That beard you’re rocking gives you a rugged, edgy look, my dude. But…on closer inspection, is that? Yep, it is. Beard dandruff.
Rugged out. Unkempt in.
The truth of the matter is that lots of bearded guys know a thing or two about flaky skin under their beards. No shame in it. If we’re being fully honest, though, beard dandruff is a little bit funny — all those snowflakes falling from your face.
But let’s go ahead and solve that flaky condition, restore your beard to its full glory. And listen, we’d like to make amends for making light of the situation with a quick tip right off the bat: Gel moisturizer for oily skin can go a long way toward fixing your mess.
What Is Beard Dandruff, Anyway?
Those flakes on your face are the same as the flakes on your scalp. More often than not, they can be traced to an itty-bitty little microbe called Malassezia globosa, a resident on everybody’s skin that hangs out and consumes the sebum your sebaceous glands secrete. The feeding frenzy leaves behind oleic acid, which many people have a negative reaction to. Their skin becomes irritated and gets all itchy.
And you can guess what comes next: yep, little white dandruff flakes.
Now What?
So what do you do about it, dudes? Well, basically, you just need to have a solid skincare routine and stick with it. You need to be doing all the things that beardless dudes need to be doing to keep their skin looking good.
The truth of the matter is dudes have an understandable tendency to simply neglect what they can’t see. And that skin under a thick beard — you can’t really see it, not unless you part those luscious face locks.
That skin ’neath your beard needs love, though. So let’s dote on it.
Exfoliate Your Way to Freedom
One of the surest ways to stop that snowfall from your beard is to get serious about exfoliation, a process that dips deep into the far reaches of your pores to extract dead skin cells, which your body sheds nonstop. The outer layer of your skin is basically born again once every damn month.
Dead skin cell buildup can result in dry skin and beard flakes. So you absolutely need to slough that mess right off your mug.
You can use a scrub or treat yourself to an at-home spa day with a charcoal mask. Either route will get you quite a bit closer to kissing those face flakes goodbye.
Don’t overdo it with the exfoliation, though. A couple of times per week should get the job done. Any more than that will likely irritate your skin, thereby defeating the purpose.
Keep Your Forest Floor Clean
Another standard cause of beard dandruff: irregular and improper cleaning.
You need to wash your face twice every day. And not with bar soap. You need a proper salicylic acid infused charcoal face wash. Washing your face with bar soap is an old-school, outdated method that fails to clean thoroughly, and it can lead to dry skin. Of course, we’ve already established that dry skin leads to flaky flakes.
Another pro-tip: Do not wash your face with hot water. That’ll also dry your skin. Don’t mess with cold water either. So what does that leave? Lukewarm. That sweet-spot water temp will give you max cleaning without drying you out.
Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize
We know how much it can suck to try and work lotion into the skin underneath your beard. It sucks so bad that most bearded dudes don’t even attempt it — a viscous lotion up against a lush beard is too much mess to mess with.
But moisturizing needs to happen. So what’s the answer? My man, you simply need to hook it up with that gel moisturizer we mentioned at the top of this article. Gel moisturizer is easily absorbed. It won’t leave you with clumps of white gunk in your beard — after all, what are we trying to avoid here? Clumps of white gunk in your beard.
So no more excuses. Don’t let that forest floor become a desert. Get the right moisturizer for the situation and use it every single day. Make a habit of applying moisturizer after each time you wash your face, which you need to make a habit of doing twice daily.
Stick with the Plan
You’re gonna get that beard dandruff under control. And then what? Well, you keep after it, or the snow will indeed fall again. Skincare is all about developing a proper routine and maintaining it.
What we’ve just outlined here are skincare basics that every dude should follow — from the baby-faced to the thickly bearded. One thing to keep in mind, as well: that glorious beard you’re rocking? You might decide to shave it all off one day. That beard might not be forever. But your skin most certainly is. So should you break out the razor and deforest, you might as well have some lovingly maintained, healthy skin to reveal.