Cold air outside and dry heating inside strip moisture out of beard hair and the skin underneath it. That is where the itch comes from, and the flaking that gets mistaken for dandruff.

A few drops of oil, warmed between your palms and worked down to the skin, not just over the surface. Nightly after a shower beats mornings, because your pores are already open.

If your beard is longer than two inches, follow with a balm on the ends. Thirty seconds a day is the entire routine, and it is the difference between a beard that looks deliberate and one that looks survived.