Should‌ ‌You‌ ‌Wash‌ ‌Your‌ ‌Beard‌ ‌Before‌ ‌Trimming,‌ ‌Or‌ ‌After?‌ ‌

With several important beard habits to attend to, it can be difficult to know what order to do them in. A common question; should you wash your beard before trimming? 

While the answer will depend on your individual circumstances, in general, it’s usually best practice to.

What I wanted to do in this article is delve into this a little deeper.

I’ll also give you a brief rundown of what you should focus on doing after you trim.  

Reasons Why You Might Wash Your Beard Before Trimming

Right from the outset, I’d like to make it clear that trimming a wet or damp beard can be difficult and even unsafe.

1. It can untangle the beard

This is a fancy way of saying it unclogs the beard hair. As you may have realized, beard hair tends to become greasy when left untouched. 

Trying to trim a beard in this state is problematic. As the blade tries to work against this layer of filth it produces friction. This leads to an uneven, ineffective trim.

Washing the beard, even with just water, detangles it to a certain extent.

Trimming a clean, untangled, unclogged beard is usually easier.

2. A clean beard is easier to shape

Let me explain. An unwashed beard doesn’t look the way it should.

Oily, greasy beards often look patchier than they otherwise would.

Another reason why you should consider washing your beard before trimming is that you’ll be able to see the beard at its best before you shape it.

Trying to shape it when it’s clumped and tangled isn’t a true reflection of what it really looks like. 

3. It’s practical 

Many men prefer to trim after they shower. Not all men. But a significant proportion of them. 

It makes sense to wash the beard while you’re in the shower, instead of climbing out, drying yourself, trimming your beard, and then washing your beard. 

Having a seamless routine that flows is crucial when trying to sustain it over a lifetime. 

What You Should Do After Trimming Your Beard

So I’ve spent some time talking about what you should do before trimming your beard. Here are a few things you can do after trimming your beard. 

It’s by no means an exhaustive list, considering the sheer number of available grooming products you could potentially be using. 

But a quick outline of what you could do would be as follows: 

1. Rinse it out

This is with some water only. Some of you may be screaming into your screens right now feeling like you’ve been conned. Didn’t I just say wash before you trim? 

Sure. But this isn’t so much of a wash as it is a mild rinse. After you trim, there are likely going to be some loose hairs.

If you don’t rinse it out now, it’ll be spilling out at the most inconvenient of times during the day. 

2. Consider beard oil 

This may be a good time to apply some beard oil (Amazon Link). Beard oil is typically gentler and less drying than beard wash. It’s designed to stay on the beard, which is why you don’t want to wash it out. 

It’s often infused with oils like argan oil and jojoba oil. Applying it to a clean, freshly trimmed beard will give it a subtle sheen.

3. Brush it

Brushing the beard encourages it to stay neat, flat, and straight. It’s also great at distributing product through the beard.

That’s why it’s often a good idea to brush a beard after applying beard oil. It prevents the oil from just accumulating at the bases.

4. Apply some styling product

This may not be necessary, but if you were going to apply some styling product, it’s usually best to do it at the end. At the risk of stating the obvious, once you style that beard it’s important to disturb it as little as possible. 

Conclusion

Beard hygiene is important. It can ease discomfort and enhance appearances. 

It may not be the most fun part of growing a beard, but it’s important. Hopefully, this article has given you some practical advice you can act upon.