You might have lost a bet to some of your friends, tried to impress a special someone, wanted a little change in your life or simply just got tired of shaving every other day.
Either way, you got on a journey to grow your beard out and for that, we salute you my friend, and welcome you to the dark side of the chin!
Unfortunately, as many women know, hair has its own will and needs some effort/training to fall in the right place but we are here to help you understand your beard hair better and also how to keep beard hairs from tangling.
How to keep beard hairs from sticking out?
In short, do these 9 things:
- Let them grow out
- Use scissors for trimming
- Invest in a high-quality trimmer
- Only trim clean and dry hair
- Retrim the morning after
- Comb and brush your beard
- Washing and conditioning
- Use products suited to your needs
- Exfoliate
If you want to learn exactly how to do all these things, and also answers to other crucial questions you may have about facial hair knots, beard tangles, and how to solve your problem forever, keep reading.
Why Beard Hairs/Facial Hair Stick Out?
As with many other physical traits, genetics plays a huge role in beard growth, how it develops over time and you can probably take a look or even ask around your immediate family.
That way you can get a better understanding of its shape, texture, and growing pattern or why your mustache and facial hairs stick out in arguably weird places or ways.
Apart from genetics, which is something you can’t do much about, let’s focus on some of your habits that perpetuate a fuzzy beard.
- Trimming your beard too often or too short is an amateur move. If you go over the top on trimming the mustache, chin, jawline, and temple area you may end up with more than expected wild beard hairs that stick out and are impossible to tame or lay flat.
- Neglecting to trim your beard is also a big no-no. Over extended periods of time, damage and breakage can occur, so when you don’t trim your beard frequently enough, even the coarse or curly beard hairs sometimes tend to develop split ends that stick out straight like a sore thumb, which is not aesthetically pleasing at all.
- Skipping your beard on your grooming routine can be detrimental. Not having a shower and post-shower ritual to deep clean, condition, and moisturize your beard and skin with products suitable for you can affect the ph balance, quality and health of them, all of which can lead to your beard looking disheveled and not laying flat and soft as you would wish.
- Having an unbalanced diet can mess with your beard. Malnutrition and dehydration can strip your body from basic proteins, vitamins, and minerals that can affect not only your vital organs but also your beard hair, making it frail and wild.
These were the most important things you should avoid but what you can actually do to prevent your facial hair from sticking out?
The Best Ways To Keep Beard Hairs From Sticking Out
As you can imagine from the previous points being made, we are now going to suggest some ways to keep your beard from tangling.
1. Let them grow out
When it comes to growing a beard, there is a fine line between neglecting to trim and overtrimming and you want to be right in the middle of it.
Ιt takes time, patience, and self-control to not fall in a never-ending circle of chopping every single stray hair but instead give it time to see how it behaves.
A good rule of thumb is to leave your facial hair unbothered for 4 to 6 weeks in order to get a good picture of its full potential. Bear in mind that even a couple of days and a couple of added centimeters can make a world of difference to the way it lays down and shapes your face.
2. Use scissors for trimming
Once you have reached that sweet spot where your beard is all grown out it is time for some “landscaping”.
Trimming scissors is an essential tool that provides you with all the control, sharpness, and precision you might need to reach even the hardest places a wild hair could be sticking out with the safety of knowing that you won’t have a patchy result.
You can see our best-recommended beard scissors here.
3. Invest in a high-quality trimmer
Having a quality trimmer that is ready to go at all times, will undoubtedly solve many of your problems. Make sure that the gaps between the comb’s teeth on the guards of the trimmer you choose are as small as possible to maximize your precision.
Another key factor is to always keep the blades clean and sharp in order to avoid ingrown hair, split ends, and loose hair from sticking out in general.
Here is our #1 affordable recommendation. You can also read our detailed review on it if you are unsure which one is the best trimmer for you.
4. Only trim clean and dry hair
Even though it may sound easier to trim your beard before or while you take a shower, it is a major mistake.
Dirty and wet hair are pressed up against each other and you will probably end up going too short. Instead, take a quick shower first, make sure to thoroughly dry your beard, and after you are done with trimming, hop in the shower once again to continue your routine.
5. Retrim the morning after
After a good night’s sleep, some hair will be set in place while others might have different progress. That is why the next morning will be a good time to do some touching up on any rogue hair (no pun intended) and perfect the shape of your beard.
6. Comb and brush your beard
This is a very important tactic that, if done regularly, will train your hair to grow out straight and lay down the way you want it to, among other things.
By using thick, tough brushes you will also manage to evenly disperse the natural oils on the whole length of your beard keeping it moisturized while simultaneously cleaning it from the dirt and sweat that has been accumulating throughout the day.
Furthermore, this whole process will increase the blood circulation in the area which will chain react hair growth.
Here is our top recommended beard brush.
7. Washing and conditioning
If this is your first time trying to grow a beard, you should wash and condition frequently but no more than two or three times a week because you will deprive your beard of the natural oils it needs to grow and you will end up with more stray hairs than you already have.
Conditioning will moisturize and nourish your hair and that is why you should start it from the first stages of your journey in order to prevent many wild beard hairs from appearing later.
You can use specialized or regular but mild shampoos and conditioners as both will get the job done almost the same way.
8. Use products suited to your needs
Choose between a variety of beard waxes, oils, balms, and pomades that cater to your hair type and needs, with beard oils being your best friend when it comes to hairs’ sticking out and keeping your beard healthy and fresh.
Related Post: Is Beard Butter The Best Beard Product?
Keep in mind that nut, seed, and plant-based oils should be preferred due to their high nourishing and organic nature while other synthetic-based products should be avoided because they have nothing but shine and weight to add to your hair.
You can see the cheapest but high-quality beard care kit here.
9. Exfoliate
Last but definitely not least, you should never miss out on a chance to exfoliate! By thoroughly scrubbing your beard and the skin underneath it, you remove the dead skin and hair cells, get rid of any clogged pores, and increase the blood circulation on your face.
That helps the positioning and growth of the hair follicles leading to a fuller and neater beard without knots.
How To Train Your Beard To Lay Down
Are you wondering what that means? Well, no matter the texture and shape, you can train your beard to lay down and grow towards a specific direction and the most important step is to comb and brush it every single day.
You will need a comb to untangle hair that might be intertwined and a boar’s hair brush to shape them into place. Keep your brushing strides short, simple, and in a downward motion and continue for one or two minutes. Repeat daily and like any other training, be consistent and make sure to not miss a day.
You can make the process a little easier than it already is by adding some beard oils that will help the brush glide with less difficulty and you can apply some balm or wax to “lock” the beard in place while you brush and give it shape.
Related Post: Should You Comb Your Beard Up Or Down?
This isn’t going to permanently straighten your hair rather than change the direction that your hair follicles have and condition them to grow a certain way, making it easier for you to manage and style.
Do Your Hairs Still Stick Out? How To Straighten A Beard
Even though it might sound like a fun idea to straighten your beard with a straightener, we would suggest you follow some guidelines and NOT make a habit out of it because the repeated exposure to extreme heat will damage your hair.
When it comes to the straightener, flat iron with small plates would be ideal to avoid burning since we are talking about the relatively small area of the neck which is highly sensitive.
In addition, titanium or ceramic are two of the best heat conductors in the market that don’t run the risk of frying your hair so choose a straightener with these kinds of plates plus an adjustable temperature system that will give you all the control you need.
Read Also: Beard Waxing: Is It Worth It?
Before you start straightening, make sure that your beard is dry and doesn’t have any products on it other than a lot of heat protection spray and as soon as you are finished apply some beard oil to keep it moisturized.
Here is the best beard straightener here.
Why Is My Beard Curly?
There’s a variety of reasons why a beard can become curly over time. The most important factor about that is genetics. Other reasons are the shape of hair follicles, environmental factors, and also dieting and eating habits.
Why Does Hair Grow Sideways And Not Downward?
Beard hairs and hairs, in general, grow in the direction the follicle is facing. There is not much you can do but shaving and brushing your beard in a specific direction can help if you do it for a long period of time.
How To Get Whiskers To Lay Flat?
Use beard condition and oil. Brush it towards the direction you want it to grow. Give it some time to grow to have more weight if you want it to go downwards. You can also use beard wax which is stronger than other beard products.
Final Words
Keeping your beard hairs from sticking out can be very challenging if you are not careful. In fact, most men that grow long beards have problems in keeping their beards untangled.
This is mostly because they think that they don’t have to do anything and the beard will always look good as time goes by. But, this is far from reality, to be honest.
We should take care of our beards on a daily basis and try to help them grow, be healthy, and strong.
The first step to keep beard hairs away from sticking out is to understand what you should avoid doing. Not trimming your beard or trimming it too much, not eating the right foods, and skipping your beard grooming routine are very crucial when it comes to sticking hairs.
Make sure you avoid doing these things. It is not that difficult after all.
Then, we discussed what you need to do to be able to grow a healthy, untangled beard. Trimming, cleaning, exfoliating, using beard products are just some of the things you should do on a regular or daily basis.
When you grow your beard for over 2 months, it will get out of control if you do nothing about it. Apart from hairs sticking out, it may not smell the right way, your hairs may split, it may grow in random directions and more…
Respect your beard and you will not regret it.
A well-structured, healthy beard can make you look really desirable or even …irresistible…So, don’t mess this up. It is for your own good, not mine’s or anybody’s else…
And..this was it with today’s topic…I hope you found it interesting and helpful. I did my best to answer this vital question and help as much as I could.
If you have any questions or you just wanna share your thoughts feel free to do it in the comment section below and I would love to reply.
Are you ready to keep your facial from tangling and make your it healthy and strong again? Take action now!
Until next time,
Stay safe,
Tasos
Tasos Moulios is the founder of Beardlong. He loves trying different beard and hair styles and blogs about them. The tips he shares come from his own experience and love for what he does.