It takes one word to potentially irritate both your skin and your day: acne. Acne is a common side effect of bad shaping habits and other genetic factors. So if you’re willing to start taking your beard care routines seriously, pimples won’t stand a chance.
Ingrowing Beard Hair and Acne
Anyone who is growing their beard after regularly shaving has a high chance of dealing with ingrowing hairs, especially if you have not been shaving the right way. Some of you guys tweeze them outwards, pop them with your fingers, or what’s worse, shave them . You have to know when these acne cysts develop, they might lead to severe scarring, causing bumps on the surface of the skin . At this point, it’s the trial and error approach because every skin is different. Now, if your skin was already prone to pimples from your teenage years and way before you decided on growing your beard, know that the process will require daily maintenance and a huge commitment from your part. If you’re up for the challenge, keep reading.
Overcoming beard acne
Eat well
Make sure you are eating healthy meals. Lack of iron and protein in your diet can make it difficult to grow hair and can actually cause hair loss and irritated skin. Also avoid processed food, white bread, fast food, and high sugar intake meals as they encourage pimples.
Wash
With the right beard soap, wash your face on a daily basis with mildly warm water to help your pores breathe. Be gentle as you don’t want to worsen your acne. Growing a beard means you’ll produce dead cells that get trapped in your facial hair, hence the irritation, which is why washing it with a natural high-quality soap is essential.
Comb and brush
Combing and brushing the beard decreases acne breakouts as beard hair that is oily or dirty tends to curl back towards the skin, causing cystic acne. This type of acne is typically painful due to the inflammation involved. Grow the beard for a month to minimize the risk of ingrowing hairs due to regular shaving and comb it as it grows using a beard comb that won’t break your hair. Brushing with a boar bristle brush on the other hand will serve as as great exfoliate. The bristles reach the skin to clean any dead skin, food residue, and dandruff which might be causing the acne to behave so nastily. The combing movement will produce natural oil for your skin and sooth it in the process.
Moisturise
Ah! Our favourite part. A natural beard oil has natural antibacterial properties and will not only moisturize but treat acne and dry skin under your beard. As one of the most important steps in fighting beard acne, watch this video and explore other awesome benefits of beard oil.
It is important to note that if your acne persists and severe breakout occurs, you must consult with your dermatologist to make sure that there are no medical causes behind your acne.