Beardruff is one of those things that will get annoyingly in the way when you have a beard.
But all is not lost!
First here’s a quick primer on what beardruff is all about:
At the base of every one of your beard follicles you have these tiny little glands called sebaceous glands. These sebaceous glands are responsible for producing an oil throughout the course of a given day called sebum oil. This oil is responsible for keeping both your skin and beard follicles well moisturized and nourished. When you begin to grow a beard this sebum oil will be sufficient and you shouldn’t have any real need for a beard related product. However, after about a month of growth, your beard will begin to demand more sebum oil than what can actually be produced by your sebaceous glands.
Initially this will begin to occur when you start to notice that your beard is feeling both dry and itchy. While some novice beardsmen may try to ignore this itchy feeling, unfortunately that is the worse step to take. The longer you go without treating this beard itch, then the prevalence of beardruff is going to begin to occur.
Beardruff is simply dandruff for your beard– its caused by the very fact that your skin is just too dry and starts to flake.
You Can Treat Beardruff With Beard Oil
Beard oil is a critical supplement for any man with a beard. To understand what a beard oil is, its critical to get comfortable with what is in the bottle. Any quality beard oil will typically contain two core ingredients: carrier and essential oils.
Carrier Oils Deliver the Nourishment
To put it simply, carrier oils make up about 95% of any given beard oil and are largely responsible for many of the key benefits. In fact you can find carrier oils in a plethora of both men’s and women’s products including: shaving creams, aftershaves, pre shave oils, and even lotions. Oils like sweet almond, argan, or hemp seed help to naturally compliment your sebum oil that is already found on the surface of your skin.
With regular application of any carrier oil on your skin, you should immediately feel the relief of that dreaded itchy feeling. After about a week of application, you should then notice that your beardruff will be completely gone – although depending on the severity of beardruff it’s very much an YMMV case (‘Your Mileage May Vary’).
For intensive therapy its best to use both beard oil and balms in tandem such as The Dapper Man combo pack (more on this in a minute).
Essential Oils Deliver the Scents
Now essential oil scents can really vary far and wide. The spectrum of scents can range anywhere from that classic ‘woodsy’ scent that so many men love by the way of tea tree, cedar wood, or pine essential oils all the way to citrus based oils like orange or lemon. In fact you can also find floral based essential oils as well including both lavender and geranium.
When it comes to mixing essential oils it truly is an art form.
Typically when you apply beard oil, while the scent may seem a bit stronger, it should subside within about the first hour or so after application. After an hour you will notice that the essential oils within the beard oil should effectively compliment you rather that being too over powering. This is in stark contrast to cheap beard oils that depend on a chemical based fragrance that may be too overwhelming on the nose.
Given the wide world of essential oils, its generally recommended to go with premade quality beard oils like The Dapper Man provided by 2 Guys Beard Co. as it smells wonderful and is based on a mixture of several different oils. In addition to scents, essential oils can also deliver an extra layer of benefits. Some essential oils like tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic and will help to fight acne and general beardruff.
Bonus Oil – Vitamin E
A lot of manufacturers like to skimp out on Vitamin E oil for cost reasons. However, when this is included in the oil, you are definitely getting a quality product. Vitamin E oil is a terrific oil that when applied to your skin regularly can work to block free radicals – this is critical in order to fight signs of aging. In addition, Vitamin E can also help to even out skin tone and even help to cure split ends on your beard. Generally speaking, it’s an extra layer of conditioning for your skin that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Balms Include All The Above And Then Some
While beard oil is by and far the most popular when compared to a beard balm, a traditional balm like The Giovanni has a couple of extra ingredients not found in beard oil. In order to be classified as a balm, it needs to have these two factors:
Protectant
Spreadability Agent
The Giovanni depends on beeswax as a protectant. Beeswax is an extremely effective and natural way to help trap in moisture for your skin. In addition, beeswax also helps to block out harmful pollutants from your beard making it a great line of defense for your skin. Regarding the spreadability agent, balms will contain either a shea or cocoa butter. This added ingredient not only helps the balm spread easily when applied, but also is an extra layer of moisture that works in tandem with the carrier oil that’s found in the product.
Generally speaking balms tend to favor beardsmen that live in extremely dry conditions (think north east during the winter or a desert climate). However, if you are trying to ward off severe beardruff, then its likely best to invest in both a balm and oil and use them in tandem.