SMF

I know this might be anathema to the general spirit of this board but here goes.

I'm growing a beard - a great big bushy white Santa Claus one with any luck. I know I can grow a decent tache so thought 'why not?'

Now before you all run away screaming I thought I'd ask for combined knowledge of the board a quick question.

On the beard forums and Internets the general consensus is that a beard should be kept lightly oiled - usually with Jojoba or Coconut Oil.

My question is, would the oils, lotions and potions sold by the Three Ts and D R Harris serve the same purpose? I know they are mainly for 'styling' but if they are light enough could they work? Plus the scents (especially #74 / Eucris) would be a big plus.

Of course I could just email the companies and ask them, but as they are in the business of selling their products they are bound to say 'yes, of course, our stuff is great ... buy lots of it'.

Any pointers?

Leaving the face brillo comments aside Vinny, why would you oil a beard?

Squire wrote:Leaving the face brillo comments aside Vinny, why would you oil a beard?

Daily face-washing (with soap & water) will dry the beard out which leaves it more prone to split ends and breaking.

Well . . . I gotta admit Vinny, that thought never occurred.

I had a beard, both full beard and a van dyke for almost 15 years before I got back to traditional wet shaving. Never ever used an oil on it. Just kept it clean each day as I washed my face. Neither was a big Santa type beard though. With that type of beard I would assume that you should shampoo it often. Most good shampoos these days will provide the necessary "nutrition" for the beard to remain healthy. Just be careful and not spill food on it. Gotta check that constantly. Never know when you have an important meeting or something and you go into it with a clump of food on your handsome beard!

So, does anyone sell a beard conditioner?

Squire wrote:So, does anyone sell a beard conditioner?

There are products out there marketed 'for beards' but my guess is these will just be 'normal' shampoo.

I don't really want to go down the regular shampoo / conditioner route as I reckon that might be a bit harsh on my beautiful face.

Never oiled my beard when I had one (circa 1983). I used to like the feel of it after washing - it became softer. Eventually it had to go as I had two spots of trichotillomania where I absent-mindedly plucked the hairs out. No doubt I enjoyed the endorphins.

Chris

drmoss_ca wrote:Never oiled my beard when I had one (circa 1983). I used to like the feel of it after washing - it became softer. Eventually it had to go as I had two spots of trichotillomania where I absent-mindedly plucked the hairs out. No doubt I enjoyed the endorphins.

Chris

Blimey.

I must admit when I've let my wife loose on my eyebrows with a pair of tweezers, there's a moment when I think "OUCH! Please Miss, can I have another?!?!"

Not to be gross or uncouth, but try plucking nose hairs!

Sam wrote:Not to be gross or uncouth, but try plucking nose hairs!

Now you're talking.

Must be connected directly to my tear ducts.

Ugh, Joe, come back!

Vinny, So, you let her? My wife menaces my eyebrows with her twizzers from time to time but I refuse to let her. Besides being painful it just doesn't seem 'right' somehow, and the excellent barber I now have agrees ( a female BTW ), no plucking, only trimming says she. So, I hold my wife and her nasty twizzer device at bay and tell her she can trim all she wants but absolutely no plucking! Regarding the beard issue I'm really not sure. The only time I had a beard approaching the dimensions you're contemplating the last thing I was concerned about was grooming ( it's a long story ). I know that in the latter 19th c. it was common for more upper class gents to lightly scent their beards with eau de cologne or similiar. I can't imagine why the products you're considering would in any way hurt a full beard. Might be worth a try.
Regards,
Gordon

I am also of the trimming-yes-tweezers-no camp.

The tweezers thing isn't a regular happening in our gaff.

It's more like flicking someone with a towel.

You don't ask for it ... they just ambush you.

I am not even a fan of the ladies going with the tweezers. Something about obviously penciled in brows, but that just a thing with me. SWMBO is a true blonde too...which means though she does not pluck them out... she does require a little color. She executed it very well might I add.

Men...for the love of all that is masculine...Just say no to tweezers!!!

Squire wrote:Leaving the face brillo comments aside Vinny, why would you oil a beard?

So it won't squeak!

While no one I know with a beard has ever mentioned using oil on it, several of them have mentioned using conditioner to keep it from being tangled or too rough.

A few guys do use mustache wax on their mustache but no oil.

That being said: hair is hair. If an oil or pomade works on hair on the head, it should work on hair on the face. I'd just start with a really light touch and realize that oil/pomade on a beard is likely to get on other things (possibly staining a shirt or jacket).

Hi Vinny -

Brent's advice seems sound to me.

I have worn a beard for over 40 years. Jojoba shampoo works especially well with my scalp, so I shampoo my beard with it, also, but I have never applied any additional product to it or my hair. I do on rare occasions use jojoba conditioner on my hair, but I have never applied it to my beard. I can't imagine applying oil to it.

I keep a neatly trimmed beard now, so there are, of course, no split ends. In my younger days, when I let the beard grow much longer, I was never aware of this phenomenon, either. In fact, I have never heard of split ends in a beard. I never felt the need to do such a thing, but it occurs to me that if you were to groom a long beard vigorously with a brush on a regular basis, it might increase the likelihood of the ends splitting.

- Murray

Who cares about split ends anyway? What does that mean and how is it in any way deletirous? Sounds kind of like a girly thing, or something dreamed up by a marketing consultant. Do lumberjacks sit around discussing and worrying about such things? We're probably waaay ahead of the curve on this concept. I strongly support the concept of growing the big bad bushy beard, and more power to you! But why all the up-front anquish about cosmetic products? Just let the thing grow and enjoy every day of it, one day at a time. This'll take many months and probably years to get it like you want it. Forget about expensive treatments, just shampoo it regularly and enjoy the show as it comes in and starts to take on a life of its own. As time goes by, you'll have time to consider any number of things, except shaving it. Sit back, let it grow, and chill out! That's my two cents.

As the spiffing chaps over at lumberjacks.com/forum don't discuss things like "what's the best rose scent" or "what would Oscar Wilde shave with" I thought this forum would be the best bet for girly advice.

As it is, split ends are basically hairs that have split down their length, thus halving their strength and making them more prone to breakages.

Might not be an issue if you've got a fantastic barnet on your swede, but if you only have a 3" beard you could be in trouble if its snapping at 1". You've lost a couple of month's growth just like that.

This is a problem with particularly dry hair ... and I had guessed that washing / shampooing would dry the beard out so assumed (correctly as it happens) that oils such as Jojoba / Argan / Coconut might help and was looking to see if any of the nice stuff from the three Ts and others would be comparable.

As I've since discovered the Trumper's stuff contains mineral oil (which is the last thing I need near my beautiful grid) I think I'll give them a miss.

Many thanks to all for your insightful and encouraging contributions to this thread.

Appreciated.