As a Black man myself, I know the struggle of trying to find grooming products that will cater to my coarse and kinky beard, as well as my curly and kinky hair. It can also become increasingly difficult when you add skin conditions like hyperpigmentation and dry skin to the mix. Instead of using whatever happens to be available at your local drug store, Black men deserve skincare products and shaving tools designed for our unique needs.
So how do you pick the right grooming products for your daily and weekly routine? Fortunately, there are a ton of great options, and SPY is here to help you select only the best products.
The market for Black men’s grooming products has not always been what it is today. There are many different face washes, shampoos and conditioners, beard balms and shaving products designed specifically for Black men’s skincare needs. Calls for more representation when it comes to marketing grooming and hygiene products have also resulted in higher spending and diversity within the market, according to a 2019 Nielsen study. In fact, sometimes it can feel like there are too many options. With there being so many options for quality skin and hair care at your local convenience store, it can be daunting to know what will work best for your specific circumstances.
Below, you’ll find the best grooming products for Black men, including some popular products that are great for all men. When evaluating skincare or hair products, it’s important to keep a close eye on the ingredients. We like to use grooming products with skin-friendly ingredients like aloe vera, shea butter, vitamin A, vitamin E and coconut oil, all of which can help elevate your grooming routine. We’ve included everything from moisturizing face masks to scalp care products for bald men. Keep reading to find the best grooming products for Black men.
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Bevel Beard Balm
BEST FOR BEARDS
Bevel was started in 2013 by Tristan Walker, who wanted to create grooming and hair products for Black men with coarse and curly hair. The Bevel beard balm helps to lock in moisture and strengthen and sculpt your beard. With natural ingredients like sweet almond oil, coconut oil and shea butter, this beard balm keeps your beard looking healthy. This non-greasy formula works well in your hair, too. Packed with ingredients that are good for your skin and hair, this balm is a great all-in-one solution for men with coarse beards.
Franklin Benjamin Aloe Vera Shaving Gel
BEST FOR SHAVING
Frederick Benjamin’s aloe vera shaving gel is made with witch hazel, castor oil and aloe vera to help moisturize your skin during and after shaving. The castor oil in this product helps to soften and hydrate the skin, thus making it easier to get a cleaner shave. This soothing formula is perfect for those with sensitive skin. Massage a dime size of gel onto your skin and then shave the glaze-like substance off with a razor.
Franklin Benjamin Post-Shave Hydrating Lotion
FRAGRANCE-FREE
This option from Frederick Benjamin is great for guys with sensitive skin. The post-shave hydrating lotion is made with sunflower seed and other nourishing ingredients, which help to moisturize and hydrate as well as soothe the skin post-shaving to prevent inflammation and irritation. Like the best grooming products for black men, it is also dermatologist recommended. For guys tired of dealing with razor bumps, ingrown hairs and razor rash, this is a great solution. Frederick Benjamin’s Post Shave Hydrating Lotion is also fragrance-free, which is an added benefit for those with skin sensitivity to fragrances.
Scotch Porter Moisture Rich Leave-In Hair Conditioner
BEST DETANGLER
Made specifically for men with coarse and curly hair, Scotch Porter’s Moisture Rich Leave-In Hair Conditioner aims to hydrate and detangle. This all-natural conditioner is free of sulfates, silicones, petrolatum, parabens, mineral oil, synthetics, colors, phthalates, or PEGs. With its lightweight formula, this condition brings the shine and hydration to your hair with aloe, kale protein, biotin, and liposomes. Leave-in conditioner is the best-kept secret of the men’s grooming world, and this product is a great option for Black men.
Bio-Oil Skincare Oil
BEST FOR SCARRING
Bio-Oil is known for being able to heal things such as stretch marks, acne scars, and other types of scars. With the added benefits of vitamin A, vitamin E, rosemary oil, calendula oil, lavender oil, chamomile oil, and purcellin oil, this oil will help your skin heal itself. This product also helps to alleviate the appearance of an uneven skin tone, hormonal changes, and overexposure to UV radiation. Take a dime-sized amount of oil and rub it over the areas of skin with scarring regularly to see results.
Aaron Wallace Hydrating Hair and Beard Shampoo
BEST SHAMPOO FOR BLACK MEN
Aaron Wallace was originally launched in 2016 in a barbershop named Shear and Shine in South London. Now, the eponymous brand is taking the Black men’s hair care industry by storm. The Hydrating Hair and Beard Shampoo is sulfate-free and is gentle on your hair and scalp so that it doesn’t strip away their natural oils. With a mixture of mango butter and black seed oil, this sulfate-free shampoo for black men is designed to reinvigorate hair growth and keep your hair healthy and looking its best.
Bevel’s Safety Razor
BEST RAZOR
Bevel is one of our favorite grooming brands for Black men, and the brand’s shaving products are some of the best in the world. They also make the best razor for coarse hair. This popular safety razor is for men with coarse and curly hair as it helps to prevent the tugging and pulling caused by other razors on the market. It also helps to reduce razor bumps. The razor also comes with five razor blades for easy changing. You can also test out Bevel’s Starter Shave Kit, which includes the safety razor plus a ton of great grooming products for Black men. Available on Amazon for just $90, this shaving kit is also a great gift option.
SheaMoisture Night Resurfacing Serum for Blemish-Prone Skin
BEST FOR BLEMISHES
The SheaMoisture Night Resurfacing Serum is made with African black soap and is a nighttime face serum, acne treatment and skin toner. African black soap calms and clears the skin. It is for blemish-prone skin and transforms it into smooth, glowing skin. This serum also has AHA and BHA, which helps with sensitive skin, dry skin, oily skin and combination skin. Put this serum on at night and your skin, it will try to clarify the skin by minimizing your pores, and you’ll wake up feeling refreshed. Also, this product is cruelty-free and sustainably produced.
Wolf Project Hydrating Face Mask Sheet
BEST SHEET FACE MASK
The hydrating charcoal bamboo face mask sheet from Wolf Project mixes natural humectant glycerine, vitamin B13 and ten other natural plant extracts that quickly seep into the skin to soothe and nourish your skin. To use this sheet mask, cleanse your face first and then smooth the mask across your face. After 15 minutes, remove the mask and pat the remaining serum into your skin. This product doesn’t leave behind anything with its lightweight, residue-free formula.
BoyFace Power Peptide Daily Moisturizer
BEST ANTI-AGING MOISTURIZEER
BoyFace is a clean, plant-based line of anti-aging skincare products for men. Created by Crystal Waters, this skincare line is perfect for Black men dealing with the first signs of aging. The Power Peptide Daily Moisturizer revitalizes and protects the skins from common issues like UV rays, aging and stress. This product is packed with high-performing peptides and is the perfect final step after washing your face each night.
Beneath Your Mask Illuminate Clarifying Face Mask
Best face mask for black men
The SPY team loves a good skincare face mask for men. The Illuminate Clarifying Face Mask from Beneath Your Mask packs essential vitamins and skin enhancements such as honey, coconut milk, aloe vera, rose petal, Camu Camu, Celtic sea salt, coconut activated charcoal powder, turmeric, chamomile flower and lavender, which help to calm and clarify the skin. To use this mask, you must use equal parts of the mask and water. Once mixed, smooth it over the skin and leave in place for 20-40 minutes before rinsing it off with warm water. This mask will leave your skin feeling refreshed and clean.
El Patron Black Seed Beard Oil
Best for beard and body
The El Patrón Black Seed Beard oil is perfect for guys who want a lightweight beard oil. This non-greasy formula nourishes and brings shine to your beard. El Patrón’s oil will also help to repair damaged beard hair, and it also protects against beard breakage. Finally, the scent of the black seed oil is quite weak, so it won’t stand out among the other products you already use for skin and hair care.
Velvet Noir Beard Co-Wash
Best beard repair
Velvet Noir offers a little razzle and a lot of dazzle with their beard co-wash. This co-wash helps to alleviate split ends and hair shedding while striving to create stronger and softer hair follicles. Velvet Noir recommends using this co-wash and following it with their beard oil 2-3 times a week for the best results.
Chloe + Chad Geranium Face Wash
Best for acne
This mild face wash from Chloe + Chad uses oils like coconut, jojoba, camellia and sunflower. It is gentle and effective so that it doesn’t dry out your face and cause irritation. The finishing touch for this face wash is the geranium essential oil that fights wrinkles, acne and can help with dermatitis. Best of all, this face wash is organic, cruelty-free and kid-friendly.
Brickell Men’s Balancing Toner
Best balancing toner
No matter your skin type, Brickell makes some of the best men’s grooming products. The balancing toner from Brickell’s is alcohol and oil-free and removes excess oil, unclogs and minimizes pores, and leaves your skin feeling clean. This particular product is best for those with normal to oily skin and those who are prone to acne. Used as a skin refresher, it contains cucumber, witch hazel, aloe vera and peppermint. Brickell also makes one of our favorite face washes for men if you’re looking for a new cleanser.
Detroit Grooming Co. Corktown Grooming Oil
Best fragrance
Named after one of the oldest neighborhoods in Detroit, the Corktown grooming oil from Detroit Grooming Co. seeks to soothe your sensitive or irritated skin, stop beard itch, and relieve redness. Made with vanilla and cedarwood, the scent of this product is easy going and can blend in with your natural scent. This oil is also rich in nutrients that stop split ends, conditions the beard and the skin underneath, and leaves your beard shiny and soft.
Mantl Face and Scalp Cleanser
BEST FOR SCALP CARE
Karamo Brown of hit Netflix show Queer Eye created his own line of skincare and hair products for bald men. Most men’s hair loss products are designed for white men, and Brown knows a thing or two about being a handsome, bald black man. The Mantl Face and Scalp cleanser gently removes dirt and grime from the hair without stripping the skin of its natural oils. Packed with aloe, allantoin, and willow herb extract, this woodsy light-citrus scented cleanser will leave your scalp and your face feeling and smelling good.
Burt’s Bees 100% Natural Conditioning Lip Scrub With Exfoliating Honey Crystals
BEST LIP SCRUB
Burt’s Bees is known for its host of skincare products, whether it’s a face wash, lotion, or in this case, lip scrub. The key ingredient in Burt’s Bees products, honey, is featured in a honey crystal, and it’s the only ingredient in this product. Burt’s Bees Lip Scrub will leave your lips feeling nourished and healthy. By applying a generous amount to the lips and massaging it into the lips for a minute or so, you will exfoliate your dry lips and help create a smooth canvas for a moisturizing lip balm.
Jack Black Eye Balm De-Puffing and Cooling Gel
BEST EYE BALM
SPY’s grooming experts are always on the lookout for the best under-eye treatments for men. And for Black men looking for a solution to their eye issues, Jack Black has you covered with their Eye Balm De-Puffing and Cooling Gel. The non-sticky stainless-steel rollerball applicator helps to massage the formula into the skin around your eyes. Made with grape seed extract, vitamin A, vitamin E, panthenol, sodium hyaluronate and chamomile extract, this eye balm will help ease tired eyes by making them feel and look refreshed.
Herbivore Natural Blue Clay Cleansing Soap
BEST EXFOLIATING SOAP
The Natural Blue Clay Cleansing Soap Bar from Herbivore Botanicals is gentle and effective. It is suitable for all skin types. Mineral-rich Cambrian blue clay reinvigorates the skin and improves the tone and texture of the skin. This bar of soap also attacks pores to make them smaller and balances the skin. With a blend of lavender and litsea oil, this bar of soap will help to soothe the skin and your senses.