Secret Pro Tips To Keep Facial Hair In Check

Love it or hate it, facial hair is having a moment. On the red carpet we’ve seen everything from sleek stubble to scruffier styles, carefully groomed to I-woke-up-like-this laissez-faire. “I often compare facial hair to makeup for men,” says Toronto-based content creator Ashkan Hobian. “It has the power to change someone’s face dramatically.” 

Like hair, a beard can be a confidence booster. It can also become deeply tangled in someone’s identity and hold a lot of emotions. “Whenever I have to be clean-shaven, I feel like I’ve lost a part of myself,” Hobian, who has been sporting a combination of mustache and stubble regularly for over six years, says. And, in the same way a “breakup haircut” ushers in a new beginning, growing out facial hair can mark a major life change. 

When he left the army after 14 years of service, Kevin Leboeuf was excited to grow a beard for the first time. “It was horrible—it was itchy and dry and flaky,” he recalls. Determined to keep his “freedom beard,” Leboeuf and his wife founded Educated Beards—an all-natural line of grooming products crafted to tackle the plethora of skin issues that can arise when growing and shaving facial hair. 

Over the past few years, Leboeuf has noticed a significant increase in his customer base, which spans all ages and facial-hair styles. The one thing all his clients have in common? They’re interested in shaking up their beard-care routine to look and feel their best. And it’s not just the homegrown Fredericton brand that’s feeling the love—the grooming industry is booming. By 2028, it’s estimated that it will be worth US$115 billion, up from $80 billion in 2022. Education around skincare ingredients and cosmetic treatments on social media and beyond has contributed to a shift in how men approach grooming, with more focus on the skin beneath the beard, says Dr. Bimpe Ayeni, a plastic surgeon in Newmarket and founder of skincare brand Blair & Jack. 

As Leboeuf experienced, growing a beard can be an irritating experience—pun intended. A good grooming regime helps avoid the itch—and it all starts with getting the basics of shaving down pat. Celebrity barber Vince Garcia, Dior Sauvage’s grooming ambassador, recommends leaving it to the pros whenever possible, as most people struggle with keeping lines sharp and straight when shaving. A barber can also help figure out the most flattering style and length for your face shape. “However, it’s important to be able to upkeep and maintain your beard at home between appointments,” Garcia says. “You never know what can come up.” 

At home, it’s a good idea to ditch the convenience of a disposable five-blade razor in favour of an old-school, single-blade safety razor. “It allows you to adjust how [aggressive your shave is],” explains Leboeuf. To prevent irritation, shave in the direction of the hair growth using a slick soap or foam, and avoid going over the same spot twice. For upkeep, Hobian swears by the Philips OneBlade styler. “It comes with an adjustable comb so you can get the exact results you’re after.” 

Next, invest a little bit of time and money into skincare. If you want to grow a healthy beard, caring for the skin underneath is crucial. “You have to manage the two together,” says Dr. Ayeni. “The foundation has to be there for anything to grow.” A simple three-step routine to cleanse, hydrate and gently exfoliate is effective and easy to incorporate into your day. 

“Taking care of your beard is very much like taking care of your scalp,” notes Hobian. To avoid a cycle of sebum build-up, dryness and irritation, it’s important to wash the hair, as well as the skin. The hair on your face typically is coarser than on your head, meaning it can be a challenge to get to the skin beneath. Using a hydrating face or beard wash, part the hair every centimeter or so and lather up, making sure it reaches the skin. Ideally, this should be done every day, especially if you hit the gym. 

And as tempting as it is, Leboeuf warns against using shampoo to cleanse your beard. “Your scalp produces a lot more natural oils than your face does. If you strip away all that oil from your beard and skin, it causes breakage, split ends—and it gets really itchy.” 

Once the skin is clean, it’s time to hydrate. This is where beard oil comes in, though Leboeuf says it’s a misnomer. “It’s not for your beard itself, but for the skin—it replenishes the oils lost during washing.” Educated Beards’ own powerhouse hydrator is packed with jojoba, argan, sweet almond and grapeseed oils, leaving the skin soothed and the hair stronger, healthier and softer. Garcia loves the Dior Sauvage serum to keep skin hydrated all day without leaving residue in coarse facial hair. For those with longer beards, a balm is a good way to provide extra moisture and control fly-aways. 

Many men who grow beards—and those who prefer a clean-shaven style—get painful bumps when they shave, particularly on their neck. Those with coarse, curly hair are especially prone to this type of irritation, which happens when a follicle gets trapped underneath the skin and curls on itself. To solve this all-too-common issue, which her own husband experienced, Dr. Ayeni developed Blair & Jack’s bestselling Anti-Bump Treatment, a formula made with azelaic acid to soothe and prevent inflammation. 

A boar bristle brush also comes in handy and works double duty. Not only does it help distribute oil evenly throughout the beard and break up any moisturizer clumps or residue, it also plays a role in exfoliating the skin and preventing painful ingrown hairs. The bristles get rid of dead skin cells, which can “promote hair growth and also allows skin to absorb more oil,” says Leboeuf. Used daily, it also trains the hair to grow downward to prevent a bushy-looking beard down the road (just remember to clean and dry the brush often). For longer beards, a comb is essential to untangle knots. Start from the bottom and work your way up to avoid splitting hairs. 

Whatever your go-to beard style, a little TLC goes a long way. “When you look good, you feel good,” Dr. Ayeni says. —Andréanne Dion