The curly beard, one sees it as a blessing, the other as a curse. A typical case of 'the grass is always greener on the other side'. Men with a soft, woolly beard often prefer a more robust beard, and men with an unruly beard want a soft beard again. But don't worry, if you have a curly beard, at least you have the option to straighten and soften it. Of course you have to know how to smooth your beard. Time for hints.
Why does my beard curl?
It is first equally important to see what exactly is the reason for your curly beard. Often it is just genetic, a matter of luck or bad luck. It may be that your hair follicles are not symmetrical, so that the hairs that grow out are oval. And you already get it, the longer those oval hairs become, the more they curl. It is also possible that you get curly hair from hair follicles that are symmetrical. This in turn has to do with a specific type of keratin that is not evenly distributed in your hair follicles.
If it is not genetically determined, then there is a good chance that your beard hairs (and the underlying skin) are very dehydrated. When your beard is between medium and long, the use of good care such as a beard oil, beard shampoo and beard balm is unavoidable. With proper care, your hair will grow healthy and look its best.
How to straighten your beard
As we mentioned briefly, the great thing about a curly beard is that you can straighten it again. You can approach this in different ways, but if you want to go all out, you can try all the tips below.
Wash your beard
It always starts with taking good care of your beard. The care naturally starts with keeping your beard clean, which you do with a good beard shampoo. Not only is this a big part of personal hygiene, but it will also encourage your beard to grow as healthy as possible.
Wash your beard a maximum of 2x a week with a beard shampoo. The skin under your beard produces sebum and this is important for keeping your hair supple, so you don't want to strip that sebum from your skin too much.
If you have a good (and preferably natural) beard shampoo, it will contain many ingredients that support sebum production and give your beard hairs extra nutrition to grow healthy. The start of a straight beard.
Soften your beard with a beard oil
A beard oil is the holy grail among beard products. When your natural sebum production will not be enough, beard oil will support you. Your beard is also well protected against nicotine, smog and other external influences.
Many formulas of different beard oils contain natural oils such as almond oil, coconut oil, hemp oil, etc. These oils ensure that your beard (and the underlying skin) is well cared for and hydrated. Straightening a beard starts with proper hydration and therefore beard oil is extremely suitable for this.
Use a beard brush
To distribute the beard oil properly, it is important to use a good beard brush. Do not use this if your beard is still too wet! Wet beard hairs are very vulnerable because the hair scales are still open. So make sure your beard is dry enough.
You should brush your beard daily in the right direction. It may take some time, but eventually your beard will learn to remember which direction you try to push it over and over again. It is also an option to use a soothing beard serum with this. Different beard serums have the wonderful effect of making your beard smoother and softer, especially in combination with a good quality beard brush.
Blow dry your beard
It may take some getting used to blow-drying your beard, but it really is the very best tip there is for curly beards. The heat from a hair dryer will be able to adjust the direction of your hair. Of course, make sure your beard hairs are well protected before you get started with heat.
Let your beard air dry first and use some beard oil. Spread your beard oil well before you grab your hair dryer. Make sure you put the hair dryer in a direction in which you want your beard to stand and brush it well with a beard brush. The beard brush provides extra smoothness and softness, while the blow dryer moves your beard in the right direction. A golden combination for getting a straight beard.
Style your beard with a hair straightener
When all fails, use a hair straightener. A what? Yep, a hair straightener. This is really for the die hard tomboy beards among us. Using a hair straightener is not our first choice, but it can still be really effective if nothing else works. Don't use a hair straightener without a heat-resistant spray, because a straightener can do a lot of damage if you don't use it correctly.
If you want to use a hair straightener, always make sure that your hair is dried with a hair dryer. If your beard hairs are still wet and you're using a hair straightener, you're basically just frying them. Also use a small hair straightener on a low setting, as it better suits the texture of your beard hairs.
Once you have made all the preparations, grab your beard hairs with the pliers and start styling from just under your skin. That way your beard hairs will stay in this position.
Use good products
And last but not least, use the right products! A beard with curls needs more strength than a soft beard and that is why you will also have to use other products.
Use a good beard balm or beard wax that can handle your coarse, curly hair. These products will lock your hair in the way you style it until you wash it again. Be sure to use good products after, for example, blow-drying or styling your beard. A beard balm or beard wax is not only great for styling your beard, but also supports the care of your beard and the underlying skin. And as you know, that is really the beginning of a straight beard.
Straightening a beard can be tricky, but certainly not impossible. We hope you have gained enough new knowledge to get started. If you still have questions, please feel free to contact us. You know where to find us!