Messed up my beard

Irish Guitarist · 18-09-2016 7:32am #1

No idea if this is the right forum or not but I'll give it a go.

Last year I started growing a beard. While it was in the early stages of growing I saw something online about how great something called Jamaican black castor oil is. The idea is to apply it to your beard, leave it for 40 minutes or so then wash it in off the shower.

I bought a bottle but it had no effect on my beard so I rarely used it. Then a couple of months ago I decided to use it every day. I didn't think it would do much but I had paid for the bottle and wanted to get rid of it more than anything.

After a week of using it every day I awoke one morning to find my beard in a terrible state. It was like a cactus. The ends were incredibly sharp. After a few days of it feeling like this it stopped feeling so sharp but it went incredibly hard and dry. I tried fixing it for about a month with hair conditioner. It helped a little but the effects were temporary and every evening the hair would dry up again. After a day or so of my beard being unnaturally dry, it would go back to feeling like a cactus. Last week I gave up on it and shaved it grade three with my hair clipper with the intention of letting it grow back to the length it had been (a little over an inch). I thought I had gotten rid of the unhealthy hair but it's starting to dry up and go rock hard again.

My beard never felt like this before. While coarse it still felt like hair. Now it feels so hard I can barely run my fingers through it to apply some kind of oil. It's like there's super glue in it. This definitely is down to the castor oild and not from washing too much or from any other product. My sideburns and moustache are undamaged as I didn't put as much castor oil in those areas.

If I completely shave and let the hair re-grow would that sort it out or is there a chance I may have permanently damaged my beard? This may sound stupid but could the castor oil have seeped into my pores and somehow changed the structure of my hair follicles?

beardybrewer · 18-09-2016 12:34pm

Well it could be partially down to the weather is starting to cool and if you spend time outdoors it could have a drying effect. I know my beard can randomly get dry and frizzy, probably has to do with humidity too. I think you had the right idea in using hair conditioner to repair some of the damage. I've tried a good few beard oils and the one I keep going back to when I'm having a bad beard day is this stuff from etsy:

https://www.etsy.com/ie/listing/106359770/beard-oil-sheriff-mens-grooming-oil?ref=shop_home_active_6

Now I'm not saying to buy it or even that the scent is nice, but some ingredient in there really makes a difference over every other product I've tried.

Materials: olive oil, sunflower oil, sweet almond oil, macadamia nut oil, fragrance, apricot kernel oil, hemp oil

Jojoba Oil is very common in beard oils. My second best beard oil has this in it:

High Oleic Sunflower Oil, jojoba Oil, Avocado Oil

Take a look at this article and see the section on base or "carrier" oils. Maybe pick up a bottle at a health food shop or pharmacy and see if that helps rejuvenate it.

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/09/09/diy-beard-oil/

Of course a well reviewed beard oil off Amazon might also do the trick.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search/ref=sr_nr_p_76_1?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Abeard+oil%2Cp_72%3A419153031%2Cp_76%3A419159031&keywords=beard+oil&ie=UTF8&qid=1474198531&rnid=419157031

endacl · 18-09-2016 12:36pm

Chin transplant. It's the only way to be sure.

Irish Guitarist · 19-09-2016 3:24pm

I had enough of it yesterday so I shaved it off. I think the best thing for it is to start growing it again from scratch. My face is freezing.

The Wolverine · 30-09-2016 12:37am

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

I had enough of it yesterday so I shaved it off. I think the best thing for it is to start growing it again from scratch. My face is freezing.

Nearly ten days since you shaved? How are you getting on with it mate out of curiosity?

*Says the man that's always clean shaven

*

Irish Guitarist · 08-10-2016 1:19pm

The Wolverine wrote: »

Nearly ten days since you shaved? How are you getting on with it mate out of curiosity?

*Says the man that's always clean shaven *

Sorry I didn't reply earlier. I forgot to check back on this thread.

It's been almost three weeks since I shaved. It's now gone beyond being stubble and almost looks like a beard again.

I thought it was coming along okay but recently it's started feeling rough again. I put some argan oil on it the other night so I don't know if that's what caused it to feel rough (although it shouldn't as it's supposed to be great for your hair and is in loads of hair and beard products), if it's permanently damaged or if it's just because it's so short. There's a couple of places that feel rougher than others. There's one patch that feels almost like the bristles of a brush that's been covered in varnish and left to dry.

I'm considering shaving it off and starting again from scratch for the second time. I wish I could remember exactly how my beard felt the first time I was growing it.

beardybrewer · 11-10-2016 3:52pm

I really don't see how you could have permanently damaged your hair follicles such that new growth would be affected. Fair enough you may have damaged existing hair if subjecting it to harsh treatment like bleaching.

Maybe there is some other physiological or environmental factor at play. If you're at an age where you have grey hairs this might affect how your beard feels. Whether it's peppered throughout or even patchy, grey hairs often feel more like bristles compared to your regular beard. Again, the cooler weather may also be a factor.

The Wolverine · 11-10-2016 5:37pm

Aye clean shave it for a week or two mate and see how it goes then

Irish Guitarist · 07-11-2016 12:47am

It turns out I have permanently destroyed my beard. I put more castor oil in the hair around my jawlines and chin than anywhere else. Those are the areas that were damaged. Those areas are still in a terrible state even after shaving and regrowing my beard twice. My moustache and sideburns are in as good a condition as they always were but starting at the exact area where it was damaged by the castor oil it starts feeling really hard, as if it's coated in plastic. It doesn't even feel like human hair anymore. I doubt I'll ever be able to grow a beard again.

beardybrewer · 07-11-2016 2:56pm

I would suggest, at this point, seeking out a dermatologist. See your GP (maybe get a flu jab while you're there) and they can refer you. Good luck

jeannae · 20-11-2019 3:45am

beardybrewer wrote: »

Well it could be partially down to the weather is starting to cool and if you spend time outdoors it could have a drying effect. I know my beard can randomly get dry and frizzy, probably has to do with humidity too. I think you had the right idea in using hair conditioner to repair some of the damage. I've tried a good few beard oils and the one I keep going back to when I'm having a bad beard day is this stuff from etsy:

https://www.etsy.com/ie/listing/106359770/beard-oil-sheriff-mens-grooming-oil?ref=shop_home_active_6

Now I'm not saying to buy it or even that the scent is nice, but some ingredient in there really makes a difference over every other product I've tried.

Materials: olive oil, sunflower oil, sweet almond oil, macadamia nut oil, fragrance, apricot kernel oil, hemp oil

Jojoba Oil is very common in beard oils. My second best beard oil has this in it:

High Oleic Sunflower Oil, jojoba Oil, Avocado Oil

Take a look at this article and see the section on base or "carrier" oils. Maybe pick up a bottle at a health food shop or pharmacy and see if that helps rejuvenate it.

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/09/09/diy-beard-oil/

Of course a well reviewed beard oil off Amazon might also do the trick.

https://www.gearhunder.com/best-beard-growth-oil/

Agree that Jojoba oil is the first, my second best beard oil is Moroccan Argan Oil. I have always used only these two kinds of beard oils, the ingredients are natural, mild and not irritating, and the unscented beard oil is my favorite.;)

MadYaker · 20-11-2019 3:54am

Talk to your GP about seeing a dermatologist and in future don’t go putting random oils on your skin just because the internet says it’s a good idea.

wotzgoingon · 20-11-2019 4:49am

Thread is 3 years old.....

Out of genuine curiosity I wonder how his beard is doing.

Quantum Erasure · 20-11-2019 5:15am

well, the OP is still posting on Boards, this is from over a year ago though
....

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

...
After growing it back I discovered it was still in a mess. I shaved again and shaved every day for three months before trying to grow it again. It grew back rock hard again. I continued growing it to see if it would soften off but it got worse and worse. Eventually I had to accept it was permanently altered. Before using the castor oil it used to feel so soft I used to sit around patting it. It felt like stroking a puppy.
...
Now I can't even grow anything beyond stubble. After about two weeks of growth the hair on my face feels so stiff it actually hurts. I'll never be able to grow a beard again.

Tell me how · 20-11-2019 5:25am

wotzgoingon wrote: »

Thread is 3 years old.....

Out of genuine curiosity I wonder how his beard is doing.

He's still active on Boards, so hopefully will see this and give an update.

Irish Guitarist · 28-11-2019 7:37am

I tried growing it back a couple of times but it's still a mess so I have up on it a couple of years ago. I sometimes don't shave out of laziness but I can't get away with any more than a couple of weeks before My face gets really irritable.

Professor Genius · 28-11-2019 10:25am

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

I tried growing it back a couple of times but it's still a mess so I have up on it a couple of years ago. I sometimes don't shave out of laziness but I can't get away with any more than a couple of weeks before My face gets really irritable.

Thanks for the update. Shame it hasn’t righted itself after 3 years.

Messed up my beard

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