Where to Start

You’ve been thinking about growing a beard for a while, but you don’t know how to begin, right? We’re guessing you started with a Google search and that brought you to us: Tabletop Beard. Good start!

Deciding to grow your first beard can be stressful, we understand. Whether you are in school, or at a job, you may not want to draw extra attention to yourself during the transformation. But when you approach beard growth with confidence, the right information and tools, you will do it without faltering.

So, yes, you made the right decision. A beard can help increase your self-confidence, give you a more mature, experienced, or exciting new look. And all you need to do is take the first step, which you already did by researching the topic and reading this article.

Let’s go!

Gather Your Tools

Your perfect beard is not a fantasy; it doesn’t need to be born of the stuff of fables. It’s not out of reach or unobtainable. Your perfect beard is what you make it. That’s one of the coolest parts about growing one. Full customization!

But in order to design your new facial hair, you’re going to need a few tools for the journey. Let us help you by listing them for you.

1. Comb or Brush – your choice. Try them both and see what feels right to you. It often comes down to beard type and length. So, to start, you should be fine with a simple fine-tooth comb. As your beard grows in and gets thicker, you can try a boar bristle brush. Trust us, they are nice. 
2. Scissors – all scissors are not created equally. So, no, you cannot use your kitchen shears or the ones your grandmother uses to quilt. Beard-trimming scissors should be easy to use, ergonomic, sturdy, and sharp. Scissors should easily cut hair, not pull it. They should also excel at precision, to better snip away those stubborn flyaway or oddly wiry hairs.
3. Beard trimmer – the same is said for beard trimming razors. There are many to pick from, so look for ones that are easy to use, lightweight, easy to clean, ergonomic, and have high-quality blades, Bonus points for being waterproof. For fine-tuning and shaping, look for a trimmer with a guide set of five or more nice-looking guides. The more, the better!

You can read a more comprehensive and fantasy-themed article about them here on our blog:  Beard Care Essential Starting Equipment: Part 1

 Stock some Premium Beard Oil, Butter, and Balm

This is one of the fun parts of growing and maintaining a nice-looking beard. Maybe you already know about using hair care products, if not, the ones you use on your head are different than the ones you use on your face.

Like hair care products, you’ll want to choose beard care products that have high-quality ingredients that will benefit the health of your hair and skin. Good news, Tabletop Beard provides premium products with the best natural oils.

We may joke that our products are magical potions, but that’s only because we are huge fans of tabletop games and all things fantasy. The truth is, our team is not just made of wizards, bards, alchemists, and rangers, it is made of men who did not know exactly how to grow a beard when they started too.

What are Beard Oils, Beard Butters, and Beard Balms? Let us Define Each for You

1. Beard oil – how does beard oil work? Well, it is basically a leave-in conditioner for your facial hair. It will help soften your hair and make it smell nice. Pick a scent (or scents) that represent your mood or personality. At Tabletop Beard, our scents are based on popular fantasy tabletop game classes. Try our Ranger or Bard; both are very popular!
2. Beard butter – also a leave-in conditioner, but it also provides so slight hold too. Those might be the preferred product for people with long or full beards that have a natural shape. Cool thing, our beard butters are in the same scents as our beard oils! Take a look here.
3. Beard balm – primarily a beard styling product that helps care for your hair and skin. Beard balm is great if you are struggling to tame your facial hair. This one has the most hold of the three.

Why Use Beard Oil?

People like to ask, what does beard oil do? Think of it like this. Many of the products you have used in the past to wash your face have actually dried out your skin. Beard oil will help rehydrate your skin and beard, therefore preventing dry skin, itch, or beard dandruff. Does beard oil work? Does it help grow your beard? Well, it helps remove the obstacles that will prevent your beard from growing. That’s good news. Beard oil:

• replenishes
• presents dry skin
• helps fight beard dandruff
• smells good (really good if you use ours!)

Read our fun article about why to use beard oil. Why Should You Use Beard Oil?

Why Use Beard Butter?

Shea butter and coco butter are the most common ingredients you will find in beard butter. Beard butter will soften and tame your facial hairs, which is going to be something you face if you decide to grow something more than a five o’clock shadow. Beard hairs sometimes grow at different lengths and sometimes different consistencies. Expect random and inconsistent hairs that just do not want to behave. Like beard oil, beard butter will help nourish your hair and skin. Beard butter:

• conditions your beard, hydrates it, and makes it softer
• strengthens your beard from the roots to the tips
• hydrates your skin and helps combat beard dandruff
• smells good! (for real!)

Read our fun article about why to use our beard butter. Why You Should Use Beard Butter

Why Use Beard Balm?

Since it is a beard-styling product, you will use it mainly for the hold. Unlike beard oil and beard butter, beard balm is often unscented. It can be used in conjunction with beard oils. Think of riding a motorcycle (or dragon). All that wind will scatter the larger and longer beards. This is when having a container of beard balm on hand will keep you looking your best. Beard bald:

• holds
• softens
• should be used after a nice application of beard oil

Read our fun article about why to use our beard butter. How to Use Beard Balm

Ready? Go! A Simple Beard Maintenance List for Beard Care

1. Keep your beard clean with a beard wash (shampoo created for your beard).
2. Moisturize with beard oil.
3. Style with beard balm.
4. Condition with beard softener.
5. Maintain with a beard brush and comb.
6. Trim split ends.
7. Prioritize sleep, exercise, and stress reduction. Drink plenty of water.
8. Consider beard supplementation.

Conclusion

After reading this article, we hope you feel more prepared. Beard care is easy once you are in the know. If you have any more questions, keep reading our other blog articles, or drop us an email. Remember, Tabletop Beard loves games and gamers! We hope you enjoy our fantasy themes.

Thanks!