The itchy beard phase typically occurs in the first 1-3 weeks of growing a beard. Your face starts itching as your beard grows and you either scratch until it stops or shave off your growing beard and give up.
The itchy beard phase is something you will probably face as you start growing it. The few times I’ve grown a full beard, I experienced it about a week into growing one. It tended to dissipate after week 3 but whether you make it that far without shaving, is another story.
I’ve had a goatee since 1995 and since I keep my facial hair short, don’t ever experience itchy beard syndrome!
Why does my face itch when growing a beard? Here are the main reasons your beard itches as it grows.
Itchy Beard Stage
The itchy beard stage tends to occur when your facial hair scratches the hair follicle and causes the itchy feeling. When dozens or hundreds of small, growing facial hairs scratch your face, you really feel it.
Normally when you shave, you shave off the sharp edge of your whiskers. But when you stop shaving and grow a beard, the sharp edge of the whiskers grow out and can scratch and irritate you.
I personally know the feeling during the early stages of growing a beard when you get random itchiness all over your face. First it starts on one side of the face. Then on the other side. Then the chin starts itching and pretty soon it’s itchy somewhere else.
If your beard is itching badly in the first 1-3 weeks of growing it, it’s most likely Itchy Beard Stage.
Dry Skin
If you suffer from dry skin, your beard will itch. The more you scratch it, the more likely you are to irritate the skin. Which leads to more itchiness.
A good beard oil or other beard-specific moisturizer should help to keep dry skin at bay.
And understand that beard oil isn’t actually for the beard…it’s for your skin. Your body doesn’t produce enough oil for both the skin and a full beard. So massage the beard oil into your skin underneath your beard.
If you wash your new bears with regular soap, that can have a drying effect too. If you use an aftershave with alcohol, that will dry it out further. Try a beard-specific wash or regular face wash instead.
Poor Grooming
Maybe you are washing your beard but aren’t washing it well enough or often enough. Are you properly rinsing off the soap completely? Are you brushing and combing your beard as it grows? Check out my earlier post on beard brushes vs beard combs to learn more. Poor grooming can lead to itchiness.
Do you see small white flakes in your beard? That’s probably dandruff which is caused by overly oily skin. While dandruff isn’t due to poor grooming per se, oily skin may make it more likely. Washing more frequently to keep your beard skin clean may help.
Medical Issues
An itchy beard can also be caused by a fungus such as Tinea Barbae which manifests itself with red, crusty, inflamed skin which might also itch. Typically you will experience this on the areas where you grow a beard, namely the cheeks, chin and mouth areas.
You may also have Folliculitis which is an inflammation of the hair follicle.
You might also suffer from Pseudofolliculitis Barbae which is when a hair(s) grows back underneath the skin causing irritation and inflammation.
If you suspect one of these, visit your doctor to get a professional opinion.
Itchy Beard Grooming
Grooming is certainly an important part of growing a beard. We talked a bit about some of the aspects of grooming above.
Remember the washing part. Some guys seem to forget that washing your beard and the skin underneath remains an important part of your daily hygiene regimen.
Moisturizing is also very important as is brushing and combing your beard.
Check out the picture above. If you decide that you no longer want to grow a full beard because you can’t handle the itch or don’t like the look, take out the clippers. Trim your beard to a shorter length and keep trimming it shorter until you have a look you’re happy with.
Maybe a shorter full beard is a better look for you anyways. Remember to match your beard with your body and face. What suits another guy might not suit you.
I previously wrote a post discussing an itchy beard home remedy routine that might also interest you.
Conclusion
- The itchy beard phase usually occurs in the first several weeks of growing a beard before it subsides.
- There are several other reasons listed above that may also be responsible for your itchy beard that you might need to address.
- Proper grooming and washing goes a long way to keep your beard tidy and keeping it from itching.
- Some men use coconut oil as another remedy for itchy beard but as it’s a highly comedogenic product, you should be careful if you have oily skin or are prone to acne.
Let us know in the comments below which remedy you use for an itchy beard!