Itchy Beard after Shaving
Growing facial hair for the first time or having had one for years, it is common to get itchy skin under the beard. Itchy beard can be mild or severe depending on what the cause is.
Other times depending on the phase or stage, every inch of growing beard seems to itch. Could it be dandruff or flaky skin under skin? Find out in this post, the causes and ways you can treat to get rid and home remedies as solution to this problem.
Beard hair isn’t similar to the hair on your head. It is referred to as androgenic hair which simply means that the hair growth is mainly controlled by your testosterone. So the more testosterone you have the more growth and thickness of beard hair. Beard hair should therefore be taken differently than other hair on your body.
Why is growing beard itchy? There are a number of reason why you beard hair growth feels itchy. The cause can range from a minor to a more serious infection. They include:
This happens when you shave and a new facial hair is growing. Once you shave, you leave a sharp edge on the end of each hair inside its follicle. When new hair grows out, this sharp edge can scratch the follicle causing it itch.
It is a common feeling when you’re growing out new hair after shaving. All the hair follicles on your face can itch. You just have to deal with this.
Also known as xerosis, dry skin can make your skin under the beard to itch. Dry skin can be caused by cold or dry weather. When you immerse your skin in hot water probably during a bath or shower, the skin can get dry.
The soaps and shampoos tend to wash off your skin natural oils. This leaves a dry skin on your beard making it itch.
Suffering from skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis can make your skin dry, scaly or flaky causing your beard to itch.
Itchy beard can also arise from ingrown hair. This occurs when you shave your beard and new hair cut into the skin growing back into its follicle. The hair follicles gets inflamed making your beard to itch. It happens to those with tight, coarse and curly hair. The symptoms of ingrown hair include: a red, itchy, painful and bumpy around the ingrown hair.
Itchy beard could be a symptoms of folliculitis. It happens when there’s an inflammation on the hair follicles that contain beard hair. Inflammation can be caused by:
Folliculitis in the beard area can make the inflamed follicles appear red, tender or painful to touch. Blister – like bumps may appear that leak pus
Also known seborrheic dermatitis, this type of skin condition can make the skin under your beard scaly, red and flaky.
It’s also known as dandruff. It mainly affects your scalp. It can also affect your face and in and around the skin of your beard. The symptoms include:
The flaky skin tend to fall off when you rub the beard hair.
This is a fungal infection in the face hair region. It is caused by dermatophyte fungus. Itchy beard could be a symptom of this infection. Other symptoms include:
This is an inflammation that occurs when facial hairs growing back from the hair follicles cut the skin from inside or curve back around into your skin as they try to grow out. As this happens your beard gets itchy.
You’re likely to suffer from this condition when shaving facial hair. You may notice razor bumps.
An itchy rash under beard can be irritating and annoying problem to deal with. It can occur as a result of friction between facial hair stubble and the bare skin. You may find it worse if not treated properly and on time.
A rash on the beard can itch when the skin becomes infected with bacteria. As soon as you suspect you have a beard rash, stop shaving until the irritation clears up. You may apply tea tree oil to heal the surface.
If you’re having itchy beard with dandruff or flaky skin, then you are suffering from seborrheic eczema.
According to Mayo Clinic, seborrheic dermatitis is a common skin condition that mainly affect the scalp. It causes scaly patches, red skin and stubborn dandruff. It can also affect oily areas of the body such as face, side of the nose, eyebrows, ears, eyelids and chest.
This condition may go away without treatment. But if you cleanse daily with a gentle soap and shampoo, it can help reduce oiliness and dead skin build up.
The symptoms include:
New beard getting itching after shaving is not uncommon occurrence. Shaving too frequently increases the risk of razor bumps, skin irritation, cuts and ingrown hairs. As new hair grows the likelihood of an itch is high.
Shaving leaves your skin dry with an itching feeling. The risk of inflammation of hair follicles as new beard hair grows is high. Bacterial infection on the follicles is also high. This could cause folliculitis leading itching as new hair grows.
After shaving, wash the face and beard with warm water and dry with towel. Gently apply an aftershave containing aloe to moisturize the skin.
How is the experience of itchy beard phase? Do you like the itchy stage in growing a beard? Or is it the worst thing you’ve ever experienced? Beard growing stage can be a rough experience to some men while others perfectly enjoy it.
If you need to grow your beard longer to get past the scratchy phase. You’ve to let it grown for a month, and you will be free from the itch and bumps. Also, use a bead and moisturizer.
Itchy skin under beard could be as a result of the above mentioned causes. An itchy skin could be a symptom of seborrheic eczema, folliculitis, ingrown hair, dry skin among other reasons. An inflamed skin could also arise from irritation from shaving creams or soaps.
A fungal or bacterial infection on skin under your beard could make it itchy. You need to identify the underlying cause.
Here’s how to keep that itchy or scratchy feeling at bay.
Your beard attracts all sorts of foreign materials. Things like stray hairs, oil, dead skin cells and other debris find their home in your beard. You need to regularly wash and keep your beard clean. After a day or two, scrub with a gentle and hydrating beard wash
After cleaning your beard, you need to soften it up. Use a specialized conditioner to moisturize and add nutrients to your hair. This will improve the texture and make it less likely to irritate the skin under your beard.
To stop itchy beard, just a good conditioner may not be good enough. You need to daily add a beard oil which should follow a conditioner or be used on its own.
This should be done in case you notice ingrown hairs. Use a pair of tweezers to remove and prevent further irritation. You can also apply a light coat of cortisone to ease the symptoms.
You should regularly brush your beard. It will not only give your beard a clean shape and smooth texture, it will reduce the risk of scratching and having more ingrown hairs.
If the scratchy beard is not as a result of an underlying condition, you may use simple home remedies to get rid of itchy feeling under skin.
You may use coconut oil to get relief. Coconut oil helps to maintain your beard growth. It makes it healthier and softer. Here’s how to apply coconut oil:
Some causes of itchy beard are mild and can be treated with good facial hygiene. Other causes may require medication such as special antibiotics to treat the itch.
Medications:
An infection or other underlying skin condition can be treated with medications such as ointments, creams or lotions. The medications include:
Sources and references:
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