Whether you’ve been sporting a beard for years or are finally taking the plunge and growing the facial hair you’ve always wanted, beard care needs to be part of your daily routine. We have 10 tips and tricks for how to groom your beard.

1. Keep your face clean

If you’re just starting to grow out your five o’clock shadow into a legitimate beard, you’ll notice the beginning stages of beard growth mean a lot of itchiness. (Guys with full beards are scratching their faces just remembering those first few days of growing pains.) Make sure you keep the skin under your stubble as clean as possible as your beard grows. A good scrub with one of our Dr. Squatch bar soaps keeps your skin clean and exfoliated, so your beard’s got a great foundation on which to grow. (You don’t need shampoo for your beard at this stage.)

2. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize

Moisturized skin is less likely to itch. You can grab a facial moisturizer at any stage of your beard-growing process, but you might find you don’t need an additional moisturizer when using our natural soaps. Our cold process soap includes keeping glycerin in our soaps — something many commercial soaps don’t do — which makes for a naturally nourishing wash. In addition, the five oils used in our soap — olive oil, coconut oil, soybean oil, hemp oil and shea butter — keep skin healthy and soft on their own.

3. Rinse daily

Once you’ve gotten to the point where you feel like you have facial hair and not just stubble, you’re going to want to give your beard a good rinse at least once a day. Scrub a little with your hands and rinse with just water.

4. Get rid of tangles

Beards can be more wiry than the hair that grows out of your head. In order to comb through (relatively) painlessly, invest in a wide-tooth comb. A boar’s bristle brush can be used for additional smoothing if you’re looking to add another tool to your beard kit.

5. Tame your beard

Applying oil to your beard after combing and drying helps keep it neat and tidy. Buying beard oil is always an option, but using a product you already have at home — like one of our Dr. Squatch colognes — is multi-tasking at its finest. All of our colognes are organic and contain essential oils that will smooth and nourish your beard, without any harsh chemicals to dry it out. The cedar essential oil in Crushed Pine has antiseptic, antibacterial, astringent and anti-fungal properties, which are all fantastic for keeping your beard neat and clean. Bergamot has antibacterial and antiseptic properties as well. Keep in mind that our cologne has a higher percentage of essential oil compared to other beard oils — a little goes a long way! Stash one of our trial size samples in your car or bag for any last minute touch ups.

6. Choose the right tools

You’re going to need the right tools to take care of your beard. Letting your facial hair sprout wildly from your face might be a novelty for a few days, but soon you’ll want to find a shape that works for your face and keep your beard groomed — this infographic helps explain the various options. A quality set of beard clippers will keep your beard shaped in a flattering way, and a small pair of razor-sharp scissors is the simplest way to trim down stragglers and flyaway hairs. Trust us when we say you should always trim your beard when it’s dry. Wet hair is longer and straighter, and trimming while wet can result in a much shorter beard than you anticipated.

7. Take your vitamins

No, we’re not your mother, and we’re not trying to tell you how to eat, but beard care isn’t only about what’s on your face. Beards grow better out of healthy bodies, though, and a multi-vitamin can help — especially one containing biotin. If you’re not in the mood for supplementing, load up your shopping cart with food naturally containing biotin, like avocados, eggs, almonds and salmon.

8. Wash your beard — but not too often

We know you’re rinsing daily, right? You’re still going to need to spend a few minutes washing your beard each week. Once or twice should be fine — start with once a week and add a wash until you find what works for you. Our soap is safe for your hair — both on your head and on your face. The hemp oil, in particular, is shown to strengthen hair, so you can simply lather up your favorite Dr. Squatch soap for your beard, too.

9. Pay attention to your mustache

If a mustache is part of your facial hair look, you might need to give it a little extra attention. That wide tooth comb or boar’s bristle brush can be overkill for all but the most extravagant of mustaches. A fine-toothed comb is perfect, though some stores sell small mustache combs if you find the regular comb doesn’t keep things as neat as you’d like.

10. Don’t forget to shave

Growing a beard doesn’t mean retiring your shaving supplies until you go bare-faced again. Depending on the beard shape you choose, parts of your cheek and neck will still need a little razor attention regularly. Dr. Squatch believes in shaving the traditional way, and our shaving products will keep your skin smooth where you want it — the better to show off your new beard.