Getting past beard itch and rash...

willmunny1990

Hi.

I want to give growing my beard another shot. I have tried to grow it before but was beaten by the itchiness and soreness of it. It was genuinely painful, touching it would actually hurt and I was aware of it constantly, now given time this will probably pass but it just got to much.

I lasted 3 weeks and had I had a decent beard out of it but 3 weeks is nothing and I would of loved to of given it a proper run.

Is there anything that can help the itchiness and rash? When I shaved it off my face was destroyed in red marks/rashes/spots. I expected there to be some irritation while growing it but Jesus I didn't expect it to be as bad as it was!

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

endacl

Just go again. The first one is the itchy one.

beardybrewer

Remember your beard is just hair. There's no rule saying you can't shampoo and use conditioner on it to make it a bit less tough. It sounds like you might have a curly beard which grows out but then sticks you as the ends burrow in to the neck. Give your beard a good massage while showering, run a comb through, use conditioner... anything to shift those hairs around so they start growing outwards instead of inwards.

Gran Hermano

Use a facial scrub and/or a hot face cloth in the shower. Give the beard area a good scrub
in the shower. Apply a light balm like Nivea sensitive balm.

Fame and Demise

When I'm growing a beard I find that it's best of I go a week then shave it off, grow it for two weeks then shave it off, grow it for three weeks then shave it. And after that I just let it go until I get bored of it. I don't know if it's the skin just getting used to it or what but that's what works for me. I've been doing this for years now and although it eases the itchiness it doesn't make it not itch at all. It just shortens the length of time it itches for

prettyHulk

You must take care of your beard and regularly trim it. It will look and feel much better.
I would recommend to buy some good battery powered trimmer with lots of attachements and hair options (you can compare beard trimmers here). It helps to make the right beard shape a lot.

willmunny1990

I'm around 2 weeks growing now. I began washing my face during this effort with nivea facial scrub and I think I've found a solution to the itchiness and spots.

Iv'e never had it this long without any itchiness and spots, hopefully this keeps up as I plan on letting it grow throughout November and then review it from there.

Thanks for the tips anyway!

Zascar

I've decided to give a beard a go too - first time for me. Usually I let my stubble grow for a week at a time. I shave on a Sunday night for work, and I have a fair bit of stubble by the weekend. Letting it go any further than that gets itchy and annoying. I’m at the 10 day mark now – I’ve never really gone longer than this in my life – but I’m going to stick with it. I have to resist the temptation to touch and scratch it – but like said above I’m constantly aware of it. I’ll give the above tips a go but anyone else that has done this for the first time recently please share your thoughts

lester76

Im on day 13 meself 1st time to try grow a beard. Its very patchy but im liking it. Face scrub in the morning then some niva face cream keeps the itching at bay..

Zascar

Day 16 here. Overall I love it but some days it drives me absolutely mad. It seems to get very very itchy some days. About every 2-3 days it will drive me mad but the others its fine. I would not have the most dense stubble so it looks a bit wire-brush like up close but I like the way it looks overall, can't wait to see how it looks in another week or two. Pic

I read online that tar coal soap is good and I happened to find some of this in Tesco. Good stuff, smells very manly! I use facial scub in the shower and put on moisturiser twice a day. Can't think of much else to do than that really. Is there anything? I'd love a soft bristled brush of some sort to brush the beard and skin but not sure where to get one

Esel

A splash of cold water a few times during the days helps too.

Basically, once the hairs have got long enough to lie down fully, the discomfort will stop. It doesn't help to keep stroking it in the meantime, although not doing this is easier said than done.

Zascar

I’m over 3 weeks in now – and I have fairly decent growth at this stage. The itching is not as bad now, its not really driving me mad like it used to – I have a different problem now where I seem to pull at the clumps of hairs a lot… In some areas mainly just below the side of my mouth – it irritates me and I’m continually tempted to pluck hairs out. I got a few spots that drove me nuts but they are gone now, I was putting spot crème on and also sudocreme at night which seemed to help. I’m not really sure if I’m going to stick with it for the long run, but I’ll probably give it until the end of the month if I can. I was hoping it would be softer and the growth would be more straight but it’s quite wirey and kinda bushy/bristly really – depends on the person I suppose.

How are you guys getting on?

willmunny1990

Zascar wrote: »

I’m over 3 weeks in now – and I have fairly decent growth at this stage. The itching is not as bad now, its not really driving me mad like it used to – I have a different problem now where I seem to pull at the clumps of hairs a lot… In some areas mainly just below the side of my mouth – it irritates me and I’m continually tempted to pluck hairs out. I got a few spots that drove me nuts but they are gone now, I was putting spot crème on and also sudocreme at night which seemed to help. I’m not really sure if I’m going to stick with it for the long run, but I’ll probably give it until the end of the month if I can. I was hoping it would be softer and the growth would be more straight but it’s quite wirey and kinda bushy/bristly really – depends on the person I suppose.

How are you guys getting on?

I'm over the month now id say although I'm not sure exactly how long I've been growing, I think I had about 2 weeks growth before november.

I have almost the exact same problems as you, the hair is very course/bristly and I can feel hairs sticking into the side of my mouth, I'm also still very aware that I have facial hair, which is annoying and tbh I don't think that will ever go away at this stage.

I have trimmed my lip area in order to keep the hair out of my mouth but thats all Ive done, the rest is untouched.

I don't no how long more I will last, If I don't go out this weekend I'll try leave it until the end of the month but it's getting tough now. As it grows longer I'm finding the maintenance to be a bit of a chore.

Zascar

Maintenance I don't mind - irritation to my skin and temptation to pull out hairs I do mind. I considered some sort of brush to try to brush the hairs and make it more manageable as my current scratchnig makes it more bristly.

Where can I get a brush like this does anyone know? Preferably online?

Gran Hermano

Would a shaving brush work? Look at a boar brush on shaving.ie or similar.
Have you tried using conditioner on the beard in the shower? It'll soften the hair.

Mick55

Howdy, I've just gone past the month mark. First time growing a beard, tried a few years ago but was very sparse. Delighted now its coming in pretty thick, passed the itchy stage too thank god! Resisting the urge to shave it off into a big filthy handlebar mustache!!

Starting to fill out now and look very beardy... so worth the work!

Grayditch

This is your first test to see if you deserve a beard.

Zascar

And how long does this last and when do we pass the test??

Corkfeen

Just over 3 weeks in and the beard itch appears to be nearly over. Think I might keep at it, I get praise for my multi shaded beard. I did like DE shaving though.

Zascar

Still looking for a brush - preferably like this, but also does anyone use beard conditioner or oil etc or is that just all rubbish?

Insect Overlord

Zascar wrote: »

Still looking for a brush - preferably like this, but also does anyone use beard conditioner or oil etc or is that just all rubbish?

That link doesn't work. ^

Zascar wrote: »

I read online that tar coal soap is good and I happened to find some of this in Tesco. Good stuff, smells very manly! I use facial scub in the shower and put on moisturiser twice a day. Can't think of much else to do than that really.

I got a bar of that soap yesterday, it's lovely!

pete4130

I find, when the itching starts, just shave the bottom of your neck after 2-3 weeks when its itching. It stops the itching and you keep the rest of the beard growing. The shorter stuff underneath doesn't itch when it grows back.

I've had beards on and off my whole life. I've got the longest one ever at the minute. It'll be 18 months on January 27th. Initially it was for a year, now its 2 years but at this point I can't see myself shaving it.

newbygirl

My ex used to try growing one, I always liked the look but he'd always give up after about a week and a half becuase it got too itchy!

Real Life

Zascar wrote: »

Still looking for a brush - preferably like this, but also does anyone use beard conditioner or oil etc or is that just all rubbish?

Oil is certainly not rubbish. i use it everyday, as far as im concerned its essential if you want a good healthy looking and feeling beard

thehomeofDob

I use jojoba oil daily, keeps it looking decent. Make sure to keep any scraggly hairs well trimmed as well and once you've got a few months growth go into Waldorfs and get them to give you a decent trim. They know how to take care of beards and moustaches.

Esel

thehomeofDob wrote: »

I use jojoba oil daily, keeps it looking decent. Make sure to keep any scraggly hairs well trimmed as well and once you've got a few months growth go into Waldorfs and get them to give you a decent trim. They know how to take care of beards and moustaches.

Trimming it yourself is easy, as long as you remember to orient the scissors vertically. If you cut horizontally, you can easily end up with a shelved effect. Not so important under the jawline though, as they will be much less visible there.

Easiest way to trim is with a Wahl or similar, using a very small scissors for stray hairs and fine detailing.

It is amazing how much less Grizzly Adams-like you will look if you trim/shave your neck from roughly the level of your adam's apple down, and also the small section of the upper cheeks so as to achieve a straight line from the top of the sideburn to the moustache area. Even if you feel the need to shave these areas daily, the time taken will be minimal.

Real Life

Esel wrote: »

Trimming it yourself is easy, as long as you remember to orient the scissors vertically. If you cut horizontally, you can easily end up with a shelved effect. Not so important under the jawline though, as they will be much less visible there.

Easiest way to trim is with a Wahl or similar, using a very small scissors for stray hairs and fine detailing.

It is amazing how much less Grizzly Adams-like you will look if you trim/shave your neck from roughly the level of your adam's apple down, and also the small section of the upper cheeks so as to achieve a straight line from the top of the sideburn to the moustache area. Even if you feel the need to shave these areas daily, the time taken will be minimal.

agreed 100%, this makes the difference from looking like you just left hair grow because your lazy to actually taking pride in your look and beard