When it comes to keeping your beard neat and fresh, you may think that beard wash, regular trims and beard oil is enough. Wrong. You should be brushing or combing your beard daily to help get rid of knots, keeping your facial hair under control.
But which should you be using? A beard comb or brush?
Here’s everything you need to know about these essential beard care tools.
What is a Beard Brush?
A beard brush usually comprises of a body, a handle and (most importantly) bristles. The body and handle are usually either wooden or plastic.
Whether the bristles are made from natural materials, such as horse or boar hair, or something synthetic, such as plastics, the aim is to smooth facial hair, creating an overall neater appearance.
Regular beard brushing can also help care for the skin underneath due to the gentle yet exfoliating nature of the bristles.
When to Use a Beard Brush ?
We recommend using a beard brush when you have 1-3 months of growth.
A beard brush is best used when trying to clean your beard. As well as helping to get rid of knots and beard flakes, it helps to evenly redistribute moisturising beard oil, while also removing built up natural oils.
It’s a good time to start using a beard brush when it’s growing wild in every direction. The bristles of a beard brush, particularly natural bristles, such as boar hair, help to condition your beard, guiding facial hairs in the direction you’d like them to grow. This will help to neaten the beard, creating a smarter, more controlled finish.
How to Brush a Beard
Apply a hydrating beard oil or beard balm. Then, take your beard brush and work the bristles through your facial hair, focusing on distributing product throughout your beard and getting rid of knots.
Due to its thickness and high bristle count, a beard brush effectively penetrates long and short beards to reach and clean the skin underneath.
It’s recommended that you use a beard brush once or twice a week as part of your beard care routine to help exfoliate the skin beneath the beard prior to applying a beard and face wash.
What is a Beard Comb?
A beard comb on the other hand has a strip of teeth rather than bristles. While a beard brush can help condition your beard, a beard comb’s main purposes are for detangling and styling.
With a beard comb, you can be more precise when it comes to styling. The shape of your beard is much easier to control with the teeth of a beard comb compared to your fingers.
When to Use a Beard Comb
When it comes to beards with significant length (we’re talking at least 3 months growth), a beard comb becomes mandatory.
It untangles the smaller knots in your beard with the level of precision that a beard brush can’t offer due to its sheer density.
For this reason, when it comes trimming your beard, a beard comb is the preferred tool to use to support the work of the beard trimmer.
Running a beard comb through your beard, especially if you have a longer, curlier beard, will result in more effective trimming and beard management.
Going for that sharp style? Comb your beard in the desired style after applying your beard oil and beard balm for the ultimate level of control.
How to Comb a Beard
Starting at the bottom of your beard, start running the beard comb through the ends of your facial hair to tease and tangles, before working your way up the beard.
If styling, apply your beard balm or preferred product before combing through your beard in the direction you want your facial hair to go.
Do You Need Both a Beard Comb and Beard Brush?
If you have a longer beard style, the short answer is yes.
The bristle brush helps to keep your beard clean and moisturised, while the beard comb styles and keeps it tangle free.
If your beard is on the shorter side, it depends on how long you want your beard to grow.
Whether you have a short or long beard, a beard brush is always recommended because it helps to maintain clean skin beneath your beard.
The best beard brush will prove to be an essential part of any beard care routine.
If you prefer the stubble look and don’t plan to grow out your beard, you’re not at risk of knots forming in your beard because the hairs won’t be long enough. In that case, we recommend just using a beard brush.
However, if you do want to grow a long beard, we strongly recommend getting a beard comb too. A knotted beard not only affects the quality of your shave, but how voluminous and smooth your beard appears.
For more grooming advice, check out our article on the 10 best grooming tips for men:
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