Keeping your beard clean is essential. Not only to ensure that it always looks fresh and well groomed, but also to prevent itching, dandruff, dryness and redness. A filthy beard will not only look unattractive, but also lead to a whole lot of discomforting.

Now, the big question is: how to clean up your beard? You might be thinking; how hard can it be to clean a beard? We agree that it might seem like an easy task, but a lot of men does it wrong nonetheless.

Therefore, in the following, we will guide you through, step by step, how to clean up your beard.

The first thing you should do to clean up your beard, is to wash it. Use lukewarm water to clean the bearded area. This will open the pores and enhance blood circulation allowing for a more effective wash.

Next, apply a small amount of beard shampoo in your hands and massage it into your beard. It’s extremely important that you do not use regular shampoo, but an actual beard wash. Remember, the hair on your face is not the same as the hair on your head, and should therefore not be treated as such.

Once the beard shampoo has been distributed in your beard, rinse lather out with warm water by running your fingers through the beard. Rinse the beard until all the shampoo is out.

After shampooing your beard, you can use a beard conditioner if you wish. Rub in the conditioner in the beard, let it sit for a while and then rinse it out. Using a beard conditioner is not mandatory, though.

Once you’re completely done washing your beard, pat down your beard with a microfiber towel. Avoid rubbing your beard dry.

Even though washing your beard is important, be careful not to over wash it. Over washing your beard is almost as bad as not washing it at all, as this too will lead to dryness and flaking. For most people, a wash once or twice a week is plenty.

Last but certainly not least, the last step is to style your beard. Styling your beard is actually an important step in terms of cleaning your beard as this process will straighten curly and tangled hair thus preventing ingrown hair. Furthermore, styling your beard will make it look thicker, fuller, healthier and of cause a lot more attractive.

Styling your beard with a beard balm, such as The Cruise Control from CPH Grooming, is preferred rather than using a beard vax. The reason for this is that a beard balm nourishes your beard, making it smoother and healthier. In contrast, a beard vax may leave your beard feeling sticky and greasy.

Therefore, always use a beard balm to style your beard as beard balms combines the moisturizing and health properties of oils with the styling and holding strength of beard wax.