For most men, beards mean the world to them and anything that ruins the appearance of these treasured facial hairs becomes an enemy. The beard is so special such that it sometimes becomes a person’s symbol. For example, there is certain beard style that you see, and the thought of Abraham Lincoln crosses your mind. A beard that is well groomed shows confidence and dominance in a man. When it comes to keeping that beard that you treasure so much clean, it is important that you do it right if you want to keep it healthy and in good shape.
How to Scrub Your Beard
As important as the beard is, not every man knows how to groom it. Most just wash it carelessly with some overdoing the cleaning process. A large number end up over-scrubbing it, causing some serious damage to both the beard hair and chin. Even though a lot of dirt including food particles and other debris get trapped in the beard, it should be washed gently. Beneath all that hair, there is a tender skin that needs to be taken care of, and so, when doing the washing, you are also supposed to pay attention to it too. A good wash prevents beard ruff, unpleasant odors, gray hairs, dryness, and patches.
When washing your beard, you should ensure that the water you are using is lukewarm. Hot water is bad for beard growth since it damages the hair follicles. Lukewarm water enhances blood circulation and opens pores. You should then focus on building up lather as you massage into the beard gently as you use your fingers to scrub it and later rinse it off. The rinsing water should also be warm and not hot. In the entire process, you should avoid over-scrubbing.
Effects of Over-Scrubbing Your Beard
One might be tricked into thinking that scrubbing hard and using strong chemical soaps gives a person a healthier beard. However, the opposite is true; the gentler you are when cleaning your beard, the better the chances of having a healthy beard. Scrubbing hard might get rid of dirt, but you will end up doing more harm than good in the processes. When you over-scrub, you usually destroy the skin beneath the beard and destroy the foundation on which the hair is growing. This weakens the hair causing it to fall off easily if combed or rubbed. The hair also breaks easily when it undergoes too much scrubbing since the strands are more susceptible to breakage when wet. You also get rid of the natural oils that are on your chin.
As much as you might be tempted to be a little bit rough on your beard, do not fall into the trap of over-scrubbing it if you want to keep it in good shape. As illustrated, it will only cause some bad damage to your chin, and it will take some time to recover from it. Always ensure you are gentle on it and you will continue to enjoy a healthy beard that gives you the confident look that you desire.