Have I got your attention? As a reviewer of beard products this might be a surprising question but do you need beard products?
Taking a break
So, I took a break from reviewing, blogging and social media for a week during the half term school holidays. Sometimes it is good to get away from all of that and focus on yourself and your family. It was refreshing and I enjoyed not having the pressure of the work, website/social and family life scenario.
While I took a break from everything I also took a break from using beard products. No oils, balms or butters. Nothing. Well, that’s a lie. I did use some beard soap when I washed my face fuzz. Gotta keep it clean you know!!
This got me to thinking. Why was I spending money on beard oils etc? This is okay, my beard feels fine so far. Do you need beard products?
Well, here’s a little bit of my week with a breakdown of what happened to my beard while I went commando.
I’ve had a beard for a while
I’ve been growing a beard for about 7 years, on and off. I occasionally shaved it off but have always returned to growing that manly mane. When I mainly had stubble I didn’t use anything on it at all. Maybe just a bit of face cream from time to time.
When it started to get a bit longer I got the dreaded itch and I gave in. I had to spend some money!! I went to the shops and found a beard oil for £1. That’s right, £1 and if I remember rightly it was called By My Beard. It didn’t really do anything so I did some research and found something that was exactly what I was looking for and that was Mo Bros.
Over the years I tried many different products and some of them were good and others were shit! These days I’m all about the small batch beard companies, especially those in the UK market and I have been lucky enough to try a large variety of products.
A week of no products
This was a bit daunting for me. I had only gone about 2 days without using products before, 3 at a push. How was I going to survive a whole week? The trick to it all was to think like a clean shaven man. This was harder than it seems.
To think like a clean shaven man you have to act like one. By that I mean don’t stroke your beard or touch it at all, if you can. A man with no mane doesn’t need to ponder life while stroking his bald chin. He would look ridiculous for starters and would probably get a red chin after a while!
So, no touching of the beard. The oils from my hands could potentially dry it out quicker than usual so it was a good start.
Sunshine
It was a scorcher of a week for me, the sun was out pretty much everyday for long periods of time. It is a known fact that UV rays can dry out hair quickly and make things uncomfortable. This would 
mean that I would need to stay out of the sun as much as possible. Well, that was not going to happen! I’m a sun worshipper so this was something I had been waiting for all year.
I nearly had second thoughts as the forecasts were looking mighty tropical but I kept my nerve and saw it through. I had to do this out of curiosity and to try and learn more about the effects on my beard through not using anything.
The week that was
Moving on to the week itself and what happened with my beard.
The first couple of days were absolutely fine. I washed my beard on the Sunday morning before heading to watch my youngest lad (not really young at 16. Makes me feel old!!) play football. The sun was peeking through the clouds but not really enough to give anyone a tan! Most of the second day was spent in a car travelling 2+ hours to see my daughter. Spent a couple of hours with her before we headed back home in another 2+ hours journey.
The third day was yet more driving but got a nice walk with the dog and when we got home spent some time in the garden. I had washed the beard in the morning so it still felt okay. On the fourth day it was time to clear out the garage, getting ready to put some gym equipment in it. Of course, the sun was still beating down and it would have been rude not to spend a couple of hours outside enjoying it.
Rain or shine on this beard of mine
At the end of the fourth day I could feel my skin underneath my beard was very dry. It had started to itch and was getting a bit flaky. on my upper lip and my soul patch area. I had been out in the sun as often as possible while it was shining brightly. Was it the sun that was affecting my skin? Or was it something else?
I brushed my beard every day with my Big Phat Beard Monster Brush to ensure I got as much dead skin out as possible. The flakiness remained and it had become itchy as well. This was becoming uncomfortable but I persevered with my mission. It didn’t rain.
Show me the beard oil!
Days 5 and 6 were not pleasant and I was really feeling how dry my skin was under the beard. The hair itself was feeling the effects of no oil and the sun drying it out. Washing it helped in the first couple of days but wasn’t helping towards the end of the week.
I was in pain. Desperately needing beard oil like a lost adventurer seeking water in the middle of the desert. I was beginning to realise that some sort of product was indeed, a necessary expense. I had always used beard oil but never really thought about what I would do without it. But, was I feeling these effects because my beard was used to being treated well?
I know of a couple of people who have never used beard oil or even a proper beard shampoo so I reached out to them. One had shaved his beard off as he needed to be clean shaven for his job. The other guy had trimmed his beard right down and was regrowing it. He said he couldn’t handle the dryness and had taken my advice by buying some beard oil. From Beard Tings of course!!
I knew what the right thing to do was but I had to go the full week.
The end was nigh
I made it through the week without any beard oil, butter or balm. I had washed my beard a couple of times but that was it. At the end of the week my skin was dry and a spot was forming under my lip. My beard was dry, resembling straw in texture. It was time to apply some of the good stuff. But, it wasn’t oil!!
My final thoughts on Do you need beard products?
Our hair follicles produce a serum that coats the hairs on your face. This, however, only goes so far before drying out. It can’t reach every centimetre of every hair and this is where beard oil comes in. It boosts the serum and helps to cover your beard giving it more moisture and nourishment.
It also helps to stop your skin from drying out. This is due to the carrier oils that beard products use and it is most definitely needed to keep the mane looking and feeling healthy all the time. It could be butter, oil or balm that you use but I highly recommend that you use something to keep those whiskers looking fresh.
In conclusion, beard products really are an essential part of having a beard. Some people might not want to spend the money but if you don’t then your beard will feel like shit. I have mainly used beard oil with the occasional balm thrown in, but, I will be moving on to Beard Butters for the next few weeks.
So, if you are just starting out on your beard journey then take my advice and buy yourself some quality beard products. You can find out what ones are any good by reading my reviews.
Thank you for reading Do you need beard products? I’m sure you all agree that we do need them, but, if you don’t think we do then comment below and tell me why we don’t. Comment if you think we do as well and what your go to brand is! Don’t forget to check out my blog Butter me up! I will be back later this week with the first part of my Carrier Oils series of blogs so I will see you then.
Take care and keep growing
Tony