Dandruff is an embarrassing problem to have. Imagine meeting a beautiful woman and thinking you’ve hit it off only to look in the mirror and realize you’ve had little white flakes on your shoulder the whole time. If you’ve got darker hair, it can make the problem feel 10 times worse than it already is.
What men are often surprised to learn is that their beards can get dandruff, too. You might wonder what causes it and how it happens, but what's even more important is figuring out how to get rid of beard dandruff for good.
Why Does My Beard Have Dandruff?
Tackling the problem starts with figuring out what might be the cause of your dandruff. The reasons vary from person to person, but here’s a quick list to get your troubleshooting process started.
- Microbes: Everyone has Malassezia globosa on the skin. This is a naturally occurring fungus that feeds on the oils secreted by the sebaceous glands on your face and scalp. The fungi irritate some people’s skin, which leads to flaking.
- Hormonal Changes: How much oil your sebaceous glands produce comes down to hormones. If they secrete more oil than usual, then the fungi can speed up the natural process that causes your skin to flake off.
- Stress: By itself, stress does not trigger dandruff. However, it can cause other changes in the body that lead to dandruff or make it worse. One such factor is its effect on hormone production in the body.
- Genetics: If you’ve nicked yourself a few times with a razor, you’ve seen firsthand that skin regenerates itself. This happens more quickly for some people than others and can lead to excessive flaking.
- Dry Skin: If your skin doesn’t get enough moisture, then it can speed up the flaking process as well. Some people have naturally dry skin. Others may get it seasonally, such as with high AC usage in the summer and from harsh dry air in the winter.
How To Stop Beard Dandruff
Now that you know what causes beard dandruff, what can you do about it? You don’t want to be stuck with those unsightly flakes in your beard forever.
- Wash Your Beard
Oil buildup in a dirty beard can give fungi a good meal to help them get out of hand. Washing your beard often and thoroughly helps to eliminate this problem. Washing also removes the suspended particles of dandruff hanging out in your beard.
- Exfoliate the Skin
When you have dandruff, the last thing you want to do is increase the number of skin flakes coming off your skin. But oddly enough, that’s exactly what you need to do sometimes. Using a facial cleanser with exfoliating properties can really help to get to the skin and remove the dead cells that flake off into dandruff before they get the opportunity to embarrass you.
- Get a Good Brush
If your beard is full and thick, then a facial scrub will have a hard time making its way to your skin. Because of this, some men use a brush to help with the exfoliating process. A brush also comes in handy when you’re trying to get rid of those suspended particles you started noticing. If you’re not able to give your beard the good wash it needs, the key is brushing without touching the skin. Touching your skin with the brush will draw more dead skin into the beard.
- Moisturize
Both beard oil and beard balm make great options for moisturizing, but one might work better for you than the other. Experiment with both options and see which one suits not just your beard, but also your skin. If your beard dries out and you have no products readily available, spraying it with some water can tie you over for a while, but oils and balms make much better long-term solutions.
- Reduce Stress
If stress is what’s contributing to your dandruff problems, then work on eliminating it. Some stresses in life are unavoidable, and quitting a high-paying job so you can have the world’s greatest beard might not make the most sense. But finding ways to manage your stress is always the better, healthier option. Try meditating. Work out more often. Take some time to yourself daily. Move away from stressful connections whenever possible.
Keep Fueling Your Beard
Learn more about natural products and what you can do to make your beard the best it can at Wild-Willies.com!
