There are several things you can do to care for a beard of any length to make them less irritating and to make them look better.since the start of summer. I'll shave it all off pretty soon here, especially because I don't do much to take care of it beyond washing it, but it doesn't seem to be that bad of a look for me (no female relatives telling me I need to shave lol)
I did a blog on how to grow out a beard, maybe one on facial hair care can help.