# Washing your beard -- soap or shampoo? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 17, 2021, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026 "2021-08-17T17:47:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026/1 "2021-08-17T17:47:29Z")
This question is obviously for men with facial hair. How do you wash your beard and/or mustache? I’ve always just used the same soap I use to wash the rest of my face, but some would say it’s hair so you should use shampoo. I see there are also “beard wash” products that are supposedly specially formulated for beards. _Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026/1))_ ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026/2 "2021-08-17T17:49:36Z")
When have a beard it is both Shampoo & Conditioner and then soap. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026/3 "2021-08-17T17:50:00Z")
Irish Spring Bar Soap is what I use for my body, face, beard, hair, naughty bits, etc. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026/4 "2021-08-17T17:59:39Z")
I picked some other product, because I don’t use the same soap I wash the rest of my body with. Rather, I wash my beard with the same facial cleanser product I use on the rest of my face. But I keep my beard trimmed rather short, so washing my beard is pretty much the same as washing my face. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026/5 "2021-08-17T18:21:34Z")
Facial cleansing bar, for the most part. I think I’ve tried shampoo in the past, maybe when I had some extreme dryness or something, and that experiment was short-lived. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026/6 "2021-08-17T18:24:47Z")
Just soap. I don’t use shampoo at all, so it’s either soap or shaving gel. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026/7 "2021-08-17T18:24:49Z")
Soap is soap. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026/8 "2021-08-17T18:26:27Z")
I use shampoo for my head (hair, face, and beard) then soap from the neck down. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026/9 "2021-08-17T18:43:09Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Irish Spring Bar Soap is what I use for my body, face, beard, hair, naughty bits, etc. Fresh and clean as a whistle! ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026/10 "2021-08-17T19:20:29Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Irish Spring Bar Soap is what I use for my body, face, beard, hair, naughty bits, etc. Ditto. Also, I have a goatee; it’s not really all that neatly trimmed, but it’s also not a big, bushy, luxuriant beard. If I had a long flowing beard, I’d probably use shampoo or something else. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026/11 "2021-08-17T19:44:18Z")
My beard is fairly short now (for me), but there have been times I’ve ZZ Topped for awhile. Always Irish Spring. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026/12 "2021-08-17T19:44:18Z")
There is no response for what I do. When I shampoo my hair, I do my face and when I just shower I soap it. So both. ---
**Author:** ![Dogginit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogginit/32/16920_2.png) [@Dogginit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogginit)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026/13 "2021-08-17T21:11:39Z")
Use Old Spice 3-in-1, covers everything, much like Carlin - if I’m dirty I don’t wash, brush the 3 important areas - hair, teeth, asshole. To save time, I use the same brush on all 3 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026/14 "2021-08-17T21:14:18Z")
Beard is hair, so shampoo. Besides, whatever I use under my nose I can smell for a while afterwards… I don’t want to walk around thinking “Yum, Dial Deodorant Soap…ewww…”. I’d much rather be enjoying Ma McGillicuddy’s Papaya/Basil Mane Concoction. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026/15 "2021-08-17T21:23:45Z")
My beard is pretty short now, maybe a quarter to a half inch long…longer if I haven’t trimmed it in a while, shorter if I have. I just use facewash. Back when it was long, like closer to 5 or 6 inches, I typically used actual beard shampoo once or twice a week and the rest of the time just let my regular shampoo and facewash run through it. ---
**Author:** ![SoToasty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sotoasty/32/2803_2.png) [@SoToasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoToasty)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026/16 "2021-08-17T21:26:41Z")
Shampoo and Conditioner. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026/17 "2021-08-17T21:28:52Z")
I have always just soaped it up as I soap up my face, no matter how long it gest. Although semi-recently when testing out new soaps because of some unrelated skin irritation, ended up on Dove + For men bar soap, partly because the irritation went away, and partly because my beard felt cleaner. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026/18 "2021-08-17T21:40:33Z")
Every time I take a shower, I shampoo my hair and beard. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026/19 "2021-08-17T21:41:26Z")
Often just conditioner on hair and beard, other times, shampoo and conditioner on both ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026/20 "2021-08-17T22:35:12Z")
Whether my beard is trimmed short as it is now, or a fuller U.S. Grant model, all I’ve used is regular hair shampoo. If the dog seems too interested in possible embedded micro food bits, it’s time for beard cleansing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-your-beard-soap-or-shampoo/949026.md?page=2)