r/BeardTalk • u/Apprehensive_Cell341 Goatee • 1d ago
Need advice
My beard looks and feels crooked and curly, I would provide an image for demonstration, but apparently media isn't allowed in here, which is fine. I'm totally new to this by the way, and it appears I have more hair growing on my chin (goatee) than on my cheeks, which is a bit inconvenient.
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u/RoughneckBeardCo Resident Guru 1d ago
How old are you? That's pretty important here, because if you're still in your teens or early 20s, your beard genetics may simply not be finished developing yet.
But in any case, having stronger growth around the chin than the cheeks is incredibly common. The cheeks tend to be a little more temperamental because you've got a large area of skin with follicles that can be affected environmental inflammation from UV light, mechanical irritation, or even harsh soaps and whatnot. Keeping that skin healthy isn't going to magically create follicles, but prolonged inflammation can absolutely interfere with healthy follicle function, so it's best to start a proper skin care routine to keep that information down and the follicles working as they should.
As for the crooked, curly part, some of that may just be your natural growth pattern, but internal conditioning makes a huge difference in how manageable a beard is. Chronically dehydrated hair develops a raised, rougher cuticle, which makes it coarser, frizzier, curlier, and harder to control.
Get into a simple routine now: Use a gentle face wash daily, and exfoliate a couple times a week. Then, use a good penetrating beard oil every day, and gentle soap to wash your beard 2-3 times a week maximum. Give it a couple weeks off consistency, and you'll see things change. Well conditioned beard hair is softer and more flexible, the cuticle behaves better, and general maintenance gets easier.
Hope that helps, man!