Beard Comb vs Beard Brush- Which One Should You Use?

A beard care routine is not complete without brushing or combing. 

But what's best for your beard?

The good news is you don't really have to choose between the two.

Use BOTH.

Each one has its advantages. They're not expensive to buy, and it will be worth it to have both.

Beard brushes are excellent for:

Beard combs are excellent for:

That's the short answer.

And now for the long answer...  Comb vs Brush, the face-off.

A beard brush is suited for all beard lengths, but especially for short beards where comb is less effective.

Here's when and why you should use a beard brush:

Training Your Beard: In the early stages of growing your beard you should use a brush to train your beard to grow in the direction you want. For example if you want your mustache to grow outward (and not into your mouth) then brush it outward. You should Brush daily.

Nourishing Your Beard: Distributing oils evenly through your beard. By oils, I'm referring to 2 types of oils:

When you brush your beard you get each and every hair in your face coated.

Boar hair brushes are remarkably known for their ability to carry oils and evenly distribute them throughout your beard.

So just by brushing your beard you actually nourish it. This makes your beard soft, healthy and reduces beard itch and beardruff as well.

​This is why it's important to brush your beard after applying beard oil or balm.

Keep Your Beard Clean: Good brushes are usually stiff and dense. When you brush, you're actually exfoliating your skin. Removing dirt, dust and dead skin cells, which can clog your pores and lead to blackheads, acne and other skin conditions.

May Promote Growth: When you brush your beard it's like giving your face a massage. Which increases the blood circulation. This might help with beard growth as your follicles will get more nutrients due to the increase in circulation. Don't expect that just by brushing you'll get a massive thick beard. (That won't happen).

<< I recommend using this boar's hair brush >>  

Unlike beard brushes, beard combs are not suited for short beards, but for long beards they are very recommended.

Here's when and why you should use a beard comb:

Styling Your Beard & Mustache: Combs are great for styling, when you need to style your beard or your mustache use a comb. When using a comb you can easily style and comb small groups of hair. Make sure to use a small comb for your mustache to get the hairs from your mouth. Use a wax if needed.

Tangle Free Beard: Use a comb to detangle your beard and keep it neat. If you have a thick beard use a comb with large teeth width, if you have fine hair use a comb with smaller teeth width.

Prevent Ingrown Hairs: Ingrown hairs grow into your skin. You will normally have red spots or bumps on your skin. When you comb out your beard will make sure your facial hairs grow out and not into your skin.

Trimming Your Beard: When trimming your beard with scissors. Use a comb to do the 'scissors over comb' technique. It's great for maintaining different lengths.

​<< I recommend using this beard comb >>

The most important thing you need to consider is what type of bristles the brush has.

Usually you'll need to pick one of 2 types of bristles:

Boar's hair bristles will give you the best results. They have a natural ability to absorb and carry sebum oil. When brushing you then it then spreads oils evenly throughout your beard. This will make your beard healthier, hydrated, moisturized and softer.

Synthetic bristles are cruelty free, their performance is not as good as natural bristles, but you can be sure that animals are not hurt when manufacturing these brushes. 

No matter which type you pick, the bristles should be relatively stiff, giving the brush enough power to penetrate and clean your beard.

When it comes to beard combs, you should pay attention to the following:

Beard combs are usually made of wood, plastic, horn and cellulose acetate. 

1. Wooden Combs: Usually wooden combs are considered the best combs to use. Combs made of wood are hand cut, polished, look great and last forever. They're usually made of Sandalwood, cedar and oak. The only downside with wooden combs is that they don't like water. They can swell and get totally ruined.
2. Plastic Combs: Avoid cheap plastic combs, there are quality combs made of plastic that are hand cut and polished.
3. Horn Combs: Not very popular, but they don't produce any static, they're also very durable.
4. Cellulose Acetate Combs: Cellulose acetate is the only synthetic material that you’d ever want to use with your beard. It doesn't produce static, it's long lasting, easy to clean and very durable.

The teeth width determines how easy it is for the comb to glide through your beard.

Width matters - combs with short distance will be great for mustache and fine hair. On the other hand for coarse, curly and tangled hair you will need a comb with a greater distance between each individual tooth. Usually beard combs have 2 different widths.

The manufacturing process of the comb has a large effect on its quality. Poorly manufactured combs will snag, scratch and harm your beard. This is especially true for cheap plastic combs that are stamp pressed. Imagine a factory and comb stamp just mass producing combs.

The stamp press manufacturing process makes these combs very likely to have tiny jagged edges and other microscopic imperfections along their surface which will prick into the hair follicle on the sensitive facial skin gradually splitting them apart into different directions.

On the other hand, in the manufacturing process of the hand cut combs, each comb is saw cut, the teeth are then polished by hand resulting in a smooth surface that is free of any imperfections or jagged edges.