Step One- Clean your beard and these are the steps we recommend.
Use a beard wash not your dad Irish Spring. Beard wash is formulated not to irritate your skin and be gentle on the hair. If you have really sensitive skin you can always use water. What we would recommend doing if that is the case is brush your beard to breakaway the dead skin and debris from your skin and rinsing thoroughly with warm water.
Step Two- Condition your beard once it is all nice and clean. A specialized conditioner will soften your beard right up. It will help replace the proper nutrients and also moisturize your hair.