polluted environment also contributes.
You use other towels or tools. It could be a possibility that others might have acne-prone skin, and you get infected because of them.

Solutions to treat beard acne

Do not touch your face often. Even if your hands look clean, they have a lot of bacteria and germs.
Exfoliate at least twice a week. It helps the skin to breathe and prevents clogging of the pores.
You can use beard or face wash that contains salicylic acid or glycolic acid.
Use your towel and tools. I know it is common, but mistakenly we use other towels. Never rub your towel on your face. Gently pat dry.
You can use tea tree oil for the beard. It helps as magic on acne. Dilute tea tree oil with some carrier oil and apply gently
Once your skin gets clear, use beard oil for acne-prone skin.

Beard thinning or patchy beard

A thin or patchy beard is a condition when your beard does not grow in one or particular areas. For some people, it is embarrassing to accept an uneven look, whereas some embrace it with confidence.

Reasons why patches happen:

Sorry to say, but it is not in your hand to resolve it as it is a genetic issue. Your genes are responsible for the type of growth and thickness of your beard.
If your father or grandfather had a thin beard or patches, you might have the same.

How to treat beard patches:

The best way to resolve beard patches is to hide them with your beard by giving a style. There are a lot of beard styles that might resemble the kind of beard shape you have.
The clean-shaven look might not be in trend, but there is a possibility you look dashing in that look. Women still like men with clean-shaven styles. So do not worry.
You can try home remedies like onion juice for beards, fenugreek for beards growth. It might help you.
Last but not least. People have started using minoxidil for their beards. Minoxidil helps to regain hereditary hair loss on the scalp. But before using it, ask your dermatologist because it has side effects like irritated skin, rash, and redness.

Beard turning red

Why is my beard turning red? This question pops up when people look at you strangely like you are an alien.

The reason behind your beard turning red:

Your red beard can happen because of a natural mutation of genes. There is a gene called MC1R or melanocortin 1 Receptor. When a man inherits two mutated MC1Rs, he will have red hair on the head.
When a man inherits a single MC1R gene, he will have red hair on different parts like legs, armpit, or face.
The best part is, if you have a red beard or black hair, it is not a problem at all but natural.
People might have face there hair or beard turning grey before aging. It can happen because of heating tools, UV exposure, insufficient nutrition, and stress.

What can you do to turn your beard black again?

The simplest solution is dyeing your beard. Having a red beard is not your fault or any deficiency. You can turn it black via dyeing.
If you have a deficiency and you face grey hair. You can improve your nutrition intake. Add food rich in vitamins A, C, E, copper, and antioxidants that boost melanin production.
Avoid direct sun rays. It reduces the life span of hair and makes it dull and lifeless.
Reduce stress and avoid using heating tools too often.

My mustache hurt while touching it.

When you touch your mustache and beard, sometimes it hurts, and you feel pain while touching upward or downward.

Reasons why my mustache hurt

The most common reason is seasonal change. When the season changes from hot to cold, the air becomes dry, and when you come in contact with the dry air, your mustache and beard become poky-like needles. When you touch them, you feel pain in your beard.
Sometimes we use styling wax that increases friction while styling. Due to this, you feel pain in the mustache.
Bad moisturization and heating tool usage are also responsible for the pain in your mustache.
Your mustache aches when you do not cleanse your whole beard properly. The excess sebum causes oil build-ups and debris, which is responsible for beard hardness and itching. It also enhances the pain in the mustache.

How to avoid mustache pain?

During winter, double the care of your beard. Moisturize your beard 2-4 times a day, so it will not lose moisture and becomes dry.
Avoid using harsh chemical-based beard products, especially beard wax. Try to replace it with homemade products.
Use a mild beard shampoo for the beard to cleanse dirt, oil, and debris. Exfoliate twice a week.
Avoid using heating tools like blow-dryers and beard straighteners too often.

Ingrown hairs

As the name implies, ingrown hairs are the hair that grows inside the skin of hair follicles. It happens when you have a curly poky beard that curls back into the skin.

Ingrown hairs are the most common in areas with coarse hair like public spots, beard, neck, and sometimes thighs. They look like tiny pink bumps. Sometimes these bumps cause inflammation, irritation, infections, and itching.

The reason why ingrown hair happens?

The most common reason why ingrown hair develops is improper shaving techniques.
Some people shave too closely to the follicular opening that cuts hair in the sharp tip, which pierces the skin and grows inside.
Another reason is people also consider waxing nowadays. Waxing is a process where experts use waxing gel on facial hair and pull them off using a waxing strip.
This aggressive hair removal technique causes friction and causes ingrown hair.
Sometimes ingrown hair develops on its own. When the accumulation of debris covers the hair follicle, hair starts growing inside.

How to prevent ingrown hairs on your beard?

As I said, shaving techniques are the real cause of ingrown hairs. You have to learn the best shaving techniques to experience the best results.
Avoid using harsh hair removal techniques. Instead, use hair removal creams, the best shaving creams for sensitive skin, and premium razors.
If you naturally have an ingrown hair, improve your beard care regimen. Use exfoliating scrub for the beard so that no debris or dead skin cells accumulate in the skin.

The mustache does not connect in the middle.

You might be happy to know that your mustache gap is natural if you consider it a deficiency or problem.

Anybody can have that gap between their mustache. Some people have problems with their mustache not connecting in the middle of their mustache not connecting to their beard.

Reasons why the mustache gap happens?

One of the reasons why the hair does not grow between the mustache is the size of the philtrum.
The philtrum or cupid bone is the area above your lips. Some people have a small philtrum, whereas some have a large philtrum.
In the case of the small philtrum, the mustache covers that gap, but in the case of the large philtrum, you see a visible gap.
The size of the philtrum depends on genetics. If your father or grandfather had a large philtrum, you might get it from them.

How to hide the mustache gap?

There are some temporary things you can do to fix your gap. The easiest ones are dyeing and growing a mustache at its peak.
Using the best beard dye, you can create your false mustache. By growing your mustache, you can hide it by using mustache gels on your hair and styling them in such a way.
Sometimes you have a thin mustache that can be improved by eating the right food and vitamins for the beard. Also, some herbs for beard growth may help.
You can also use beard fiber spray that thickens each hair and gives you a temporary thick mustache.

Five o clock shadow

Five o clock shadow is the early growth of a beard that appears the same day you clean-shaven your beard.

It is so common that you shave it in the morning and within 9 hours, little hair starts growing in the beard that appears like a shadow.

For some, it is one of the styles, but for some a compromise with their professional look.

Why does a five o clock shadow happen?

As I said, a five o clock shadow is natural. It depends on the intensity of the hair growth.
If someone has thin growth, he might not worry about it, whereas someone with thick growth has to compromise with their look.
We cannot control the five o clock shadow, but some people have darker shadows than usual. They can improve their skincare routine.

How to get rid of a five o clock shadow?

Exfoliate twice a week. It will help to remove all the dead skin cells, debris, and bacteria from the face. Your skin will become even, and while shaving, you will get a closer shave without bumping into pimples and dead skin.
Proper shaving is the second way. Accumulate all the tricks and tips of shaving and apply them.
Use a manual razor over an electric razor for a cleaner look, and choose the mild shaving cream to prevent any risk. Also, it will give you a smooth glide.

Beard dryness & skin flakiness

Sometimes our beard gets extremely dry and causes itching, flaking, unruly hair, and beard split-ends.

When you grab your beard, you feel that dryness. Also, it gets broken easily.

Why do you face a dry beard?

The most common reason is the weather change. Dry to humid or hot to cold weather dries out your beard and skin underneath.
The cold air touches your skin and extracts the natural oils from it. During humidity, your beard goes through a lack of air in that area which releases more sebum than needed. Both conditions are not suitable for a healthy beard.
Sometimes it happens because of genetics. If your parents or ancestor has dry and flaky skin, you might have the same.
Sometimes people overwash their beards which dries out their skin. In addition, using the wrong beard care product with lots of harsh chemicals can also ruin your natural oils.
People who take hot showers during winter have to face beard dryness. Hot water cleanses the natural sebum of the face, which is crucial for the beard.

How to prevent skin dryness & flakiness?

People might get confused about whether they should get a facial with a beard. Doing a facial at least twice a month can save your beard from most problems. So add a facial to your skin care regimen.
Care more during weather changes. In winter, if you feel more dryness, increase your conditioning. Use the best beard growth serums to avoid moisture loss. If the weather is humid, cleanse more and dry your beard perfectly so that no moisture will build bacteria or itching.
Avoid beard care products filled with harsh chemicals. You can DIY your beard care recipes. You may use rice water for beards is an effective way of treating dryness, flakiness and dullness.
Avoid hot showers.
Read the ingredients before purchasing a beard product.

Smelly beard

Have you ever noticed that awful smell throughout your day? Sometimes you do not even know the smell coming from your beard. Let us discuss why it happens.

Why your beard smells?

The most common reason is food. Food like dairy products, soups, sauce based food gets easily absorbed in your mustache and beard while eating. It gets dry with time and smells awful. It happens especially with those who have a long thick beards.
Sometimes even if you have a trimmed beard, you still feel that smell. The reason could be your improper beard care regimen. You might not maintain your hygiene.
How many of you drool while sleeping? If you are the one, this could be the reason for your beard smell. The saliva gets absorbed in your facial hair, dries throughout the night, and stinks badly.
Sebum is a natural oil that protects your skin and beard from drying out. Sometimes overproduction and accumulation of sebum cause that weird smell.
Smoking is also why your beard smells like a cigarette or smoke.

How to get rid of the beard smell?

To prevent beard odor from food, you can do two things. First, keep your beard and mustache trimmed, and make sure your mustache and soul patch does not curl up towards your mouth.
Second, if you don’t want to cut your beard even a few mm, then wash your beard with beard wash after having any soupy food.
You can also wash it with warm water. It will save you from the beard smell to some extent.
Follow a proper beard care regimen that includes exfoliation, cleansing, and moisturizing. It will solve half the problems, especially if the cause of your beard smell is drooling, sebum and hygiene.
Avoid smoking not just to avoid beard smell but for better health.

Beard lice

Lice are tiny, pesky insects commonly associated with scalp hair and feed on human blood. Although head lice are the most well-known kind, body and pubic lice can infest other parts of the body, including the beard.

How do lice in your beard occur?

Close contact with an infected individual might result in the transmission of pubic lice. This might happen when sharing personal goods like bedding, combs, or towels, or when engaging in intimate activities.

How to get rid of beard lice?

Preventing lice infestations in the beard requires maintaining good personal cleanliness, avoiding direct contact with infected people, and not sharing personal objects.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, dealing with issues pertaining to your beard, such as itching, dryness, or even lice, is a typical occurrence. But these issues are solvable given the correct care and attention.

The important things are prompt treatments, good cleanliness, and regular grooming. Adopt a schedule for maintaining your beard, take quick action when necessary, and enjoy the self-assurance that comes with having a well-groomed beard.

Recall that taking good care of your facial hair and understanding it can help you turn potential issues into possibilities for a healthier, more fulfilling beard.