Bearding 101, am I seriously doing this wrong?

JBoogaloo

This may seem like a ridiculous question, but when I grow a beard, mustache or anything outside of my sideburns my skin gets irritated as all hell. I've tried to lotion my face every day while I let my facial hair grow and I've even tried treating it with witch hazel, but those don't seem to help. I don't think I have sensitive skin (obviously I may be wrong), but also my skin gets crazy red (like raised up irritated red), dries up (hence the use of lotion) to the point of flaking and cracking at times and the hair just hurts when it's moved (from scratching, combing, etc...)
So, now that you know that, do any of you experience this and how do you handle the issue aside of clean shaving? Obviously bearding 101 wasn't a class I did well in.

Thanks for any advice!

PirateNinja

Hrm, how are you washing your face? Maybe the soap you use is too harsh. For me I have a period between weeks 3-6 or so when beard growing that is pretty itchy but it subsides and isn't as bad as you describe.

JBoogaloo

I'm usually using my wife's face soap (some fancy stuff) or something soft like a moisturizing soap (dove and the likes). Yeah, the first couple weeks are itchy too, but itchy and painful and I have no idea why. Apparently beards may be no match for my face, probably the reverse, lol!

BobbyDigi

Long time beard grower here. I go through the same thing each time I shave down to 0. I go through a couple weeks where my skin gets irritated and I get what look like welts mostly along my upper jaw line and lower part of my neck.

I scratch it, not thinking about it or just can't help it, and it gets worse. I don't get the dryness you describe but I definitely have sensitive skin. Any other part of my body a light scratch turns a larger area red then I would think it should.

Each time this happens, it eventually goes away after time or if I shave down to 0 again. Only think I can suggest is a good scrubbing in the shower (Feels Good Man) but keep in mind that it may be your soap that is causing the drying. I use an all in one (shampoo/body wash) and just scrub my face with a poof and then get a good scratching in on my beard.

Also depending on your daily lifestyle could have something to do with the amount of sweat. I don't sweat a lot but if I am in the first month of a grow and do some physical activity, itchy beard is almost always a side effect. A good scrubbing as described above calms it back down though.

Not sure if any of that is helpful other then "You are not alone Sir". Other then sharing my experience, I can only suggest talking to a dermatologist about the redness and dryness.

JBoogaloo

@bobbydigi that is awesome advice man, thanks! I get the same welt-like red patches on my skin on the lower half of my chin and it effin kills! The good scrubbing may be what is needed. I usually just wash, but don't really scrub like I guess I should. I just shaved last night (at 2am because I couldn't take it), but I'll let it grow out over the next couple of weeks and try yours and others advice. Thanks a ton, dude!

Jokke

It'll pass in a few weeks. Also, I find it helps to massage my face. This increases circulation, and stimulates the skin. I imagine it'll also help a little bit with crooked hairs.

Snarkasm

I do the same as Digi - a good scratching into the beard. Get it all soapy up in there.

shwaip

I find the trick is to just use warm water to wash my face. Soap makes things worse

midga

I'd suggest not using soap on your face as well. Shampoo, on the other hand, and then a conditioner, might help. Also, I try to use my Nivea For Sensitive Skin Post-Shave Miracle OMG Facesecks Balm a couple times a week even when I'm not shaving. YMMV ofc

Thrax

Soap on your face is bad. Very bad. If you want to wash your face, get a 1-2% salicylic acid wash specifically formulated for use on the face.

For oily skin, exfoliate daily. For dry skin, exfoliate once a week.

Jokke

Yes, agree with above posters, soap is not good.

d3k0y

I get the same thing as most of the rest of these guys. When I shave down to nothing, which I have only done a handful of times since I got facial hair, it gets really itchy and annoying as well. Usually I scrub my face like a crazy person while my hair is short, but after it gets up around 1/2 inch again it seems to go away. The beard itself actually tends to hold moisture in pretty well, my wife actually got me a bottle of beard-wash for Christmas last year, it is actually a shampoo designed to clean your skin under your beard as well as keep you beard nice and fluffy.

http://bluebeardsoriginal.com/

Stuff lasts for a really long time, I usually shampoo my beard when I shower, then alternate between that and conditioner after I rinse. A dime sized pool covers my whole beard and then some, and that is for a full beard 6-7 inches long.

JBoogaloo

You guys are awesome. Thanks for all this bearding advice, I really do appreciate it!

HumerusMeg

Thrax said:

Soap on your face is bad. Very bad. If you want to wash your face, get a 1-2% salicylic acid wash specifically formulated for use on the face.

For oily skin, exfoliate daily. For dry skin, exfoliate once a week.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news boys, however, not everyone's skin tolerates exfoliation. This is most likely the case when you have sensitive skin that is pale. If the exfoliation tends to make you dryer or more itchy, or causes you to break out you should avoid the exfoliant all together. Exfoliation is not for everyone, especially if you have easily visible pores.

Also, a great daily moisturizer can do wonders for not only your face and the dry itchyness, but for softening the hair and the root follicles making it less abrasive to your face! I know you have tried this, however, the lotion may not have been hydrating enough. AND YES I know its girly, but try some Olay Moisturizer, can get it for cheap at Target, and it lasts a long time. They make it for oily skin and it helps with SEVERE dryness. Unfortunately, I speak from experience.

Also, it takes 4-6 weeks to break skin oil and dryness cycles, so stick in there until the new layers come up!

BEST LUCK!

mertesn

Same thing happens to me. The best advice I can give is to not scratch. It just makes things worse. Using shampoo to keep things clean helps as well.

JBoogaloo

@humerusmeg, thank you a hundred times over. I'll definitely give the olay moisturizer a shot and probably see about not exfoliating as much or stop all together and see how that goes.

Everyone, this has been way sooper helpful, thank you!