A beard comb and a beard brush are 2 different tools for your beard hair. But what exactly are the differences and which one is best to use for your beard? After all, your beard is an essential part of your identity, so you want it to always look its best!
Whether you have a full beard, or as an extra accent on your face, your beard plays a prominent role in your appearance. After reading this article, you will know exactly what the differences are between a beard comb and a beard brush and which one to use when.
What is a beard comb?
As the word suggests, a beard comb is a comb for your beard hair. Beard Combs are generally smaller than regular hair combs and have thicker teeth that are spaced further apart.
With a beard comb, you guide beard hairs in the right direction and can gently remove tangles. In fact, you can style the beard with the beard comb. Applying a beard oil becomes a breeze when you use a beard comb.
When you use the comb correctly, you will feel the teeth of the beard comb glide over your skin. This is excellent for the blood circulation of the skin, which is good for the hair follicles of your beard hairs. You can already guess it; a beard comb promotes the growth and well-being of your beard!
Make sure that your beard has had at least 3 months to grow. If you haven't reached the 3-month mark yet, your beard hairs may still be a bit short to pamper them with the beard comb.
Advantages of beard comb
- A beard comb is easy to carry due to its compact size
- A beard comb is very suitable for distributing beard oil through your beard
- A beard comb ensures good blood circulation
- A beard comb is ideal for longer beards
- A beard comb is great for detangling and removing knots
What is a beard brush?
A beard brush is a special brush for your beard. The bristles of a beard brush are much closer together than those of a beard comb. This is necessary to ensure that you reach all your beard hairs. Using a beard brush makes caring for your beard just a piece of cake. With this tool, you can quickly and easily care for your beard.
The bristles of a beard brush are stiff, which stimulates the skin under the beard. A beard brush helps against an itchy beard and beard dandruff. This instrument also creates more volume and shape in your beard and removes dirt smoothly.
Advantages of beard brush
- A beard brush helps against itchiness and beard dandruff
- A beard brush provides more texture and volume in your beard
- A beard brush stimulates hair growth
- A beard brush prevents beard hairs from breaking
- A beard brush ensures that your beard hairs become less "wild"
What are the differences between a beard comb and a beard brush?
A beard comb and a beard brush are used for two different purposes. A beard brush is designed to soften your beard, clean it, and scrub the underlying skin.
A beard brush has a completely different shape, which makes styling your beard difficult. A comb, on the other hand, consists of a solid piece with coarse teeth. A comb is therefore intended to style your beard and to remove tangles from your beard.
Some men prefer to use a beard brush, while other men prefer to use a beard comb. Both beard tools have their pros and cons.
When to use a beard comb?
- Works best on a beard of at least 3 months
- Styling? Use a beard comb
- Trimming your beard hair? A beard comb can help you with this
When to use a beard brush?
- A brush made of boar/pig hair is ideal for conditioning and cleaning your beard
- Use a beard brush when your beard is short
- With a brush, you train your beard hair in a certain direction
- A beard brush works perfectly if you want more volume in your beard
What properties do the different materials from which beard combs/beard brushes are made have?
Beard Combs are available in various materials such as; plastic, metal, stainless steel, woody, and buffalo horn. A wide choice, therefore, and each product has its own fan base. It is, of course, up to you which type of product you like best, but it doesn't hurt to (re)orient yourself well first.
Each compound has its pros and cons. The comfort is also determined by the different raw materials from which the beard comb is produced. External influences, such as sunlight and moisture/water, can have adverse effects on the performance of the various materials. We'll come back to that in a moment.
Beard Combs made of buffalo horn, pear, sandalwood, or olive wood are often high-quality instruments to optimally care for the beard. This equipment, which is entirely made of natural materials, is also very comfortable to use.
Traditionally, the beard comb was also made of bone. Because there are now many more sustainable (vegan) materials available and production using 'bones' takes more time, these are the most expensive products on the market and are actually sold much less today.
Buffalo Horn
Then the buffalo horn beard comb. Very popular among the dedicated beard enthusiast. The chemical composition and molecular structure of this product is the same as that of our own hair and nails. Horn is naturally non-static, so the beard comb glides through your beard like warm butter.
Ultimate tool, therefore, to keep your beard safely and comfortably in top condition. Horn will also not easily damage or splinter, making the risk of damaging the beard hairs very small.
Woody
A beard comb made of woody is, in our opinion, and that of many users, an excellent alternative to the horned specimen. However, it is important to make a good choice in which type of woody your beard instrument is made. Pear, sandalwood, or olive tree woody are, for example, excellent choices.
Cheaper variants of 'noise wood' have a significantly shorter lifespan. There is also a chance that a lesser (read: softer) quality wood type will quickly get damaged, which means you risk ruining your beard. Tearing it to shreds. Or worse, damaging your skin. With a splinter through the winter. Or at the emergency room...
Plastic
Finally, there are the plastic and metal variants. Simple plastic specimens that are handy for on the go. An extra set for the glove compartment or for the leather case of your vintage motorcycle. Then you can lose them 'on the road' again. During Pinkpop. It hurts just a little less if you accidentally lose these instead of your cherished buffalo horn variant.
Of course, there is also the tasteful Rhodoid. A vintage plastic with superior properties that allows you to smoothly rinse oil, balm, or our other beard products from the comb and thus be organically massaged into your beard.
Metal
Superbly polished stainless steel is more or less indestructible and also comes in stylish variants.
The Swedish Mr. Bear Family has, for example, a qualitatively impressive collection that many swear by. Stainless steel and metal are of a harder material, and therefore you must be careful not to work too roughly, especially with the unpolished metal variant. The risk of damage is then present.
Plenty of choices in diverse high-quality tools that, once you have made the right choice, you cannot do without for your beard.
Attention!
When using beard combs made from horn and woody, you must always be careful with moisture. When you store the beard comb of these materials 24/7 in a relatively humid bathroom on your shelf, this can have a negative impact on your instrument.
With too high a humidity level in this space, woody can warp, and horn can start to smell bad at some point. Good to know because if you take this into account, you extend the lifespan of your beard gear.
The beard brush
This beard care instrument usually consists of the plastic and wooden grip.
They come in various shapes and designs, but the majority of men find the beard brush in an oval shape the most comfortable to hold. Preferably made of, for example, pear or bamboo wood.
The most important are the bristles with which you care for and keep your beard in shape. You can choose the synthetic variant, but the most commonly used are the boar bristles beard brushes or pig hair or a mix of these with polyester bristles.
Regarding the lifespan of these instruments, the same applies as for the beard combs of woody and horn: make sure they are not standing in a (too) humid bathroom consuming H2O on the planchette. The glue of the hairs can easily come loose at some point.
This also applies to synthetic brushes. Woody can start to work, causing the shape of the brush to change or even become deformed and break.
Good luck testing your favorite beard tools!
Let's brainstorm with you.
Top Picks
The Alpha Men Texture Comb
Thanks to its wide, smooth teeth and rounded tips, it glides effortlessly through your hair without causing damage. The split end of the handle provides extra precision when separating and styling your hair.
Guardenza Beard Brush
The beard brush is handmade from bamboo and 100% wild boar bristles. These bristles glide easily through your beard and feel comfortable and soft on the skin. Additionally, the brush helps remove dust and excess dirt from your beard.