Itching of the beard is one of the most common problems that affect men especially those with facial hair. Itching may be caused by many factors such as sweating, a bacterial infection of the skin as well as fungal infection. The factors mentioned above makes the skin to be irritable leading to a very itchy skin around the beards which is a bothersome condition in most men growing the beards.
Scratching of the itchy beards should be avoided as this would worsen the itching and causes trauma to the skin .it can also increase the risk of contracting fungal and bacterial infections to the underlying skin. Some of the causes of an itchy beard include poor hygiene, ingrown hairs where hair curls inward back into the skin because of a blocked pore, acne vulgaris and excessive grooming of the beards using soaps and hair care products which can act as an irritant.
The following are ways how one should avoid an itchy beard:
Cleansing
Regularly washing of the beard should be done to ensure its clean. The beard should be scrubbed every day with a gentle, hydrating beard wash but not with shampoos as this would irritate the skin leading to the scratchy skin.
Condition
After the beard is washed clean, it should be softened using a unique conditioner which gives the beard moisture and nutrients, and reduces the skin irritation.
Moisturize
A good beard oil should be used to apply on the beards to soften it and keep it itch-free. Keeping your beard moisturized prevents the skin from producing extra oil which can irritate the beard area.
Trimming
Once the beards are moisturized, they should be trimmed by slowly trimming the excess hair. The ingrown hair should be removed by tweezers.
Brushing
This gives the beard its smooth texture, allows it to grow in one direction, a clean shape, and it also reduces the scratching and having more ingrown hairs.
To stop the itching of the beards immediately, there are other home remedies which can be used as a remedy which includes, applying Aloe Vera gel and massaging gently on the skin, neem oil, goldenseal root oil and tea tree oil. These oils are beneficial in treating bacterial infections, thereby they help in reducing the skin itchiness.
To prevent beard itchiness, the following measures should be taken:
- Avoid oil build-up in the beard area
- Do not use hot water to wash your beard as this will lead to dry skin
- Trimming your beards regularly
- Using a high heat hair dryer to dry the beards
- Using the correct beard oil
- Using a quality beard comb
- Resisting the urge to scratch the beards
- Gently remove the ingrown hairs using tweezers
Beard hair is not like any other hair it’s called androgenic hair. Its growth is driven by the testosterone. Therefore, the beard hair should be taken care differently from the other hair. Beards attract lots of dirt such as your lunch, dust, dead skin, and food particles which is not easy to avoid. Due to this, beards should be cleaned thoroughly and regularly, rinsed and dried appropriately. By doing this and following all the right measures mentioned above, it helps one to grow healthy beards which create a good image on the person having them. Eating the proper food nutrients such as Vitamins A, E, and C also contribute to healthy beards by promoting healthy skin which stimulates better hair growth.