How to stop beard from curling? 4 Easy Steps!

In this post, we need to discuss what you can do about your beard hairs that are totally uncontrollable, and how we stop the beard from curling upwards.

I myself have a pretty curly beard, and a pretty thick one as well. This is pretty strange since I have what is called “fine blonde nordic hair”. Which is polite-speak for thin crappy hair.

However, this is not the case with my beard. My beard is pretty darn thick. At this point, I can put 3 pencils in my beard, and they will stay put and not fall out. Cool party-trick huh?

Anyway, if you are blessed or cursed with curly hairs. However, you want to look at it. We’ll go through what you can do about it, and what actually helps.

What causes the beard to curl?

There are a number of reasons you suffer, or benefit (depending on how you look at it), from having a curly beard. One of the reasons for having a curly beard is that your skin can be dry.

Think about it this way. Your beard does not get the same oils on their hairs as you get on your scalp. If you are new to growing your beard, you’ve probably already noticed that your beard itches when you come to a certain length.

If your skin is dry, then your hairs will also dry up and become more brittle and possibly more prone to tangles and dryness. So it is very important for you to keep your skin oiled up! We will discuss this in more detail below.

Another possibility is that you have genetically curly follicles. This means that your follicles are shaped in a certain way, bending the hairs as they grow out. If you have a straight beard, your beard will generally grow more symmetrical, and will probably lay more flat.

Having a curly beard could be either a blessing or a curse. My beard for example is pretty curly, and I need to spend a significant amount straightening it each morning (if I want to have that barber-ish look). Some days I don’t care, and I keep it more curly. However, I always use beard balm or beard oil to keep it nourished and well taken care of.

What can you do about a curly beard?

There are a few tricks up your sleeve that you should know about. There are no magic spells you can do, but there are a few effective solutions you can try out.

Before we go into the technicalities, we should stop and talk a bit about how you should properly care for your beard. It is challenging to take care of a curly beard, but certainly not impossible. However, it will probably test your patience.

Beard oils

First and foremost we’ve discussed the different types of curly beards. One is genetic, and another being a not so well-groomed beard and skin.

If we look at your skincare routine, you should definitely include buying some beard oil, and possibly also a beard balm. I know, we are guys, tough masculine guys, and we do not need any creams, balms, or oils!

That was my first thought when I was growing out my beard. And I couldn’t be more wrong! Guys and dudes, we need to take care of our skin as well! I will guarantee that your wife or partner will see a difference and probably also compliment you for it!

So stop being stubborn, and go and buy a good quality beard oil. I’ll list a few favorites I have below.

Beard balm

We talked about the difference between beard balms and beard oils in a post prior to this one. You can find the link for that post here.

I myself have a fair stash of both beard oils and different beard balm. In the time of writing this post, I have about 2 inches of beard growth, and I use beard oil daily.

However, I can go a few days without “needing” it. At about day 3 of forgetting to put beard oil in my beard. It will start to itch. Especially after a shower. I would say that you need at LEAST to put beard oil in your beard after each day you’ve showered. And preferably every day if you can remember it.

The difference with beard balm is that a beard balm is more often used for styling your beard.

Beard balm also has a higher viscosity than beard oil, meaning it will absorb at a slower rate than oil. Making the balm also acts like a styling product. Beard balm is really good to be used if you have a longer beard. I’d suggest you take a look at my links below and try out your favorite and what works best for you.

Beard straighteners

Beard straighteners are pretty much a heated comb. Have you ever seen those hair straighteners? Beard straighteners are pretty much the same thing, but instead of a flat iron, you heat up a brush-type comb.

I personally use a beard straightener when my beard is getting too wild. Otherwise, I comb it after I’ve taken a shower. That combined with beard oil and later beard balm, tends to also get it somewhat straight but with slight waves (video will come later on this routine).

It all depends on what look you are after. Some men (and women) like the more rugged edge, and then by using the beard straightener might end up missing that goal. If you do want that super straight beard, with a crisp line you need to use it pretty much every day. I personally like it when it’s not super curly, but somewhat wavy, giving it a more natural look.

Blowdrying and brushing

If you do not want to go ahead and buy a beard straightener, you could actually use a blowdryer and a regular beard brush to get somewhat of the same effect. This isn’t going to get you the same effect as a straightener, but maybe this is good enough depending on what look you are after.

1. Grab a part of your beard, about the same size as the comb you are using (I would recommend you buying a rounded beard or hairbrush for this!).
2. Start combing your beard hair, starting from the bottom and working your way upwards. During this step blowdry your beard hair as you are combing it. Be sure to use the flat head nozzle to get the heat evenly spread out. Caution, blowdrying this way can get pretty hot.
3. Be sure to comb your beard inwards as you work yourself up. This way you grab your beard and helps it to get straightened out.

Personally, I first started using a blowdryer. But I soon came to realize that it’s pretty loud and it takes forever to straighten it out this way. It didn’t take long until I got myself a straightener instead. Imagine that you’re getting up for work and waking your entire family because you need to blow dry your beard for 15-20 minutes. No one wants to wake up to that sound, believe me!

Groom it

All beards need a good trim at some point. When you get to that certain point you will need to groom your beard to get the best look for it. You will get stray hairs that will point in a whole other direction than the other 99% of your beard hair.

If you are unsure how you should trim your beard, I would first recommend you seeing your barber get the right advice for your beard. If you want the more daring approach, you could try to sculpt the beard yourself.

1. first, wash your beard, and straighten it out with either a brush, straightener, or blowdryer
2. Pinpoint the stray hairs that are not aligned correctly.
3. Grab a good quality beard trimmer and gently swoop over the area to shave off those stray hairs.
4. Repeat #3 until you see the shape you are satisfied with. Remember to also trim your neck-beard.

If all else fails…

To be honest, it shouldn’t.

If you followed my guides above on how to make your beard straight, you have the tools you need to get your beard straight. If you mess up, go to your barber and he will give you a scolding and probably tell you what you’ve done wrong.

If you want my opinion, reach out in the comments, or mail me directly and I will try to be of assistance. We’re all bearded family here!

Summary

In this post we’ve discusses what you can do to get your beard straightened out. You can either go out and buy a beard straightener, or you can try and cope with your trusty blowdryer. However there are downsides to using it, a few being an angry wife and family because you woke them up early with the sound of something sounding like the mating sound from the orcs from the Lord of the rings.

If I were to recommend anything, I would say that start with a blowdryer and try it out. After trying this, you probably are looking for a beard straightener. Then give this post a read; I’ve listed my top 5 picks for beard straighteners. Thank me later… 😉