Hi! I’m so happy that you started #AskSCB I love all of the posts you have done!
Ok, so the guy I’m dating is wonderful but he has facial hair that grows at an incredible rate. I have somewhat sensitive skin and am wondering if you have any beard burn tips- how to avoid it (ugh pls tell me not making out is not the only answer) and how to treat it?
Thanks for all your hard work SCB I love you!
I feel you on this one… My boyfriend has a beard now, and when we first started dating he was clean shaven so I’ve experienced the full spectrum of beard burn. HOWEVER, I love his beard and is a great look on him so I’ve dealt with it… and learned a thing or two about when and why it pisses off my face.
(all images from pinterest)
I mean, beards are sexy. Why wouldn’t you want to kiss that face? Your man, obviously… not Chris Hemsworth (though I did watch both Thor movie and the Avengers this weekend and would agree he is quite kissable). What’s not so sexy is what they do to your face – redness, irritation, little bumps, and super tender skin from being literally brushed raw.
My skin is super sensitive too, so me and anyone who sees me after I’ve made out with my boyfriend, will know that I indeed have a boyfriend to make out with. The area around my lips and nose get flushed – this is something that still happens, sorry to say, but it goes away much quicker now than a year ago. It’s like my skin gets that he is here to stay and has become more resilient and effective at dealing with a beard.
You can use something like Aquaphor to help soothe and heal it – regular moisturizer might sting if you’ve been scratched raw (I’ve learned from experience).
I’ve learned that how long a beard is plays a major role in how irritated my skin will get – if it’s shorter, sexy stubble – that’s the worst. WORST. It’s like being forcefully exfoliated with prickly little wires – not fun. It seems the longer a beard is, the softer and less irritating it becomes… Less wiry, more comfortable. Here’s a progress chart full of sexy bearded men to give you an idea of what I mean.
I would put up with beard burn to kiss Chuck Bass and that stubble and THAT JAWLINE, but this is the most painful. Moody man in the middle has a reasonable growth – this is where it starts to get soft, like it’s not aggressively attacking your skin. Mr. Smoldering Eyes on the right has a full on beard, which is probably coarse yet soft and hardly irritating at all.
If your man has a beard that grows in quickly, and keeps it short and more stubble-y, then that may be the real problem – if he lets it go a bit longer, see if it’s not softer and less irritating to you. As someone who obsessively plays with my boyfriend’s beard like I would twirl my own hair, it definitely feels softer (therefore friendlier for my face) when it’s longer.
A final tip: if you are getting up close and personal with his beard, try not to be angling your head up into his face/facial hair. That will brush his whiskers right up onto your skin for max irritation. Try to keep your face at a parallel level to his – that way, you will get just a side brush rather than raking his beard like bristles on your skin… Weird, but I’ve noticed it to work.
If anyone has experience with beards or getting beard burn, share your story with any tips in a comment!
xx
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STONECOLDBETCH 
I got one of my good guy friends a lush product that’s designed for beards this past Christmas. It’s a wash/cream product and he said it has made his beard softer and better smelling (double win!) I’d recommend that and see how it goes! It wasn’t too expensive either :)