Beard care done right: the beard routine in 5 steps

A midsummer day: sweat in your beard, hair that feels like straw after a jump into the lake, and a shape that went out of line long ago. That is the moment you find out whether beard care is a routine for you or a matter of luck. Proper beard care is no secret knowledge, it is a sequence of five steps that works in July exactly as it does in January. Here you get the complete routine from the barber chair, including the two points almost every guide overlooks: the short beard and the summer.

First the basic principle: beard hair is thicker and wirier than the hair on your head and therefore does not take the same treatment as the hair up there. If you only spread a few drops of oil now and then, you skip four of five steps and then wonder about a beard that looks dull and sticks out in all directions. The answer is a short routine you keep up consistently: five steps, a few minutes a day.

How to care for your beard properly: the routine in 5 steps

1. Wash — but not with shower gel. Ordinary shampoo and shower gel are formulated for scalp hair and strip too much oil from beard hair and facial skin. So wash your beard two to three times a week with a mild Beard Shampoo, and plain lukewarm water in between. Lukewarm is the key word: hot water pulls even more oil out of hair and skin.
2. Dry — pat instead of rub. After washing, pat the beard dry with the towel. Rubbing roughens the hair and irritates the skin. If you use a hairdryer, then lukewarm and at a distance: hot air straight onto the beard makes the hair brittle.
3. Oil — supple down to the skin. Onto the towel-dry beard go a few drops of Beard & Moustache Care Oil (90 ml), massaged in gently all the way down to the skin. That keeps the hair supple, and the skin underneath does not go empty-handed. You will find the exact technique including the amount for each beard length in our guide How to apply beard oil — the 4-step instructions.
4. Brush — care right into the ends. A Premium Beard Brush with a high-quality bristle mix spreads oil and your own sebum from the roots into the ends. From medium beard length on, the sebum no longer gets there by itself, and the beard turns strawy. Along the way you brush out loose flakes of skin and lay the hair the way it naturally lies. Once a day is enough, but never on wet hair: wet is when it stretches most and breaks most easily.
5. Trimming and lines. Every one to two weeks, take back the ends and the lines: that holds the shape and removes split ends. Always work on a dry, brushed beard, because wet hair looks longer and the cut turns out too short. The most important rule of thumb for the neckline: start two fingers above the Adam apple, not at the edge of the jaw.

Short beard, three-day stubble, full beard: what changes with length

Most guides are silently written for full-beard wearers, while the majority wear it short. On a short beard the emphasis shifts: it is less about length and volume than about the amount. A few drops too many, and the short beard shines instead of looking groomed — how little you really need is shown by the beard oil amount for a short beard in the 4-step instructions. The brush, on the other hand, may stay in the drawer for now: on stubble it does little, it only pays off from a few weeks of length. On a three-day stubble, washing and oil are enough. The lines instead need attention every two to three days, otherwise the beard looks accidental rather than intended. After the lines are shaved, an after-shave cologne such as Sakura from the After-Shave Cologne collection refreshes freshly shaved skin. On a full beard the emphasis tips back: more oil so that it reaches the ends, before that a coarse comb to detangle and only then the brush.

And what if the skin underneath itches, flakes or hurts? That has causes of its own and therefore stands in a guide of its own: Beard itches and flakes — what helps against itching and beard dandruff. There you can read how to tell dry skin apart from something medical. With stubborn, reddened or inflamed patches it is no longer a care topic anyway and belongs in medical hands. Here we go on with the care of the beard itself.

Beard care in summer: sweating, sun, swimming lake

The same three opponents every summer. First, sweat: it leaves salt behind that mixes with sebum and irritates the skin. In hot weeks, rinse the beard through with clear water more often and grant it one extra wash during heat waves. Second, sun: UV light dries out beard hair and makes it brittle. In the evening a few drops of oil make up for it, during the day shade or a cap help in a pragmatic way. Third, swimming lake, sea and pool: salt water and chlorinated water pull moisture out of the hair. Rinse with clear water after swimming, oil in the evening — it takes no more than that.

The 5 most common beard care mistakes

• Using shower gel or hair shampoo: the wrong tool for the face. Beard hair turns strawy and dull, the lines look frayed.
• Water that is too hot, and rubbing: double stress for hair and skin. Wash lukewarm, pat dry.
• Too much oil: an overdosed beard shines greasy and looks unkempt. The right amount for each beard length is in the 4-step guide.
• Brushing or trimming wet hair: in the wet state beard hair breaks especially easily, and cut wet it looks longer than it is — the cut turns out too short.
• Setting the neckline too high: the most common self-cut mistake, and it makes the beard shrink visually. Stick to the rule of thumb from step 5.

FAQ: common questions about beard care

How do I care for my beard properly?

With a fixed routine of five steps that you get through in a few minutes a day:

• Wash: two to three times a week with a mild beard shampoo
• Dry: pat instead of rub
• Oil: a few drops — details in the beard oil guide
• Brush: once a day, only on dry hair
• Trim: take back the ends and the lines every one to two weeks

If the skin under the beard stays irritated, that belongs in medical hands and cannot be covered up with care.

How often should I wash my beard?

As a rule of thumb: as rarely as possible, as often as necessary. For most beards that means two to three washes a week with a mild beard shampoo; with very dry skin one of them may be dropped, in sweaty weeks one may be added. In between, clear lukewarm water is enough.

How often do I have to trim my beard?

The ends every one to two weeks, the lines clearly more often depending on how fast it comes in: on a three-day stubble every two to three days, on a full beard the rhythm of the ends trim is usually enough. Always work on a dry, brushed beard, because wet hair looks longer and the cut turns out too short.

Is olive oil good for the beard?

No. Kitchen oil sits heavily on beard hair, is hard to measure out without a pipette and can smell rancid over time. A beard oil is made for exactly this purpose: it can be dosed drop by drop and is designed to sink into the beard hair instead of sitting heavily on top. No drama if you have tried it — but it belongs in the pan, not in the beard.

Everything for the routine in one place: To start with, three basics are enough — a Beard Shampoo, the Beard & Moustache Care Oil (90 ml) and a Premium Beard Brush; from full-beard length a comb for detangling joins them. The complete range stands in the Beard Care collection by Kabuto Katana. Shipping is exclusively within Austria, pickup in Pichl bei Wels by arrangement. Barbershops and hair salons in Austria find the terms on the page For retailers.