The Best Beard Oils

From the backwoods mountain man to the artistic hipster, those who sport a batch of cheek bristles understand the importance of proper beard care. So, if you’re looking for a way to nourish your beard, check out these beard oils.

Buying Guide for Beard Oils

Why buy beard oil?

Keeping your beard smartly trimmed with a beard trimmer won’t mean much if it’s too dry and unmanageable to style. Beard oil softens your beard by moisturizing the follicles so that your facial hair looks fuller while having a softer, more luxurious feel. Beard oil also moisturizes the skin underneath your beard, which can help prevent breakouts on your cheeks. Also, many beard oils will leave your beard with a subtle tantalizing aroma for a fraction of the price of your favorite cologne.

What should you look for in a beard oil?

• Overall Care: There’s a variety of considerations to make when picking your ideal beard oil, but a top priority should always be facial care. Every beard oil will cater to your facial hair, some better than others, but only the best consider your skin as well. Seek out options that utilize ingredients that are kind to both hair and skin, preventing brittle beards, ingrown hairs, and breakouts.
• Intent: It’s important that you ask yourself why you’re implementing this single-ounce bottle into your grooming regimen. Are you looking to moisturize? Restore? Grow? Consider what you really need for your beard.
• Scent: A far more trivial but worthwhile factor you should take note of is your beard oil’s aroma (or the lack of one). Some people enjoy their beard oil like they do their cologne and seek out a signature scent. However, some fragrances can seem obnoxiously potent if you suffer from sensitive sinus allergies, which is why unscented beard oils are a preferred choice by many users.

What type of beard oil is ideal for a light, sparse beard?

If your beard is on the sparse side, try to find a beard oil that is non-greasy and light but still offers excellent hydration for your hair follicles and skin. You may also consider investing in a product that features caffeine as an active ingredient since these beard oils can promote beard growth.

Our Picks for the Best Beard Oils

Pros: If you’re seeking an affordable beard oil that can help even out a patchy beard, Wild Willies Beard Growth Serum is definitely worth a try. This budget-friendly beard oil does well to soften your beard as soon as it’s applied, and over time, it can even encourage substantial growth thanks to its caffeine and biotin-infused recipe. While some reviewers noted this beard oil slightly dries out your skin, very few noted it causing any breakouts, making it a great choice for those with sensitive skin.

Cons: This beard oil won’t give you immediate results in terms of hair growth. As such, those who lack the patience to stick to a grooming routine for a couple of months will likely be unsatisfied with this product. It’s also worth noting that this product’s aroma is quite polarizing, so read some reviews to determine if it’s a good choice for you.

Bottom Line: This beard oil impresses both in terms of its affordability and effectiveness compared to comparable beard growth products. That being said, some people will certainly get better results than others based on how their beard reacts to the product’s active ingredients. At this price point, this beard oil is worth a try for those trying to manage a patchy beard.

 

Pros: Wild Willies Beard Oil comes in a small squirt bottle, making it easier to apply to your beard than similar products requiring a dropper. Once applied, it’s incredibly simple to spread out throughout your beard, where it immediately provides intense hydration to your beard and the underlying skin. Compared to similar products, this beard oil has a much less of a “greasy” feel after application, likely because it gets absorbed by your beard faster than most beard oils. The end result is a softer, easier-to-style beard that looks natural and healthy.

Cons: Some reviewers noted that the spray bottle that this product arrives in is prone to leaking, so be careful about dropping it or treating it roughly. Also, while this beard oil will make your beard much easier to style in the short term, it’s hard to tell whether the long-term results are on par with high-end products.

Bottom Line: If you’re looking for a beard oil that provides instant moisture without leaving your beard or face feeling greasy, Wild Willies Beard Oil is worth trying out. As such, those who suffer from an itchy, flaky face under a wild beard will find that this product provides a solution to what’s ailing their face.

 

Pros: If you have a coarse beard that is hard to style, Honest Amish Classic Beard Oil might be for you. This beard oil offers solid hydration and is made out of natural, skin-friendly ingredients that are unlikely to cause a breakout. However, what makes this beard oil stand out is its ability to soften up even coarse beards without leaving them looking wet or greasy. This ensures that even coarse, wild beards can be styled over time, thanks to this product’s penchant for moisturizing the driest of hair follicles.

Cons: A lot of reviewers noted that this beard oil has an extremely unique, licorice-like scent, and many of them weren’t exactly fans. That being said, this product’s scent doesn’t stick around for very long, so most people you come into contact with probably won’t notice it at all.

Bottom Line: Styling an extremely coarse beard can be a challenge, especially when you prefer products with natural ingredients. However, this organic beard oil really demonstrates its value when used on dry beards and has plenty to offer people who regularly contend with dandruff. Just note that its unique smell is bound to rub some people the wrong way, even if it’s not the strongest-smelling beard oil on the market.

 

Pros: If you’re looking for a versatile beard kit that has all the essentials, the XIKEZAN Beard Grooming Kit offers a lot for its budget-friendly price. The beard oil included in this kit stands out for its minimal (nearly odorless) smell and is very light, so it’s easy to distribute throughout your entire beard. The boar-bristle brush is also a winner and can be used in tandem with the oil for softer, fuller-looking facial hair.

Cons: There’s only one fluid ounce of beard oil included in this kit, so don’t expect it to last you for too long if you plan to apply it often. Also, some reviewers noted that some of the products that came with this kit produced mild irritation, so it might be wise to test out a small amount before you apply an entire portion to your beard.

Bottom Line: While this kit doesn’t feature the best beard oil you can ever buy, it’s still a great option for those who would like to test the waters of beard grooming without paying individually for a wide variety of expensive products. The beard oil is surprisingly effective at moisturizing and managing beards, and it easily outcompetes several budget beard oils.

 

Pros: If you’ve got a thick, coarse beard that is prone to itchiness, the Cantu Shea Butter Beard Oil offers excellent hydration and itch relief for an incredibly low price. Its tandem of shea butter and caffeine is quite a versatile combination that promotes beard growth while also helping to prevent dandruff, and its faint, pleasant scent is unlikely to be noticed by those who are more than a few inches away from your face. Given this product’s budget-friendly price, it’s also important to note that it provides considerably more beard oil than comparable products.

Cons: This beard oil is a little on the greasy side, so it probably shouldn’t be your first choice if you keep your beard light and tight. As such, it also takes a bit longer for it to be absorbed into your hair follicles, so your beard will have a bit of a moist, shiny appearance for a while after application.

Bottom Line: Even if this beard oil were double the price, it would have a lot going for it in terms of value and quality. If you’re looking for a more substantial beard oil that will last you a while, even if it’s being used on a thick and untamed beard, this product is one of your best bets.

Final Thoughts

With a great beard comes great responsibility, so do your research to find an effective beard oil that caters to your beard’s unique needs and strong suits. Also, if you suffer from dry skin under your beard, be sure that the beard oil you choose will moisten your skin just as well as it does your beard.