Beard Your Best Black Man
For African American men with beards, its difficult to find grooming techniques and tools that fit their hair type. Most men of color have 4C type hair. Also known as kinky, coily, or afro textured, its more course than the other types and is the most delicate and sensitive. When wet, the hair curls up into tighter coils. Although showing off the most shape when properly maintained, it can often be hidden due to shrinkage. Shrinkage for Type 4C hair is about 75 percent greater than other hair types. Once the beard has been moisturized or has been introduced to water, the coils curl back up. Detangling ensures proper maintenance and loosening of curls so you can maximize your beard volume.
1. Moisturize your beard daily.
Moisturizing your beard every day is necessary to prevent breakage. No matter the climate, your beard follicles deserve more than a splash of water from the shower each day. Water is essential to soften your beard and prepare your hair to accept product. There are many types of moisturizers, including leave-in conditioners, oils, creams, etc. Your beard journey is your beard journey, and each one of us must make the effort to embark on our path and decide what works for you.
2. Protect your Beard from environmental factors
Extreme heat can damage your beard, drying out your hair and causing unnecessary breakage. Unwanted heat can be applied through heated beard straighteners also, as typical tools can reach temperatures of up to 450 degrees. Although many newer heated straighteners have built in protectors, continuous and excess heat leave your beard brittle and your skin underneath dry and flakey. This can lead to dandruff (or beardruff), patchiness, and split ends. Air particles, food, and bacteria can also build up within the beard if not properly cared for. Whenever you can, make a point of protecting your hair from these elements, as you are also protecting your skin from the same.
3. Your Beard is What You Eat
Your diet also matters when it comes to the health of your beard skin and hair follicles. Healthy diets contributes to healthy looking hair. Drinking plenty of water ensures proper volume in your blood vessels for good circulation.
4. Exercise
Exercising does a few things to help with beard health. First, it ensures proper blood oxygenation and flow to your beard. When you exercise, your body demands more oxygen , so your heart pumps more blood and your lungs take in more oxygen and to meet this demand your blood vessels relax through a process called vasodilation. This is what it means when people mention "increased circulation". The purpose of vasodilation is to increase blood flow and nutrients to the tissues in the body, including your beard. Secondly and most importantly, exercising boosts testosterone and DHP in the body. Your beard has testosterone receptors and some men have hair follicles are more sensitive to the more potent form DHP in the body. These hormones are responsible for making the beards thicker, courser, and longer.
5. How are you distributing the product through your hair? If you are using a boar brush, you may be stripping your beard of moisture opposed to sharing the love to all of your hair follicles. Check your brush bristles after you finish grooming. If your beard consistently feels dryer after brushing, you either need to upgrade your beard grooming tool or obtain a beard balm/butter that isn't water based. Check the ingredients list on the back of the package. 9/10 Manufacturers will name Aqua (water) as the first ingredient.
6. Apply your beard care products in the right order: Water, Leave-in conditioner/moisturizer, oil/butter based balm, and oil to seal the deal.
What I've learned is that if you apply the cool water to your beard first (I would recommend spraying enough to have the hair 30% wet). It is up to you, but I prefer cool water over warm water. Your beard skin will already react to the water on general but I realized applying warm water softened my skin too much and made the surface sensitive and open to scratches and abrasion when brushing my beard. Cool water from a spray water bottle gets the job done. After that, go to your leave-in conditioner. Most out there are water based. Like dissolves like (chemistry principle) but basically it means apples to apples in a solution's capability to mix. In this case the water flows with the water-based moisturizer since it probably also has some form of oil in it. Then you can apply the beard balm/pomade. The application at the end will allow this balm to dissolve and smooth out like buttercream afterwards. Leaving your beard soft and distinct, every strand coated and shiny.
7.Co/Wash your beard 3 times a week.
I generally wash my beard every other day. However, the conditioner is always best to use to wash with instead of shampoo but it encourages moisture by its nature, while shampoo dries your beard out upon rinsing.
8.This one is for free: Do Your Thing. Bearding takes time.
You've got to be your own Bearded GOAT. You must water your garden. Your hair is what you've got. You can't grow any plants without seeds and the necessarily elements. Take care and nurture your beard with some moisturizers, and beard balm/oil at the very least. Utilize the proper beard grooming tools to enhance your beard and allow it to grow to new depths. Put your best beard forward and take the same approach with life and your endeavors. Bearded GOATS aim to give you some time, power, and peace of mind.
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