Just like the hair on your head needs to be brushed to help make that flaxen waxen look its best, so too does your chin wig need a little tender loving care to help it lay flat, style correctly, and give your face the proper framing. There is no excuse for a ratty beard. You might be sporting just a basic winter growth for warmth or you could be working with an award-winning piece of facial hair. Either way, you must keep it in line with a beard brush or it shall become matted and home to untold rodents and vermin.
The benefits of brushing your beard are to help keep it stimulated, since stimulated hair follicles are healthy follicles, and to move oil across it. It is also so that your beard is clean and well-managed, making it look better. Adding in a proper beard oil can also moisturize the hair, turning it from a hideous soup-catcher into a touchably soft accessory that begs to have fingers run through it. A bad beard is worse than no beard at all, and every true bearder knows what a serious accusation that is. Keep your facial fuzz clean and attractive with one of the 6 best beard brushes around.
Stern Moustache Brush
Pro: Specifically designed for reaching under the nose
Con: Small size
Lip Smacker: Not technically a true “beard brush” this still deserves honorable mention as being the best brush on the planet when you’re stepping to a serious ‘stache. Most brushes designed for beards are too big to properly work on your upper lip, but this slips under your nose with the surgical precision of a straight razor to distribute oils and clean out detritus. The bristles are hand-picked rather than harvested by machine, making each brush slightly unique. The black Maron handle is long and easy to grip for a better hold and superior control. It can work for any level of moustache, but is best for those with a thicker, Selleck-grade ‘stache that needs longer, stiffer bristles to penetrated down to the skin. The body is light but built solidly and difficult to break even if thrown into a suitcase. Those with only the barest of fuzz might find this more than sufficient for grooming their entire face. [Purchase: $13]
Jack Dean Military Style Brush
Pro: Comfortable for most standard beard levels
Con: Doesn’t penetrate heavier beards
Best Beginner: When you’ve finally thrown away your shaving cream and made the commitment to kick off a really serious beard, you might not be prepared for exactly how much maintenance is going to go into it. This is a good entry-level brush that has everything you need at a price you can stand. It is versatile enough that however your beard grows, it can give it enough care to keep it healthy, though you’ll want to go for something better suited to your hair type as your whiskers reach full manhood. It uses a mixture of nylon and boar bristles, allowing it to penetrate your basic face bramble, but it will be too soft as your fuzz fills in to do much more than stroke it to sleep. At that point you’ll need something a little stiffer. Those with very fine hair or who never intend on going whole hog will never need anything more. [Purchase: $8]
Incredibeard’s The Boar
Pro: Can be used by gripping the handle or the head
Con: Has a very specific optimal length
The Middleman: When you’ve got a beard that is out at the 1″ to 3″ range, this is likely going to be the best brush to fit your face. It digs in without scraping so as to slide between hairs without leaving the skin beneath it raw. It is pure, eco-friendly boar hair that not only distributes the sebaceous oils from your skin to the tip of your hair, but helps to stimulate growth. Ideal when you’re pleased with the growth you’ve seen, but want a little extra boost. This can help to either volumize your hair or force it to lay flat, depending on how it is used. The head is built so that you can use it by gripping either the handle or by grabbing the head when you need greater control and accuracy during your morning routine. The only true drawback is that it can be quite an investment if you intend on going longer or shorter with your growth, since it only works passably well on either side of its intended length. [Purchase: $32]
Diane Palm Brush
Pro: High penetration
Con: Very stiff
The Detangler: When you’re working on a serious rat’s nest, you’re going to want this in your arsenal. It doesn’t work if your beard is too short. It isn’t there to gently massage your skin while it plays Enya music and whispers sweet nothings in your ear. It is a smart bomb ready rain stiff-bristled death on the tangles, snags, and snares that come with a bigger beard. It isn’t generally meant for daily use, hence the lower price, but rather to savagely hatchet its way like a tactical tomahawk through whatever briar patch you’ve ended up with during one of your mountain man excursions or civil war re-enactments. The 100% boar bristle head is reinforced to achieve maximum rigidity for supreme penetration. It does have slightly softer bristles on one side, with the other being hard as coffin nails, but don’t let the term “softer” lull you. The vanished dark wood handle is appealing while the military-style grip gives you the most in leverage. [Purchase: $5]
R.S. Stein Brushes
Pro: Traps and moves oil easily
Con: Without oil, tends to make beards frizz
Oil Slick: R.S. Stein makes brushes that are good on their own: They’re 100% boar bristles backed by a wooden handle that is long-lasting. But they seem to have a knack that other brushes on the market don’t always execute well and that is for distributing beard oil additives easily and completely without leaving as many dry spots in your beard as other brands. This can be especially useful if you have particularly dry hair and skin, live in a very arid climate, or have a lengthy bushel that needs a little help staying moisturized from root to tip. Both their military style and club style brushes are large, have stiff bristles, and can retain and move natural and added oils across and through the wily wilds of your beard. If you’re an oiler then these might help you get the most out of your moisturizing regimen. [Club Brush: $20 | Military Brush: $19]
Kent MC4 Cherrywood Military Brush
Pro: White bristles
Con: Smaller grip
Travel in Style: The Cherrywood Military Brush from Kent is one of their finest beard brushes, but it doesn’t follow along with the rest of their line. It uses the notable white bristles rather than the standard black ones, sunk into a cherrywood backing for an appearance that sets it out from the crowd and gives it a refined appearance that says you drink your whiskey with your pinkies firmly out. It is also markedly smaller than most military brushes so it fits easily into a travel bag or shaving kit for simple transport. This means it will take longer to work through serious beards and doesn’t have the grip advantages if you need to apply more pressure or hate it when your fingers wrap around to the bristles. The white bristles are also a little softer, making it better for early beards or those with sensitive skin, but cannot dig down to the depths of a truly gargantuan face warmer. [Purchase: $40]
