Is Beard Growth Impacted By Being Indoors?
Your beard, much like your skin and the hair on your scalp, is a marker of overall health, and the way you treat your body shows on the outside. Lack of key nutrients like vitamin D, lifestyle factors like exercise and diet choices all play a part in how healthy a beard looks.
Stress and lack of movement produce high amounts of cortisol, the stress hormone, which is detrimental to overall health. Your body also stays on high alert during periods of uncertainty like 2020 has been. This causes it to prioritise key, life-supporting functions and neglect other functions of the body like growing a healthy-looking beard.
How Can I Navigate The Impacts of Lockdown?
Physical activity is an important factor, as having to spend so much time indoors reduces movement. Exercise lowers cortisol production and improves the blood flow in your body, helping nutrients be delivered to the hair follicles in the beard. Eating locally sourced fruits, vegetables and berries that are in season helps keep these nutrients topped up, and taking supplements can also help mental and physical resilience, which are reflected in your beard’s appearance.
How Do I Get Rid Of Mask Beard-Dent?
The need to wear face masks in public places for much of 2020 has led to an unexpected styling problem – the beard-dent. This is where the face mask imprints on the beard so much that it changes the direction of hair growth, leaving you with an uneven and often bizarre-looking face of flattened fuzz.
To avoid beard-dent, try applying a good quality beard oil when the hair is still damp after your morning shower, and using a round brush and hairdryer to curl it in the opposite direction to the way the mask will push it.
Why Am I Getting Skin Breakouts?
It goes without saying that placing a mask over your face for several hours every day doesn’t do wonders for your skin. And the problem of acne is worse for men with beards – as a build-up of oil, dirt, dust and bacteria can get trapped in the warm, humid environment under the mask.
Cleanse your beard thoroughly with a quality cleanser or beard shampoo that can get through the hair. Gentle exfoliation is key as it can help dislodge any dead skin cells or product build-up.
Using a niacinamide serum can also help to regulate your skin’s oil production. If the skin under the beard is irritated, use a light skincare oil on the area each night, and avoid heavily fragranced beard oils as these can lead to further irritation.
I’m Getting Beard Itch
There are many things that can cause an itchy beard – but during winter dry skin is often the culprit. Overuse of hot showers, shampoos and soaps can all affect the balance of the skin’s natural oils, causing the skin to dry out and the beard to itch. Make sure you dry your beard properly after washing and moisturise properly.
How Can I Stop My Beard Itching?
Remembering these tips while shaving will also help:
- Wet the skin and hair before shaving to soften it.
- Apply shaving cream or gel. A product for sensitive skin is good for dry skin.
- Follow the direction the hair grows when shaving.
- Rinse after each swipe with the razor.
- Change your razor blades every five to seven shaves, and store them in a dry place.
How To Support Decembeard And Seek Help for Issues Raised
If you’re sporting a lockdown beard this winter, why not do it in the name of a worthy cause? Click here to find out about this year’s campaign, and see how you can donate and support Bowel Cancer UK.
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