I've owned and operated a typically male body for going on five decades now, and I get a lot of complements on my personal appearance, especially my beard. I get an equal number of questions about what products and techniques I used to keep my face and plumage looking and feeling great. This is going to be part one of which I'm sure will be many to come, as I'll eventually cover beard shaping, styling, and maintenance, but for now let's focus on keeping everything above your shoulders clean and healthy.
First off, let's talk skin care. Yeah, yeah, it's not exactly like our grandfather's sweated this stuff, but you know what? A lot of our fore-bearers looked 60 in their 40s, so look where that got them. You don't have to spend 100s of dollars to meet the bare minimums so let's get started.
Let's start with a clean face. Now, you can go the route of buying a huge bottle of 6 in 1 body wash, or god help you, bar soap. But they you'll have a dry and flaky face in the winter, and a greasy shiny one in the summer, and who wants that. Not me. I really like Effaclar by La Roche-Posay. It's got a neutral smell, and does a good job of exfoliating and preventing acne. One bottle lasts me months. I just use it in the shower, rub it in for a few seconds, and rinse it off.
Now that our face is clean, let's protect and moisturize it. I love Jack Black's Double-Duty Face Moisturizer. They key thing about moisturizer is it has to have at least a little sunscreen built into it. The sun is a burning ball of nuclear fire that hoses down the Earth with radiation every minute it's baleful glare is visible in the sky, regardless of weather or season. Since your face is almost always exposed, before you step out, slather a few squirts of this on. It makes an incredible difference in how your face feels, and plays a huge difference in how old your face looks. I started using moisturizer with SPF in my mid-30s, and I wish I'd started in my teens. Take note young men! But it's never too late to start, and keep what youth an elasticity your mug has got. I like that it has a very neutral smell, so it's not going to cover up or compete with any scent you'd like to add when you're getting ready to go.
Let's talk hair! Oh, wait, I don't have any. Guess you're going to have to go ask The Other Guy for help on this. He's got great hair, and don't tell him I said this, it looks and smells real nice.
Let's talk beard! I have my father's genetics, which means my beard is thick as hell, but it's gone prematurely grey. I was about 50/50 salt and pepper by my late 30s, and now it's about 90% snow white. And while I'm looking forward to my Santa Claus era, I'm just not quite ready for it. I've tried various beard dying solutions over the course of the years, but a few years back I found the ideal solution. Since we have a healthy Gen X and elder Millennial audience, you guys might be about ready for this option too if you're not ready to give in to grey. It's Just For Men's Control GX Grey-Reducing Beard Wash. It's stupid simple. You just wash this into your beard, wait, 2-3 minutes, then rinse it out. It's a gradual process, which takes a few weeks to start noticing a difference, but that's a good thing! First, it won't be some shocking thing when you walk in on your friends and co-workers with a shoe polish black dye job. It also isn't overpowering, it allows the natural shades and variations in your beard coloring to come through. Use it daily or every other day until it gets to where you want it, then just use it every so often when it needs a bit more color. It also lasts a long time, so well that sometimes I can go without using it for a week or two. There are various shades available and hair types available, the one linked is the one I use for me.
IMPORTANT! Some people have mild to severe allergic reactions to dyes, so make sure to follow the included safety test for 24 hours before you slather this all through your beard. Secondly, especially when you're using this every day, you gotta watch or it'll start dying your fingernails the same shade as your finger nails, which is made of the same substance your beard is. So unless you want that, wear gloves! If you're using it just once or twice a week, you can skip that, but be sure to thoroughly wash your hands after you rinse. Also, don't be a slob, make sure you splash off any that gets on the sides or the shower or tub so it doesn't leave any stains.
Now let's talk keeping your beard clean. I don't shampoo my beard every day, I just rinse it. I think it's good to keep a little of your beard's natural oils and whatnot in there, and I don't want to accelerate stripping my color out. But if you're not dying and you've got greasier skin than me, you might need this more often. Back when I shaved, I was a huge fan of Cremo Creme's products, and I love their All-In-One Beard Wash. It's got a nice, pleasant, mild masculine smell, and it'll leave your beard clean without being too aggressive. You also don't need to use a lot, a shockingly little amount will have your beard squeaky clean, so it tends to last me a long, long time.
I do condition my beard almost every day. A lot of guys, especially when they're in the growing out stage, puss out on attaining beard glory because "it's too itchy". Hogwash! You just need to condition that thing. I use a few different ones. My favorite is probably Viking Revolution's Spiced Vanilla Beard Conditioner. Vanilla is one of my favorite scents, it complements a lot of the other scents I wear, and this does such a great job of relaxing and softening my beard. Squirt out a generous amount, work it through your beard, and leave it on while you're washing your body, and rinse it out the same time you do your bod. As long as you leave it on for a minute or so you're golden. Viking Revolution makes lots of different scents and formulas, so if vanilla isn't your thing you've got lots of options.
I also really like Wild Willies PROGROW Fortified Beard Soft, too. It contains biotin and caffeine, which like, okay? Supposedly it thickens your beard, but my genetics have been set to "FULL SASQUATCH" since I was like 16 so I couldn't say. But it works great for softening and keeping your beard touchably fluffy. It also has a great smell, kind of a peppermint/eucalyptus blend. It's also thin, and not as viscous as your typical conditioner, which makes it easy for you to work it in down to your roots and skin.
Now, if I've had a brutal day of surf and sun, I like to bring out the big guns. OGX Norishing+ Coconut Milk Conditioner. This isn't even specially designed for beards, but it's super thick and does a good job of "resetting" your beard chemistry after you've abused it by soaking it all day in sea or lake water, or when you're in the "every day" phase of beard coloring. The one I use has a coconut smell which I find great, especially in summer, which is when I'm most often using it. It's also the cheapest option, for what it's worth. All you folks with a full head of hair, it works great for that too.
Stay tuned for further guides in the future!