Beard butter

[Sam]

I have a short gray beard that I clipper on a number four setting. With gray hair, they just seem to stick out rather than lay down. I’ve been using face lotion on it to moisturize the skin underneath, but that’s probably not the best thing to even do anything for the Beard. Beard oil would help with the face, but I don’t think it does anything for conditioning the beard. Anybody get any recommendations? I’ve read up on grave beyond shave and so I got a couple of 2 ounce tins, one is a gentleman blend, which is bourbon/vanilla and the other is a cigar blend. I don’t need as much hold but to tame the flyaways and so I think Beard balm would be too heavy?

[drmoss_ca]

I know more about Bore Butter than Beard Butter, I'm afraid. I should think that letting the hairs grow a little longer would help them lie flat, but I doubt that any of us know a lot about beard products here. Prove me wrong, you guys!

Chris

[CMur12]

Hi Sam and Chris -
I've had a beard for 52 years. It's all gray now, so it all behaves uniformly. Even so, the idea of applying any sort of grease or dressing to the beard has always been unsettling to me. (It would make it feel "dirty.")

I would also fear that adding anything like that, that would interact with the beard and the skin, would change the whole beard-skin biome. Chris could tell us if there is anything to this, as I am a linguist, not a natural scientist.

- Murray

[drmoss_ca]

When I grow a beard there's no hope of it lying flat. This is just before I shaved off the last one:

Shave My Face Please.jpg (180.99 KiB) Viewed 5836 times

[Sam]

Mine

[CMur12]

Sam, not a bad-looking beard!

I trim mine every morning for whiskers that stick out. Beyond that, mine may be a little more trained than yours.

I think your beard would look crisper if you shaved your neck, though resulting stubble could tear up your shirt collars if you have rapid growth.

- Murray

[Sam]

Murray. I brought the hair line up. I had a head shape on Saturday and I told the barber to go ahead and do a fade. I used to start my beard almost at the top of my ears, but he’s brought them down. He goes with a 1/2 clipper setting and then he goes to one and then the one and a half and two and he brought it down where it’s longer near the goatee. I kinda like to look of it. I’m still playing around with the taping as I have trimmers at home. I really brought the hairline up. Maybe more?

[CMur12]

Hi Sam,

The neck looks good. I haven't seen mine from that perspective, so I couldn't say exactly where the line is. There just seems to be a "natural" place for it to be.

Your beard does look more unruly than mine. I do little things to help train mine. After a shower, I dry my face and hair, then I use that wet part of the towel to rub down the beard in the direction I want it to lie. I can't say that would make any difference in your case, but it might be worth a try. I also comb my beard frequently and shape it with downward motions of my palms. Beyond that, I trim it every morning of unruly whiskers.

I've had my beard for 52 years now!

- Murray

[CMur12]

Sam, I have some other thoughts on the subject.

I train my beard right after a shower, when it is softer and more pliable from exposure to heat and moisture. I would think that any dressing you might try, would need to penetrate the whisker shaft and make it more soft and pliable. I don't know if any dressing will do this.

Another wild thought is to use hair gel. I have no personal experience with it, but I think that you would apply it and shape the beard while it is wet from the gel, then comb it out when it has dried, just before you leave the house. I've never tried anything like this, so, as I said, this is just a wild thought.

My thinking is that you need to get the beard trained (for the most part), after which a lighter regimen of maintenance, like what I outlined in my previous post, would suffice.

- Murray

[brothers]

Looks like beards are seeing more discussion than the removal thereof. Nothing wrong with that! In my case, I recall growing a full beard exactly 50 years ago and I still have clear recall of the morning I shaved it all off and haven't looked back. Shaving's too much fun. Long live beards!

[CMur12]

I beat you, Gary. I grew my beard over 52 years ago (early 1972), and I still have it!

I shave my neck, so I get the best of both worlds.

- Murray