So, you’re ready to join the The Legion of The Groomed?!

“Umm, maybe, but what is it, actually?”

Good question.

You might already be in it. Let me explain.

At HD Beard we believe there are two types of men: men who care about their appearance, and men who don’t. It’s that simple.

You wouldn’t be here if you fit the latter, so let’s get to it.

The Legion of the Groomed is every man out there flying the flag for self-care, personal ambition and the fight to make the world that little bit easier on the eye, for the sake of us all!

So before we jump to the nitty gritty, let’s get one thing straight: we may all be brothers, but every man is different. That’s where the world of men’s grooming can get a little confusing, and that’s where HD Beard has got you covered.

This list of 3 golden nuggets, condensed from over 20 years of experience, is about to bust myths and set you straight, so you can head off-straight, towards your goals. Constructing a beard, skin and hair routine on the strongest foundations.

Alright then troops, let’s break it down:

 

1. All effective grooming routines start with the same principle – cleansing.

Think back to your last DIY project. You prepped the surface first, right? If the answer is “no”, chances are the cracks started to show pretty quick. Grooming is no different.

The primary goal of cleansing is to wash away those damaging, oxidation causing free-radicals that accumulate around individual hairs throughout the day – they come from unavoidable things like air pollution, UV rays, tobacco smoke and other environmental impurities. Unless you live in a hut half way up the Himalayas, it’s these free-radicals that latch onto the surface of your beard, skin and hair, robbing you of moisture and wreaking havoc on your hair and skin cells. It’s this process that makes us look more old and haggard than we really are… Lame.

HD Beard products break the cycle by treating the condition, not just the symptoms.

And as with so many things in life, the best solutions hang in the balance.

That’s why it’s essential to use products that strike that healthy balance between stripping away impurities on the one hand, and nourishing your beard, skin and hair on the other.

It’s the kind of job where you want to take advice from the experts… like HD Beard.

HD BEARD Man Scrub

HD BEARD Man Shampoo

HD BEARD Peppermint and Lemon Beard Shampoo

 

2. There’s no such thing as too hydrated.

You’ve heard by now how important it is for your overall health to drink a lot of water. Your personal instructor at the gym, your yoga teacher, your barber, even your weird aunt Gladys is in on the secret. But what gets left out of the conversation is how important hydration is for your hair and for your complexion too.
No matter your beard, skin or hair type, hydration is key. Now let’s have a quick look at why, and what you can do about it.

Your body is made up of more than %60 water, and it’s water that is the key to the healthy circulation of your blood. Blood circulates oxygen to your millions of cells and tissues, including, of course, skin cells.

No oxygen supply = no good.

Hydrated skin = healthy skin.

So, while regularly drinking water is an excellent place to start, it only gets you so far.

As you dive into the world of HD Beard Mens Grooming, you’re going to notice the words “hydration” and “nourishment”, dotted around all over the place, like homemade signs at Wrestlemania. That’s because locking-in moisture is your special-move when it comes to getting the three-count on dry, brittle hairs and red, irritated, flaky skin – banishing them to the past forever.

HD BEARD Man Moisture

HD BEARD Man Shave

 

3. Never forget: Smell is the most evocative of the 5 senses.

“IF YA SMELL-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L, WHAT THE ROCK… WAS… COOKING”

Every single human on earth has their nose in their field of vision every single second of their entire life… but how often do you actually notice your nose? Not very often at all.

The same is true of our own personal odour. Beards, in particular, are an area where this gets overlooked. It’s time to choke-slam beard odour into the past, where it belongs… 1… 2… 3…

HD Beard products really come into their own in the scent department. As well as always sticking to our mission statement of providing the best, most nourishing results, using cruelty-free, natural ingredients and recyclable packaging, HD Beard products are all designed with smell in mind.

From subtly scented beard oils to elegantly fragranced hair and beard styling products. We want you to benefit from smelling classy, fresh and sophisticated at all times.

HD BEARD Tobacco, Oud and Vanilla Beard Oil

HD BEARD Man Tan

HD BEARD Man Balm

***

There’s a few fundamentals just to get you going lads.

Fire off any questions in the comments and we’ll be more than happy to lend a hand.

Because, to quote Carl Jung:

“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.”

Throughout my entire adolescence, every time I got into her car, no matter what I’d been doing that day, my mother would always say something to imply that I smelled horrible;

“Did you brush your teeth this morning?”

“When was the last time you washed that jacket?”

“Have you started smoking?!”

Sound familiar?

Now, I’ll admit, to the donkey-stubborn 14 year old me, she may as well have been speaking Mandarin. But as time’s gone on, and as I’ve learnt a thing or two about what I want from life and about what makes women tick (not mutually exclusive concepts), it’s dawned on me that my mum might have been – in her own passive aggressive way – teaching me a valuable lesson.

That lesson, which I’m now going to explore with you, is this:

Not all noses are created equal.

HOW WOMEN SMELL

I mean, they smell like apple pie and roses, but let’s get serious for a second.

There is tons of scientific research showing the extreme difference between men and women when it comes to the sensitivity of the olfactory system:

The key sense organ involved in smell is called the olfactory bulb. It lives at the front of your brain, tucked-in behind your forehead, and its job is to transmit information gathered by the nervous fibres in your nose up to your brain, which then tries its best to turn that information into thoughts and impulses that you can act on and understand.

Simple enough, right?

Wrong.

In 2014, researchers at the University of São Paulo published conclusive evidence that confirms a suspicion as old as the hills – ladies really do smell better. Women were found to have an average of 16.2 million cells in their olfactory bulb, compared with a measly 9.4 million for men.

That makes women, on average, roughly 60% more sensitive to smell than men.

For perspective; 60% is about the same as the difference between the top speed of a Ferrari F40 and the newest Volvo estate. Night and day / chalk and cheese / Johnson and Corbyn.

WHY IT MATTERS

Beard odour is a hidden pandemic.

It’s no secret that full, lustrous beards are in fashion right now, and for good reason. A well styled beard frames your face, strengthens your jawline and accentuates your masculinity, while a nourishing grooming routine keeps your follicles hydrated and your beard and skin looking healthy and youthful. All very sexy stuff.

But the benefits and potential pitfalls don’t stop there.

We interviewed the 10 most attractive women we could find, and when we asked them about smelly beards – after their eyes had stopped rolling – this is the gist of what they said:

“First of all, your beard is close to your mouth. If I’m going near your mouth, it’s not because I want to find out what topping you had on your hotdog last night, know what I mean? A bad smelling beard destroys a guy’s sex appeal.”

“We love beards. Beards are sexy. Beards make us want to cuddle. But, honestly, there is absolutely nothing worse than getting close to a guy, when all you want to smell is them, their smell, and instead what you get is the smell of damp carpet and stale cigarettes. Huge turn off. Like, the worst. Worse than bad breath.”

“I’m glad beards are in fashion. Stubble sucks. You have to remember us girls’ skin is very soft. Face to face contact is kind of a big deal.  Brushing against stubble feels like a thousand sharp knives. There’s no excuse for a beard that stinks though. The worst thing is that, at the most intimate moments, it’s a massive distraction, you know?” 

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT

What all of this DOESN’T mean, is that you should douse yourself in overpowering aftershave so people in the beer garden smell you coming as soon as you open the taxi door. Those ham-fisted, boarish, Joey Essex tactics are best left back in the 90’s, along with Lynx Africa and frosted tips.

Instead, why not explore the world of HD Beard Oils, Beard Balms and Beard Shampoo? The nuances of smell and how knowledge can empower you – and boost your confidence – is like a golden thread that runs through the entire range.

Take a look for yourself here:

So remember, pleasing women is important, but it’s not everything.

You’ve got to look after yourself too lads, for your own mental wellbeing.

Let’s leave it with this quote from Morgan Spurlock, creator of 2004 documentary Super Size Me:

“Even to this day, if I smell a Big Mac, I’m like Pavlov’s dog. My mouth starts watering immediately, like, ‘Man, that is so good,’ but I can’t take a bite of it.”

If you’ve seen the documentary, you’ll know how powerful of a statement that is!

Throw any questions in the comments section below.

Second rule to grooming a beard

If you missed the first step to grooming a beard don’t despair here’s the link, have a little read and join us back here when you’ve finished.

Is your beard ruff, duff or coarse? Or is it all 3?  Do you have dry, flaking skin? 

The second rule to grooming a beard is just for you. 

Beard hair is naturally drier and coarse in texture so we have to treat it differently to the hair on our head. As long as you keep your beard moisturised, you should never have dry skin under it. Using a beard oil or balm will protect your skin from flaking. 

Once you have washed your beard using the beard shampoo towel dry, add a few pumps of beard oil, (my favourite is the Tabacco, Oud and Vanilla Beard oil, it smells divine) and massage it into your beard, it not only gives your beard a fresh look, it softens moisturises and smells amazing too.

 

The first rule to grooming a beard.

Do you have a striking beard? A beard you are proud of? Or do you intend to grow one? It is not something you grow and just have, a beard requires time and effort if you intend to grow and keep it. The first two weeks of growth are pretty low maintenance, apart from the running to a mirror every 5 minutes to see if it’s grown any longer. That is if you can get past the itch, this is short lived, slightly annoying but well worth it.

 

The first rule to grooming a beard 

The most important tip to grooming a beard is to wash it! Right from the word go there will be food, sometimes even a cappuccino, I mean beer, in your mustache. You touch your beard on average 15 times an hour, dirt and bacteria from your hands are transferred to your beard and therefore face. Research shows that many beards are full of food and bacteria that can lead to making you ill. This is why washing it is the first rule and why it is important to do it regularly. Water won’t cut it, time and time again I hear this, you wouldn’t wash your hands with just water. Using our beard shampoo not only cleans it but makes it smell gorgeous too. 

Find out more about our beard wash

 

 

Read our blog on the second rule to grooming a beard

What is the best skin care routine for men?

With the recent COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, we are constantly putting on and taking off our masks and if you are like us this can leave your skin feeling either dehydrated, or the opposite, spotty with breakouts in desperate need of some much needed attention. Rest assured we have put a list together of some of our favourite face washes and moisturisers.

How often should you use face wash?

Four times a day is the simple answer.  Twice in a morning and twice in the evening. The first facewash cleanses away the surface dirt, oils and pollution such as bacteria or virus and dead skin. By cleansing/washing your face for the second time you are ensuring that all the daily build up has been removed properly and your pores are cleaned at a deeper level. Not washing your face regularly can lead to blocked pores and blemishes.

Top tip – use a facial wash before shaving.

 

What are the best facial washes to use?

Upgrade your grooming routine with this Elemis daily cleanser. The Elemis Deep Cleanse Facial Wash leaves your face feeling ultra-refreshed and completely revived.

 

 

Peppermint and Lemon Beard Shampoo cleanses your beard, removes flaky skin and moisturises those dry locks at the same time. Great for longer beards. Dandruff, WHAT DANDRUFF? Packed full of vitamins to keep skin’s moisture, increase beard growth while softening the wiry beards.

When should you moisturise?

Always apply moisturiser after you have cleansed your face. Moisture is lost when you are washing your face and throughout the day, especially at this time of year with the extremely cold winter air and the particularly dry heat from the central heating indoors. Moisturiser not only keeps you looking younger but can protect your skin from the elements, pollution and UV rays as well.

Take the scratch test and see if your skin is dehydrated. Take your finger and lightly scratch it along your face, does it leave a white chalky line? If you answered yes then it’s definitely time for you to reach for a good moisturiser.

Re balance you ph level with one of our favourite moisturisers.

Elemis Daily Moisture Boost is a lightweight daytime moisturiser that recharges and hydrates skin whilst defending it from harsh daily pollutants. The skin is left nourished and refreshed.

Tabacco, Oud and Vanilla Beard oil formulated to hydrate and nourish the coarse hair of your beard and moustache whilst caring for the skin underneath. This is a beard oil for the man who is serious about beard care and performance.