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Grooming Guru: Howard Brauner of Beard Guyz

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If you are a man in the world with access to modern technology, you know it is currently Movember or No-Shave November. So it seems the perfect moment for the newest brand to zero in on the hirsute—Beard Guyz—to drop. While many of the options on the market can be hard on the wallet (small batch, handmade offerings are awesome but not cheap), the aforementioned natural range is in drugstores with an appropriately reasonable price tag. To help get you sorted for the hairy month ahead, we asked Howard Brauner, the vice president of product development for Beard Guyz, to provide his best tips for being your best bearded self, who among the boldfaced has the best facial topiary, and the basics every hairy dude should have in his dopp kit.

On the Importance of Beard Maintenance…BeardGuyzConditioner

A man’s beard needs to be properly groomed for each individual. A man may like a long untamed beard, or one may like to have it trimmed short. In any case a beard needs tender loving care to look and feel its best. Properly cleaned and conditioned, a beard looks its greatest. Add to that moisturize and style and you have all you need.

On His First Beard… 

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I grew my first beard at 18 years of age. It was a rite of passage for me. How did you learn how to take care of it? Like most first time growers, I really never did. I used either soap of shampoo to clean it but never knew about conditioning and moisturizing. This resulted in very dry and flaking skin; itching and a full shave to solve the problem. It wasn’t until after beginning our market research into beards when I realized that most men do not know how to take care of their facial hair.

On Facial Hair Disasters…

There were two disasters that really stand out. The first was at the age of 28 going to a black tie dinner and having the dry flaking of my beard cover the tuxedo like fresh fallen snow…very embarrassing…the second was when shaping the outline, I went too far on the mustache and ended up having the shave the whole beard off as it could not be saved.

On Beard Basics… BeardGuyzWash

It begins with how you wash your beard. Many men use soap, body wash or regular shampoo to wash their beards. Some even use dandruff shampoo!! Beard Guyz Wash 35 is a natural and organic wash that was formulated for the special needs of facial hair. The hair needs to be cleaned, without stripping the moisture from the skin. After washing the beard, you need to condition it. Beards that have coarse hair or gray hairs can be rougher and wiry and need to be softened. Next is the moisturizer to nourish the hair and help refine the style. You can chose either a Beard Oil or a Beard Balm. Some men even use both. The Beard Oil is designed to moisturize the skin under the beard first while providing moisture to the hair; adding shine and helping to manage the style. A beard balm first moisturizes the hair and then works into the skin. It provides shine and assists in “taming” the beard.

On Growing Out a Beard… BeardGuyzCoarseBalm

The first 30 days are the most difficult. The skin itches; gets irritated hurts, feels funny and many other “problems”. If you start and use Beard
Guyz Beard Balm every day from the beginning, our unique moisturizing and conditioning properties will eliminate almost all of these complaints and make your grow out, a real growth opportunity.

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Katie Dickens
Katie Dickens
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Katie Dickens is a Manhattan-based beauty and grooming writer. She has held staff positions at Glamour, In Style, People…
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