As a writer and bearded guy with ten years of experience dealing with scruffy and itchy beards, dealing with beards in hot temperatures prompted me to try different ways to calm shabby beards during the heat of the day. I’ve been sharing my bearded ways ever since.
Beards continue to be regarded by some as an oddity, a vanity or outright proof of uncleanliness. They are associated with uptown hipsters, biker gangs, and wannabe rock stars. Despite all that, beards continue to grow in popularity among young men everywhere. They fascinate and attract attention, and are great conversation starters.
For many of us, hot weather means putting away the bulky winter clothes in favour of something more breathable and lightweight like linen or cotton. During the summer we usually opt for things that keep us cool and breezy.
This is also true for facial hair. Many people think that beards should be shaved in the hotter months because they irritate the skin, catch all sorts of unwanted stuff, and in general prevent the face’s skin from breathing.
But actually, it’s the opposite – beards can be quite beneficial, and can even keep you cool during the summer.
Why keep your beard during the summer?
At first, blush, having extra facial hair might not make sense when it’s scorching hot outside. Beards can make your face feel warmer and the skin beneath it itchy. You might get what’s called beard dandruff, not to mention all the food and detritus that can get stuck in there.
At the same time, having a beard during the summer protects the skin underneath from getting dirty. It also protects it from the ultraviolet rays, according to a study in Radiation Protection Dosimetry. Many guys report that having a beard during the hot days has a cooling effect on the face.
Keeping your beard neatly trimmed during the summer takes a little time and a bit of effort. To effortlessly maintain a healthy-looking beard, try the following tips and techniques.
How to maintain your beard during the summer?
Keeping your beard healthy and strong during the hot days sounds like a lot of work, but it really isn’t. A bit of persistence following these few handy tips will ensure that even in the hottest months your beard will be well-groomed and strong.
Wash your beard daily
Lots of nasty things float in the air. And unfortunately pretty much all of them will land on your beard at some point. It’s important to wash your beard of the pollen and lint that may land there, as well as to remove any dead skin hiding beneath it. Washing your whiskers will eliminate any bacteria lurking inside the facial hair, thus preventing the skin underneath from getting infected. It will also remove last night’s leftovers, and will make your beard soft and clean.
Here’s a tip from expert dermatologist Dr. White from DryScalpGone.com: “Before you take a deep dive in the ocean, pour fresh water on your beard to prevent it from going dry.”
Don’t forget to moisturize
Washing your beard is important to keep it clean, but it’s not enough to prevent the skin beneath it from getting dry, or the beard getting scruffy. You need to moisturize it every day. Beard oils are your best friend here. They moisturize and soften your beard, and help you fight unpleasant itchiness and beard dandruff. Among other things, beard oils can also block ultraviolet light, so applying them right after you wash your beard will protect your skin from the elements and any unwanted dirt.
Exfoliate beneath the beard
Your face has all sorts of things glued to it that are invisible to the naked eye, such as tiny salt and mineral particles that come out of your pores. During the hot summer days you sweat more, which leads to your face shedding more dead skin and salt. A good warm shower will remove all that nasty stuff from your body, but without a good scrub, they will stay under your beard which will get itchy.
Summer swimming can also cause irritation. Dr. White explains: “Your skin might get itchy during summer because of the chlorine in the swimming pools. Once it gets through your beard, it makes the skin underneath dry.”
Good exfoliation can prevent all those things and clean the skin. Make it into a daily routine to splash some water onto your beard. That will soften the hair, then follow that with a thick brush to scrub any dead skin beneath your beard hair.
Trim your beard carefully
Depending on your personal style you might let your beard grow longer, or keep it short and neat. The constant exposure to the elements might leave it a bit shabby. That’s why it’s important to learn how to take care of your beard. This includes a little trim every now and then to keep it in shape and to prevent that irritating itch that comes when you leave your beard unkempt for a little too long.
Sometimes a light trim can do wonders, especially during the summer. Try trimming the moustache line to get the hair out of your lip; no one likes to watch the stache dip into your soup or barbequed ribs. It’s advisable that you cut off dead and split ends if you forgot to moisturize throughout the hot and cold days. If the situation becomes too irritating and you keep finding yourself with a hand on your beard every five minutes, consider lighter beard styles. A shorter beard not only looks good but saves you from that constant scratching. However, even with a shorter beard, you need to have reliable beard care products that will help you maintain an awesome beard.
Getting the best from your summer beard
Beards aren’t a seasonal affair. Both fashion-driven and ordinary folks keep beards even in summer. If you – like us – think that the beard is a natural extension of one’s personality, don’t shave it off just because of the scorching sun-rays outside. Instead, take extra-care by following the above tips.
Maintaining a strong and healthy summer beard does take a little more work. But if you incorporate the above steps into your morning routine, you’ll notice that they don’t take much time, and the results are quite visible. Nothing feels better in the summer as a neatly trimmed beard. We are sure it’ll make men jealous and get women’s attention.
Have a tip for us? Let us know in the comments below.
Author
Christian Antonoff
Bio: Christian lends his beard and writing skills to Independent Fashion Bloggers. He has worked as a journalist and is passionate about overpriced speciality coffee. In his spare time, he loves to attend exhibitions of art he doesn’t get.
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