Why should you wash your beard? Like all important things in life, a beard's success depends on preparation. Simply put, those mighty examples of facial hair you see adorning magazine spreads and leaving Murdock London barbershops on a daily basis don't just happen. That's why we created our complete range of beard care products, including Beard Shampoo, Beard Conditioner and Beard Oil to complement our award-winning Beard Moisturiser. While we would always recommend seeing your barber in order to sculpt a defined shape to your beard, maintaining it at home is another story. Our goal with these products is for our bearded clientèle to remain clean bearded on a daily basis. From this point on, washing your beard should no longer extend to collecting drabs of excess hair shampoo in the shower and making do. After the time and effort it takes to grow a beard, it simply deserves better. Below, Mr Aaron Wright, Shoreditch's own senior bearded expert has laid down the reasons why you should wash your beard properly, followed by his essential tips to achieving a cleaner, better beard incorporating our complete range of Clean Label products.

Why should you wash your beard in the first place?

Keeping your beard in good condition is crucial to achieving its healthy appearance and affecting the way it feels on your face. For example, washing your beard is a key step to combating any commonly suffered itching. As applicable to washing your face, a good wash of the beard also actively removes any build-up of dust and dead skin - all the lovely matter you can accumulate from living in a busy city or working outdoors.

Why use specialist beard products?

Hair that is close to pH 4.5 – 5.0 is regarded as PH-balanced and the ideal level for peak strength. Shampoos created for the hair on your head will dry your beard out as they are much higher in acidity. Using a much gentler product such as Murdock Beard Shampoo which is PH-balanced will keep your beard feeling softer and fuller. On the other end of the PH scale, heavily alkaline products can cause hair to swell, the cuticle to lift and remove oils from facial hair. This results in frizzy, dull, brittle hair that is prone to breakage and tangling. Extremely alkaline solutions cause the disulfide bonds between keratin protein molecules to break down and can eventually dissolve the protein completely. These types of solutions are commonly used to perm or relax hair and can be extremely damaging, especially to hair that is already fragile. Mildly acidic products on the other hand meet a better outcome and can harden the outer layer, flatten the cuticles, and shrink the diameter of hair. This serves to make hair glossy, shiny and less prone to tangling and snagging on adjacent strands. Shampoos and conditioners that are mildly acidic have also been noted to provide longer life to the colour of dyed hair.

HOW TO WASH YOUR BEARD

STEP 1

Cleanse the bearded area with water and then massage a small amount of Beard Shampoo into the beard. Rinse through with water.

STEP 2

Massage Beard Conditioner into the bearded area and leave to absorb into the hair for a minute. Rinse through again with water.

STEP 3

Once out of the shower, comb the beard through with a beard brush or sturdy comb to remove any knots.

STEP 4

Apply a few drops of Beard Oil (mix with a small amount of Beard Moisturiser if preferred for a less shiny surface) and massage into the beard.

STEP 5

Comb through your beard again to form your desired shape.

How often should I wash my beard?

Once or twice a week is absolutely fine. You don't want to wash it too frequently as you will end up stripping the hair of its natural oils which are crucial to keeping it nice and healthy.