How to Use Beard Oil: Quest for the Perfect Beard

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how to use beard oil

Many men consider their beards to be an extension of their personality. A handlebar mustache and thick, well-maintained beard show off a distinguished, groomed look. However, there’s also coarse hair and beard itch that comes with facial hair, so it pays to know how to use beard oil.

Beard oil is a hair care product that moisturizes your skin and facial hair with ingredients that include essential oils and vitamin E. Applying a few drops of beard oil, will hydrate skin , and soften beard hair, making it easier to brush and style.

Learning how to use beard oil improves the health of your face and beard, since many of these natural oils start working after one application. However, many beard oils have a common purpose: to moisturize and soften your beard hair.

How to Apply Beard Oil: Beginner’s Guide

Beard oil solves many of the skin and facial hair problems that men face due to harsh chemicals in their face washes and shampoos.

Many men apply beard oil to their facial hair just using their hands, but that many not actually get to the root of the issue if you want to soothe dry skin and dandruff.

We’ll show you how to use beard oil to eliminate dry skin, beard itch, and coarse, brittle beard hair in this guide.

Application Basics

Due to beard oil’s natural healing and rejuvenating formulas, they work well as skin moisturizers. That’s because the vitamin E in these formulas makes your skin and hair follicles healthier. With woodsy scents like sandalwood and cedar, these oils can also improve your beard smell, too.

how to use beard oil with a comb
Using a comb or brush can help you spread beard oil throughout your facial hair.

First things first, using beard oil is pretty simple, and you don’t need anything else but your hands, and a beard comb or brush to distribute the oil from root to tip.

Beard oil typically comes in a small to medium bottle with a nozzle or applicator tip. You can squeeze out a dab of oil onto your palms, then rub your hands together. Now, gently massage the oil lightly into your skin and beard hair.

  • Only use a small amount to start
  • Spread oil into your skin first, then rub into your beard hair from the root
  • Use a beard brush or comb to spread oil to the rest of your beard
  • Apply a light amount of hair to your mustache hair

When to Apply Beard Oil?

The best time to apply the oil is right after showering and drying your beard hair. You should only need 2 to 3 drops of oil depending on your beard size.

Depending on my daily routine, I also like to apply beard oil before going to bed and first thing in the morning. With either event, you must wash your face and beard, and then drying – similar to the shower routine.  

How Often to Use Beard Oil?

This depends on your skin type and beard care routine. Since beard oil is just like your natural oils, you don’t want to use more than directed, as it will cause an oily buildup on your skin, which could lead to acne under your beard.

While most men can use a small amount of beard oil every day, your skin may react badly to moisturizing oils every day. However, if you shower and wash your beard, then you can use beard oil with greater frequency.

What’s in Beard Oil?

Beard oil typically comes in a small to medium bottle with a nozzle or applicator tip. You can squeeze out a dab of oil onto your palms, rubbing together so you can easily massage the oil lightly into your skin and beard hair.

Using a few drops of beard oil can have a dramatic improvement on beard health.
Barbers have known about beard oil for a long time and how it can help with growing a beard.

Essential Oils

The formulas for beard oils mostly focus on essential oils that will moisturize, heal, and protect your skin and hair. This is where beard balm and beard oil differ, as balms typically have beeswax, whereas beard oils do not.

These essential oils are derived from natural plants, such as the jojoba plant or tea tree. However, other beard growth oils may contain biotin or even keratin, which is derived from sheep’s wool in most cases.

Common Ingredients

Some common ingredients you’ll in the top beard oils include:

  • Argan oil
  • Jojoba oil
  • Tea tree oil
  • Coconut oil
  • Shea butter
  • Saw palmetto oil
  • Grape seed oil
  • Almond oil
  • Avocado oil
  • Biotin
  • Keratin
  • Aloe vera
  • Camelina oil
  • Jamaican black castor oil

Have you ever tried homemade Beard Oil? Check out our DIY Beard Oil Recipes.

It’s typical for beard oils to include 2 to 3 of these oils in one formula. Depending on whether you’re looking for more moisture, hair growth, or need help with dry skin under your beard, the oils in the formula may vary.

Your beard can become dry if you use products with parabens and unnatural chemicals, so check that you’re using the best beard products to get the full benefits of beard oil.

Scented Oils

Beard oils may come unscented or scented, which will also change the formula. Sensitive skin types should stay away from scented oils unless they try it beforehand to ensure that it doesn’t lead to breakouts.

What Skin Types Work Best with Beard Oil?

Essentially every skin type works with beard oil, but there are some essential oils that may exacerbate sensitive skin or oily skin types.

For example, shea butter and coconut oil may cause your sebaceous glands to produce more oil. Instead, oily skin types should try jojoba oil-based and tea tree oil products.

Sensitive Skin

Sensitive skin types may have trouble with various types of oils, but it will likely be the perfumes and scents that irritate your skin. In this case, opt for unscented beard oils that include jojoba oil and argan oil.

For dry skin, almost any beard oil contains the right ingredients to improve your condition, but avocado oil, coconut oil, aloe vera, and shea butter formulas produce the most hydration.

Take a look at whether beard oil will work for your skin and hair, particularly for hair growth: Does Beard Oil Work

Why Use Beard Oil?

Most men start beard oil because it’s the secret weapon behind smooth, well-maintained beards. If you’ve seen a guy with a beard that just looks extremely polished and shiny, it’s likely that he uses some high-quality beard oil.

Dry Skin and Dandruff

However, there are many other reasons to use beard oil, including dry skin and dandruff. Depending on the length of your beard, the skin underneath your beard can become irritated, especially if you suffer from beard itch.

Massaging a dab of beard oil into your skin and beard can eliminate a dry irritation problem after just 1-2 uses.

Beard and Skin Health

Most men use beard oil daily because it improves the health of their hair and skin.

Some men on Reddit have also pointed out it can improve your hair follicle’s health, leading to thicker, fuller beards in faster time. This may be why men with patchy beards should try beard oil to see if it helps fill in thinning facial hair.

What are the Best Beard Oil Products

Based on ingredients, consistency, and results, we recommend these products: best beard oils.

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AUTHOR

I'm the founder of Bald & Beards, an amateur barber and I've been obsessed with men's grooming, styles, and trends for over 20 years.