How do you smooth your beard?
How do you smooth your beard? As a bearded man, this question has often crossed your mind and you don't know how to go about it? Rather than envy those who already have a smooth beard, you should know that it's a long-term job to maintain it. If you've only got a beard a few days old, you don't have enough length to tackle the sometimes arduous task of smoothing your beard.
How to straighten your beard: what you need to know
Before you start buying beauty products and equipment, Barbier Bonhomme advises you to find out how to go about smoothing your beard. After all, a smooth beard is first and foremost a beard you know well. Here are our tips on how to smooth your beard without damaging it.
Determine your hair type
Before you have to choose between straightening or a hair iron - because yes, gentlemen, the choice will have to be made - it's crucial to determine the nature of your beard hair. Different from your own hair, it can be coarse or fine, curly or straight, wavy or curly, and so on. A coarse, curly hair is much harder to tame than a fine, straight one. As a result, bearded people don't have to work as hard to achieve a smooth beard.
Don't confuse beard maintenance with a smooth beard
Our first warning is not to confuse beard care with beard smoothing. Despite common belief, beard oil is not intended to smooth your beard. On the contrary, it simply nourishes it deep down without changing its natural structure. There are, for example, oils designed to refine curls.
Here's a short list of products that don't smooth the skin, but simply moisturize it:
- Beard balm: while it's packed with natural ingredients to nourish and add volume to your beard, it only nourishes, making it easier to structure your beard hair. But that doesn't mean it can last for days and really smooth out your beard;
- Beard shampoo: it washes, but does not smooth your beard;
- Beard conditioner, also known as conditioner, whose main properties are to moisturize your hair;
- Beard serums, masks and creams, etc.
The different accessories for a smooth beard
To learn how to smooth your beard, there are a number of different techniques. To find out which one is best for you, all you have to do is try them out first. In fact, it's by trying to achieve a smooth beard that you'll be able to determine which accessory you're most at home with.
Don't forget that for optimum results and a smooth beard, it's important to brush your beard hairs with a boar bristle brush. The advantage of the latter is that it brushes without pulling on your hairs, avoiding breaking them or changing their natural structure.
How to use a mini straightening iron
If we're talking about a smooth beard, it might seem logical that we should be talking about a mini hair straightener. And let's stress the word "mini", because a classic straightening iron is likely to be difficult to handle, and you won't be able to achieve a smooth beard with any peace of mind.
With a mini straightening iron, you need to keep the temperature as low as possible. If you don't know how to straighten your beard the very first time, don't forget that the heating function is very fast: leave it on for just a few seconds and spread your beard hairs gently so as not to stretch them.
A smooth beard with a hairdryer: the steps to follow
If you opt for a comb and hair dryer to achieve a smooth beard, you need to follow a few rules, namely:
- Do not stay in one place for too long to avoid burning the beard hair;
- Do not pull the bristles, but brush them gently;
- Preferably on a damp coat. A wet coat will dry too quickly, while an already dry coat will become brittle.
This method is by far the most widespread and undoubtedly the most popular among barbers. Although a smooth beard can also be achieved using a heated brush, these are sometimes not very cost-effective if you only use your smooth beard for a particular event, and not on a regular basis.
Now you know how to straighten your beard properly: barbers, you've been warned!