What Are Beard Beads

Are you the type of guy who likes to stand out from the crowd? If your answer is yes, then there is a high chance that you tend to grow your Beard out. However, if you notice that your beard does not seem to grow out enough anymore, then you can rest assured that there is a great solution for it – the beard beads. It can help a lot in making your beard look even more epic.

So what are beard beads? As the name suggests, these refer to decorative beads that you can use to enhance your facial hair’s look. You can use these beads to hold your braided beard or control and give shape to it. You also don’t have to worry about making your face look like it is bedazzled if you wear these bits of jewelry.

Benefits of Using Beard Beads

If you are still undecided about beard beads, then the following benefits of wearing one will surely encourage you to give it a try.

Keeps Your Beard Neat and Tidy

If you are like most men who cannot seem to keep facial hair under control, using beard beads can genuinely help keep them neat, tidy, and glorious-looking. Note that you cannot just comb your beard and expect it to stay in place, unlike the hair on your head. However, using a beard bead, or two or three, will ensure that they will stay where you want them.

Gives Your Beard More Character

Although a well-kept full beard is already a spectacle, you can grab even more attention if you decide to place beads to style your facial hair. You can use as many beads on your beard as it can hold. Doing so will give it an eccentric and interesting look.

Makes You Stand Out

If you are growing a beard because you want to make yourself stand out from the rest of the crowd, you can further improve your chances by using beard beads to accentuate your facial hair. Who could miss someone who has a full beard and beads hanging from it?

Makes You Look Like a Badass

There is actual historical evidence of the Vikings wearing beard beads, making them the manliest form of jewelry you can have. If you can manage to grow your beard to the point that you can braid it, using a beard bead is a big help. It can keep it in place, making you look like you will be hopping onto a boat and then raid and pillage a nearby town.

How Do Beard Beads Work

There are different kinds of beard beads, but the way they work is essentially the same. For instance, if you want to style your beard into exciting designs, the beads will hold the hair in place. It works just like hair clips.

You have to thread the hairs through the beads enough to hold the bead in place. After that, you can position it wherever you want. If your beard is not that long, you can use smaller beads. The bigger ones are for fuller and longer beards.

Short History of Beard Beads

Historians and archaeologists have identified several ancient cultures where the men wore beads in their beards. The main reason is that they do not have wax for facial hair with a very strong hold for styling. One of the most popular cultures that come to mind is the Norse Vikings, where the clans used to style their hair and beards using silver or steel beads.

These beads usually have runes carved in them to serve as protection for the wearer. Other ancient European civilizations were found to use beard beads and rings, like the Celts, whose adornments have intricate designs carved into them. There is also archaeological evidence that beard decorations have been around since the time of the Ancient Egyptians. Beard beads have been around for a long time. They just had a resurgence in popularity lately.

Pros and Cons of Beard Beads

Pros

• Keep your beard from straying. This is good news for men whose beard cannot seem to keep their shape no matter how much they brush. A beard bead will force your facial hair to stay in its place, which is usually a feat for the best beard grooming kit. You no longer have to part your whiskers whenever you need to take a drink, thanks to your beard beads holding them in place. You can also use quality mustache wax to increase the hold even further.
• Weigh down your beard. This can prevent the wind from blowing your beard. If you like to ride a motorcycle down the highway or live in a place where always seems to be gale-force winds, then you will like having metal beard beads holding your whiskers. They will stay in place, which can also make you feel comfortable.  
• Provide multiple styling options. The common problem that most men who grew out their beards have is that they have minimal styling options. Some only brush their beards to keep the hairs in place. With beard beads, you can easily braid your whiskers. You may also braid the bottom of your beard or place several beads at the bottom. The possibilities are virtually endless.
• Allow you to stand out. Having a beard was quite a statement in the 90s when most men sported the clean-shaven mug. However, these days, growing a full beard is quite popular. It is not uncommon to find men who look like lumberjacks who have been in the woods for years. This means that just having a beard is not enough reason to stand out. However, if you style your beard using premium beard jewelry, you can stand out from the crowd even better.

Cons

• You need to have a full and long beard to use them. If you have patchy facial hair or your beard is just an inch or so long, then you can’t wear beard beads at all. Your beard needs to be at least 3 to 4 inches long so you can hang at least one bead off the whiskers.

Types of Beard Jewelry

If you are seriously thinking about growing a beard, then note that you can use a wide range of jewelry for it. Among the types of beard jewelry that any man can use are:

• Beard rings. As the name suggests, a beard ring is a piece of jewelry you wear on your beard. It looks similar to the kind of rings that you wear on your fingers but much smaller. In most cases, the openings of these rings are just a quarter of an inch in diameter.
• Beard beads. These are quite similar to the beard rings. The only difference is that they are taller, making them ideal for longer and thicker beards more often. Sometimes, you can also use the beard beads to hold braided beads and prevent unraveling hair.
• Other beard adornments. There are other things that you can use to give your beard a bit more personality. You can find things that look and work like earrings. The only difference is that you can use them specifically for your beard. They do not serve any other purpose other than making it look like your beard has a piercing.

How to Wear Beard Beads

Have you decided to start wearing beard beads? Then the following ways of wearing the beard beads are surely among the best styling options:

Braided Beard Beads

You need to grow a long and thick beard to make a decently simple braid out of it. It would be best if you then used a beard bead to hold the end of the braid. Alternatively, you can use two beads – one at the bead’s base and another at the terminating end.

Beard Rings, Braids and Dreadlocks

You can use several beard rings to put them at different length positions, making them look dreadlocks. If you want to make them look like dreadlocks, you can use bright-colored plastic beard rings. If you will be using dreadlocks, shave or shape your stubble with a trimmer to make your dreads look quite decent.

How to Attach Beard Beads

Ideally, before attaching beard beads, you have to shampoo and dry your beard. You can also use an entirely natural softener for the beard. This product can help make the hairs much easier to work with.

Step 1 – Comb your beard

You need to get the beard hairs as straight as they could be. It means you will need to brush or comb your beard for a couple of minutes. Now, you do not need to make your beard perfectly neat. You can stop when there is already a semblance of control.

Step 2 – Tie off a section of your beard

Grab a bit of your beard where you would like to wear a beard ring. Use a beard tie to prevent the whiskers from fraying.

Step 3 – Prepare the bead

To make it easier for you to thread your beard through the bead, thread a bit of string through the bead first. Hold the string to form a loop, thread it through the bead, and make sure that the loop sticks out enough from one end of the bead.

Step 4 – Thread your beard through the bead

Grab the tied-off bit of your beard, and then thread it through the string loop. After that, pull the other end of the string. It will pull the beard through the beard and out of the other side.

Step 5 – Position the bead

Now that the beard is through the beard, you can pull on it to position it where you like. You can place the bead almost at the ends of the beard. Just make sure that you leave enough of your beard to hold the bead in place.

How to Braid Your Beard

You should wash using effective facial hair shampoo and dry your beard before you braid it. This will make it easier to work with.

Step 1 – Brush your beard until you get rid of the tangles

Ensure that every strand is somewhat smooth. A good quality argan oil will eliminate most of your beard problems like dryness and brittleness, so use a bit of it before braiding.

Step 2 – Separate your beard

Along your chin, divide the beard into three sections. Hold the right and left sections in your respective hands and let the middle section dropdown.

Step 3 – Start braiding

Start braiding by pulling the right section over the middle (making it the new middle section) and then grab the middle section with your right hand (this is now the new right section).

Step 4 – Pull the left section over the middle

This can turn it into the new middle section. After that, grab the middle section with your left hand, making it the new left section.

Step 5 – Repeat, repeat, repeat

Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you reach the part where the beard is already too thin to go any further. At this point, terminate the beard by wrapping a hair tie around the end. Thread it through a beard bead to hold it securely and give your braid more character.

Does More Spending Mean More Quality

Like many other products, you need to spend a bit more money, especially if you want to take hold of more quality beard beads. Some of the best commercially available beads are hand-crafted by skilled artisans. It is the reason why they come with a premium price tag. Moreover, the best beard beads are made using metal, which is more expensive than plastics. They are also harder to work with.

Do’s and Don’ts With Beard Beads

Good quality beard beads are built to last, so you do not need to maintain them often. However, there are things to keep in mind about them to ensure that you maximize their potential.

Do’s

• Use the best beard grooming kit before braiding and wearing beard beads. Note that you have to take care of your facial hair before styling them using beard beads. It can make each hair strand strong, preventing you from accidentally pull them out or breaking them while styling.
• Trim your beard regularly. You can choose to use between a cord and cordless beard trimmer to prevent split ends from happening. It also helps maintain the shape of your beard properly.
• Use a high-quality razor. If you were shaving the edges of your beard, it would be best to use a razor that won’t cause irritation to sensitive skin.

Don’ts

• Don’t wear your beard beads too tight along the base of the beard. You might pull out the beard hairs if you wear your beads too tightly. It may also cause the skin underneath to get inflamed and itchy. If this happens, you can relieve beard itch with a moisturizer. You should also regularly use a facial mask for softer skin to not get easily irritated.

FAQ About Beard Beads

How do beard beads stay in?

The beads have quite narrow openings so that when you thread your beard through them, just the friction between the hairs and the inside of the beads alone is enough to keep it in place. However, if you want to give it a more secure hold, you have to wrap silicone hair ties in the area where you will be placing the bead.

Who can wear beard beads?

Obviously, people who have full and long facial hair are the ones who can technically wear beard beads. Also, you do not necessarily need to be of Scandinavian descent. Anyone who wants to wear beard beads is welcome to do so. You do not need to worry about cultural appropriation.

How long does your beard need to be to put beads in it?

Ideally, your beard needs to be at least 3 to 4 inches long to make wearing beard beads feasible. It is also the right time for your beard to look good with beads on. If you want to wear beard beads one day, stop trimming your facial hair and allow it to grow for a couple of months.

Did Vikings decorate their beards?

With all things people know of the Vikings, it is possible that they did adorn their beards with different ornaments. Viking burial sites have suggested that they wore small rings woven into their beards. It is “suggested” because burial sites often have large jewelry stashes, so it is difficult to place where each piece goes.

Conclusion

One does not need to be a Viking to wear beard beads. If your beard is long enough and you take good care of it, then you can wear these neat little facial hair decorations without any problem. It is even ideal for you if you want to show off your warrior spirit.

The post Best Beard Beads – Revive Your Beard & Look Like a Viking appeared first on Beardoholic.