Beards come in all shapes and sizes. Not every man has the same type of beard hair. One man has a wave in it and another has straight beard hair. One man has a densely grown beard, another has more of a Keanu Reeves-style beard with patches that have a bit more or less growth.
Of course you want your beard to feel good, smell nice and not irritate. But what is the best beard shampoo for that?
You might think you can wash your beard with your girlfriend’s shampoo and, of course, soap is soap. But some shampoos can have unintended effects. An acquaintance of mine washed his beard for a while with a shampoo specifically for blonde hair and his beard didn’t turn blonde but red! Suddenly he had a reddish beard.
Besides, regular shampoo is very good at degreasing the hair, but if you use it for your beard, you may end up with extremely dry skin under your beard (and therefore flakes and itching). A beard wash not only makes your beard feel good, it also cares for the skin beneath your beard. Beard shampoos are therefore usually a bit milder than regular shampoo.
This also means you are less likely to suffer from inflammations caused by dry skin. No beard eczema!
How often should I wash my beard?
Depending on the type of skin and beard you have, it can be useful to wash your beard three to five times per week. That’s about every other day. It’s advisable to apply a good beard conditioner afterwards for hydration.
Additionally, it can also depend on the work you do. Are you outside a lot or do you have physical work that makes you sweat more often? Then it can be useful to wash your beard really five times per week.
Whereas with an office job, a job where you’re mainly indoors and not really moving much, washing your beard twice a week also gives it sufficient care.
Beard shampoo with natural ingredients
In many cases, beard shampoos and beard washes contain beneficial ingredients to care for your beard properly. And many products also contain no parabens or sulphates. This is usually indicated on the product pages.
Good skincare products with natural ingredients are becoming increasingly important and that’s no different for beard shampoos. Many brands have great products available. Of course, the fragrance matters too, because not everyone likes the same scent. Fortunately, there’s a lot to choose from these days.
Beard shampoo for a 3-day beard
Do you keep your beard short, but not too short? A beard shampoo can still be pleasant to use. In a 3-day beard, skin flakes also occur and, instead of shaving everything off, it’s nicer only to have to tidy things up if you don’t like a long beard.
With a short beard, it’s important to go for a beard shampoo that’s fairly mild, so the skin under your beard doesn’t dry out. It can also help to use a beard shampoo a little less often then, because your beard is relatively short anyway. In the end you’ll naturally notice how often you need to wash your short beard. It’s a matter of a bit of experimenting.
Beard shampoo from the supermarket
Of course, you can also see whether the chemist or supermarket has beard shampoo. You’ll often get the mass-produced products from the well-known brands to care for your beard. These products often contain ingredients of lower quality to make mass production easier. For example, these often do contain sulphates.
It’s therefore better to go for specialist brands that are truly focused on men’s grooming and aren’t just adding it “on the side”, like the brands you often find at the chemist. These often used to focus on female care first and have suddenly noticed there’s a market for men and are jumping on it eagerly.
Whereas female skin is, in fact, structurally different from male skin (just compare your skin with that of your girlfriend, sister or mother).
Best beard shampoo
Which beard shampoo should you buy then, because there’s quite a lot of choice? In the Moquer shop there’s a good selection of premium beard shampoos to care for your beard optimally. Great brands are Billy Jealousy from the United States or Proraso from Italy. Both brands have multiple beard shampoos available, so there’s something to choose from, also in terms of fragrance.
Seven Potions is a modern brand with many skin-friendly ingredients and a subtle scent. Proraso also has multiple fragrances available, but the products are a little more affordable. Those are a few examples of good beard shampoos with which you can care for your beard optimally. Don’t forget to apply a good beard conditioner afterwards for extra hydration. The brand Billy Jealousy is ideal for that as well.
Beard shampoo you don’t rinse out
There are also beard shampoos or beard washes that you don’t need to rinse out. These are actually a kind of dry shampoo for your beard. The Dutch brand Reuzel has the Beard Foam. That’s a kind of foam you apply to your beard and then you don’t rinse it out. It also provides a light hold with some shine, so you benefit from it all day long.
Conclusion
If you have a beard, then beard care is important. Especially if you also use beard oils or beard balms, you need to clean your beard properly. A beard shampoo is strongly recommended to keep both your beard—and the skin beneath it—healthy and well cared for. Particularly as your beard starts to get longer, it needs care just like the hair on your head.
A regular shampoo is usually a bit too harsh to use on your beard, so a beard shampoo is advisable. These are slightly milder and therefore more suitable for your facial skin. Fortunately, there are now many good beard shampoos to choose from, with different fragrances. There are also beard shampoos that you don’t rinse out.