How to deal with beard burn

As a girl who always seems to date bearded dudes (bit weird I know), pash rash is something I’m all too familiar with.

There’s simply no mood killer quite like beard burn. One minute, you’re all hot and bothered and the next, your face is on fire and you just want him to get off you. Like, now.

Sound familiar? Well, don’t just grit your teeth and bear it. You deserve better than this!

With the facial hair trend showing no sign of slowing down – if you don’t act now, you may suffer the sting for all eternity.

So before you start your next nuzzling session, pay attention to these tips. Trust me, they will take your kisses from blistering to blissful…

1.Treat it:

A spritz of soothing water (ideally while he’s in the bathroom or somewhere else out of sight – after all, you don’t want to hurt his feelings) will provide immediate relief. Try Avène Thermal Spring Water, which is formulated to soothe a range of everyday skin irritations including razor burn, facial redness and itching.

If you’ve just emerged from a frantic make-out session and are due to meet his parents for lunch (shock horror), you may also need a quick cover-up. Try Clinique Redness Solutions Makeup SPF 15, which will help hide the telltale redness until you have the chance to treat it properly.

Once you get home, remove your make-up and give your raw cheeks/lips/chin some love with a moisturiser formulated for irritated skin such as The Goat Skin Care Moisturising Cream or People for Plants chamomile, calendula, shea – Sensitive Moisture.

2.Prevent it:

It’s all well and good to relieve your stinging skin temporarily, but if that dreaded two-day stubble comes at you again, you might as well have rubbed sandpaper over your face straight after.

So how do you keep your kisses from turning oh-so-sexy to seriously sting-y? Well, your skin’s happiness depends on his beard’s softness, so you need to make his beard really, really soft. Here’s how:

Get him to try a face wash that’s designed for his beard, as well as his face. Lush Kalamazoo Beard and Face Wash contains almond oil, jojoba oil and cupuacu butter to leave his stubble super soft. For a fragrance-free alternative, we recommend Lab Series Multi-Action Face Wash (which is formulated to soften and smooth beards as well as skin). If he has one, make sure he lathers up his mo as well – better safe than sorry.

If your man refuses to overhaul his shower routine (you have to admire his commitment to that crummy old bar of soap), a beard oil is a quick and easy post-shower fix for scraggly stubble. Plus, it’ll make him feel super #trendy.

Try The Bearded Stag The Rather Alluring Beard Oil small ($18.95, thebeardedstag.com) or The Groomed Man Co. Mangrove Citrus Beard Oil ($30, thegroomedmanco.com).

Beware: These may make you want to inhale his beard – which is a bit awesome but also a bit awkward.

3.As a last resort…

If your man would rather lose his whiskers altogether than splurge on something as adventurous as a beard oil, you may like to make him one from scratch as a “gift” (NB: This is really a gift to yourself).

This recipe from artofmanliness.com involves mixing carrier oils (jojoba, argan, coconut, almond or hazelnut) and essential oils (cedar, peppermint, lemongrass, amla, cedar wood). Simply mix a few carrier oils (1 oz of each) with any essential oils (add 10 drops), put them in a bottle, shake vigorously and, voila, beard oil is made.

Decant it into a cute bottle and finish it off with a bit of brown string for a non-offensive pressie. Now you can say goodbye to beard burn (and hello to your sexy smelling bf/hubbie/significant other)!