Beard Shampoo vs. Beard Soap

Anyone that has proudly grown out their facial hair has learned that having a beautiful beard can require dedicated maintenance. In order to keep your beard looking and feeling its very best, you must use a series of products on a regular basis to ensure that your facial hair is healthy and clean. In order to keep your beard fresh and clean, you will have to decide between two different, popular products: beard soap and beard shampoo.

While these products may sound like they’re essentially the same thing, they’re actually quite different. So, how do you tell which type of product is right for your hair needs? We’re here to help you figure it out.

Beard Shampoo

Beard shampoo looks and feels a lot like the shampoo that you’d put on your head. It’s a liquid product that creates a nice lather, and it’s rinsed out shortly after it’s massaged into your beard. Typically, a beard shampoo contains a foaming agent that helps give that sudsy consistency and makes you feel like each facial hair is being thoroughly cleaned of dirt and grime.

Beard Soap

Beard soap can come in the form of a liquid or a solid, but most popular beard soaps look like your standard bar of soap. Like shampoo, this product will create a decent lather. However, it feels like the regular soap that you’d use to wash your face and body.

Is One Better Than the Other?

Objectively speaking, beard soap and beard shampoo are both good, effective products that will give you the desired result of a clean, fresh-smelling beard. So, neither one is better than the other in terms of how well it works. However, certain hair types and beard styles respond better to one type of product than the other.

How to Decide Whether Beard Soap or Beard Shampoo is Right for You

There are some things that can determine whether or not a beard soap or a beard shampoo is better suited for your unique beard needs. For one thing, you must ask yourself what type of facial hair you have. Typically, beard shampoos are a bit more stripping because they have higher levels of stripping agents like sulfates. And, if you have thick, coarse or curly hair, you will require more moisture. For this reason, it may be best for men with this hair type to opt for a soap rather than a shampoo. Though we highly recommend using a beard shampoo that is sulfate-free.

Another thing to consider is the length, thickness and fullness of your beard. In fact, it’s sort of a rule of thumb that beard soaps are more suited for men with shorter beards, while beard shampoos are better for men with longer beards. After all, a long beard is more like the hair on your head, which means that a liquid shampoo makes more sense.

Remember that Quality is Everything

When it comes down to it, the most important thing isn’t whether you go with a beard soap or a beard shampoo, but that you choose a high-quality product. Cleansers can be drying, which is why you want to go with an all-natural formula that won’t strip your facial hair of precious moisture, leaving it dry and brittle.

Ultimately, the Way in Which You Wash Your Beard is Up to You

We always recommend trying out a few different cleansing products before settling on the one that best enhances your beard. Whether you go with a beard shampoo or a beard soap, remember that what’s most important is that you choose a high-quality product that won’t strip your hair of crucial moisture.