Beard care at home with expert Aalim Hakim

New Delhi, April 17  As salons remain closed during an extended lockdown, self-isolating has necessitated men to take charge of their grooming routine. From getting haircuts to styling their beards at home, there’s lots that’s keeping them busy.

As part of personal hygiene, maintaining beard health is important to ward off any chances of catching an infection indirectly.

“People with beards usually groom them by using their hands, this can increase the risk of viral transfer from the hand to the face. Keep it clean,” says Dr. Mohan Thomas, Senior Cosmetic Surgeon, Cosmetic Surgery Institute.

Using a beard shampoo regularly prevents the deposition of grime and dirt along with the viruses thus reducing the chance of a Viral, Bacterial or fungal infection.

Brushing of the beard is important to improve the blood circulation in the hair roots along with helping in exfoliating flaky dead skin which is present on the surface. This also removes all tangles in the hair and gives you a well-groomed look, he suggests.

“Make sure you clean your beard at regular intervals with a gentle face wash or a beard wash every day. Also, scrub your skin twice a week in order to keep bacteria away. One must keep in mind that the sun’s rays often break down hair cuticles making your hair dry and brittle. The solution to this is using a sunscreen based moisturiser on your beard along with the face even if you are indoors. One can easily get dehydrated in the summers, make sure you drink a good amount of water which is 3 liters a day at least if you aren’t hydrated, your beard is prone to damage and breakage,” Jay Kishan Pawar – Master Barber and trainer at Truefitt and Hill told IANSlife.

This is also the perfect time to experiment and try different styles to see which one suits your face?

Nowadays, style range from an Anchor Beard, French Beard, soul patch and the Handlebar mustache.

Gather all your tools; pick up a good razor, a comb, scissors, and aftershave gel.

Celebrity stylist Aalim Hakim suggests these beard styles:

ANCHOR BEARD

Use a scissor to even out your beard hair length. Wash your face with hot water or apply a hot towel on your beard as it will help soften the facial hair as well as opens the pores.

Apply a shaving gel or foam and massage it in a circular motion all over the face and neck area to condition the skin for a smooth shave. To achieve this look, the soul patch and goatee at the chin will be connected to create an anchor shape. The corner of the anchor will be hugging the jawline of the face keeping the length and shape as required.

You can keep your mustache in a pencil-shaped or a pyramid-shaped disconnected with your anchor beard. Shave with a light and gentle pressure to give yourself a close shave. After the complete process wash your face with cold water and apply after-shave lotion or balm as it is the best possible way to close your pores, soothe the skin and smell nice.

FRENCH BEARD

Apply a shaving gel or foam and massage it in a circular motion all over the face and neck area to condition the skin for a smooth shave. Start shaving by moving inwards from the side locks towards the centre leaving the beard around the mouth and chin area including the mustache.

Smile to check the desired line for the French beard. Imagine a line that runs from the sides of your nose down the corner of your lips and shave everything in between that line and your ear, leaving the hair around the chin and mustache. You can experiment with this look by leaving different lengths. Make sure the mustache and chin remain connected creating a square or round shape depending on the face shape.

SOUL PATCH

Clean shave the entire face while leaving a small downward-facing triangle of hair below your lower lip that extends to a small spot above your chin. Your shaving strokes can be in a downward direction from the sideburns to the chin going through your neck. If you need an extra close shave you can use your strokes in an upward direction against the grain of your hair. Try different lengths with this look; a short soul patch can barely be noticeable while a long one can create an air of mystery.

Lastly, using a beard oil or balm is the best way to moisturise. It is absorbed into the hair without leaving any residue which can attract grime.