I’ll be honest:
When I started to grow out my first beard, I didn’t know what I was doing.
I didn’t understand the straightforward concept that growing a beard took both persistence and patience.
But it didn’t end there – as it got longer, it started to take on specific characteristics and growth patterns as well.
Check this out:
For nearly every single man on the face of this earth, one of the more common traits when it comes to body hair is that when it gets longer, it tends to curl.
Whether it grows outwards in a spiral or zig-zag direction, the non-uniform direction of a beard can drive men up a wall and tempt them to do the unthinkable…
Yes, you know what I am thinking – complete shave off their beard.
I’ll be the first to admit; I fell for this common rookie mistake – and I like to think that I am not alone in this.
So, in this guide, I wanted to go over a few things.
First:
Who is most susceptible to super curly beards?
Second:
Beard relaxing creams (yes, they are a thing).
Third:
Some ways you can straighten out your curly beard a bit more.
And last but not least:
A few tools that beardsmen heavily depend on make their beard look downright amazing (I am talking Ron Swanson level stuff).
So, without further ado, let’s jump into the details:
Some Men Are Naturally Predisposed To Super Curly Beards
Generally speaking, some men tend to have beards that grow in a much curlier manner.
Now, if this isn’t you – don’t skip ahead; there’s some good stuff we are covering (you will see why in just a minute).
A really curly beard can be a major pain for a few reasons:
First, if you shave your neckline regularly to achieve the perfect beard shape, you are likely susceptible to razor bumps.
When cut, instead of growing outwards from the skin’s surface, the hair may curl back into the skin and develop a noticeable bump coupled in most cases come with a mild infection.
Secondly, as time goes on, your beard won’t appear longer – except when you get out of the shower.
When your beard is soaking wet, you might notice that it has some great length due to the water weight.
However, as soon as you dry it up, zap.
All that length is now hiding along your jawline and your neck.
This can be frustrating.
Not only will your beard not have the length, but it will also look way TOO thick and bunched up.
But don’t worry – this will no longer be an issue:
We will go over two solutions in just a minute.
But before we do that, I want to take a second to talk about mustache hairs specifically.
Men often run into a problem with a curly mustache.
After a couple of months of growth, you will probably start having issues eating foods such as chicken wings, sandwiches, ice cream, or anything else that requires you to take a bite without a fork or spoon because the mustache keeps getting in the way.
Let’s face it, eating chicken wings with a fork and spoon while keeping your mustache clean is just annoying.
And it’s because of this frustration that most men will start giving second thoughts about that cartridge razor that’s collecting dust in the medicine cabinet.
But, you don’t have to do that, at least not yet.
What are the solutions?
Here’s the first one:
Beard Relaxing Cream
Beard relaxing creams are a great way to add some length and get your beard in order.
Relaxing creams are unique in how they work.
Think of them as a perfect balance between a styling and moisturizing agent.
The moisturizers in the product will help strengthen the cuticles along the shaft of the hair (these are tiny scales that coat the hair), making them lay flat along the length of the follicle while also giving your beard and skin essential nutrients.
The essential moisturizers usually come in all-natural varieties through carrier oils, including grapeseed, jojoba, argan, and apricot kernel oil, to name just a few.
On the other end of the spectrum is the styling agent – and key to a great-looking beard.
Styling agents do precisely what you would think:
They give your beard some shape through an extended hold.
Styling formulas come from a wide variety of families.
As a quick example, take a look at your hair styling products:
There you might see pomade, clay, wax, gel, or even hairspray.
These are all fixatives and will help keep your beard looking relaxed (and straight) instead of being a curly mess throughout the entire day.
Now while there are very few beard relaxing creams on the market, beardsmen will either do one of two things:
Use a hair-centric product on their beard, or use a beard balm (which is sometimes marketed as a relaxing cream).
If your beard is a few months old, we would recommend reaching for a beard balm for a few reasons:
First and foremost, they are usually all-natural (instead of chemical-based hair care products).
Since you will be applying this stuff directly to your face (which has naturally more sensitive skin) and smelling it (at least for the morning hours), you probably don’t want to be huffing chemicals.
Balms come in many different varieties.
However, being that you are dealing with a curly beard and are trying to relax it, many beardsmen have had success with this beard balm.
This beard balm has a higher density of beeswax than compared to most.
Therefore, you will still get all the great conditioning agents of the balm through the carrier and essential oils along with butter.
But that’s not all:
If you are sitting there thinking to yourself that you tried beard balm, and it just didn’t work, don’t worry.
You will also want to double down on some mustache wax.
Typically formulated from 95% beeswax, mustache wax will give you the ultimate control over your beard.
Now don’t think that this stuff can only be used on your upper lip – it’s completely safe and acceptable to use a little bit on the rest of your beard as well…
Just don’t get too carried away with it, though. Otherwise, you might find yourself entering the World Beard & Mustache Championships!
Straighten Beard With A Flat Iron
Now, if you want to get physical with your beard, the best option is a flat iron.
Yes, probably the same thing your wife or girlfriend uses.
I know this might be out of the comfort zone for some men, but so is eating a chicken wing with a fork and knife.
If you want effective results immediately, then consider the flat iron.
But unlike her flat iron, you need to get something a bit more compact and discrete.
Therefore, travel flat irons like this one are perfect for your beard.
Not only do the smaller paddles make it easier to control, but you also are less likely to burn yourself in the process.
A quick word of wisdom:
You got to exercise caution when using this tool.
Excessive use on your beard will burn the follicles.
A burnt beard will look worse and likely impossible to repair. So please, use extreme caution when handling.
Brush Then Comb – Depends On Beard Length
To get the most out of your next tub of beard relaxing cream, you will want to make sure you brush or comb daily.
Now, here’s the short when it comes to beard styling:
Most men use their standard comb or plastic brush.
While, yes, you can use this tool, there may be other alternatives worth considering.
More often than not, cheap brushes are made from plastic and do a lackluster job of spreading the relaxing cream through your beard.
Secondly, many of the cheap combs are pretty flimsy and don’t work too well.
However, I think the best beard brushes make a marked increase in length and appearance for beardsmen, especially those with curly beards.
They work better because they rely on natural animal fibers (usually boars hair) rather than plastic.
This means that they will help distribute the product (i.e., beard relaxing cream with moisturizers and styling agents) along the entire shaft of your beard.
Secondly, when dealing with a curly beard, beard brushes help the follicles grow uniformly.
Regardless of ethnicity, nearly all men struggle with some curly hairs on their mustache or neck.
When using a beard brush daily, you can train your hair out of the way of your mouth (or going down on your neck and cheeks) to both look longer and behave the way you want it to!
Beard combs, on the other hand, are perfect for styling with really long beards.
So, if you have more than a few months of growth, I would recommend going with a beard comb instead.
Sure, you can use a brush, but combs will give you a bit more control and still deliver great results.
Important Reminders When Trying To Relax Your Beard
Just like growing a beard, relaxing and maintaining your beard boils down to persistence.
Taking a few days off will more often than not reverse all the hard work that you have done to date.
Therefore, you must use a relaxing cream and brush daily.
Remember:
This will not only help to cure any sort of beard itch or dry skin that is resting beneath your beard, but the rich moisturizing carrier oils and butter contained within the product will make your beard healthy and well-nourished.
But more importantly, the beeswax in these relaxing creams will give your beard natural styling abilities that will help improve the length and straighten out even the toughest of curls.
All products aside:
One great way to fully relax your beard will be patience.
The longer your beard is, the more the beard will go downwards due to its weight alone.
If you can push yourself to grow a yeard (beard for a year), not only will you be incredibly pleased with the length but also with the appearance of your beard.
So with that, keep at it and beard on!