Beards don’t grow overnight, and you can’t just exchange your hair texture for another. So why not condition your beard and tame bushy or tangled hairs just by brushing or combing your beard? For beard brush vs comb comparisons, we tested different products to see what worked.
When considering products for beard care – you want the best! Here are some advantages and disadvantages when considering beard brush or comb for smoother, stylish beards.
What is a Beard Brush?
Beard brushes are like regular hair brushes with special bristles that work better for facial hair. Typically, these are special brushes made with boar’s hair, horsehair, or synthetic fibers.
A beard brush is critical for grooming your beard. If you want a smooth and tangle-free beard, checkout the Best Beard Brushes now.
The best beard brushes help your beard retain natural oils while straightening and taming wild or wavy beard hair. These brushes also come with ergonomic handles typically made from wood or metal, or in budget-friendly versions, plastic materials.
Beard brushes vary in size, but these typically fit in your hand like any other brush. Travel sizes are great options for maintaining a professional beard for on-the-go situations.
Advantages of Beard Brushes
One significant advantage of boar bristle brushes is their link to hair growth, according to new studies. Some men have experienced thicker, fuller hair growth when using beard brushes with boar bristles because of how they lightly prick the skin.
Some benefits of using a brush on your beard include:
- Softer, more tameable beard hair
- Straightened beard hair
- Easy to maintain
- Shinier hair
- Detangles and lengthens
- Training your beard to grow in a desired direction
Indeed, beard brushes are a bit more aggressive than combs. These brushes may feel abrasive to your skin, but using these brushes every day helps direct hair to grow in the right direction and is good for patchy beard styles.
Who Should Use a Beard Brush?
Beard brushes work well for any beard. Men with coarse hair use them to soften and straighten out wavy beard hair, while others use them to distribute beard oil or beard balms to every strand for a healthier beard.
Brushing your beard hair can also create more volume and direct hair where to grow, which makes it a great option for those who want to fix a patchy beard or thin beard growth.
What is a Beard Comb?
A beard comb has wide or narrow teeth along a single edge or double edge, making it the perfect tool for detangling and smoothing out beard hair.
Beard combs are easy to use and important for beard grooming. If you want to grow a better beard, checkout the Best Beard Combs now.
The best beard combs feature a wood or cellulose acetate body with double edges, so it’s easy to comb through your beard as many times as you like. Experts say combing your beard naturally conditions and straightens your facial hair.
Facts About Beard Combs
- Beard combs may also be made from plastic, or in very fancy versions, ox horn.
- Wood, cellulose acetate, and horn types tend to be stronger than plastic.
- Metal combs are durable but tend to pull harder on your hair.
- Plastic combs typically have too narrow or pointy teeth that also pull your hair.
Advantages of Beard Combs
Beard combs have a sleek, sophisticated look. They work best when used to apply beard balm or beard oil to smooth out and tame beard hair.
- Very affordable
- Easily detangles thicker beards
- Perfect for smoothing out wavy beards
- Better for medium to long beards
- Pick wide teeth for more flexibility and less pulling
- Effectively distribute beard oil through your facial hair
- Great to use when trimming with scissors
Who Should Use a Beard Comb?
Longer beards often need more styling and detangling than what’s possible with a beard brush. In these cases, you’ll want to use a wooden double-edge, wide-tooth comb that can gently tame unruly beard hair and help you style it, too.
Using a comb with a wet beard can easily get rid of knots, but you can also use a comb when your beard is dry and in need of beard oil. Just apply a dab of beard oil to your hands, massage into your beard, then use the comb to pull through each strand.
Which is Better: Beard Comb or Brush?
For styling your beard, every man has his own certain look. Some like neat beards with smooth facial hair, others prefer a bit of scruff or even a beardstache.
No matter how you like to wear your beard, you’ll need a brush or a comb (possibly both?) to keep your look maintained.
use a Beard comb and brush together
In the early stages of beard growth, there may not be much need for either. However, as your facial hair grows out, the brush works to exfoliate your skin and tame the direction of hair growth.
Once you get more length, you can simply start with the comb to create your style. Then follow up with the brush to lock in the style and get the benefits of both tools.
Final Thoughts on Brushing and Combing
With either a beard brush or beard comb, your hair follicles and skin will thank you for using. I keep both on hand, so find out what works best for your current length, style and texture.
Remember, combs and brushes are tools meant to help style, train, detangle and even apply beard products. Using them should never hurt or cause any new skin problems or irritation and be a positive experience.