I never thought I’d date a man with a beard.

Every year when No Shave November rolled around I literally found myself cringing at the long, scruffy beards that would emerge. Post-November, you began to see the good stuff coming back out. I was a fan of the clean look, seeing a nice jawline, perhaps a good five o’clock shadow from time to time; however, when you meet the right partner, the heart wants what it wants. My heart chose a beautifully bearded man with a kind heart and an open mind. Now, dating a man with a beard has taught me a few lessons, like the importance of bi-weekly trips to the barber, the variation of length/shape depending on how fast it’s growing, and the fact that beards come with their own beauty regime. Yes, I said it, beards come with a beauty regimen that consists of shampooing, conditioning, oiling, and general hair maintenance.

This was all new to me since I had never dated a man with a beard before, and to some extent, this was also new to my boyfriend, whose beard maintenance typically takes place at the barbershop. With an explosion of natural men’s lines hitting the shelves and the growing popularity of facial hair, I decided to embark on a beard product search to meet his general day-to-day grooming needs. I provided my boyfriend with four men’s line brands, HIS MIX from Mixed Chicks, J.Carter Men, Shea Moisture, and Cantu, which are formulated specifically beards. Here’s his review of each product based on texture, smell, and how well he was able to use it in his beard.

Mixed Chicks HIS Mix-The Men’s line from Mixed Chicks comes in a quad pack featuring a Shampoo, Daily Conditioner, Leave-In Conditioner and Styling Gel

This pack reflects some of the classic Mixed Chicks favorites, while adding new styling products for men’s hair. My boyfriend stated this was favorite product in the pack because it had a “good smell” and “left his head/beard feeling clean.” The “clean” feeling was important given his frequency of daily workouts. He tried to alternate between the daily and leave-in conditioners in his hair, but admitted couldn’t tell a difference in how well they conditioned his beard. The Styling Gel was his least favorite because “it left my scalp itchy,” although he figured it was because he never uses gel in his hair.

J. Carter Men:Drench Curl Activator

This hydration spray promises to “reactivate dryness” and “reactivate your texture pattern.” I’m not sure if my boyfriend’s beard wasn’t fine enough for this product, or whether it was too thick, but it wasn’t his favorite. I think for men post-No Shave November who have finer beards or want to see definition, this is your product. He found the texture “sticky” and stated that it “made his beard feel stiff.” It had a wonderful rosemary smell that he found “overwhelming at times,” but did see some texture in his beard since the product seemed to “make the hair kink up.”

Shea Moisture Men Maracuja Oil & Shea Butter Full Beard Detangler

Oh this was my personal favorite, but back to my boyfriend…This was his favorite for his beard since it had “a good straightening effect” to lengthen his beard. I’m pretty sure even if you’ve done some trimming since No Shave November, you’ll want to use this product because it promotes healthy beard growth. It also “wasn’t sticky” and didn’t “clump up,” which made him less prone to itching or flaking. The best part he seemed to enjoy with styling was combing through his beard with ease, and I can second that since he literally smelled yummy… all the time.

Cantu Men 3-in-1 Shampoo, Conditioner, and Body Wash

This was one of those 3-in-1 products where you either get the most bang for your buck, or it falls flat. For men transitioning from No Shave November to these cold winter months, having a multi-functional product could be great for on-the-go styling and cleansing. For my boyfriend, he loved the smell but only used it as a shampoo and didn’t like the texture of it on his beard. He felt that because it had a shampoo consistency he didn’t understand how it could function as a conditioner as well. He did enjoy it when he used it as a shampoo, but it wasn’t his favorite because of the liquidy consistency.

Alhough November has come to a close, we can still appreciate and love a man with good beard game. The great thing about the availability of natural men’s products is that all of our favorite brands are coming out with different varieties of styling and conditioning products to make our men just as happy. For my man, he’s planning on using the SheaMoisture Detangler and HIS MIX Shampoo as part of his daily regimen, and I’m happy he was so flexible and open to trying so many different products.

What do the men in your life use on their hair or beard? Share with us below.