How Often Should You Wash Your Beard?
The HighlanderThe raven came down out of a sideways rain on Tuesday, soaked to the quills and in a foul mood, with a letter tied to its leg. It was from a young clansman down the glen, three months into his first real beard. He wanted to know how often to wash beard hair like his. "My da says every day. My brother says never. It feels like heather after a hard frost." I put another log on the fire, poured a small dram, and wrote him back by the hearth.
Here's what I told him, and what I'll tell you. For most people, wash your beard with a proper beard wash 2 to 3 times a week, and on the other days just rinse it with warm water. That's the starting point. Then adjust it: oily skin, sweaty work or a hot, sticky summer can push you toward every other day. Dry or sensitive skin, a long beard or a bitter winter usually does better with 1 to 2 washes a week. Whatever the count, put beard oil on after.
- Most beards do well with a beard wash 2 to 3 times a week and a plain warm-water rinse on the days in between.
- Wash more often if you sweat hard, work in dirt or grease, or have oily skin. Wash less if your skin is dry, your beard is long or it's deep winter.
- Tight, flaky skin and a straw-like beard usually mean too much washing. A greasy feel, a smell or itchy buildup usually means too little.
- On in-between days, a rinse-out co-wash conditioner cleans lightly without stripping.
- Pat dry and use a few drops of beard oil after every wash.
Why 2 to 3 times a week works for most beards
Your skin makes its own oil, called sebum. On your scalp, that oil spreads down fine hair easily. On your face, it has a harder time: beard hair is coarser and curlier, so the ends dry out first while the skin underneath keeps working. Wash every day with a strong cleanser and you scrub off what little oil reaches the beard, plus the oil your skin needs to stay comfortable.
Wash too rarely and food, sweat, smoke, dead skin and old product build up fast. A beard is a fine net. It catches things.
Two or three washes a week, with rinses between, clears the buildup without stripping the beard bare. That's a starting line, not a law of the clan.
How often to wash your beard, by situation
Here's how often to wash your beard depending on your face and your week. If two rows fit, pick the gentler one and watch your skin for a couple of weeks.
| Your situation | Beard wash | Other days |
|---|---|---|
| Average skin, office job, short to medium beard | 2 to 3 times a week | Warm-water rinse |
| Oily skin or a beard that feels greasy by evening | Every other day | Water rinse or co-wash |
| Dry or sensitive skin | 1 to 2 times a week | Co-wash or water only |
| Physical work, kitchens, workshops, daily gym sessions | Every other day, or daily with a gentle wash | Co-wash after the sweatiest days |
| Long beard (6 inches and up) | 1 to 2 times a week | Rinse and comb out; co-wash as needed |
| Hot, humid summer | 3 times a week | Cool rinse after sweating |
| Cold, dry winter | 1 to 2 times a week | Lukewarm rinse, more oil |
Signs you're washing too much, or not enough
Washing too often
- The skin under your beard feels tight right after a shower.
- White flakes show up on your shirt even though you wash plenty.
- The hair feels rough, frizzy or brittle, and the ends split.
- You get itchy a few hours after washing.
Not washing enough
- The beard looks shiny or flat by midday and feels heavy.
- You can smell lunch, smoke or yesterday's workout in it.
- Itch comes with a waxy or gritty feeling near the skin.
Flakes can point either way, which confuses a lot of men. If they show up along with tightness, wash less and oil more. If they come with greasy, yellowish buildup, you may need to wash more often. Our guides to beard dandruff and beard itch go deeper on both. If you've got a red rash or heavy flaking that won't settle after a few weeks of adjusting, see a dermatologist.
Beard wash vs regular shampoo
Can you wash your beard with the shampoo from your hair? You can, the same way you can patch a kilt with a dish towel. Head shampoo is made for a scalp that pumps out more oil and for finer hair, so it's often built to clean hard. On a beard, that can leave the hair dull and the skin underneath dry, especially if you're using it every day.
A beard wash is meant to clean a coarse beard and the face under it more gently. The Barkeep's wash, for example, uses decyl glucoside, a mild coconut-derived cleanser, alongside aloe and five plant oils. If you want the full comparison, read beard shampoo vs regular shampoo.
Co-wash days and water days
Water only. A warm rinse in the shower loosens sweat and crumbs and costs your beard nothing.
Co-wash. A co-wash is a rinse-out conditioner that lathers a little and cleans lightly. It's handy when you sweat every day but your skin can't take daily washing. Work it in, leave it a minute or two, rinse well. If you're wondering whether you need conditioner at all, this one's worth a read: do you need beard conditioner?
A word on winter
Where I come from, the wind off the hills will take the moisture out of your face before you've finished your porridge. Cold air outside and dry heat inside are hard on the skin under a beard. In winter I drop to 1 or 2 washes a week, use lukewarm water instead of hot (hot showers feel grand and dry you out worse), and go a little heavier on oil. A pat of beard butter before bed helps too. If your beard turns to wire every January, read how to soften a coarse beard.
How to wash your beard: the short version
Here's the method I sent with the raven. Knowing how to wash your beard matters as much as how often.
- Wet it through with lukewarm water. A thick beard takes longer than you think.
- Use a small amount of beard wash, about a nickel's worth for a short beard and more for a long one. Lather it in your palms first.
- Work it to the skin with your fingertips, then down through the length.
- Rinse until the water runs clear. Leftover wash is a common cause of itch.
- Pat dry with a towel. Don't scrub it like you're drying a sheepdog.
Oil after washing
Washing takes oil out. Beard oil puts some back. While your beard is damp, not dripping, rub a few drops between your palms, work them into the skin first and then through the hair, and comb it. Around 3 to 5 drops covers a short beard, more for a long one. That's what keeps a freshly washed beard soft instead of crackly. For the longer explanation, read what beard oil actually does.
What I keep by the basin
I keep my whole routine in one scent, so the wash, the conditioner and the oil all smell like the same hearth instead of fighting each other. If you want a true co-wash for daily sweaty days, or your skin doesn't like fragrance, borrow The Barkeep's unscented co-wash ($24.99) for those days.
- The Highlander Beard Wash. $21.99. Smoked firewood, scotch and mahogany, same as my oil. This is the one I'd use for your 2 or 3 wash days.
- The Highlander Beard Conditioner. $24.99. Same scent. Use it after a wash to soften the beard before the oil goes on.
- The Highlander Beard Oil. 1 oz, $18.99. Castor, coconut, sweet almond, argan and jojoba oils with a scent of smoked firewood, scotch and mahogany. Goes on after every wash.
- The Highlander Beard Butter. $26.99. No beeswax, so no hold, just soft, leave-in conditioning. My pick for winter nights.
Sweet almond and argan come from tree nuts, so if you have a nut allergy, check with your doctor first, and patch test anything new on your jaw. The rest of the cleaners live in the beard wash collection.
FAQ
How often should you wash your beard?
For most people, 2 to 3 times a week with a beard wash, with a warm-water rinse on the other days. Wash more often if you have oily skin or sweaty work, and less often if your skin is dry, your beard is long or it's winter.
Is it OK to wash your beard every day?
Daily washing with a strong shampoo tends to dry out the beard and the skin under it. If you sweat or get dirty every day, rinse with water or use a gentle co-wash on most days and save the full beard wash for 2 or 3 days a week.
Can I just rinse my beard with water?
Yes, on the days between washes a warm-water rinse is enough to loosen sweat and crumbs. Water alone won't clear oil and product buildup, so you still need a proper wash a couple of times a week.
Should I use regular shampoo on my beard?
It's better to use a beard wash. Head shampoo is made for the scalp and finer hair and can leave a beard dry and the skin underneath tight, especially with frequent use.
What should I put on my beard after washing it?
Beard oil, while the beard is still slightly damp. Work a few drops into the skin first, then through the hair, and comb it. In cold, dry weather a little beard butter helps too.
One last thing
The raven came back three weeks later, still cross, with a second letter. The lad had dropped to three washes a week, rinsed on the other days and started oiling after. "It feels like a beard now," he wrote, "not a hedge." He also asked if I'd send him a dram. I sent the raven home with a beard oil instead. It's the better gift for a lad his age.
Your beard, your story.
— The Highlander
