How to Build a Beard Care Routine (Beginner's Guide)

How to build a beard care routine

A good beard routine is four steps in order: wash, condition, butter, oil. Wash a few times a week to clean without stripping, condition to soften, then use beard butter daily to hydrate the skin and hair and beard oil to seal it in. Start simple, butter and oil alone fix most beard complaints, and add the wash and conditioner as your beard grows.

Step 1: Wash (2 to 3 times a week)

Use a dedicated beard wash, not hand or hair soap, which strips natural oils. Washing every day can dry the skin out, so a few times a week is plenty for most.

Step 2: Condition

A beard conditioner softens coarse hair and adds slip. Rinse-out silk conditioner for deep conditioning, or a leave-in for daily softness.

Step 3: Beard butter (daily)

This is the core step. Beard butter hydrates the skin under your beard, where itch and flakes start, and softens the hair. Apply a fingertip-sized amount to a towel-dried beard.

Step 4: Beard oil (daily)

Finish with beard oil to seal in moisture, tame frizz, and add a healthy finish. Butter first, oil last.

Keep it simple to start

If you're new, begin with butter and oil, the two steps that do the most, then add wash and conditioner. The full four-step beard care system covers all of it in one scent.