Top 5 Reasons Why Your Beard Smells so Bad
By Anil Davé | Last updated 5th June 2020
Now if you've reached this article then you have either got a beard that smells like hell and you don't know what to do about it, or you're just super curious about the subject.
You might be asking yourself questions like "My beard smells weird! Why?" or "My beard smells like cheese!".
Let me tell you a story
A few months ago, I was at my barber's and someone sat down next to me and started to give me some compliments on how awesome my beard was. We had a good chat and then he came out with something just took me back! The lad told me that they've always given up on growing their beard out because after a few weeks it started to stink and smell like baby vomit!
I literally didn't know what to say! I mean, I've never experienced this before so I asked myself this... Who else is in the same boat!?
Let me tell you something! THIS IS A COMMON THING! A lot of you guys have beards that smell and need advice or at least answers. Does your beard smell of smoke? or even like baby milk? (Yes, this is common lads! I sh** you not!)
Is this you? If so, then you've come to the right place. We're gonna cover my top 5 reasons why your beard smells so bad, how you can prevent a smelly beard and get rid of beard odour.
Don't worry Beardrins, you're not alone in this one. I've met loads of bearded guys through our online beard community and there are a big number of them that have had issues in the past with beard smell.
So, let's get stuck in.
1.) Bacteria is the most common reason
Now there are bacteria particles all around us, where ever you go, you're gonna come into contact with some kind of bacteria. But the most common growth of bacteria that you're gonna come across is in your sweat!
Sweat can make your beard stink!
Now, if you're a big sweater, then that could be affecting how your beard smells. If you go to the gym and as Terry Crews would say, do a full-on 'Euro Training' session, or maybe you have a job that requires a lot of physical work, then you could be getting a bad-smelling beard from your sweat.
Now, when I asked around in our Beard Club, Twisted & Bearded, a lot of the lads in there mentioned that their beards developed a funny smell after a workout and when I did some analysis on the answers, I realised that almost all of them were bald!
That's right! If you're bald, then you're 50% more prone to getting a beard that smells!
When you sweat, you sweat the most on your head, so if you're sweating and it's dripping down your face into your beard, what do you think is gonna happen?? Your beard is gonna stink mate!
It's not just sweat that can cause bacteria in your beard!
If you're beard toucher than you're in trouble. There are bacteria particles everywhere. When you touch a door handle, a handrail, or maybe you're one of those lads that don't wash your hands after you go to the toilet (Don't do that!).
What can I do to stop my sweat making my beard smell?
It's simple really, if you want to get rid of beard odour then it comes down to good hygiene, keeping your hands clean and your diet.
- Good hygiene - If you're working out, make sure you're taking a sweat towel with you. It's important to keep wiping the sweat from your face and head regularly when needed. Also, try a sweatband, anything to stop the sweat dripping down into your beard.
- Keep your hands clean - Now at the time of writing this article, we're right bang in the middle of a pandemic for COVID-19. I think everyone needs to be more aware of the fact that you need to keep your hands clean! It's vital in stopping bacteria from spreading. Now, we're talking about smelly beards here, but staying safe from COVID-19 is even more important.
- Change your diet - It's a common fact that certain foods make you sweat, you should be looking at your diet and making sure you're eating good healthy balanced meals and... STAY HYDRATED MATE!
- Good quality beard products - Twisted Moustache creates a range of Organic and Natural Beard Products that are going to keep your beard smelling good, even when you're sweating. Grab yourself some 100% Natural Beard Oil and some Organic Beard Butter and you won't regret it!
Now, these are some good tips, but if you're finding that you're sweating excessively, then you should speak to your doctor as there are some common medical conditions such as Hyperhidrosis, which could be making you sweat more and making your beard smell.
2. The environment that you're in
We all have different lives, with different jobs and work in different environments. Your beard is like a sponge! It will absorb any of the smells around you.
So if you work in an environment that produces a lot of hard smells, then your beard is going to stink! Now sometimes it can be obvious, if you're having a BBQ, or if you're a chef and you work in a fast-paced kitchen, then you know that your beard is going to smell after.
But...
Our beards can pick up and absorb even the most subtle of smells without you even realising. For example, if you work in a highly polluted area like London, with car smoke then your beard will pick these all up and start to smell.
It's just something to be aware of lads! I don't have that problem. I live out in the sticks of Banbury! LOL.
What can I do to get rid of the smoke smell in my beard?
Be aware of your environment you're in, there are a few things you should start doing to help reduce your beard from picking up smells.
Be aware of your environment
What I mean here is take precautions to prevent beard odour and keep your beard from smelling if you can. Get yourself a Face Bandana or a Face Scalf. If you're travelling in a highly polluted area, cover up your beard and protect it from the elements. This is also a good way to prevent other beard and skin problems like beard dandruff.
Now I understand there are particular professions where you can't wear something like this, but it's definitely an option, especially when travelling or if you're working outside.
Wash it regularly, but use good quality products
I don't recommend you wash your beard every day as it can dry out and damage your beard, but if your beard is exposed to gas or smoke almost daily and there is nothing you can do about it, then you might need to resort to this.
If you're an engineer or a construction worker, you might not have a choice. My advice is to make sure you use a 100% natural beard shampoo that is going to be gentle on your beard and skin.
You want to clean the beard but retain as much natural oil as you can. Also, you have to be using Beard Oil day and night. If you're washing your beard every day, then you definitely need to be using some Bedtime Beard Butter before you go to sleep to rehydrate your beard and skin.
3. The Food You're Eating
The food you eat can cause your beard to stink! Let me tell you that if you're messy eater or you like to eat junk food, then your gonna get it in your beard and it's gonna smell.
You know what lads, I know how it is! You're out and about, in your van, then you pull up outside of a kebab house and you think to yourself... Yeah, why the hell not! The next thing you know you're shoving that donner kebab in your month and all those juices are getting all up in your beard! You might just wipe it off with few tissues and be on your way!
What's wrong with this picture?
Well, all of the junk food is festering in your beard and eventually, it's gonna start to smell like sh**!
Alright then mate! Do have you got any tips on how I can stop food from making my beard smell?
You know I do Beardrin!
- Use cutlery - I know this sounds obvious, but mate, swap your hands for a knife and fork. Your beard will love you for it.
- Keep wipes on you - If you have to eat with your hands, then keep some wipes on you. Wiping your beard with the cheaply supplied tissues you get from the chippy isn't gonna cut it. Grab some antibacterial wipes and keep them in your pocket.
Basically, It's down to you being aware of what you're doing and just being careful when you eat. Always use a tissue, break your food up into manageable bite-sized pieces and stop treating your beard like a damn napkin!
You want to make sure you're getting the least amount of food in your beard as possible!
4. Using bad Beard Products
I see this all the time, beardos in our Beard Club always ask for advice on why their beards are looking unhealthy and horrible. More recently, we're getting a lot of advice requests for reasons why beard oil is making my beard smell!!
If you're using bad quality beard products, most probably from the pound shop or even something off the shelf in the supermarket, then it's going to make your beard smell. Now let me tell you why!
Mass-produced beard products contain bad sh**!
Yes, most of the stuff you see around in the shops will have a lot of preservatives and synthetic oils in there that are just bad for your beard. These products might make your beard feel soft and shiny, but they're not doing anything for your beard or skin. The nature of synthetic oil is to coat the hair with a very thin layer of plastic. Does that sound good to you??
Synthetic fragrance oils don't penetrate the hair or give any nourishment or vitamins to the skin.
When these types of products get exposed to heat or even when they're mixed with your natural oils in your beard, they can cause a bad reaction, start smelling and it's not nice! Most of the time, fragrance oils smell like alcohol as many beard companies use a very low-grade fragrance.
Yes, it might smell awesome at first, but the smell will change and sometimes it will even give you a headache!
So what beard products should I buy then?
I'm glad you asked that question! You need to start investing in Organic and 100% natural beard care using only Essential Oils. This is going to give you maximum nourishment for your beard and skin and actually help it to grow and look healthy.
Remember it's about Essential Oils and Not Fragrance Oils. THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE!
- Essential Oils = 100% Natural, good for your beard
- Fragrance OIl = Synthetic, no benefits for your beard AT ALL!
As I mentioned earlier, Twisted Moustache has an awesome range of Organic and 100% Natural Beard Products that are going to keep your beard looking great, healthy and more importantly, smelling good. Grab yourself some Natural Beard Oil and some Beard Balms and you won't regret it!
5. Allergic reaction to something you're putting in your beard
The last reason why your beard could be smelling bad is you might be having an allergic reaction to something you're putting in your beard. I'm surprised to see how many lads don't actually realise this and never look and check what they might be allergic to.
As I just mentioned in my last point, synthetic beard products can react badly with your skin and hair and cause it to smell, but...
An allergic reaction is most probably caused by natural beard products!
Although you should ALWAYS be using natural products, there are a lot of the Essential Oils used in natural beard products that have certain naturally occurring allergens and you really need to be aware of them.
Check the labels!
Most reputable beard companies will always list any allergens in their products. We do and here is proof:
Make sure you know what you react to. Always do a patch test on your arm before using any natural beard products.
Does your beard smell like cheese or maybe your beard smells like vomit?
Did you know that some lads can get a really bad reaction to Fractionated Coconut Oil? For some reason, it can make your beard smell like baby vomit and very cheesy! Now, this is a natural carrier oil, but it can react with some people very badly, so watch out. I mean who wants to smell vomit on their face??
Conclusion
In this article, we covered a lot about smelly beards and how to prevent beard odour. We looked at my top 5 reasons why your beard could be smelling, and also covered some valuable tips on how you can change some of your habits to improve your hygiene. Finally, we touched on the importance of using 100% natural beard products in your beard.
That's it, I would be keen to know about your experiences and if this has helped your situation. You can even reach me on Instagram @twisted.moustache. I’m always up for a chat about beards!
