How to treat and prevent beard dandruff

You might have a nourished, thick, and shiny beard, but what’s happening to the skin underneath it? After growing out a beard, many men think that they’ve discovered the secret to low-maintenance grooming. Nothing could be further from the truth. Without proper care, you’ll start to see rough, dry, and flaky skin under the beard, otherwise known as beard dandruff. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to ensure your beard remains full and fabulously flake-free. Check out our razor-sharp guide for more info about the causes of a dry beard, and some of the L’Oréal Paris products that can help you fight back!

Dandruff is a widespread skin condition – with some studies estimating that it affects roughly half of the adult population – that causes white or grey flakes of skin to appear on your hair. Beard dandruff is the same as dandruff on your head, except it applies to your facial hair. It’s itchy, unsightly, and not something you want to be dealing with when you’ve gone to the trouble of growing out and maintaining a thick, lustrous beard!

Beard dandruff is caused by a microbe called Malassezia globose, which is a type of fungus that grows in oily areas, like your face and scalp. Essentially, it feeds off the natural oils produced by your skin, otherwise known as sebum. When breaking down these natural oils, the fungus produces oleic acid. This leads to irritation, which can make your skin itchy and red. The process causes your skin cells to increase their turnover rate, leading to an accumulation of clumps of dead cells, i.e., dandruff. 

In addition, cold weather or a lack of sunlight exacerbates flaky skin under the beard, which means that you may be more prone to beard dandruff in the winter months. Hygiene may also play a factor. Harsh cleansers or soaps that the manufacturers didn’t design for facial hair can remove your skin’s natural oils and cause it to dry out. Consequently, you’ll be more likely to suffer from a dry beard if you don’t use the appropriate hygiene products. 

Bottom line: if you have a beard and are sensitive to oleic acid (as roughly 50% of the population is), then you may be at risk of developing a flaky beard. 

Now that you know a little more about the causes of dry skin under the beard, it’s time to work out how to prevent and get rid of beard dandruff once and for all. There are three main steps:

• Exfoliating – First up, it’s all about exfoliation, or getting rid of the dead skin cells underneath your beard. Why not try using a beard brush with soft bristles to remove dead skin and distribute oils, making your beard easier to manage. Also, it would help if you used L’Oréal Paris’s Shaving Cream Repairing After-Shave Balm, a refreshing balm that helps to hydrate your skin and support the skin barrier. 
• Cleansing – Next, you need to get into the habit of washing your beard the same way that you clean the hair on your head. Use a specially designed beard shampoo, rather than your regular shampoo, as this is likely to aggravate the sensitive skin on your face and clog up your pores. Gently massage the lather into your beard and leave it in for a few minutes before you rinse. Try our Men Expert Barber Club Beard Face Wash to wash away flakes, odours, and residue, and avoid using hot water, as this can increase the dry skin under your beard. 
• Moisturising – Finally, the importance of knowing how to moisturise a beard can’t be understated. Our Men Expert Barber Club Short Beard Moisturiser could be the perfect solution for daily beard care.Be sure to moisturise your beard after cleansing, massaging the moisturiser into the skin, and through to the ends of the beard. 

And there you have it – three simple steps that can help you get rid of a flaky beard for good! Do you want to up your beard game? Head over to Barber Club by L’Oréal Men Expert to explore our grooming range.