Well-coiffed men with healthy beards are increasingly commonplace—do you know how to keep up with your clients’ facial hair and make product and care recommendations?

Beards and other types of facial hair have really come into their own in the past year or two—along with men’s grooming being on a general up-swing, keeping facial hair longer is much more mainstream.

“Men and beards are like women and their lipstick,” Lydia Sarfati, Repêchage CEO and founder. “They create a signature look.”

But with more hair comes more maintenance, and for some stylists and clients alike, beard upkeep is something of a foreign concept. Men with beard aspirations will quickly discover that their facial hair needs some love in the form of regular trims and product, and that the skin underneath will be Sahara-dry unless special care is given.

Growing Pains

If your client is looking for advice during the growing phase, suggest taking it slow and steady and use the opportunity to up their skincare game.

“Make sure to do a gentle, yet effective, exfoliation twice a week,” Sarfati says. “Exfoliation will prevent ingrown hairs from forming and keep skin underneath smooth.” Sarfati recommends Repêchage One-Minute Exfoliating Mask or Repêchage RapideX Marine Exfoliator.

You should also suggest bar soap gets tossed in the trash. “Soap will dehydrate and dry out skin and will make the beard become itchy and flaky,” Sarfati says. Offer a gentle, foaming cleanser to clean and condition the skin and beard.

Daily Beard Care in 4 Steps

Woody’s Grooming barber Johnathan Ennis of Suburban Salon + Spa in Studio City, California, says daily beard care is a process and narrows it down to four steps:

1. Shampoo. “Not with a bar or a two-in-one body wash,” Ennis says. “Use a moisturizing shampoo to help keep the hair from becoming brittle.” Ennis recommends his clients beard-poo 3-4 times a week; 4-5 if they smoke.

2. Condition. Use a moisture-rich conditioner, but avoid contact with the skin or use a non-comedogenic variety to avoid clogging pores.

3. Exfoliate. Comb through the beard with a soft-bristle brush to exfoliate away excess skin and allow pores to breathe, Ennis says.

4. Condition—again. Finish off with some oil or leave-in conditioner in the skin down to the ends of the beard. “This will help prevent red, flaky irritated skin under your beard from forming as well as soften and moisturize your beard,” Ennis says. His favorite is Woody’s 2-in-1 Beard Conditioner.

Style by 2014 NAHA Men's Stylist of the Year Paul Pereira. Photo by Richard Sibbald

Maintaining Appearances

Beard hair is like any hair in that it needs to be trimmed. Your clients should get a trim from you at least every 2-3 months (sooner if they prefer) to get rid of split ends and keep the hair healthy. 

Even rapper Rick Ross knows better than to let his beard dry out. In November, Ross told GQ that he can’t travel without Rich oil. “I gotta keep my beard intact,” Ross says. “I don’t wanna get up and put grease in my beard. I just want something light but also moisturized.”