Your comment about dryness caused a sleepy neuron to fire in my little brain

How often do you shampoo your beard and what soap/shampoo do you use when you do? The reason I asks is that most of us find that washing no more than weekly, just rinsing it in the shower on the other days, is sufficient to keep the beard clean and also keeps from stripping out so much natural oil. Also, many find that using a vegetable oil-based soap, such as one using olive oil, works better than a regular shampoo for keeping the beard soft. On this latter point, though, there's many a great beard here that gets lathered up with cheap shampoo, so it's a matter of finding what works best for you.

On the point about using a shaver, like you I used an electric shaver and I too have a very curly, wiry beard but I never had an issue with an more than the occasional split end.

Cheers!
Tom


Some helpful links:
Library Central of Beard Growing


Taming the Wild Mustache
Tips for eating and drinking with a big mustache

Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit. ~ W. Somerset Maugham
A jerk with a beard is just a bearded jerk, but a bearded gentleman is awesomeness personified. ~ Triibeard