Do Beards Itch?

[KodyWallice]

Ever since the onset of Covid 19, or Coronavirus (whatever you want to call it), I've seen so many men growing beards. I'm guessing that it's because many of them get to work from home during this pandemic. For some, they're just using this time as an excuse to finally grow a beard. A buddy of mine told me that since not a lot of face to face business is going on, he decided to grow a beard to see how it looked. He loves it.

My question is, do beards itch? I can't imagine they don't. I tried growing one once and it was awful. I got about two weeks in and I was ready to scratch my face off. For pretty much every minute of every day, all I could feel was the curled up ends of all the hairs on my face scratching my sensitive skin. I had to shave it off. I couldn't take it anymore. What can I do? I hear beards don't itch after a while, but I don't believe it. Any advice from bearded men would be appreciated.

 

[CraigHardy]

A normal healthy beard won't itch after one month. I can guarantee that. All beards itch for the first few weeks. I don't know one guy who didn't complain of an itchy beard when he first began growing it, but I also don't know one guy who has complained of an itchy beard after it's been growing for a while. I'm not sure why they itch in the beginning. Maybe it's because of the sensitive skin that's got new hairs growing out of it at length. Maybe it's something else. I do know that oils sit on the skin a lot more when there's a beard, so maybe the skin need to get used to it.

If your beard does itch after a month or so, it may be because of some other reason. Back when I first grew mine, I got all into applying beard oil and beard balm. Well, apparently my beard doesn't need those things because the effect they had on it wasn't good. For some strange reason, the castor oil I was putting on my face actually made the beard skin hurt. I know. Weird. So I stopped using that oil. It's a shame too because I liked it a lot. I would drip a few drops onto my palm and it was very thick and clear. When I would apply it to my beard, the oil would make the hair shine, which I liked a lot.

Anyway, if your beard still itches after a month or two, it may be that it needs to be washed well. Try applying apple cider or regular vinegar to your face and letting it sit there for a few minutes. That should clear and gunk out of there. Also, you might have some ingrown hairs that are causing problems. That's actually what make things itch in the beginning. Once the hair grows longer, it's no ingrown anymore. Just a thought. If your skin breaks out with acne because of the beard or any applicants you're putting on your face, obviously stop immediately. You shouldn't need to put anything on your beard. That's all sales for beard balm and oil. The oil I was putting on my hair actually made me break out too. It was bad and those little zits hurt!

Make sure not to over groom or use strange soaps either. These things can irritate your sensitive skin. And if you try all these things and you still experience beard itch, it may be because of bacteria or a fungal infection. You may need to see a doctor for this, but really, applying vinegar to the beard should make all that go away. Let me know if you have any further questions. And again, trust me. Just grow it out and let me know how it feels after a month. You need to push through that itchy period. You'll love it after a month. We all do and beards rule.

Oh, and one more thing. Don't spend all your money on beard grooming lotions and moisturizers. That's all bull. There are countless companies that now sell all this stuff and most of it is a rip off.

 

[CaptainDan]

If you only made it a few weeks, you definitely don't have the problems I'm going to discuss below. You're just dealing with the initial stages of growing a beard. All beards itch in the beginning. That's just part of being a man. I suggest you toughen up and push through it. Every single man you've seen who has a beard on his face has had to put up with the itch, so you shouldn't expect to be any different. And you can see that they've still got their beards, so they're obviously not itching anymore. We'd all shave them off if they were as terrible as you're describing. So get over it and let it grow.

Now, if your beard has been growing for some time and it still itches or if it begins to itch out of the blue, there are generally two reasons for this. First, it may be a cleanliness issue and two, it may be a medical issue. It's most likely cleanliness though.

You need to wash your beard every day. Beards are gross. Everyone knows this. They can start smelling and all sorts of stuff, including food, get caught in the mustache and beard. Even when I drink out of a glass, whatever it is I'm drinking gets caught in my mustache. Don't get me going about what happens when I blow my nose. Gross. It's a wonder why any woman puts up with us. Anyway, you can use regular soap or you can use special beard soap to wash it. Just be sure to suds it up every day and get it done.

When you wash, bathe, or shower, make sure the water isn't too hot or cold. That can inflame the skin under your beard. Also, there are some oils and lotions that can sooth the facial skin, so you might want to look into them. Some deal specifically with beard itch. If you shave around your beard in the future, be sure not to use any harsh chemicals or foams. These can irritate your skin as well and they won't do you any favors. And just remember, even after a beard has been growing for some time, trimming around it can cause that itch to return all over again. So expect that.

There are a few primary reasons why beards might itch out of the blue, after they've been growing for a while. If you experience this, you may need to look into these things. For some, you may need to see a doctor to get a prescription. The reasons are: ingrown hairs, Seborrheic eczema, Folliculitis, Pseudofolliculitis barbae, and Tinea barbae. I had Folliculitis once and I had to get some antibiotics from my pharmacy to get rid of it. It was on my arms though, but I do know you need a medicine to deal with that. Good luck.