Beard Care on the Job: Dust, Sweat and Itch

A beard on a jobsite collects everything: sawdust, drywall dust, grease, sweat and whatever was in the air that day. Add heat, cold and a hard hat strap, and it's no surprise a lot of working beards itch, flake and smell by Friday. Here's how to keep yours clean and comfortable, and what to know if your job requires a respirator.

Wash It Right, Not Constantly

A beard needs cleaning, but over-washing with harsh shampoo strips the oils from the hair and the skin underneath. That leads to dry, itchy skin and beard dandruff.

• Rinse daily with water to get dust and sweat out. Work your fingers down to the skin.
• Wash with a beard wash or gentle shampoo two or three times a week, or after especially dirty days.
• Use conditioner on the beard after washing. It softens coarse hair and cuts down on itch.
• Dry it fully. A damp beard under a hard hat strap or in a cold wind is uncomfortable and can irritate the skin.

If you work around grease, solvents or chemicals, wash your face and beard promptly after work. Don't let that sit against your skin overnight.

Beard Oil and Balm

The skin under a beard dries out easily, and that's where most beard itch comes from. A few drops of beard oil worked into the skin, not just the hair, after washing keeps it from flaking. Beard balm does the same and adds a little hold to keep things neat. You don't need a lot. Too much product holds onto dust.

On a dusty job, apply oil at night instead of in the morning, so you're not heading out with a beard that grabs everything in the air.

Itch and Flakes

Some itch is normal in the first few weeks of growing a beard, as new hairs come in. If it continues after that, the most common causes are:

• Dry skin. Fix with gentler washing, conditioner and beard oil.
• Beard dandruff. White or yellow flakes and redness are often seborrheic dermatitis, the same condition behind regular dandruff. An over-the-counter anti-dandruff shampoo with zinc pyrithione or ketoconazole, used on the beard a couple of times a week, often helps. Let it sit for a minute or two before rinsing.
• Ingrown hairs along the neckline, especially with curly hair. Trim the neckline instead of shaving it close, and don't pick at bumps.

If redness, pain or bumps keep getting worse, see a doctor or dermatologist.

Heat, Sweat and Cold

In summer, a beard holds sweat against your skin. Rinse it at lunch if you can, and keep it trimmed shorter in hot months. In winter, cold air and indoor heat dry out the skin underneath, so lean on conditioner and oil more often.

Beards and Respirators: Know the Rules

This is the part a lot of guys don't know until a safety meeting. If your job requires a tight-fitting respirator, like an N95 or a half-face or full-face cartridge respirator, facial hair can be a real problem. These respirators only protect you if they seal tightly against your skin. Hair under the seal lets contaminated air leak in around the edges.

Under the OSHA respiratory protection standard, employers can't let workers wear a tight-fitting respirator when facial hair comes between the sealing surface and the face. Tight-fitting respirators also require a fit test. In practice that usually means being clean-shaven where the mask seals.

Some options workers use:

• Facial hair styles that stay out of the seal area, like some mustache styles, if they pass a fit test with your specific respirator. Check with your safety officer before assuming a style is allowed.
• Loose-fitting respirators, such as some powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs) with hoods, which don't rely on a face seal. Whether one is right for your job is up to your employer's safety program.

Don't guess on this one. A respirator that doesn't seal gives you a false sense of protection from dust, fumes and chemicals that can do lasting damage to your lungs.

Keep It Looking Intentional

• Trim weekly. A quick pass with a trimmer keeps the shape. Let it grow out evenly before deciding on a style.
• Set a neckline about a finger or two above your Adam's apple. Everything below gets trimmed.
• Clean the cheek line if you like a sharp look, or leave it natural.
• Watch the mustache so it stays off your lip, especially if you eat on the go.

Quick Beard Routine

For the rest of your morning, see our 5-minute grooming routine for early shifts, or browse all of our guides.