The average guy or gal has no clue of the work that goes into growing a healthy, thick beard and maintaining the highest quality look. Beard experts know that from the moment you decide to allow facial hairs to sprout on your face to the day you achieve your ultimate beard goals, acquiring the ideal beard grooming kit is a must-have for establishing a beard maintenance routine.
Beard grooming kits are an essential must-have for growing and maintaining your beard. Beard kits contain the right mix of products that help keep your beard growth and styling practices on target to generate a bit of beard envy.
What’s In a Beard Grooming Kit?
Your beard grooming kit should contain products that help you to groom your beard and skin. Your kit will have products that help to perform one or more of the following tasks:
- Establishes moisture
- Conditions your skin and facial hair
- Shapes your beard
- Cleanses your skin and helps to manage skin conditions
- Helps to establish control
Grooming kits will vary depending on the seller. Performing a bit of research to get a sense of what is available in different brands will enable you to determine which kit best fits your needs.
Beard Oils
The first product you are likely to read and hear about when it comes to proper beard care is beard oil. Beard oils, like JC Groomings Beard Oil, contain an exceptional blend of essential oils and carrier oils. The combination of essential oils and carrier oils help to keep the skin beneath your beard safe from the perils of skin irritation and inflammation. They hydrate your beard. Beard oils are a necessary must-have from the start of your beard growth journey because they reduce the frequency of beard itch and ingrown hairs.
Beard oils are an excellent supplement for your natural sebum oils. Sebum oils function as a natural moisturizer and healing agent for your skin and facial hair. As your beard grows, your sebum oils cannot keep up with the demand. Beard oils help to fill the gap and add a layer of protection to your skin while moisturizing your follicles.
Beard Wash
The next product you should ensure is in your beard grooming kit is a beard wash. Beard washes are not the same as your everyday hair shampoo. Beard washes are specially formulated to cleanse your skin and beard without stripping those facial hairs or drying your skin.
Most beard washes contain a fantastic blend of natural ingredients like shea butter and essential oils such as tea tree oil, argan oil, coconut oil, and other soothing oils that heal and cleanse the skin. Your beard wash should not contain any of the following ingredients:
Phthalates. Phthalates provide fragrance to many hair products and give shampoos their “gel-like” structure. This substance can affect male fertility.
Parabens. Hair shampoos are notorious for containing parabens, which have a reputation for preserving shampoos. The role of parabens is to protect the product from mold or bacteria growth. Parabens can enter your skin and wreak a bit of havoc on beards, causing them to become frizzy and dry.
Sulfates. Sulfates are responsible for the suds we keep an eye for in our shampoo. These compounds can be identified on shampoo labels as sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, and ammonium laureth sulfate. Sulfates are also irritating to the skin and extremely damaging to your hair.
As you inspect your beard wash in various grooming kits, you want to avoid products that contain these ingredients so that you do not inadvertently damage your skin or beard.
Beard Conditioner
You have heard of beard washes, but did you know beard conditioners are another formidable product for beard care? Beard conditioners are an optional product for your beard grooming kit, but they are a fantastic supplement for your beard wash.
There are two types of beard conditioners in the marketplace today: leave-in beard conditioners and rinse out beard conditioners. Beard conditioners are another beard care product that can help relieve skin irritation, dryness, inflammation, and beardruff. They are incredibly useful when combined with beard oils, beard balm, and beard butter.
Beard Balm
Beard balms act as a leave-in moisturizing and conditioning product for your beard. Beard balms contain the following four ingredients:
- Carrier oils
- Beeswax
- Essential oils
- Shea butter
Beard balms offer a wealth of benefits for your beard. Beard balms protect your beard from the external elements known to disrupt beard hair structure, including temperature swings, too much time in the sun, and wind.
Beard balms also help to solve itchy beard problems and beardruff. If control and styling is a problem, beard balms can help you to tame your beard thanks to one of its core ingredients, beeswax. Beard balms help cure the problems of fuzz, frizz, and random fly-aways that can detract from a thick beard’s quality.
Beard Butter
Beard butter is another form of a conditioning agent that can help you restore softness to your beard and nourish the skin beneath your beard. Beards enjoy a good butter. This product helps to rejuvenate your beard and promotes a fuller appearance.
Beard butter such as JC Grooming Beard Butter contains natural ingredients such as jojoba oil, argan oil, amla oil, shea butter, and mango butter. These ingredients work well together to infuse moisture and boost vibrancy.
Beard Brush
Products are just a baseline for a beard grooming kit. You need the tools that will help you style and help to take your grooming game to the next level. Beard brushes help you evenly distribute the products you use in your beards, such as beard oils and beard balms.
Beard brushes help to restore order, but they are also an exceptional exfoliant. They help to stimulate blood flow to your face. The beard growth cycle depends on adequate circulation. Poor circulation can cause your beard to thin or trigger a patchy beard episode.
Beard brushes also enable you to manage the texture of your beard. Regularly using a beard brush can help loosen curl textures a bit, which supports a fuller look.
Ideally, your beard brush should be that which s made of boar bristles. Boar bristle brushes contain tiny fibers that distribute beard products from root to tip in your beard and retain beard oils, which further contributes to a balanced distribution of products.
Beard Combs
Beard combs are another essential item to look for in your beard grooming kit. Beard combs, much like beard brushes, help keep those pesky beard tangles at bay. Additionally, beard veterans indicate that they can help to prevent ingrown hairs.
Beard combs assist in the distribution of beard oils, balm, and butter from root to tip. They have a wide-tooth comb design that enables them to easily travel the length of your beard hair, keeping painful snags and breakage at bay. They are exceptionally durable and, with proper care, can last for many years. Most beard combs are comprised of a wood that allows them to soak in the oil and support the adequate distribution of those oils.
You do not have to worry about static electricity with these styling tools, and they help prevent frizz from taking over your beard.
What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Having a Beard Grooming Kit?
There are multiple advantages to having a beard grooming kit. First, most kits are created by a single beard product company. Having a beard kit that contains products from the same company helps ensure there is a culmination of results. Ideally, because they come from the same manufacturer, they should work well together.
A significant disadvantage of using a grooming kit occurs when you need to replace a particular product, but it is only available in the kit. Having to spend an excessive amount of money for an entire kit to gain access to a single product can be frustrating. Additionally, some companies have a gift for marketing. Always do your research before investing in a grooming kit. Trial and error are part of the beard game, but be mindful of what equates to a good deal.
In Closing
Beard grooming kits are an excellent way to get moving down the path to growing a thick, healthy beard if you are just starting out. For beard experts, they can serve as an encounter with trial and error and testing out new products. There is much to consider in selecting a beard kit.
Whether you choose a beard grooming kit for yourself or a friend or family member for the holidays, take the time to do the research. Are you getting the best bang for your buck from this kit? Does it contain the necessary products that will support ongoing beard growth and maintenance? If there is a need to replace a product, how easy is it to purchase a single product vs. repurchase the entire kit? Keep these things in mind, and you will find success.
