How to Stop Beard Irritation: 5 Steps That Actually Work

November 16, 2023

How to Stop Beard Irritation: 5 Steps That Actually Work

By John, founder of Braw Beard Oils

You're growing a great beard. It looks good. People have noticed. Then the itch starts and it drives you nuts.

That jaggy, scratchy, under-the-skin irritation that makes you want to reach for the razor and call the whole thing off.

The good news is that beard irritation is almost always fixable and you don't need to sacrifice the beard to do it. Here are five practical steps to stop beard itch, from someone who's been through exactly this.

Why does beard irritation happen?

Before we fix it, it helps to understand what's actually going on. The most common causes are:

• New hair growth: when you shave, it leaves a sharp edge on the hair. As it regrows, those sharp tips scratch against your skin from the inside out. Multiply that by thousands of hairs and you've got a lot of itch.

• Dry skin: if the skin underneath your beard isn't moisturised, it becomes flaky and irritated. This is the big one.

• Ingrown hairs: hair that curls back into the skin instead of growing outward, causing inflammation and bumps.

• Beard dandruff (beardruff): dry, flaky skin that builds up under the beard. Itchy and not exactly a great look on a dark jumper. You can read more about dealing with beard dandruff here.

• Harsh products: cheap shampoos and beard oils loaded with chemicals and alcohol strip the skin's natural oils and make everything worse.

• Bacteria: your beard traps warmth, moisture, and dead skin cells, which creates ideal conditions for bacteria to thrive. When beard bacteria combine with flaky skin, irritation and inflammation follow. Regular washing is the fix.

The good news? All of these respond well to the right routine. Here's what that looks like.

Steps to Soothe an Itchy Beard:

Step 1: Trim regularly, even when you're growing

If you're growing your beard out, why would you trim it? Because regular trims remove split ends and stop your beard becoming wiry, rough, and difficult to manage.

Think of it like pruning a plant, you're not reducing its size, you're improving its health.

A good barber can also catch ingrown hairs early and give you personalised advice for your beard type. Worth the visit. Read more about how to grow a beard here.

Step 2: Use the right cleanser (this will seriously help stop flakey skin when growing a beard)

Most people wash their beard with whatever shampoo or shower gel is already in the shower. This is one of the biggest causes of beard irritation.

Regular shampoos have a high pH that strips the natural oils from your facial skin, the oils your skin actually needs to stay comfortable and healthy. Once those oils are gone, you're left with dry, irritated, flaky skin and a beard that feels like wire wool.

Use a beard-specific wash with a low pH instead. A good one will clean the beard and the skin underneath without drying either out.

Braw Beard Wash is formulated specifically for this it contains aloe vera to soothe and moisturise, and it's unscented so it doesn't interfere with your beard oil. Wash thoroughly, and rinse it all out, any residue left on the skin can cause irritation too.

Aim to wash your beard as often as you'd wash your hair. Every two to three days works well for most people. Your partner will thank you too.

Step 3: Keep the skin hydrated

Your beard is only as comfortable as the skin underneath it.

Drink plenty of water, the NHS recommends at least 1.2 litres a day, more if you're active or in a warmer climate. Dehydrated skin shows up in your beard before you even notice it anywhere else.

Beyond water, applying your beard oil daily is your best hydration tool. If you're prone to dry skin, a light, beard-friendly moisturiser on the skin around and under your beard helps too.

Step 4: Apply a natural beard oil daily

This is one of the most effective things you can do for beard irritation. A good beard oil does two jobs at once: it softens those sharp hair tips that are scratching your skin, and it moisturises the skin underneath. Perfect if you don’t like faffing about too much.

The key word there is natural. A lot of oils on the market are packed with chemicals and synthetic fragrances that preserve shelf life but irritate the skin.

Look for oils built around ingredients that actually work:

• Hempseed oil: deeply moisturising, adds a protective layer to the skin, and helps reduce redness and irritation

• Jojoba oil: mimics your skin's natural sebum, so it absorbs well without feeling greasy

• Argan oil: conditions and softens the beard hair itself

• Vitamin E: repairs damaged hair follicles and is a deep moisturiser for both hair and skin

Braw Beard Oils are built around exactly these ingredients. A few drops worked into a clean, dry beard every day makes a noticeable difference within a week.

Step 5: Comb and brush daily

Combing detangles. Brushing distributes.

Use a comb first to work through any knots, this alone removes a lot of the mechanical irritation caused by tangled hair pulling at your skin.

Then use a brush (ideally boar bristle) to distribute your beard oil evenly through every hair, and to gently exfoliate the skin underneath. That exfoliation is important: it clears dead skin cells, reduces beardruff, and keeps your pores clear so new hair can grow through properly.

Brush from the roots to the tips, and do it after applying your oil for best results. Read more about why you need a beard brush here.

A note on when to get advice for beard irritation

The steps above will resolve beard irritation for the vast majority of people. But if your irritation is persistent, comes with significant redness or swelling, or doesn't improve after a few weeks of good beard care it's worth speaking to a GP or dermatologist.

Occasionally there's an underlying skin condition like seborrheic dermatitis or a fungal infection at play, and those need professional treatment rather than a better grooming routine.

What to expect- how long does it take to stop beard irritation?

Some people notice a difference in a day or two. For others it takes a week or so for the skin to settle and the irritation to ease. Consistency matters more than anything, a good routine done regularly beats occasional heroics with expensive products.

If you want a simple morning routine to start with:

1. Wash with a beard-specific cleanser

2. Towel dry gently

3. Apply a few drops of beard oil and work it through

4. Comb to detangle

5. Brush to distribute and exfoliate

Ten minutes, tops. Worth every second.

What our customers say:

"I had dry flakey skin on my cheeks and after rubbing some of the oil in while using on my beard it's made it non-existent now." - Dean R.

"Add this to a freshly washed beard using Braw Beard Wash and you've got an amazing smelling, non-itchy and full beard that doesn't get clogged down like most other oils." - Jenksruss

Growing a great beard shouldn't mean battling irritation every day. With the right routine and the right products, it genuinely doesn't have to.

Any questions? Drop them in the comments or get in touch, always happy to help.

John, founder of Braw Beard Oils