Itching beard

Without a doubt, itching is the most common problem for men growing facial hair. This is mainly the result of the following 4 factors:

1. When shaving, the razor shaves off the top layer of skin (dead skin cells), clearing the way for whiskers growing out. When growing a beard, the layer of dead skin cells remains, forming a tough barrier for the whiskers to force. This itches.

2. After a few days of growing your beard, the whiskers curl downwards to scratch your face. This itches.

3. Your face needs to adjust the production of sebum (natural oil) to match the new amount of hair.
This itches.

4. Your skin needs ventilation. When growing a beard, it will get hot and humid at skin level, with little ventilation through the stubble. This itches.

The good news are that there a 3 simple solutions to your problem.

1. Brush you beard with a brush, even if it’s very short. The brush will distribute the skin’s natural oils evenly throughout the beard, exfoliate dead skin cells, and ventilate fresh oxygen down to skin level. Any hair brush with natural bristles will be good for this task. Avoid plastic brushes or dirty fingers.

2. Wash your face with EXTREMELY gentle facial wash, for example Dermalogica Ultra Calming Cleanser. Forget soap. Moisturize with an EXTREMELY gentle facial moisturizer, such as Dermalogica Skin Smooting Cream or Dermalogica Barrier Repair. Refrain from using body lotion on your face!

3. If it still itches, massage Aloe Vera Gel into the stubble to sooth irritation and reduce itching.

For the gentleman growing his facial hair, Gents recommends: