Beard care: the routine and the products
The basic routine comes down to three steps: washing with a specific shampoo two or three times a week, applying oil daily to the skin underneath, and brushing with natural bristle, with balm or wax only becoming useful beyond a certain length.
gelisted editorial team · Updated 15 August 2026
The short version
- Oil is applied to the skin, not to the surface of the hair.
- Washing with a specific shampoo runs 2 or 3 times a week.
- Facial hair grows 1 to 1,5 centimetres a month.
- A good oil costs 12 € to 30 € and lasts 2 to 4 months.
The problem with a beard is rarely the hair. It is the skin underneath, which ends up dry, tight and flaking when nobody looks after it.
What each product does
Oil moisturises the skin and softens the hair, and it is applied to the skin with the fingers rather than over the surface. Balm adds a little hold and seals in moisture on medium and long beards. Wax gives shape and control in unruly areas. And a specific shampoo cleans without stripping the natural oils, unlike ordinary hair shampoo, which dries facial hair out.
| Length | Shaping interval | Products |
|---|---|---|
| Three day stubble | every 3 to 5 days | facial moisturiser |
| Short beard to 2 cm | every 2 weeks | oil and brush |
| Medium beard 2 to 6 cm | every 3 weeks | oil, balm, comb |
| Long beard over 6 cm | every 4 to 6 weeks | oil, balm, brush |
| Specific shampoo | 2 or 3 times a week | 10 to 25 € |
| Oil | daily | 12 to 30 € |
| Balm | daily or alternate days | 12 to 25 € |
The routine that works
Wash 2 or 3 times a week with a specific shampoo and warm water, never hot. Pat dry with a towel rather than rubbing. Apply oil while the beard is still slightly damp: 3 to 5 drops on a short beard and 6 to 10 on a long one, worked into the skin with the fingers and then distributed with a brush. Comb in the direction of growth to order the hair and spread the product.
Itching and flaking
In the first 2 or 3 weeks of growing a beard, itching is normal because the cut tips rub the skin. Constant moisturising resolves it. If persistent flaking, redness or patches appear, that is no longer adaptation but a condition of the facial skin worth assessing, particularly if it extends to the eyebrows or the sides of the nose.
Ingrown hairs are prevented with gentle exfoliation once or twice a week and by combing with the direction of growth.
What does not help
Washing daily with ordinary hair shampoo, which strips the natural oils and leaves the skin tight. Applying oil only to the surface of the hair, where it does not do its main job. Using a dryer on high heat. And trimming at home chasing symmetry with no reference: a badly set neckline is the most common mistake and takes 3 or 4 weeks to correct itself.
Frequently asked
+Where is beard oil applied?
To the skin underneath with the fingers, then distributed through the hair with a brush or comb.
+How often should a beard be washed?
Two or three times a week with a specific shampoo and warm rather than hot water.
+Oil or balm?
Oil always; balm becomes useful on medium beards from about 2 centimetres.
+Why does it itch at the start?
Because the cut tips rub the skin. It usually lasts two or three weeks and eases with moisturising.
+How often should it be shaped?
Every 2 weeks on a short beard and every 4 to 6 on a long one.
Sources
- 1Regulation (EC) 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, European Union (August 2026)
- 2Ministerio de Sanidad, Gobierno de España (August 2026)