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6 Steps You Need to Take for a Healthier Beard This Winter

Expert recommendations on how to take care of your beard during the winter.

illustration of a man with a beard wearing a beaning and jacket with mountains in the backgroundJoshua Minnich

By Adam Hurly

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Cold, dry weather takes its toll on a burgeoning beard by turning whiskers rigid and dehydrating skin. That’s a recipe for beard dandruff, itching and split ends.

Products in the Guide

With insights from two industry pros, celebrity groomer Colleen Dominique (whose clients include Mark Hamill and Daveed Diggs) and barber Jovan Figueroa (ambassador for hair care brand Stmnt), we devised a thorough regimen packed with winter beard care essentials to prevent all your follicle follies.

a drawing of a person
Celebrity groomer Colleen Dominique
Joshua Minnich
illustration of a man
Barber Jovan Figueroa
Joshua Minnich

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Cleanse

Caldera + Lab The Clean Slate Cleanser

An ultra-hydrating face wash freshens your dry winter beard and mitigates seasonal itching. Dominique recommends Caldera + Lab’s cleanser because of the brand’s natural-ingredient ethos, which ensures softness for skin and hair. “Massage one to two pumps, and use a beard brush to distribute through long beards,” she says.

Scrub

Ole Henriksen Pore-Balance Facial Sauna Scrub

To get further ahead of beard dandruff, scrub twice a week with a small-grain exfoliant, “which will penetrate a beard rather than sitting on top of it,” Figueroa explains. Olehenriksen’s scrub uses ultrafine volcanic sand as its grit, and it heats up on contact (a nod to the founder’s Scandinavian sauna culture).

Hydrate

Tom Ford Oud Wood Conditioning Beard Oil

Tom Ford’s lightweight top-shelf beard oil makes for a terrific stocking stuffer. “Think sophistication and masculine warmth,” says Dominique of its smoky-woody essence. It packs oils of almond, jojoba and grapeseed to replenish hydration, tame flyaways, neutralize dandruff and halt beard itch — no matter how low the temps go.

Style

Reuzel Beard Balm

Winter-proof your beard with Reuzel’s nourishing and strand-coating balm, which acts like a hybrid conditioner and styler. “It makes the beard feel full and keeps things shaped all day,” says Dominique of the shea butter and argan oil recipe. For short scruff, she says to start with a pea-sized amount, working up to a dime size for longer styles.

Tame

Beardbrand Oval Beard Brush and Beard Comb

Beardbrand’s beautiful boar-bristle brush and double-tooth comb should be on every bearded guy’s wish list. The static-free comb minds the details around your beard’s perimeter, plus it distributes beard oil to soften each strand. The stately brush helps detangle and build volume, ensuring you exercise the beard’s full potential. “A beard brush is a great way to fully work in any cleanser and exfoliant through your beard hair,” Figueroa adds. “Be gentle closer to the skin since it’s doubling up on exfoliation.”

Trim

Ontaki Premium Scissors 5.5″

It’s easy and inexpensive to upgrade from flimsy facial hair scissors to something durable that professionals would use. Ontaki’s Japanese-steel scissors will mind details like mustache curtains and unruly flyaways while giving high-quality heft in hand. Figueroa relies on them to target facial hair split-ends and dry beard itch, both of which increase in cold, dry weather.

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A version of this story first appeared in Gear Patrol Magazine. Learn More.