You want to be proud of your beard – don’t you? But perhaps there’s a little fuzziness to your beard that you are not proud of. The truth of that matter is that beards are a hard beast to tame. Beard hair is flat when you look at the cross-section of the hair – this causes it to twist and bend way more than head hair. It is easy to look online and see a whole range of straighteners and gadgets that promise to straighten your beard. The ultimate question is “are beard straighteners worth it?”. Here we will try and tackle this problem and provide you with a definitive answer!
Beard straighteners are inexpensive and solve a wide range of beard growing problems. If you are having issues with controlling your beard then the low price will absolutely be worth it. But if you can do the same job with just a hairdryer – it may not be worth the expense.
Before you buy any new gadget it’s recommended to look at why you are buying the product in the first place and if the problems can be solved in another way. That will definitely mean you won’t end up with any buyer’s remorse and your beard straighteners will be 100 % worth it.
Common issues with beards include:
- Hair growing longer on one side than the other
- Hair not growing on certain parts of your face
- Hair being thin or patchy
Obviously, beard straighteners cannot solve all of these issues for you. Beard straighteners are good for cutting down on the frizz and curly nature of beards. This is something that every bearded person deals with on a near-daily basis. The “ideal beard” sold to us by companies selling products look like a solid mass of hair pinned precisely on your face. Beards in the real world look nothing like that!
I’ve never encountered a beard problem that couldn’t be solved with good beard care, a gentle and personalized maintenance routine and a day that isn’t too humid. Beard straighteners just help make the process a little quicker!
Before launching in to the beard straightener purchase – maybe you just need to switch up your beard care routine to get the effect you want.
Good beard care will help avoid the need for beard straighteners.
When it comes to taking good care of that beard of yours, there is a load of factors that come into play:
- Are you washing your beard correctly? Using a good quality beard shampoo and conditioner will help hydrate your beard and keep it manageable. Do not make the mistake of thinking that you can use the same shampoo as you use on your head. They are formulated differently and will be too harsh on your face!
- When drying your beard are you too rough? This can cause the hair to become damaged and if it doesn’t break the hair off it can leave the shaft of the hair broken and weak.
- Is your daily routine nourishing your beard enough to keep it at its best? I have to adjust the daily care of my beard to the condition that my beard is on that day. Sometimes the beard sits naturally against my face with little more than a quick brushing and light oiling. Other days I need to crack open my DIY beard wax (link opens my YouTube video) to keep my hair in one place. It just depends on the day…
Just as with the hair on your head (if you are lucky enough to be a bearded man that has kept their head hair), it may be that you’re having a “bad beard day”. Your beard may just not be behaving itself enough to make you feel confident.
We’re here to help you get over that hill and ensure that beard of yours never makes you feel bad! Can a beard straightener be the answer to all of your problems?
Should you straighten your beard?
Straightening a beard comes with positives and minuses that have to be weighed up before making that decision for yourself. Here are some reasons why you may not what to straighten your beard or buy a beard straightener:
- Your beard is naturally dry – applying extreme heat to your beard will potentially further dry out your beard and make it more susceptible to breakages and being extra frizzy. Any damage to the surface of the hair shaft will make your beard look the opposite of why you bought a beard straightener. Make sure you nourish your beard often and with good quality products!
- You don’t want to spend the money – this one is perfectly OK too! Sometimes we already have everything we need in our arsenal of beard tools. We don’t need anything else. Buying a beard straightener is not the right thing to do just because someone told you to.
- You don’t want to risk damaging your hair – applying high heat to your beard regularly can cause the hair to dry out and become brittle.
Here are some reasons why you might want to straighten your beard:
- You want a longer beard – beards are naturally curly and maybe you have a function where you want to show off the length of your beard. Beard straighteners allow your hair to sit straighter and therefore LONGER. If you want to add a little length straighten your beard!
- The look and feel are important to you – There’s something really satisfying about a beard that just sits perfectly. A beard straightener allows you to reproducibly get your beard to do what you want it to do. It also makes the beard feel less rough and abrasive as the hair sits much flatter and feels softer to the touch!
- You need to save time in the mornings styling your beard – One thing that a beard straightener does amazingly is made your morning beard care routine quicker and produce more consistent results. If you are a busy professional and/or family man who needs to shave a little bit of time off of your morning routine then a beard straightener may be just what you need!
How to decide if something is “worth it”?
It can be hard to work out what it means when you ask is something is work it. When looking at whether something is “worth it” we need to consider two aspects.
- Is the price point proportional (does it scale) to the problem being solved
- Does the appliance do a good job of solving the problem?
It’s only when we consider these two aspects that the answer to the question of whether beard straighteners are worth it can be truly answered. In other words, what do you want the outcome of the beard straightener purchase to achieve? Do you want a more consistent beard style, extra length, or maybe to shave a couple of minutes of off your beard growing routine every morning? That may indeed be worth it for you!
Here we shall look at these two aspects in-depth and then go from there! Hold on to your hats – we are about to go deep!
Are beard straighteners worth it?
Beard straighteners will do for your beard the same magic as they do for women’s hair in those really bad hair days. They can transform the “I want to stay in bed and read” mood into a “Let’s Rock’n’Roll” one. A decent beard straightener will tame those rebel beards that insist on doing the wrong thing. You are the master and commander of their destiny and so you should be!
Don’t expect to spend too much on it to start with. There are great options available for way less than you expect. Some will allow you to adjust the temperature to ensure you don’t hurt your beard hair.
For most people, because beard straighteners are relatively inexpensive and they solve a multitude of issues with growing a beard – I’d say that they are worth it for most people! But if you have a partner you may already have a hair straightening iron in your home that you can use on your beard.
Can you use hair straighteners on a beard?
Yes you can!
A good quality hair straightener gives you everything you need to do a great job on your beard. If your beard hair is shorter or you find it hard to maneuver the large hair irons around our face safely – get a mini-sized iron for your beard. You may actually prefer these tiny irons over a real beard straightener.
You may find that the dual-sided nature of the hair irons will help you flatten the hair more efficiently. A lot of beard straighteners only use one heated flat side to flatten the hair. By using hair straighteners you are also using mechanical pressure to make the hair as straight as possible.
If you have particularly curly beard hair or you have not have the success you wanted with beard straighteners give these a go!
Should I use Beard Oil before straightening?
Ah, this is one of the age-old questions where there is a load of misinformation online! Some people add beard oil after the use of a beard straightener while others like to hear the sizzle of the beard oil as you pass the hot straightener over it.
Here’s my take on it.
Beard oil is used to impart nutrients and moisture back into a dry beard. For example, Aragon oil is readily absorbed by hair and alongside Jojoba oil – makes up a large portion of good quality beard oils. Why wouldn’t you want to put that on your beard AFTER straightening – which is a process that drys out the beard hair.
Some people say that the application of beard oils before straightening protects the hair from damage. Well, the oils are great at helping the heat transfer to the hair – resulting in a potentially hotter application that can straighten the hair more effectively. BUT, it also keeps the hair hotter for a longer period of time. Water escaping from the surface of the hair is what cools the hair down once the heating iron or straightener is removed – oil stops that from happening and the hair is at a higher temperature for much longer causing more heat damage.
So, If I were you I’d be using beard oil after a shower but before beard oil for maximum straightening and protective power!
Our beard straightener recommendations:
We would start by recommending the Cayzor Beard Straightener :
The Cayzor Beard Straightener is one of the highest-ranking articles at Amazon and that doesn’t come as a surprise once you look at what it offers you!
Besides having a very appealing price tag for what it offers, it can deliver five different temperature settings that will, as we mentioned before, be perfect to adjust to whatever beard type you have. It won’t take you long to finish the job as it will heat up in 60 seconds and features a really cool and modern LCD screen. You’re granted to be safely protected from burns and this article is actually both a beard comb and a heated beard straightener.
Ideal beard length is 2″ and longer. It is ideal for any length and type, meaning you really will get yourself a great deal that is also an all-rounder.
The Straight Hair Comb USB
If you’re more into high tech and you don’t mind spending a little more, you can grab yourself one of the coolest gadgets for your beard available on Amazon:
The Straight Hair Comb USB is the true all-rounder. It will improve your beard and hair in the same fantastic way.
The best thing about it is that it’s totally portable and you can charge it via USB cable, extremely practical for your straightening sessions.
In the same manner as the Cayzor, this beard straightener can be both used as a hair comb with all facilities to avoid damage to your facial hair as well as a straightener.
Unlike most of its peers, it hosts Negative Ionizer Technology that helps it run smooth through your beard and will reduce curls and tangles, giving it a light and professional look.
If that’s not impressive enough, it works as an emergency power bank for your mobile phone or laptop via its USB connection.
Fair enough it costs more than double than most straighteners you can find, but it offers a better experience overall.
The issues with beard straighteners
When it comes to beard straighteners, the list is long and you’ll find that many quality items are available around the same price range ($25-$30).
More technological models can be found for a little more that will deliver the same safety and quality experience with some added improvements – mainly ionizers that will deliver a better global experience of usage.
As lifesaving as they may be, there are also some weaknesses that can be found when it comes to beard straighteners.
They can take some time to master, as types of beard differ and the expected result may not be achieved on the first couple of attempts.
Some can also tangle and make it hard for you to deliver the smooth and fast experience you are hoping for. When it comes to quality of application, you’ll also find occasional difficulties in maintaining that holding effect that you are expecting.
With these three main issues in mind, it’s ideal to choose a model that will deliver a great ability to adjust its temperature as well as be designed for most beard types and lengths. You’ll do well to consider reading costumer reviews before opting for a model and ensuring that your beard type is actually contemplated in the specifications.
The final word
In the end, what you are aiming for is an almost effortless, smooth and safe operation. A beard straightener that is practical but that won’t burn your hair or face and possesses safety technology such as auto-off functions and adjustable levels of temperature.
Most of the available models do ensure that these basic steps are contemplated, but you’ll still need to do your homework to ensure you grab the best model for your specific needs.
With all this in mind, yes, beard straighteners are definitely worth it for most people.
