r/BeardTalk

I have grown a relatively decent mustache all things considered, but it’s very thin and would be better suited with a beard to go alongside it. However, I can hardly seem to grow one even after a month of waiting. The hairs thin and grows in a goatee pattern, which while fine, means it looks like I just forgot to shave for a month. My brother (27) has a great full beard that he grows quickly, but none of his beard oils or anything help, and he’s had his beard for years! Any advice for this or is it really just luck of the draw. Thanks in advance for any advice given.

Hi everyone. My husband likes to keep his beard trim and with a longer moustache. (He calls it a dirt stache... I don't know if that's the technical term). He washes it nearly every day with bar soap. He also washes his hair with Head and Shoulders shampoo. Lately (at my request) he has been putting some of my conditioner on it for a few minutes when he showers. But the issue is, it hurts me. He never means to, of course, but his beard is so abrasive that almost any contact with his face is painful. It's gotten to the point that something needs to be done. I love him. I wouldn't ever ask him to change his style for anything less than a significant amount of pain, but it is gotten to the point that I'm afraid to let my face near his. I tried looking it up online, but I got mixed advice. We are on a pretty tight budget, so we can't afford expensive products- we would have to save up for a few months for each one. So in that case, what products do you recommend? And what can be done in the meantime?​ Maybe there is a similar style that is less painfull? Maybe his cheap clippers make sharper ends? Would a boar bristle brush help with a short beard like that?

edit: Thank you everyone. It means so much to me to know it might get better. I really cannot express my gratitude.

Anyone know about this product. Not an oil, butter, or balm. Pretty interesting. What do you think?

Hi im new and Im 19, ever since I started growing "facial hair" my left side grows thicker than my right and its still a bit patchy, my dad and my older brother of mine can grow "normal" beards which is really makes me feel left out. Does anyone have any tips on how to grow a beard evenly?

Ps. Not sure if this has been asked before, like I said I'm new

Using a buzzer or scissors to trim my beard always leaves the hairs with sharp, tapered tips. Because my beard hair is coarse and dense, as it grows it tends to curl back into the skin, piercing it and causing ingrown hairs.

Is there a better way to prevent this? For example, are there trimming methods or techniques that leave the hair with a blunter tip so it’s less likely to grow back into the skin? I’ve been dealing with this issue for years and would really appreciate any advice.

​​ I'm trying to find a new beard wash I have been using every man Jack for a while and I want to try something new . But a lot of online searches say that cremo two and one or just the beard wash is the best . And then I've seen a lot of talk about Viking Revolution

Hey everyone,

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I've been experimenting with making

my own beard balm for a while now

and I think I've landed on something

genuinely good — wanted to get

honest opinions from people who

actually know beards before I

consider selling it.

The formula:

— Refined Shea Butter

— Mango Butter

— White Beeswax

— Jojoba Oil

— Sweet Almond Oil

— Vitamin E Oil (75,000 IU)

— Fragrance oil inspired by

LV Imagination

(bergamot, orange, ginger,

cinnamon, neroli, black tea,

amber, olibanum, guaiac wood)

The idea was to make something

that performs like a proper

natural balm but smells like

an expensive cologne rather

than the usual cedar/pine

most balms go for.

I'm calling it Katori

Questions I genuinely want answered:

1. Would you use a beard balm

   scented like a luxury cologne?

2. Does the ingredient list

   look solid to you?

3. What would you pay for

   something like this — 50ml jar?

4. What would put you off buying it?

Not trying to sell anything here —

genuinely just want honest feedback

from people who know what

they're talking about.

Happy to answer any questions

about the formula.

Ayo! What’s y’all fav beard oil/butter recommendations?

spent way too long researching this before i finally bought one and honestly the amount of stuff that gets glossed over in every single buying guide is kinda unreal. every article just lists the same 5 brands and calls it a day so im sharing everything i actually needed to know that nobody told me upfront

this is for the guys who want to actually understand what theyre buying and not just grab whatever has the most amazon reviews

first things first - a trimmer and a clipper are not the same thing

i genuinely didnt know this when i started and it sent me down the wrong path for a while

clippers are built for large surface areas and thick scalp hair. the blades are wider and the motor is designed to plow through a lot of hair fast. great for buzz cuts and fades

trimmers have narrower blades, tighter blade spacing, and are built for precision and shorter hair. the blade design is specifically meant to handle the finer detail work around jawlines, necklines, mustaches and beard edges without overcutting

if someone tells u to just grab a hair clipper for ur beard, that can work in a pinch but ur gonna notice the difference when trying to get clean lines. the tools are engineered for different jobs

the blade material thing is actually worth understanding before u buy

this is the thing every guide mentions but nobody actually explains properly

stainless steel blades - most common, durable, does the job. the main thing to know is they generate more heat over longer sessions and will dull over time. not a dealbreaker for most ppl but worth knowing

ceramic blades - stay noticeably cooler during extended use which matters way more than u think if ur doing detailed shaping work and keeping the trimmer on for a while. theyre also sharper out of the box and smoother on coarse hair. the downside is they cost more and are more fragile than steel

titanium coated blades - usually steel underneath with a titanium coating. harder than plain steel, holds sharpness longer, still generates more heat than ceramic. kind of the middle ground

if u have sensitive skin or thick coarse hair, ceramic is genuinely worth looking at. the cooler temp means less irritation during close work

motor speed (RPM) vs torque and why it actually matters for thick beards

ok this one trips people up a lot

RPM is how fast the blades spin. torque is how much force the motor maintains under resistance

for guys with fine or medium hair, RPM is basically all u need to think about

for guys with thick, dense, or coarse beard hair... torque is the thing that actually matters. a high RPM motor with low torque will bog down and slow when it hits a dense patch of hair. that bogging down is whats causing the pulling and snagging sensation that people hate

trimmers that hit around 6500 to 8000 RPM with a high torque motor handle dense growth consistently without that speed drop. anything that slows noticeably on thick sections is a low torque issue, not a blade issue

most brands dont advertise torque directly so the workaround is looking for terms like high torque motor or pivot motor in the specs. pivot and rotary motors generally maintain torque better under resistance than magnetic motors

wet vs dry - this is more important than the marketing makes it seem

most trimmers will say they can handle wet or damp conditions to some degree but theres actually a meaningful difference between showerproof, splash proof, and fully waterproof

showerproof / splash resistant - can handle getting wet briefly, maybe rinsed under the tap. not actually meant to be used in the shower

fully waterproof (IPX5 or IPX7 rated) - can actually be used in the shower or submerged briefly. these are the only ones u should take into the shower

heres the thing a lot of people dont know tho: trimming wet beard hair actually gives different results than dry. wet hair lies flatter and appears longer than it actually is which means ur way more likely to cut shorter than u meant to

if u prefer to trim right after a shower, use the trimmer on a towel dried beard not a soaking wet one and go a bit longer than u think u need on the guard setting. u can always take more off, u cant put it back lol

the guard situation - myths people actually believe

myth: more guards = better trimmer

a trimmer that comes with 23 pieces sounds impressive until u realize half of them are duplicate sizes or nose hair attachments u wont use. what actually matters is the incremental steps between settings. a trimmer with 20 settings in 0.5mm increments gives u way more precision than one with 23 guards that jump in 2mm steps

myth: guards are interchangeable between brands

they are not. guards are brand and often model specific. trying to use guards from a different trimmer brand almost always results in poor fit, uneven cuts, and guards that pop off mid trim. always buy guards made specifically for ur model

myth: guards reduce trimmer power

the motor power doesnt change when u put a guard on. all the guard does is create distance between the blade and ur skin so the blade can only cut hair to a certain length. same motor, same blade speed, same power

myth: u should trim right after a shower

kinda addressed this above but wet hair stretches and lies flat. u risk cutting too short bc the hair looks longer when wet. trimming on a dry or just-towel-dried beard gives u much more accurate results

what i actually look for when recommending one to someone now

whats ur beard density? thick coarse hair = look for high torque motor + ceramic or titanium blades. medium or fine hair = almost anything works fine

how long are ur sessions? longer detailed work = look for cool running blades (ceramic) and good battery life

do u travel often? weight, charge time, and whether it takes USB-C matters a lot more when ur packing a bag

do u have sensitive skin? ceramic blades and a lower RPM setting on ur trimmer will help a ton. the tug and pull sensation is usually a combination of dull blades and too much heat

do u care about really precise edge work? look for a trimmer that has or is compatible with a separate T-blade or precision zero-gap attachment. those are for outlining and detailing specifically and make a noticeable difference vs trying to edge with a regular wide blade

stuff im still figuring out

does anyone have long term experience with self sharpening blade claims? like the ones that say blades last 5 years sharp - is that actually true in practice or is it marketing

also curious if anyone has compared a dedicated beard trimmer vs a barber grade clipper for home beard use - would love to hear actual experiences from ppl who switched

Why invest in a high-quality beard wash if I plan to apply beard oil immediately after drying?

CAN'T I JUST USE NORMAL SHAMPOO?

Is there such thing as a beard conditioner that doesn’t stay sticky all day? Love to spend my money with a local business if possible. I just have a gotee not a long beard. I hate trail and error of buying products that are all the same. Sticky. Please some good suggestions that smell great.

I’m looking for a new beard trimmer and I’m tired of buying ones that work fine for a few months, then start pulling hair, losing battery, or giving uneven trims.

I mostly need it for keeping a short beard clean, trimming the neckline, and doing quick touch ups without making a mess. I don’t need anything super fancy, but I’d rather pay a bit more once than keep replacing cheap ones.

For guys who trim regularly, what beard trimmer are you using and would you buy it again?

I saw so much hate online towards Viking Revolution and their products on reddit throughout the years. I decided to give it a try.

The two ingredients are argan oil and jojoba oil.

All I can say is this oil completely fucked up my beard. It made it as dry as a birds nest and scraggly. I had burning under my pores after using it and lost some hair because I think it was too harsh. Its just generally low quality junk .

Now im starting over with a new oil. Don't buy this garbage

Okay so, long story short I was doing some spring cleaning and I reorganized my husband’s and my bathroom which included a purge of “obvious trash.” Or so I thought.

A few weeks later we were on a weekend trip and we brought our prepacked toiletries bag which-yes- got the purge treatment, too.

Hubby asked me if I had seen his aftershave salt stick which had apparently been in the bag. He said it’s really useful for closing up/cauterizing nicks immediately and lasts forever.

Usually I’m pretty cared about other people’s belongings and not just tossing something someone might find value in simply because *I* don’t see it’s value. I guess I hate when people disrespect my stuff so I try not to disrespect other people’s stuff.

I can’t help shake the feeling I may have made a mistake though anyways, and while I’m not dumb, I do have the long term memory of a senile goldfish.

So basically I want to replace his aftershave salt stick but I haven’t even ever heard of such a thing.

Someone please point me in the right direction please?!

👏

I have been trying to find something but ideally without the mystery ingredients like parfum.

Essential oils and natural fragrance are fine but trying to avoid unknowns due to sensitive skin.

UK based so ideally not internationally shipped brands would be preferred.

There is a lot out there so interested to hear what others recommend or may suggest.

So I've been thinking about doing some experimenting with my home blended beard oil. One of the experiments that I was thinking of doing was swapping out the grape seed oil for avocado oil to see if there's any difference. I was just wondering if anybody has any info or experience with the differences between these 2 oils.

Okay guys I'm looking for advice. Im 31 M. I have always been able to grow a full thick beard.

I noticed last year my beard started growing in really scraggly and having all kinds of lose hairs poking out all over.

My beard was looking "chopped" instead of clean and even when cut.

I thought it was my beard trimmer because it was 7 years old. So I bought a new phillips norelco series with good blades.

I have cycled through 3 different brands of beard oil now, 2 new trimmers and different combs and brushes. It doesn't mater what I do. My beard looks chopped, un-even scraggly, thin. It sticks out all over.

I even switched shampoos twice. What gives ?

I was\nWondering, how long does it take the average person to grow a beard?I've been trying to grow my out now.For several years, but no matter how much time I give it and never looks good.It's never thick enough

Hello there,

I would like to have that stubby shave from Matt Murdock's Dare Devil Series.

I tested multiple products over the years but i never nailed it.

At the moment i have the King C from Gillete and i find it very weak to be honest....

I tested One Blade from Philipps and that also didnt'give me what i wanted...

Gillete Styler got me close but still not...