Beard Dandruff: The Beard Grower’s Guide
Beards have never been so popular but today, the fashionable trend has given rise to a new problem – beard dandruff.
What is beard dandruff?
It’s condition identical to dandruff in your hair that causes white flakes to appear in your facial hair. They are caused by a microbe, present on everybody’s skin, called Malassezia globosa.
So, all you need to be at risk of beard dandruff is a beard, plus a sensitivity to oleic acid. Considering more than 3 billion people in the word have that sensitivity, it’s pretty common.
But don’t worry – it’s easy to tackle dandruff in your beard with the right beard care routine and a shampoo that works on dandruff.
STEP 1
Wet your beard – just like you do with your hair, start off with a wet beard.
This helps to soften the hair and loosen any dirt and grease in your beard.
STEP 2
Apply an anti-dandruff shampoo. That’s right – the same shampoo you’d use on your head, like Head & Shoulders.
There’s no need for a special beard dandruff shampoo here because beard dandruff is caused by the same thing as dandruff in your hair.
Lather the shampoo into your beard before rinsing off. The lather containing skincare ingredients penetrates through your beard to your skin to protect & moisturize it.
STEP 3
Condition your hair and face - if your beard is more wiry, adding a conditioner can help soften the beard hair. Head & Shoulders anti-dandruff conditioners are a great choice, since they condition both the beard and face.
By choosing a Head & Shoulders conditioner you’ll not only be moisturizing your whiskers, you’ll be tackling the flakes too.
STEP 4
Dry off your beard – it’s best to do this with a cool blow dry or towel dry rather than using a hot hair dryer, since this can dry out your skin and hair.
It’s helpful too to pat your beard dry to get rid of as much water as you can beforehand.
STEP 5
Moisturise and style as normal - many people choose a beard oil or balm to add softness, shine, and style to their beard.
Oils work to lubricate the hairs and add shine- and they won’t interfere with the dandruff-fighting protection of Head & Shoulders.
COULD IT BE SEBORRHEIC DERMATITIS?
Beard dandruff shares certain symptoms with seborrheic dermatitis, a similar condition which tends to show more severe symptoms.
They have the same cause but people with seborrheic dermatitis react more strongly, with more intense flaking patches, which may be yellowish in appearance, and could appear on the chest, back, face, and scalp.
If you notice flakes, the easy way to check is to treat dandruff first and if it doesn’t go away, check with a dermatologist to see if it could be seborrheic dermatitis.
