What to Know If Your Husband or Son Wants to Grow Out His Beard

Personal grooming is always a matter of private taste, but if you’re a dedicated couple, or the mom to a young man, it’s common for you to have an opinion when they drastically change their appearance. For many women, the biggest change their men will make is opting to grow out a beard if they’ve been previously clean-shaven. Being able to help them through this milestone is as important as it is with your girls. Here’s what everyone should know about treating beards correctly.

Teach them to confidently style their hair

One of the best lessons you can teach anyone you love is to have confidence in who they are. If they want to rock a beard, then so be it. However, that doesn’t mean they can just forget to shave and leave it at that. A beard is an investment in their personal experience, and they will need to learn to care for it and style it in a way that fits in with their lifestyle. There’s a ton of options open to them, from ultra-short trims to keeping a longer beard full and well-rounded. If they’re not keen to spend hours trimming, a good male barber can help.

This goes for the hair on top of their heads, too. Looking sharp with a man’s haircut can be a fabulous way to teach your teen son how to style himself. Places like Lux Hair Lounge offer male-specific styling that lets them express themselves while staying neat and socially presentable. It’s an important life lesson to learn and will affect them in work situations, so it’s well worth talking about this with your loved ones.

A beard isn’t just hair on your face

There’s a reason an entire industry has sprung up around facial hair. No man can simply grow out his facial hair and forget about it. It’s normal for the hair to be a little patchy at first. Patches will often grow over time, especially for younger men. Due to facial hair’s proximity to the mouth, they should grab a beard shampoo and learn to clean and brush it regularly. Just as with their hair on their head, daily cleaning is needed to stay hygienic. They will also need to own a sharp razor to tidy the sides in-between visits to their barber. Sharp, high-quality razors should always be used, and they may enjoy learning how to wet shave.

Because this can be tough on the underlying skin, as well as the beard hair itself, it’s good to add a beard oil or conditioner to the list. Facial skin is thin and delicate, and they may need to experiment to find the right product options for their grooming. This goes double if they suffer from acne, psoriasis or eczema. Encourage them to experience a range of shampoos and hair products for men. There’s many handmade ranges to try, as well as more mainstream products.

Growing out a beard for the first time is a developmental milestone and a fun way for a man to express himself. Everyone should learn to have fun with personal styling. Taking proper care of a beard is about more than just hair; it’s a statement on who they are, and people at work and social settings will judge them on it. Kept hygienic and clean, well brushed and cared for, a beard can be a powerful fashion statement.