How to Clean Your Beard: 5 Things That Get Stuck in It and How to Wash Them Out
Everyone loves to tease a bearded guy about food in his face fuzz. It stops being funny when it stays there. Leftover food and drink can dry out your beard, clog the skin underneath and leave it smelling stale. Here are 5 common culprits and how to wash them out.
Beer
A milk mustache for grownups, sitting on top of the real thing. Some people say beer conditions hair, but the alcohol dries it out. Rinse it out properly.
Coffee
Coffee breath, right on your lip. The cream will sour your 'stache if you leave it, and coffee is used to dye hair, so don't let it sit. Unless you want an eternally tan mustache.
Soup
Soup, chowder, stew: whatever gets in your beard is full of proteins and sugars that bacteria love. Enjoy your favorite foods, then wash.
Grease
Wings, burgers, salad dressing. Grease works its way down to the skin, where it mixes with your own oil and can clog pores. It also gives your beard that greasy look.
Sugar
Syrup, frosting, cotton candy. However you feel about pancakes, sticky sugar tangles beard hair fast. Wash it out before it sets.
How to clean your beard properly
- Wet it with warm water, not hot. Hot water dries out skin.
- Use a beard wash, not soap or head shampoo. Our Original Beard Wash uses lime essential oil to break down trapped dirt and oil and aloe to soften the beard and skin. Or try Fresh Mint Beard Wash, with peppermint, menthol and extra conditioner.
- Work it down to the skin, root to tip, like you'd shampoo your head.
- Rinse well. Leftover lather dries out skin.
- Pat dry and brush with a boar bristle beard brush to lift out anything left.
- Moisturize with a leave-in like Beard Saver to keep it soft, clean-feeling and smelling great.
Daily is fine for most beards. If your skin feels dry, skip a day and lean on the moisturizer. See the whole range in our beard washes.