Stop Washing Your Beard!
Ok, so that’s not exactly a hard and fast rule.
When it comes to how often you should wash your beard, there are many variables, schools of thought, suggestions and disagreements. I wash my beard with a mild “beard” soap every 2 or 3 days or so. But there are some weeks I wash more and other weeks less. I wash my beard with at least water every day just to rinse out any crumbs and to help with styling. It’s really one of those things to where the best advice is, “Try the suggestion and then adjust as needed.”
However, here are a few guidelines you could follow.
Harsher, chemical additive soaps and shampoos have a tendency to strip away the natural oils (sebum) from your skin and hair. These oils are good to keep your hair and skin from drying out. If you use harsher soaps, especially too often, you may develop dryer skin and beard hair, causing dandruff, itchiness and a difficult to manage beard. Adjust by using a milder soap or washing with soap less often
The opposite could also be true. If your facial skin and hair seems to be too oily, you may need to wash with soap more often. But it could also be that you may just need to up your washing regimen. While the natural sebum oils may help to keep you from drying out, this is also may create a habitat for bacteria. The lack of a thorough cleaning can allow the bacteria build up to cause acne, sores or other unwanted effects. So a good cleaning with soap on a regular basis will help keep your skin healthy and free of microbes.
So how do you keep your beard conditioned and not dried out while using soap on a regular basis? Well, as just stated, keep it clean for a healthy amount of natural oils to prevent the skin and base of the hairs from drying out. And then this is where beard oil comes in. You don’t have to slather a large liberal amount of oil against your skin if it is already healthy, just work the oil through the rest of your beard, that is not as close to your face, all the way to the tips where the natural oils aren’t getting. I do make sure I get the oil against my skin, but never an amount that makes me “feel oily”.
Other things to consider:
If you get a little too carried away while eating spaghetti or a plate of nachos, then wash your beard.
If you have a job that causes you to get your beard filthy every day, then wash your beard.
If you have a cold with a runny nose, I would suggest washing that beard too.
Everyone’s beard is different whether it be the length , coarseness, density, etc., and everyone’s life style is different too.
So, try out some of those suggestions (or any others you find on the Internet), and then adjust as needed.