How to Prevent Beard Dandruff (Beardruff)

Category: How To

Growing a beard is a labor of love! That’s because a fully-grown beard will take anywhere between 3 and 6 months to grow, and along the way there may be many parts of the process which can cause irritation, both mental and physical. One of the most common challenges is beard dandruff, otherwise known as ‘beardruff’.

Luckily, beard dandruff can be prevented, and in most cases, stopped altogether. Knowing it’s a common issue for many men, Cremo has asked its team of Barbers for their best tips and tricks to stop beard dandruff in its flaky tracks.

What causes Beard Dandruff (Beardruff)

There are 2 major contributors to beard dandruff: dry skin and fungal infections. Dry skin generally occurs when the skin under the beard has been washed with harsh cleansers or soaps. These products will clean your beard and the skin underneath, but they can also strip the oils from your skin and beard which keep it nourished and supple. Beardruff can also occur due to the environment: extreme cold and extreme warmth are both drying climates! Dry flaky skin is virtually impossible to avoid, it’s just one of those things all people experience.

Less common, but still a significant factor, is fungal infections. These occur when yeast that lives on your skin is deprived of sunlight. Sunlight normally kills or slows fungal growth, but because there is now a beard blocking the sunlight, the fungus grows and causes the skin to dry and flake.

How to Reduce Beard Dandruff: A Step-By-Step Guide

This particular beard issue challenge can be solved fairly easily. We recommend implementing some, if not all, of these steps into your beard grooming routine.

Wash your Beard
Condition your Beard
Dry your Beard properly
Brush your Beard
Use Beard Oils, Balms and other Beard Products
If nothing seems to be stopping the flakes, see a Dermatologist

Wash your Beard

Regularly washing your beard is one of the most important steps in how to get rid of beard dandruff. You do, however, need to make sure the product you use doesn’t strip away the natural oils from your skin and face. Regular shampoo and soap that you use for the hair on your head or skin, doesn’t cut it when it comes to washing your beard. Because beard facial hair is generally thicker and curlier than the hair on your head, you need a specific Beard and Face Wash. Beard and Face Wash is specifically designed for facial hair and won’t strip away your healthy and protective natural skin oils. Checkout our guide, "What to Know About Washing Your Beard".

“A lot of our clients come in and complain about beardruff. It is even more of an issue for people who wear a lot of dark colored clothing, as the white snowflakes collect just below the beard line. Alongside using a specific Beard and Face Wash, be wary of the elements in your environment. A lot of surfers complain of beard dandruff, and this is due to the sea water drying beards of their natural oils. Also, people who work in factories and busy cities will see the health of their beards affected by the dirt and dust and fumes of their environments.” (Anthony Perez, Man Up Barbershop)

Condition your Beard

Your beard needs some TLC just like any other part of your body. Conditioning your beard with a product like our Beard and Scruff Softener will add much-needed moisture back into the skin and beard. This helps facial hair grow healthier and keeps it from drying out. We recommend conditioning your beard at least once a week.

“Adding moisture to the beard can be an even more important step than washing it. We recommend many of our clients to moisturize the beard every day but only to wash the beard once a week. It all depends on what works for them and their beard types; trial and error with a good routine really helps prevent beard problems”. (Josh Flizada, StÍl Salon & Barbershop)

Dry your Beard Properly

Leaving your beard wet after a shower or a walk in the rain isn’t a good idea. Depending on the water’s ph level, it might dry your beard out and simultaneously encourage certain types of fungal infections. It’s also really important not to be too aggressive when drying your beard with a towel or hair dryer. Drying too long or with high heat can damage the hair follicles and, in-turn, lead to dryness. We recommend using the lowest setting for blow drying your beard. Meanwhile, using a towel to vigorously to dry your beard can damage the follicle root, which leads to breakage. So, be gentle and be careful!

Brush your Beard

Brushing your beard with a beard comb or beard brush not only feels wonderful but it also does wonders for beard dandruff and other beard problems. A brush will act as a great exfoliant and also encourages blood flow to the skin beneath the beard. It also allows you to assess how bad or good your beard dandruff situation is – think of your beard brush as an early beardruff detector. If you notice a lot of flakes while brushing, it’s a bad sign.

Use Beard Oils, Balms and other Beard Products

Natural oils, like the ones that your skin produces, keep your skin from drying out and act as an antimicrobial barrier. Replacing lost or missing oils helps you fight off fungus and flaky skin. Products that contain oils such as coconut, jojoba and sunflower have been proven to not only restore moisture, but they also prevent fungus from spreading. Products like Cremo Beard Oil and Cremo Beard Balm are packed with these oils.

“Many men neglect their beard. After years of washing their hair in the shower every day, all too many men adapt the same routine to their beards, even though over cleaning can lead to a seriously bad beard day. Beard Oil is the King of beard care products, they can be used not just for styling, but also for general beard health”. (Thomas Mitchell, 180 Barbershop) beard dandruff

See a Dermatologist

If you’ve tried all the above and you’re still having issues, it’s time to escalate the situation and go see a dermatologist or other medical professional. There may be an underlying skin condition causing the dandruff.

Best Beard Care Routine to Prevent Beard Dandruff

If you liked the tips above but want a routine to banish beard dandruff for good, try the following routine provided by Justin Bullock from Bolt’s Barber’s.

Brush your beard when you wake to start the day right. Brushing will nicely exfoliate the beard, increase the blood flow AND give shape to your beard, so you don’t look like you’ve just woken up.
Use a Beard and Face Wash specifically designed for facial hair. It’s most effective when you wash your beard at least every other day.
Hydrate your beard. There are a few ways to quench your beard’s thirst. Use a conditioner in the shower, like Cremo Beard and Scruff Softener. Or use some Beard Oil or Beard Balm, these can be applied to a wet or dry beard every day. These products not only give your beard the moisture it needs, but they also protect your beard from environmental elements.

Here's a few more beard care guides to help with your routine:

Cremo: Your Beard Dandruff Solution

The right beard grooming products really can help you solve the challenges of beard dandruff. So, equip yourself out with Cremo’s line of award-winning beard products and follow the routines and steps above. Beard Boldly, gents.