If you’re here, then you know you’re not taking proper care of your beard. Though itchiness is the tradeoff all beard-growers make, moisturizing leave-in beard oil can provide hydration and relief, as well as bring wild beards under control.
Get all the facts on how to use the good ole’ neck nectar, and then keep reading for some of our picks for the best beard oils you can buy.
What Is beard oil?
Beard oil is only one of the most essential grooming products for beardsmen. Though formulas vary from brand to brand, beard oil is a mixture of different essential oils with moisturizing and hydrating properties meant to strengthen and restore your beard to a healthy and comfortable state.
Why is beard oil good for my beard?
- Beard oil hydrates and softens beard hair and moisturizes underlying dry skin.
- Beard oil helps eliminate beard dandruff, especially if used alongside a beard brush.
- It helps to tame and bring wild and wiry beard hairs under control.
- Some beard oils include essential oils with fragrance for a pleasant masculine smell.
- Beard oil leaves your beard feeling softer, with a healthy shine, and makes your skin less itchy.
What should I look for in the best beard oils?
Not every beard oil will have all of these ingredients (nor should they necessarily), but they will have at least one or two.
- Jojoba oil: Jojoba is one of the most popular oils for beard oils because it’s highly moisturizing and very stable, making it perfect for mixing with others.
- Argan oil: Argan oil is the other beard oil rockstar alongside jojoba. Filled with naturally occurring vitamin E and fatty acids, it delivers excellent moisturization to skin and beards.
- Coconut oil: Coconut oil contains a high concentration of saturated fatty acids, making it an excellent emollient.
READ MORE: Best Beard Trimmers for Men
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How to use beard oil
Using beard oil couldn’t be easier, and the returns are well worth the minimal effort.
- Start with moistened but not damp beard hair. Applying after using your best beard wash in the shower is optimal, but giving your hair a quick rinse and dry works too. This is important for having a clean beard, making your hair more manageable and preparing your skin for absorption. (Of course, beard oils will work on parched hair, too, but you’ll achieve better results this way).
- Put a few drops of beard oil into your palms or on your fingers. A little goes a long way, so start with a few drops because you can always add more in a second pass. Many beard oils come with a dropper for this purpose. If you’re dealing with a regular screw cap, be careful not to over-pour.
- Spread the beard oil across your fingers or palms and begin to massage it into your beard and skin. You can start at the bottom and work your way up or go top-down, but we’d recommend picking one to ensure comprehensive coverage. Be sure to massage into the skin at the roots and gently pull the oil through to the ends of the hair.
- Once you’re covered, you can stop and enjoy a refreshed beard. But for best results, a beard brush will help style the hair, spread the beard oil evenly throughout and exfoliate your skin a bit too.
How to use beard oil: How often should you use beard oil?
This might be the best part of beard oil: You can (and should) use it every day. We wouldn’t recommend using it multiple times a day unless you enjoy walking around with an oily beard, but there are no risks to using beard oil. Just applying once every day in the morning will be plenty to ensure you’re living the itch-free beard life. You can always touch up during the day as needed, but most guys will likely be OK to use beard oil once per day and use a beard brush to respread oils as needed throughout the day.
Now, without further ado, let’s jump into a few of the best beard oils.
1. Fulton & Roark Formula 5 Beard Oil
BEST OVERALL
Fulton & Roark makes incredible solid cologne, so we shouldn’t be surprised that the brand’s beard grooming game is also excellent. The Fulton & Roark Formula 5 Beard Oil promises to moisturize hairs down to the follicle, leaving your beard smooth and your face itch-free. It also smells lovely, with notes of sandalwood and amber. We recently named this the best beard oil of the year in The 2021 Man, our end-of-year product awards.
The beard oil is pricey, but that’s where the Formula 5 comes in. This isn’t just a great-smelling beard oil: It’s a pre-shave oil, scalp moisturizer, dry skin treatment, and lightweight hair styling product. In the era of tiny apartment bathrooms, we’re grateful to be able to clear up space with this one multipurpose grooming oil.
2. Bevel Beard Oil
BEST OVERALL
The Bevel beard oil is living proof of quality over quantity. Though you only get 1 ounce of beard oil, you only need a few drops to moisturize, strengthen and tame your beard.
3. Honest Amish Fragrance-Free Pure Beard Oil
RUNNER-UP
A longtime Amazon and SPY favorite, the Honest Amish Fragrance-Free Pure Beard Oil simply works. Multiple essential oils, including jojoba and argan, work on beard hair and skin, leaving everything so much more hydrated than before. If you’re buying your first beard oil, the Honest Amish oil won’t let you down.
4. Pura d’Or Beard Oil
HONORABLE MENTION
Pura d’Or makes one of our favorite hair-loss shampoos, but it also makes one the best beard oils. The organic jojoba and argan oils in the Pura d’Or Beard Oil deliver plenty of hydration and conditioning. The beard oil also boasts a light citrus fragrance due to the bergamot and grapefruit peel oils. It’s fully organic, works for all skin types, and offers an incredible value, too, with over 4 ounces of beard oil for a price comparable to other 1-ounce beard oils.
5. SheaMoisture Beard Conditioning Oil
BEST VALUE
The SheaMoisture Beard Conditioning Oil delivers as promised. Maracuja oil and shea butter work together to moisturize skin, soften beard hairs and reduce the itch. But what makes it even better is the value. For under $10, you get 3.2 ounces of top-notch conditioning beard oil, one of the best values per ounce we found. Even if your beard requires a ton of oil, this bottle will last a lot longer than any 1-ounce beard oil.
6. Jack Black Beard Oil
BEST SPLURGE
We know firsthand that Jack Black is one of the best skincare and grooming brands, so it should come as no surprise that we love the Jack Black Beard Oil too.
Though it’s got a laundry list of seemingly unfamiliar ingredients, they’re primarily botanical extracts and essential oils meant to bring your beard back up to snuff. Plus, we’re not the only fans: This beard oil boasts a 4.7/5 stars rating on Amazon on over 1,900 ratings.
The only negative is the price. This beard oil is a lot pricier than similar options, and you only get 1 ounce of oil. But if you want the best beard oil for a rejuvenated itch-free beard, the Jack Black oil is worth it.
7. Live Bearded Beard Oil
BEST VARIETY OF FRAGRANCES
Nothing says fresh and clean like a newly fragrant beard. Live Bearded Beard Oil is basic but effective, with only three oils and tocopherol, a kind of vitamin E. But it’s the added fragrance that makes this beard oil so great. We love the Canyon and Executive scents, but you’d be OK with any one of the six or the Straight Up unscented beard oil.
8. Artnaturals Organic Beard Oil Conditioner
BEST FOR SENSITIVE SKIN
When dealing with sensitive skin, it can be helpful to seek out specific products with minimal ingredients because you’re likely eliminating things that irritate your skin. The Artnaturals Organic Beard Oil Conditioner consists of organic jojoba oil, argan oil, and vitamin E, and that’s it. If you know you have sensitive skin and want to ensure the beard oil won’t make the situation worse, this beard oil is about as simple as it gets. Plus, the dropper is very helpful for volume control.
ALSO CONSIDER…
1. Grow Alpha Beard Grooming Kit
BEST GROOMING KIT
Though there are more sophisticated and higher quality (and pricier) beard brushes out there, the Grow Alpha Beard Grooming Kit totally gets the job done for the average beardsmen. It comes with a boar bristle brush, beard comb and small grooming scissors for touch-ups. That’s everything you’ll need to wrangle out-of-control beard hairs, and the set is very affordable too. Given how valuable a beard brush is for applying beard oil, this is one purchase you should consider alongside your beard oil purchase.
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