So you have finally decided to grow a thick beard and it’s starting to get curly, tangly, and simply unkempt-looking.
No problem. Let’s get you a good beard comb to detangle that mess.
After all, there’s nothing quite as pleasing as combing through your own bushy beard, straightening up the coarse beard curls, and lining up the whiskers to perfect unison.
“No? There are some better things in life? Maybe that’s just me then.”
Anyway, today we are going to bring you a detailed review of the best beard combs out there.
After all, a good beard comb is on par with other essential beard tools like beard brushes, beard scissors, and beard oils.
Because well, a quality beard comb is one of the greatest beard care products a man can own.
It includes seven of the finest combs for beard & mustache, from various materials and styles from cellulose acetate to wooden beard combs alike.
Beard Comb Comparison Table (Summary)
What to Look for Before Buying a Beard Comb
- Don’t get a metal comb, ever – Although metallic beard combs look quite nice, they don’t perform that well at all. The teeth of the combs are often uneven and can damage the facial hair, while the metal itself can cause a static charge to your hair strands; not good.
- Choose the right teeth spacing – If you have a big beard you need to be using facial hair combs with wider teeth spacing; otherwise, you’ll end up in snag-city. If your beard is soft and not overly thick, you can get away with combs that have the teeth more spaced in.
- Stamp-pressed plastic is bad – I wish they wouldn’t because plastic is super cheap, but the fact is that plastic combs are often flimsy, easy to break, machine-produced in mass quantities, and they cause the static charge for the whiskers.
- Best beard comb materials – The biggest thing to look for material-wise is to make sure that your beard comb is made of anti-static and durable material. The best type of beard comb is the one that suits you, but the materials should include natural ox horn, cellulose acetate, sandalwood, wedge wood, or maple. Also, make sure that the comb is hand-crafted or at least finished by hand.
Our Facial Hair Comb Selection Process
It wasn’t the easiest task to pick out the best beard comb of 2022, with the hundreds of combs available for our review.
But through tens of hours of work, we have managed to tidy the list down to seven good combs that we are sure you’re going to love.
Our rating process was pretty straight forward.
First of all, no stamp-pressed combs, they are cheap but also bad and not worth your or my time.
Secondly, the materials. We tried to choose a good variety of sandalwood, ox horn, cellulose acetate, and other good material options, without even mentioning the bad one.
Thirdly, no metal combs, those only create static and are more likely to damage the beard than wooden or cellulose acetate combs.
Fourthly, the price. There are many ridiculously expensive beard comb products out there, which are hardly made from any better materials or with better craftsmanship from the ones we mention below.
When all of the factors above come together, you will know that it’s indeed the best facial hair comb just for you, and the one you should probably be buying.
Best Beard Combs of 2022
1. Kent Handmade Beard and Mustache Comb Set
Kent is the name of the game when it comes to both beard combs and brushes.
It’s the undisputed “golden standard” of the comb & brush space, and rightfully so. Although their combs look like they would be made of plastic, they certainly aren’t.
This is what they say:
Every Kent comb undergoes the traditional craft of shaping and cutting from a solid blank of tortoiseshell effect material.
This means that the static charge or poor-quality will never be an issue with any of their combs, and since every teeth is saw cut instead of being machine-pressed, there will always be perfectly smooth teeth that glide through your beard and mustache effortlessly.
This is what you’ll get in a set:
- 2.8″ 81T Small mustache comb
- 4.4″ FOT Medium-sized beard comb
- 5.6″ R7T Large beard comb with 2 teeth widths
As a brand, Kent is old and respected. In fact, they made their first products as early as 1777.
Specs and details:
- Size: 2.8″, 4.4″, and 5.6″
- Material: Cellulose acetate
- Finish: Transparent brown
- Teething: Ultra-fine, small, and medium
If you’re looking for a beard & mustache comb set, then this is likely the best three-piece kit you’ll ever find, and if you’re a competitor doing product analysis, this is the brand you want to mimic.
2. Aberlite Credit Card Size Pocket Beard Comb
This is one of the coolest ideas I’ve seen when it comes to beard combs.
Aberlite has created a thin, high-quality sandalwood beard comb, that is so small it fits the coin pocket of your jeans.
With the comb, you will also get two protective cases;
One that is super-slim and made out of dark faux leather and the other which offers heavy-duty protection in a bit larger hard plastic shell.
It’s one of many sandalwood combs on this list, which is great because sandalwood is durable, it smells nice, and it provides an anti-static, snag-free beard combing experience.
Aberlite is definitely one of those rising beard brands that I can see getting extremely popular in the upcoming years. Previously I have showcased their innovative neckline trimming tool and beard shaper in my review.
Specs and details:
- Size: 3.3″ x 2.1″ x 0.3″
- Material: Sandalwood
- Finish: Dark-brown natural finish
- Teething: Small & Medium
3. Hunter Jack’s Sandalwood Beard Comb
One of my all-time personal favorites has been the Hunter Jack’s Beard Comb. I even featured it on my list of beard gifts.
The first thing you notice is the really nice design of the comb and the leather pouch that comes included.
Then we get into the material; some quality sandalwood, one of the best – if not the best – beard comb materials out there. Sandalwood has a nice woodsy scent, it’s extremely durable and anti-static.
This thing comes with the popular “pocket size” style at 3.8″ length x 2.5″ width x 0.3″ thickness (10cm x 5.5cm x 0.8cm).
There are two sides of teeth in the beard and mustache comb, one with a wider set for long and thick beards and one with a narrower set for smaller, thinner beards and mustache area.
All-in-all, it’s a really nice looking and well-functioning beard comb that is likely to last for tens of years with proper use.
Specs and details:
- Material: Sandalwood
- Finish: Light-brown natural pattern
- Size: 3.8″ x 2.5″ x 0.3″
- Teething: Thin & Medium
4. HuskyBeard Folding Beard Comb (Wenge Wood)
Looking for a bit manlier and chunkier comb that has big and bold teething?
Consider checking out the folding Wenge Wood beard comb from HuskyBeard.
It’s an upgrade to the older sandalwood fold comb, which had some flaws, so under the new ownership, HuskyBeard decided to up the ante and really produce the best folding beard comb possible.
Their comb features a pleasant-looking dark color and smooth surface that is sanded to super high grit (meaning that it won’t splinter as many fold-combs do).
Instead of having a glued-up hinge, HuskyBeard has gone and added a proper screw hinge to the comb so that it lasts for years instead of months.
The scent of the natural wenge wood is out of this world, perhaps even better to fresh sandalwood. And unlike sandalwood which quickly fades, wenge wood is known for holding its natural scent longer.
Specs and details:
- Material: Wenge wood
- Finish: Natural dark with wood pattern
- Size: 3,75″ x 1,4″ (9,5cm x 3,5cm)
- Teething: Medium-wide
5. Rocky Mountain Barber Co. Sandalwood Beard Comb
We like what Rocky Mountain Barber Company does with their combs.
Their beard comb is 100% sandalwood, comes with coarse teeth and fine teeth, and has a small “precision edge” shaping helpers on the ends.
Not only this but he combs contour shape gives you better contact and more whiskers to be combed in one go.
Oh, and it also has a leather pouch, similar to the Hunter Jack comb.
Specs and details:
- Material: Sandalwood
- Finish: Natural
- Size: 3,8″ x 2.2″ x 0.2″
- Teething: Small & Medium
All-in-all, we like this to be one of the better products you can get your hands on, and it definitely deserves to be in our list of best beard & mustache combs.
6. Rocky Mountain Barber Co. Traditional Comb
This is the second comb from Rocky Mountain Barber Co. on this list, and unlike the first one that is double-sided sandalwood, this one comes with the traditional one-sided teething and is made from what looks to be birch.
In other words, it’s just like a quality anti-static, anti-snagging wooden comb that your grandpa would have used back in the day.
What’s funny is that although a lot of time has passed and many personal care products evolve into better versions of themselves, this hasn’t happened with combs at all.
Instead of keeping up the amazing craftsmanship that produced quality wooden combs, we now stamp press poor-quality plastic in a conveyor belt.
That’s why we like this comb, it’s traditional, it’s basic, and it’s made from real wood and by hand. Just what you should be looking for in a good beard comb.
Specs and details:
- Material: Pearwood
- Finish: Natural wood
- Weight: 1 oz.
- Size: 5.5″ x 2″ x 0.4″
- Teething: Medium-wide
7. Always Bearded Anti-Static Maple Beard Comb
If you’re not a fan of two-sided pocket beard combs, then you’re going to love this 100% maple comb.
As the box says, it’s “man-sized” and like with all wood materials, it provides a nice anti-static and snag-free facial hair combing experience.
On the same side, you got the wide teething for longer bushier beards and narrower teething for smaller & thinner beards. Personally, I like this type of beard comb design to be the best, but that’s just my preference.
As a hardwood, maple is an excellent material choice for beard combs, and with proper use, this beard comb should be with you for several years without breaking.
Specs and details:
- Size: Not specified
- Teething: Medium & Large
- Finish: Wood
- Material: Maple
Beard Comb vs. Beard Brush
A lot of men are pondering whether they should invest in a beard brush or a beard comb?
In my humble opinion, they both serve a purpose. Yet, you don’t absolutely need to have them both.
Below, I will quickly list the benefits of both, so you can choose which is more important to your goals and needs…
Beard Comb
Detangles
With a comb, you are basically just doing what you do to a long hair; you untangle the mess, lining up and straightening up the hairs, usually downwards.
Redistributes Beard Oil
A comb is also a useful aid when applying beard oil, as you can comb after application to help evenly distribute the oil into your whiskers. The bigger the beard, the handier the comb usually proves to be, so if you’ve got a patchy beard, then consider getting a brush instead.
Beard Comb is Smaller
Beard combs are often small in size, extremely slim, and easy to carry around in your pocket or wallet.
Beard Brush
Exfoliates
Good beard brush with stiff bristles is an excellent beard tool for exfoliating the skin under your beard. It can even help remove some beard dandruff and dead skin cells.
Redistributes Oils
When you sweep the natural boar bristles of a beard brush against your own beard hairs, you are also redistributing both the natural oils and the beard oil you use from the beard roots to tips.
Stimulates Sebum and Circulation
Brushing is more though on the skin and hairs, but for that reason, it’s also better at stimulating the sebaceous glands to produce the natural oils and it even helps enhance the circulation to the beard area.
Can you Comb the Beard Too Much?
There are certainly times when too much of a good thing turns into a bad thing, and such is the case with combing the beard.
We recommend that you comb your beard 2-3 times per day at maximum, and no more.
Think of the guys who fiddle their beards all day and as a result, they end up with damaged beard hairs and patchy beard growth.
Well, combing is almost the same.
When done within reasonable means, combing the facial hair will help you tame and detangle the beard, and it even slightly stimulates the natural release of sebum oils.
When done too often, it damages the beard hairs by causing friction damage and protein-loss directly in the beard hair fibers, resulting in uneven patchiness and poor growth rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cellulose acetate, sandalwood, peachwood, and ox horn material are all great comb materials. My personal favorite is the cellulose acetate combs by Kent.
Sure, why not. Beard and mustache combs – the ones made from the materials mentioned above – are actually much better for your hair than plastic hair combs are.
Well, they do look quite nice and many of them come in quality materials like sandalwood or peachwood, but in my opinion, they’re always too bulky and there are just too many moving parts that have the potential to break.
Heated beard combs – or more specifically – heated press combs do work exceptionally well to straighten the beard. I wouldn’t use one every day since there’s some damage to the beard that is inevitable if you constantly expose it to heat tools, but for occasional straightening, sure.
Everyone has their own style, but it’s a good idea to start the beard combing routine from the bottom part of the facial hair and go upwards from there or “against the grain” to remove all the tangles deep within the mane. However, you should always remember to end your combing session with a downwards motion so that your facial hair isn’t pointing towards the sky.
How to Properly Comb a Beard
Combing a beard isn’t exactly rocket science. It’s almost like combing your hair, just with few differences.
- First, you want to start from combing underneath the beard.
- Next start isolating the snags and untangle them.
- And finally, finish off by combing everything downwards.
The last part is important; always end the combing session by straightening your facial hair downwards.
Conclusion
Beard comb is essential to any good beard maintenance routine, and many as there are the combers, there are also combs, but not just any comb shall do.
Always choose quality materials and hand-crafted products. No stamp-pressed plastics or static charge causing metals with jagged edges.
Some great materials include; sandalwood, pearwood, cellulose acetate, and buffalo horn.
When it comes to teeth width on your beard combs, the golden rule is this: The coarser the beard, the wider the teeth.
I hope our review of the best beard combs served you well and you found what you were looking for.
That’s all I have for you today. Thanks for reading and keep on beardin’.
Is there a mustache comb that doesn’t have an extra large last comb tooth? I can’t find a small comb where the end tooth is the same size as the others; most have a much wider and sometimes longer tooth on the end.