Are you ready to show the world you are a man and grow that mustache and beard you have longed for since last Movember?
Well get ready to stop shaving and start growing. We have listed for you the official steps to join this 13 year old movement as well as some timely tips to keep your skin happy and healthy under your pride and joy, Mo.
Steps to Official Movember Movement:
- Shave face on November 1st
- Register by signing up here
- Grow mustache/beard for the month
- Attend fundraisers or one of the many Gala Parties held in the 21 countries
Assistance on Growing Your Mo
While growing your Mo and beard to show support and raise awareness is important, many men battle skin care issues that come along with facial hair growth. We’ve discovered there are tons of questions concerning skin care associated with facial hair growth including: dry, itchy skin, acne, use of essential oils for your beard and other facial hair maintenance questions.
Most Common Beard Questions & Concerns
1. Are essential oils or organic oils good for my beard?
Essential oils contain numerous different chemicals. Many of these chemicals in and of themselves can be rather toxic and many of them are also extremely allergenic. To stay safe, stick to oils like coconut, jojoba, safflower, evening primrose, perilla, and hemp oil.
These oils tend to be on the safer side for the skin. Studies show that olive oil is actually detrimental to the skin barrier when it is applied to the skin, so it is probably best to leave olive oil for eating. Avoid the more allergenic oils like avocado, peanut, and almond.
2. What can I do about pimples/acne under my beard?
There are a few problems that can cause you to get pimples under your beard; one is an infection in the hair follicle itself. This is a pimple/pustule that has a hair growing out of the middle of it and is called folliculitis.
One of the most common organisms responsible for folliculitis is a bacteria called Staph. Aureus Staph can make you get pimple-like folliculitis bumps anywhere on your body and especially in your beard if you tend to pick at your face.
Another cause of “acne” under the beard is a condition called pseudofolliculitis barbae; pimple like bumps that really seem to be more like an ingrown hair that got out of control. This condition can be caused by an inflammatory reaction to the regrown hair itself and can sometimes be caused by a fungal infection (really rare).
When the beard hair is shaven short, it can cause an inflammatory reaction as it tries to regrow through the surface of the epidermis. The best thing to do in this case is to always leave a little stubble on your face.
Never use a single blade and use a beard trimmer instead. Our new TrueCider Serum, an organic apple cider vinegar-based serum is a smart, easy and effective way to keep your Movember face healthy and lovable
. It will help keep your skin pH unfriendly to the bacteria that cause folliculitis and lots of other skin issues under the beard.
When you decide to shave, be sure to leave the facial hair a few millimeters long so it never has to regrow through the surface of the skin, think Brad Pitt.
The final thing that can cause acne pimples under the beard IS acne. TrueCider serum twice a day will help keep your acne under control. As always, if your skin condition worsens consider a visit to your dermatologist for powerful prescription strength treatments. The most important thing you can do in any of these scenarios however, is to never, pick at these lesions; it will only make the condition worse and more likely to scar.
3. How often should I shampoo my beard?
You don’t need to use shampoo in particular to wash your beard. You can use a gentle facial cleanser or an acne wash in this area as well. The goal for washing the beard is to remove built up dirt and oils.
Any number of soaps and facial cleansers are sufficient. It is best to avoid soaps or shampoos that contain sulfates and cocamidopropyl betaine as these chemicals are both quite irritating, can increase the absorption of irritants and allergens through the skin and can be allergens themselves as well.
Our brand new TrueCider Shampoo and Conditioner with Organic Apple Cider Vinegar might be the perfect combo for your beard and mustache.
4. Is dandruff shampoo good for removing the flakes? What about the flakes that I get under and between my eyebrows?
The oil cleansing method (OCM) is popular, but can be a problem in the beard area because it may leave too much of an oil residue on this skin that is prone to the flaking skin condition called seborrheic dermatitis. Seborrheic dermatitis is a condition characterized by overgrowth and then an immune reaction to a naturally occurring yeast called malassezia (also called pityrosporum).
The skin develops a greasy scale and can be accompanied by a slightly itchy, pink, scaly rash as well. Malassezia tend to overgrow in the presence of oil (this is what it eats) thus, the skin under the beard can become susceptible to seborrheic dermatitis if it is oily. The pH of the skin is also a factor in the growth of malassezia. An optimized skin pH of between 4.6 and 5.6 tends to be a good defense against malassezia.
To determine how often to wash your beard, consider how oily your skin tends to be. The more oily your skin is, then the more often you should be washing your beard.
Seborrheic dermatitis can be minimized with more frequent washing, with the use of pH-adjusting vinegar-based washes and gels, and with the use of serums, like TrueCider. The use of dandruff shampoos that contain selenium sulfide or ketoconazole can also be helpful.
5. What can I do about dry, itchy skin under my beard and even under the eye brows?
My favorite treatment for dry, itchy skin under the beard or eyebrow hair is to start with TrueCider Serum, followed by TrueLipids Hydrate, Correct & Perfect Lotion or the TrueLipids Ceramide + Cream.
These products are designed to optimize the skin barrier by replacing the optimal lipid fractions for a healthy skin barrier so that it will be less susceptible to irritation and overgrowth of malassezia. An added benefit is the anti-inflammatory molecule, 18-B glycyrrhetinic acid because it has been shown to inhibit the growth of this yeast.
Movember is a time for men to bond while raising awareness of Men’s health issues. If you would like to be a part of Movember but can’t grow a beard, you can donate to the Movember Foundation. If you have further questions regarding beard skin care tips, please visit our forum, where you can ask the doctor anything!