Summer is hard on a beard. Sun, chlorine and seawater dry out the hair and the skin beneath it faster than you think. Just when you least feel like a routine, your beard needs it most. A few simple habits are enough to keep it supple and the skin calm.
What sun, chlorine and seawater do to your beard
All three draw out moisture. The sun dries and weakens the hair, chlorine from the pool strips the skin's natural oil layer, and salty seawater pulls moisture out of skin and hair. The result is a beard that feels coarse and dull, and skin beneath that tightens, itches or flakes. You often notice it only in the evening, when the taut feeling sets in.
What to do before swimming
The best protection is a layer that keeps water out. Before you get in, apply a small amount of beard oil to a dry beard. The oil settles around the hair and on the skin and limits how much chlorine or salt gets through. It is the same principle as a good skin barrier: you do not let the water have free rein.
What to do afterwards
Rinse your beard with fresh water as soon as possible, before it fully dries, so chlorine and salt do not keep working. Pat it dry, do not rub roughly. Then apply a few drops of beard oil again to restore the moisture the water drew out. In summer that can easily be twice a day, because in the heat the skin asks for more than usual. If you want to know exactly how much, read how much beard oil to use.
The skin beneath the beard gets forgotten
In the sun all attention goes to the face, but the skin beneath the beard burns and dries out just as much. That is exactly where a light oil helps, one that absorbs without clogging. A well-kept summer beard begins, as in every season, with the skin beneath it.
Sun, salt and chlorine dry out. A few drops at the right moment restore what they take away.