Gillette - beard care products and tips

The Best Products for Growing Your Beard

Growing a beard takes time and effort. Why not take care of your hard work? The right beard products can make a world of difference, as can starting a solid beard routine.

Whether you’ve just started growing your facial hair out or you’ve had a beard for years, there are a ton of products to help you look your best. If you still need help choosing the right style for your face, or shaping your beard, we can help with that too.

From growing to grooming, here are some of our favorite beard care products, and how to use them.

Washing Your Beard and Face

First things first: as a fully-grown man, you should be washing your face. Not only is it a great from of self-care, it’s also a great habit that helps take care of your skin, and your beard smell better. Even if you don’t see anything in the mirror, an unwashed face is clinging onto dirt, oils, dead skin, and maybe even leftover food. Try washing your face twice a day (once in the morning and again in the evening) to make the biggest difference.

Use a Beard Wash

To keep your face clean, use a face wash and beard wash. If you’re trying to save some cash, opt for a high quality two-in-one product, like our King C. Gillette Beard and Face Wash (also, it smells pretty amazing). Most of the time though, your face and beard will require different products.

Beard wash or beard shampoo is an important product to use regularly for keeping your beard clean and healthy.

Gillette - beard shampoo
Here’s a few simple steps for using a beard wash:

Step 1

Dispense a small amount of beard and face wash in your hand and lather up.

Step 2

Work later into a wet beard.

Step 3

Rinse thoroughly.

How is that different from a face wash?

Face washes and cleansers are specifically designed for the skin. A cleanser tends to be more gel-like, sometimes even watery, whereas a face wash will usually lather up into a foam and can clean your pores a little deeper, which is good news for oily skin. To make it simple though, both cleansers and face washes do the same basic thing: clean your face.

Additionally, an exfoliator (also known as a face scrub) is a grittier product to help you buff out the dirts and oils. Think of it like liquid sandpaper, helping to smooth your face, though you’ll want to use this product gently and just once a day so you don’t irritate your skin.

Learn our simple routine for washing your face and beard.

Keeping Your Beard Looking Its Best

If you have a beard, it’s a good idea to use both a beard oil and a beard balm to help you feel and look your best.

Meet Beard Oil

A well-kept beard should feel soft but not slick or greasy. The trick is using just a few drops daily (or more if you’ve got a longer beard) to help moisturize both your skin and beard. The King C. Gillette beard oil uses plant-based oils like argan and jojoba oil.

Here’s how to use beard oil:

Step 1

Put a few drops of beard oil into the palm of your hand.

Step 2

Rub hands together to distribute the oil.

Step 3

Work into the beard and skin.

Learn more about using beard oil.

What about beard balm?

If your skin leans on the dry side, check out a beard balm, wax, or butter. Beard oil works well to hydrate the skin under your facial hair, but a beard balm takes it a step further with a deeper conditioning effect. Our Soft Beard Balm can be used on dry or damp facial hair, or even before you step in the shower.

Here’s how to apply your beard balm:

Step 1

Scoop a small amount of beard balm into your hand.

Step 2

Move the balm into your hand in a circular motion.

Step 3

Work the balm thoroughly into your beard. You can leave this on and let it do its magic, or let it sit for three minutes before rinsing.

Shaping Your Beard and Mustache

Now your beard’s all clean, let’s talk about style. There are three products to help you shape and style your beard or mustache.

All-purpose styler

Trimming, shaving, edging: there’s nothing better than a product that does it all. The Gillette Styler has multiple comb attachments to help you create and maintain any kind of beard style, plus it’s waterproof even though it’s battery-powered.

Neck razor

A razor just for your neck? It might sound extra, but to nail that perfect shape of your beard, a neck razor is just the product you need. The skin on your neck is more sensitive, so you’ll want a razor with fewer blades, more lubrication, and ideally a precision trimmer to help you get those clearly defined edges.

Scissors

Small but so important, scissors are a big help for keeping your mustache looking tidy and keeping those stray hairs in check between trims. Just a pair of nail scissors should do the job.

Combing and Brushing Your Beard

Just like your hair, your beard can benefit from a good brush or comb through too, but don’t try to use a regular comb through your beard. A comb with wider teeth is better for detangling your facial hair, especially after a shower, whereas a narrower-toothed comb can be helpful for styling.

Some shaving kits come with combs included, but if you’re looking to buy a comb on its own, your best bet is a wooden comb with smooth edges. A rubber comb can also be a great option, but metal combs tend to create static and frizz.

Shaving Gels, Foams, and Creams

Let’s say you want to try a different beard style or shave the whole thing off and start over; make sure you have shaving gel on your side. There are plenty of reasons why it’s important to use shaving gel or cream, as well as to wash your face first. When choosing the right product for you, here are a few recommendations to get you started:

  • Sensitive skin? Look for products designed with sensitive skin in mind like Pure Soothing Shave Gel, Pure Shave Cream, or SkinGuard Sensitive Shaving Gel
  • If you’re shaving with the Fusion ProGlide Razor, try the 2-in-1 ProGlide Shave Gel
  • This Transparent Shave Gel is literally transparent, so you can clearly see where you’re shaving and edging

Need some guidance on how to use shaving gel? We can help.

With the right products by your side, you can get a good beard care routine going and keep your beard looking sharp. Feel free to mix and match from the list above or get everything you need with one of Gillette’s grooming kits or shave sets.

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