You’re here because you’re wondering, “Why does my beard hurt?” There are many different factors that could come into play when it comes to understanding beard pain, but we hope we can help you identify the issue and figure out a solution to help.
A lot of the problems that cause pain in a beard have simple fixes. Most times making sure you’re implementing a routine beard care regimen that involves a natural beard wash, conditioner, beard oil, and beard balm is the solution.
Other times, you may need professional help, especially if you have an underlying skin condition or other condition causing you to wonder why your beard hurts.
Here are some of the most common types of beard pain and some ways you can try to remedy that pain:
General Beard Pain
If you are like many men and you experience beard pain you should know that one of the most common contributors is your beard’s moisture and oil level. A lot of problems are caused by not having enough of your beard’s natural oils, but even having too oily of a beard can cause pain.
If the shampoo you use on your beard is too harsh it will strip away the natural oils leaving you with dry hair, making your skin sensitive. If you feel like this is the problem, look for a gentler beard shampoo with natural ingredients and no parabens or artificial fragrances.
In the case you cannot get a new beard wash or conditioner, a great alternative to switching washes is to only wash your beard once or twice a week.
If you are not washing your beard at all that could be behind what is causing your pain. If your beard accumulates too much oil your dead skin cells will get trapped and build up bacteria. This excess bacterium can cause inflammation.
Also, make sure you’re using a beard oil after your beard washes and after the shower. A couple of drops should do the trick to soften your beard hair and reduce beard pain.
Facial Hair Hurts When Growing
When you first start to grow out your beard, there is a good chance of hitting a rough patch. If your facial hair hurts when growing it out the primary cause is likely to be the skin underneath.
Even if you see yourself as a tough guy, facial hair is very gentle. Using a generic beard care kit may seem convenient, but sometimes there will be chemicals that are too rough for your skin. Make sure your beard care kits are using natural ingredients. Artificial fragrances and other chemicals will strip your beard and leave it painful and dry, plus it will inhibit growth.
It would not be a bad idea to speak to a dermatologist to find a root cause or issue to address if your facial hair hurts when growing and nothing else has helped.
Also consider your sleep patterns. Laying on your beard all night against a rough pillowcase can forcefully flatten your beard hairs, compressing the follicle underneath and causing your beard to hurt when sleeping. Try switching to a satin or silk pillowcase and feel the difference!
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Painful Beard Hairs
You may sometimes experience pain in specific places in your beard. These painful beard hairs could be ingrown hairs or acne hiding behind your hair. If it is acne, you can use an over-the-counter acne treatment system or speak to a dermatologist to find a treatment right for you.
If you feel the pain recently after shaving or trimming your beard, the culprit is probably an ingrown hair. After a hair has been cut, it might get bent and grow backwards into the skin.
You can find an ingrown hair by spotting red, bumpy areas on the skin. Just carefully use a pair of tweezers to pull the end of the hair out of the follicle and get it growing the right direction again.
Beard Hurts When Combing
If you are not already combing your beard, do not miss out! Using a comb or a brush on your beard helps distribute beard oils evenly and keeps all your facial hair growing in the right direction. It even helps sweep out beard dandruff.
If your beard hurts when combing or brushing, you might be brushing in the wrong direction – always go with the grain! If you comb your beard hairs upwards your beard may look fuller but remember that you are affecting your follicles when you do this.
You could also be running your comb over undiscovered ingrown hairs or acne, both of which we have addressed earlier. Whatever the case, the right way to comb your beard is applying beard oil and then combing your beard gently downward, toward your chin.
Lastly, the type of comb you’re using can have an impact on your beard. A fine tooth, plastic comb isn’t great for your beard as it can get caught on and pull the coarse hairs on your face.
Make sure you use a wooden, wide tooth comb for combing your beard.
Skin Under Beard Hurts
If the skin under your beard hurts, but not due to any of the issues we’ve covered in this article, it could be due to things like dry skin, acne, or even sores under your beard.
In these cases, we have plenty of more in-depth guides to help you out. Here’s some of the most common issues and their solutions:
Why Does My Beard Hurt?
Beard pain is often caused by issues such as lack of enough natural oils in the skin under your beard, or even an overabundance of natural oils.
It is common for your facial hair to hurt, especially if you’re growing it out after a clean shave. You can mitigate beard growth pain by using the tips we’ve shared here.
If you want to know how to get rid of beard pain, this article should have hopefully helped you!
Check out The Gentleman’s Playbook on Facebook and Instagram if you found this info helpful! If you have any suggestions or there’s a particular kind of beard pain we haven’t gone over in this, reach out and let us know so we can get it added!
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Enter your email below to be notified when we launch The Gentleman’s Playbook Podcast, coming late 2021! Also, click here to see what we have in store!