4 Signs That You're Using Too Much of Your Beard Product (And How To Get Back On Track)
Too much of a good thing turns your beard greasy, flaky, and heavy. However, the good news is that using too much of your beard oil or butter is actually one of the easiest beard problems to fix once you know what to look for. Let's walk through the four signs that you're using too much product so you can dial things back and let your beard breathe.
What Are The Signs You're Using Too Much Beard Product?
The four massive indicators are a greasy feeling beard, clogged skin underneath your beard, flakes, and a beard that droops or just looks off. When you see these clues, it means your facial hair and skin simply can't soak up any more beard oil or butter.
Here are the clues to look out for.
A Greasy, Wet Feeling Beard
A healthy beard has a natural looking shine or a very soft matte look to it. However, if you run your hand through your beard and your fingers start to feel slick or oily, that's a clue. And if that wet look is still there hours after you got ready, its another clue that you've gone overboard with your beard care products.
Clogged Skin And Breakouts Under Your Beard
The skin under a healthy beard makes its own oil. However, when you pile on extra beard oil or butter, it actually starts to trap dirt and dead skin right against your face. The dirt and dead skin then can turn into beard acne, itchy patches, and angry red bumps. If your skin is acting up under there, your product load is a good place to start looking.
White Flakes And Residue on Your Beard
When your beard care products don't soak in, they can dry into little white clumps that look a lot like dandruff (we call it "beardruff"). You'll notice it sitting along the hair instead of disappearing into it. When a beard product is hanging around rather than getting absorbed, it's a clear indicator that you're using too much of it.
A Heavy, Drooping Beard
A beard with just the right amount of beard care product still has movement and life to it. If you use too much, though, the whole thing starts to feel weighed down and droops. So, if your beard lost its natural bounce, it is another sign you need to dial it back.
Why Does Too Much Product Hurt Your Beard?
Using too much of your beard care product smothers the skin underneath and drags your hair down. All that buildup blocks the airflow to your skin. It also slows healthy beard growth, and hardens the product in to a barrier that blocks moisture instead of holding it in.
What Happens To Your Skin's Natural Oils?
Your skin has sebaceous glands that pump out natural oil to protect your facial hair. When you flood your face with external oils, your skin gets a signal to stop making its own sebum. This process creates deep dryness once you wash the surface product away.
The Cycle of Over-Applying Grooming Products
Using excess product traps you in a cycle of surface greasiness and underlying skin dryness. You can read about the 5 things you should stop doing to your beard to fix other common grooming habits that ruin your skin health.
How Do You Clear Out Beard Product Buildup?
To clear out beard product buildup, you must wash your facial hair with a sulfate free beard wash, rinse with warm water, and brush the damp hair with a wild boar bristle brush. This specific combination breaks down stubborn wax and oil layers without stripping natural moisture.
Follow these 3 steps to remove the excess gunk:
-
Wash the facial hair using Live Bearded Beard Wash to dissolve the heavy oil accumulation.
-
Rinse the hair thoroughly with warm water for 60 seconds to clear all loosened residue.
-
Brush the damp beard with a Boar Hair Beard Brush to pull out remaining trapped particles.
How Much Beard Product Should You Use?
The correct amount of beard product depends on your beard's length. A good rule of thumb is to measure it out like this:
-
Stubble beards require 2 drops of Live Bearded Beard Oil daily.
-
Medium beards (under 3 inches long) require 4 to 6 drops of Live Bearded Beard Oil daily.
-
Long beards (over 3 inches long) require 8 to 12 drops of Live Bearded Beard Oil to hydrate the skin underneath.
-
We also recommend applying around a nickel sized scoop of Live Bearded Beard Butter applied afterward to keep the hair soft.
-
Adjusting Your Daily Product Usage
If your face feels dry, you can always add a small amount of extra oil, but you cannot easily remove excess balm once it sits in your facial hair. Most guys who overuse a product also tend to struggle with grooming tools, so you can read about the 7 beard trimming mistakes every guy makes to keep your lines clean.
How Do Live Bearded Products Help You Avoid Buildup?
Live Bearded products help you avoid buildup because they contain natural, lightweight plant carrier oils like jojoba oil and argan oil that match your beard's natural oils. These specific ingredients work to absorb completely into the hair cortex within 15 minutes of application instead of sitting on the surface.
On the opposite side, synthetic ingredients use chemicals like silicone to fake a healthy looking shine. These chemicals coat your hair permanently and block out the moisture, which then causes heavy buildup. Our products use natural products to feed your facial hair without leaving a greasy surface shell.
To close this out, watch how your facial hair reacts to your daily beard care routine and adjust your dosage when you need to.
Live Brave. Live Bold. Live Bearded.
