I've tried pretty much anything and everything you can imagine. This ain't my first rodeo.

Beard is way too thick to run a comb or brush through it. The sole implement I can get through my beard is an afro pick. Because my beard is very similar to African/African American hair. If I don't get the kinks out every 2-3 days it will start to dreadlock. The boar hair brush does nothing but shape the outside of my beard. Combs do nothing. Boutique oils and cleansers do nothing. It's too thick for $20 for 2 oz of oils I have at home. Almond, E, castor, grape seed, castor, essentials, etc.

The only things that work for me are as follows. Almond oil, jojoba oil, and running my fingers through it after oiled to remove kinks and dreadlocks. Once every two weeks or so I'll treat it with a deep avocado oil treatment where I soak it in the goop, put on a shower cap and let it sit for hours. Sometimes by the time it's done the beard is dry again. Soft, but dry... Soap is the worst possible thing for my beard. Chemical laden store bought silicon riddled conditioners dry it out. Natural products I blend myself are what works.

And I strongly disagree. Clean isn't near as important as hydrated for me. Soap or cleanser of any kind strips the oil out of my beard and makes it brittle.

Source: Very heavily bearded for the last 15 years.

And I've watched the beard baron videos before. Didn't find information I can use.

I appreciate the response but I am very clear on what I want. A barber to shape it that has experience and confidence in their trade. Once they've shaped it I can maintain it. I just let it go wild for two years after my previous barber split town. She would shape it and I would maintain it. Every so often when I was getting my hair cut she'd touch it up. Good system. Loved it.