Guide to Cold Weather Beard Care

We are in the middle of Autumn. The colder weather is coming in and that means we can enjoy our beards keeping us warm and cozy.

If you are stepping up your beard game this season, remember that the cold temperatures and higher winds can create some grooming hurdles you need to watch out for.

While it can be stylish and practical to rock a beard during the winter, the low humidity and harsh temperatures will quickly dry out your hair and leave it open to the elements. This not only causes a raggedy looking beard but can also dry out your facial skin and leave it flaking or prone to the dreaded “beard rash”.

For all of us at JC Grooming, this isn’t our first rodeo. We have been through enough winter seasons to know exactly what to do! So, read on and prep yourself for the upcoming months and keep yourself looking awesome.

Use Common Sense

Your beard is a part of your body, so treat it accordingly. If your beard gets wet from snow, ice, or rain, wipe it off immediately to prevent it from drying out.

Also, it may seem counter-intuitive but covering your beard in situations where you are exposed to the elements is great. We wouldn’t push you to follow this when running out to the shops, but if you are going into the great outdoors or riding a motorcycle, wrap your beard up in a scarf or high collared coat to stop it drying out.

And of course, keep your beard combed, cleaned and groomed. Just like you do the rest of the year.

Combing is Key

Brushing your beard has a multitude of benefits. It keeps your beard clean, tidy, and in good form. It distributes beard oil evenly through your beard (goodbye, winter dryness). And did we mention it also stimulates circulation, promoting healthy beard growth?

The colder weather accompanies stronger winds. The changing of the seasons releases all sorts of things into the air that get blown around during the day. It can be beautiful to see those falling leaves blustering in the wind, but remember those same winds are blowing dirt and dust into your beard.

Combing should be done more frequently during the winter. Combing your beard gets rid of all the dirt and dust that can collect during the day – leaving your beard healthy to grow just like it does during the Summer months. Mixing that combing with a dose of beard oil is optimal care, and you should aim to do it regularly throughout the day.

Keep Cutting

As we mentioned, all that cold air and wind can damage your beard hairs. Split ends and dead hairs look bad and stop your beard from growing as fast as it should.

Investing in a good trimming kit and equipping yourself with the knowledge to trim and cut properly lets you rid yourself of unhealthy hair and keep your beard uniform.

If you are ready to break out the scissors but don’t know exactly what to do, check out the JC Grooming guides to trimming over on YouTube. See our guides on Trimming your Beard or Trimming your Mustache.

Conditioning

Just like the hair on your head, you need to condition your beard to keep it moisturized. Unlike shampooing, moisturizing is something you should be doing every day.

Cut back how often you shampoo to two times a week. Continue rinsing your face and beard daily, though, to remove superficial buildup. 

While showering, don’t be afraid to condition your beard, even when you haven’t shampooed it first. And of course, be sure to use a natural, organic conditioner – your beard and skin will thank you for it.

Conditioner should be your mainstay when the weather is crisp and cold. You should be using it on days even when you’re not using beard shampoo. Aim to condition your beard 3 – 4 times a week.

For top-ups during the day, a good quality beard oil is the perfect tool for the job. Beard oils deeply moisturize your beard and keep your hair and skin from drying out. Add that to a beard balm for leave-in conditioning and you can be confident in your beard all day long.

JC grooming beard oils soften the hair, moisturize your skin and condition the hair without clogging up the pores. We only use 100% organic, natural ingredients and essential oils.

Diet

It’s not something we think about too much. Our bodies normally let us know when to eat so maybe you haven’t given it a second thought. Really, our calorie intake should be slightly higher in the colder months.

Supplements a not a substitute for a good diet, and there is no excuse for having a diet good for your body and for your beard. Also, eating a delicious and nutrient-rich diet is ten times better than taking a multitude of pills every morning.

If you want to keep your beard looking awesome, then you need to understand the links between what we eat and how facial hair grows.

Your hair is made of proteins and if your body is healthy, it will produce its very own oils and fats to keep it moisturized and protected during the day. Using beard oils top up and reinforce your body’s natural oils so its recommended to keep your body in tip-top shape to keep production of these oils running as it should.

Aim for a healthy diet full of proteins, vitamins, and healthy fats. Vitamins are also important in helping the hair grow thicker and faster by providing the right balance of oils, boosting the immune system and improving blood circulation. This is super important in the winter while your body is battling the elements.

Don’t get your beard in hot water

When it’s dropping below zero outside and you just got home from a day of work – the first thing you want to do is get into a boiling shower before settling down for the night. That hot water strips your beard hair (and head hair) of its natural oils, that’s why people who take scolding hot showers are more prone to flaky, dry skin and an itchy beard.

Turn the water temperature down and use warm water when washing your beard. Not going too hot keeps the cuticles sealed while also opening up and cleaning your pores.

Grooming is the Cornerstone

Pay more attention to your grooming regime this winter. The best time to do this is right after showering – it’s when your beard is the cleanest and when your pores are most open to treatments.

A few drops of beard oil to moisturize, beard balm to condition and beard butter to protect and style is the corner-stone of any routine and a few tweaks can keep your grooming at the optimal level.

Beard balms act as a lock-in, all-day use conditioner that you can apply at any time. Increasing how frequently you use balm as it gets colder is something your beard will thank you for. Beard balm gives you a little more volume and makes the beard look thicker. If you have a thin, patchy or misbehaving beard, you need to have it in your grooming kit.

As a final touch, good beard butter is amazing. It helps style and protects your beard all day long. Using natural, organic beard butter is like making a brick wall between your hair and the elements.

All of JC Grooming’s beard oils, balms and butters are natural, organic and perfect for keeping you looking good this season. Check out our store to see what all the fuss is about, or see the JC Grooming Variety Kit – which lets you instantly tailor a grooming kit for your needs.

We hope you had some fun reading a few things about beards that you didn’t know before. 

• For more great articles, we update the JC Grooming blog every week.
• If you like a more visual guide to beards, you will love the videos over on the JC Grooming YouTube channel.
• To get more tips on grooming or to keep up on what’s happening at JC Grooming, we invite you to join the family on our Facebook, Instagram or Twitter channels.