Imagine, growing a long hair without combing. Can you feel the discomfort with just the thought of it? The snags, tangles, and frizz will make you want to shave it off. This goes the same to your beard. A beard straightening comb is a staple in grooming a manly mane. It helps tames the hairy beast by training it to grow downward and stimulating the production of more natural sebum.
Unlike the usual plastic combs, a beard comb is made specifically to glide through the facial hair. Beards can be coarse and sensitive. The last thing you want is a sharp-edged plastic comb that will bruise your skin. Nowadays, manufacturers use plastic, metal, and wood in making combs. On this post, you’ll learn why wood is better together with its benefits and advantages compared to using brush alone.
Brush vs. comb
The difference between these two will boil down to personal preference but it’s important to note their individual purpose. Brushes work in naturally removing tangles on your beard using a softer material like horse hair. A comb, meanwhile, is excellent when grooming the beard right after taking a shower. Both have its benefits, but if you prefer carrying a case, a comb would be a better choice.
Combs are indispensable especially if you have a long beard. It’s quite impossible to groom a fuller mane using brush alone. Also, beard combs come with two sets of tines: wide-teeth and narrow-teeth sides.
Why choose wooden comb?
Plastic combs are cheaper, but these produce too much static that makes your beard develop more tangles. This type of comb is made using a mold press which means there are tiny burs on the teeth which can cause microscopic tears on your hair strands. Metal combs also do the same thing. It pulls the mane too much and wipes out some of the natural oils present on the skin beneath. As much as it looks classy and sleek, metal combs aren’t great unless each tooth is polished.
This leaves you with the safer option – wooden combs. Bamboo-made ones are less porous that helps in the distribution of natural hair oils. There would be no static buildup and the beard straightening comb can last a lifetime.
Benefits of combing your beard
Aside from making beard grooming easy, combs have more benefits than the obvious. It’s an excellent detangler, frizz remover, massager, and applicator of various beard products.
Remove tangles and frizz
By gliding the wooden comb to your beard, you can remove tangles without too much pulling. The edges of the teeth are smoother and don’t develop static even if you repeatedly use it on your mane. As I’ve said earlier, static can cause more frizz. The statically charged beard strands will stand all over your chin making it more difficult to groom.
Wooden combs don’t react easily to heat like what metal ones tend to do. You can use a wooden beard straightening comb anytime even if your beard is still wet or too soiled.
Follicle massage
When you use a wooden comb, you don’t just smooth stubborn strands; you also give your scalp a nice massage. This causes more blood to flow into the hair follicles. With that, more nutrients are delivered to your hair-producing glands, giving your beard a naturally shiny and healthy look. Combing also discourages the growth of ingrown hairs. This translates to a thicker beard and a skin free of bumps and uncomfortable zits.
Massaging the scalp also encourages it to produce enough sebum. It’s the natural lubricant of the hair that keeps it well-moisturized and shiny.
Beard product application
During oil or balm application, it’s impossible to coat all the beard strands using your palms. Wooden combs help by spreading the product all over the mane to cover all the hair strands. The teeth of the comb can glide and cut in between strands, unlike plain finger-combing. A wooden comb will also help reactivate a product by stroking the beard neatly.
You don’t have to worry about the product that sticks to the beard straightening comb. Simply wash and wipe it for the next use. The best part is it massages the scalp that allows absorption of the product to make the skin softer.
Portable and convenient
Compared to brushes, wooden combs are portable and easy to use. It usually comes with a case that can fit in your pocket or a tiny sleeve of your bag. A case protects the teeth of the comb from accidental breakage and damages. It also keeps the comb dry. You can carry it almost anywhere, unlike a brush that’s too bulky.
Long lasting
Unlike plastic combs that can easily snap, comb ones are durable and can last for decades if kept well. Metal combs are sturdy and long lasting too, but it’s prone to corrosion and the material might react negatively to beard products.
The best beard comb
If you’re not sure what comb to purchase, one of the bestsellers is the Viking Revolution Dual Action comb. It’s made of pure pear wood and comes with two sides, a coarse and a fine one. This can work on both straight and curly beards to remove knots and make the beard look sharp and neat. Even fuller manes will yield to this awesome grooming tool.
The Viking Revolution comes with a black leather case so you can tuck it neatly on your kit. To give you an idea, this is just one inch longer than a credit card. This reasonably priced comb will give you the best bang for the buck. And the fact that this is a dual action beard comb saves you from buying another one.
A beard straightening comb is more than just a vanity accessory. It helps maintain your facial hair by preventing frizz and promoting healthy production of natural hair sebum. Although you can use any other comb you like, a wooden one would be more suitable and safe, especially for the sensitive facial fuzz.
