Beards come in all colours, shapes and sizes, one difference between beards is that some beards are straight, and others are curly. If you do have a curly beard, then you have a little bit more work to carry out if you want your beard looking its best.
Why Do Some Beards Grow Curly?
Genetics
Some beard hairs grows straight. Some hairs grow with a slight kink. This kink can become more pronounced as the hair grows longer and lead to the overall appearance of the beard looking curly.
Damage
The other reason that a beard will grow curly is if it is damaged. It may become damaged because the beard hairs have dried out and stiffened into a curl. Dryness can occur when; there is a lack of oil (natural of beard oil), or using shampoo designed for the hair on your head.
Benefits Of A Curly Beard
If you have a straight beard then you don't really have any other choice but to keep it as it is, you can't really do much in the way of curling it. However, if you are blessed with a curly beard, then you have a 2 choices; you can keep it as it is, or you can straighten it.
Although many people do prefer a beard that is made up of straight hairs, there are many people that also prefer a curly beard. Did you also know, that curly hair (and so a curly beard) is a sign of youthfulness? So don't despair!
A curly beard will also bush out and add a lot of volume to your beard, which can be useful in covering up any patchy areas you may have.
Downsides Of A Curly Beard
Okay, so here are the dreaded downsides of your curly beard. Firstly, since the hairs are curling up, it gives your beard the appearance of beingshorter, since the hairs are not laying at their full length and are 'bunching up'. This means it will take longer if you wish your beard to grow to a certain length.
The second downside is that all these curls create little pockets within the beard, and you may find that crumbs and other food particles can get caught up within these pockets, and so your curly beard will tend to be dirtier than a straight hair and require more grooming.
Because of the way the hairs grow, a curly beard is more likely to get knotted and this will add a little extra work to your beard grooming routine.
Caring For A Curly Beard
You'll need to make sure you're carrying out the appropriate steps if you want to ensure that your curly beard is kept nice and healthy.
Use A Comb Or Brush
To keep your curly beard in tip top shape you will need to establish a beard routine that tackles the various problems that can occur when growing a beard, especially when yours is a curly beard.
The must for every beard routine is brushing or combing. Doing so will help to stimulate the hair follicles into growing, brush out anything that shouldn't be in there and help to spread the oil that naturally occurs across your beard hair.
To find out more about the benefits of using a beard comb, and a guide on how to do so, then click here to read our guide.
Use Beard Oil
A curly beard will be thick and dense with lots of air pockets, you may find that this means it dries out easier than other beards.
Although combing and brushing will help to lubricate your beard naturally, you may find that it just isn't quite enough. To ensure that your beard is fully oiled and protected from drying out you will need to use a high quality beard oil.
Just a few drops of beard oil applied correctly will keep your beard healthy and hydrated.
For more information on beard oil, click here to read our guide.
Use Beard Shampoo
As stated earlier, a curly beard will trap more food particles. It is therefore important to use shampoo regularly to keep it clean. But wait! Don't use any old shampoo, the stuff you use for the hair on your head is too harsh for your beard.
We recommend you use a shampoo that is designed especially for beards. You can check out our own beard shampoo here.
Straightening A Curly Beard
After reading through this beard article you may be wishing you could do something to help straighten out your beard, well the good news is that there are a few things you can do to help combat the curls.
The first step is to step out the shower (once you've washed your beard!) and to dry your beard with a hairdryer, as you dry your beard with the hair dryer make sure you are combing your beard out.
By doing so you are combing the hairs out to their full length and using the heat from the dryer to help set the hairs at their full length.
Once your beard is fully dry you can also this optional step, assuming you have access to a hair straightener, use a hair straighter to straighten the hairs fully.
However if you do not have access to a hair straightener then no worries, your beard should be looking a lot straighter anyway.
The final step is to use a bit of high quality beard balm to help set the hairs into their new straight position.
Doing this is not a permanent fix to a curly beard, but it can help to keep your beard looking straight and longer if done on a regular basis.
So there you have it, a few tips on how to deal with your curly beard. Well Groomed Wizard for Well Groomed Men.