Buying guide for best beard balms
If you have a long or unruly beard, suffer from facial itchiness, or experience brittle facial hair, you might feel as though your beard grooming routine is lacking. Many elements can cause your facial hair and the surrounding skin to dry out, compromising beard health and appearance.
Beard balm is a wax-like product that helps condition, shape, and style your beard, and it can be an important part of a facial grooming regimen. Beard balm provides more hold and thickness than beard oil while also enhancing shine. Beard balms deploy a blend of butters and oils to nourish facial hair and the surrounding skin from the inside out. It usually comes as a waxy paste that melts when rubbed between your palms, but its texture can range from light to thick, depending on your needs.
Finding a beard balm that works with your facial hair type and style can be tricky.
How to use beard balm
Beard balm is best applied after a shower. First, wash your facial hair with a beard soap or shampoo. Then, take a dime-size amount of beard balm, rub it between your palms, and run your fingers through your facial hair, massaging it in and distributing it with either a comb or a boar bristle brush. You can apply beard balm up to three times daily.
Key considerations
Beard balm ingredients
Natural sealants
Ideally, a beard balm will contain natural sealants such as the following.
- Aloe or mango butter: Aloe is known for hydrating the skin and hair while fighting inflammation. Mango butter has a smoothing quality and contains many antioxidants and nutrients.
- Shea or cocoa butter: These butters make the balm spreadable, are naturally aromatic, and enhance carrier oils.
- Beeswax: Beeswax is a natural option that maintains a beard’s shape with a slight hold, though not as much as a gel.
Moisturizers
Beard balms also contain moisturizers that prevent sealants from locking in dryness that can make hair brittle. Moisturizers are often carrier oils or essential oils such as argan oil, jojoba oil, or coconut oil.
How beard balm works
Our skin naturally produces oil called sebum. Sebum nourishes the hair and scalp while providing shine, but an excess of sebum can create oily and irritated skin. When you have a beard, it can soak up too much sebum and dehydrate the surrounding skin, rendering it itchy and flaky. Beard balm helps control this, keeping skin soft and moisturized while providing hydration that mimics the effects of natural sebum.
Beard balm benefits
- Moisturizes and softens the beard and underlying skin
- Enhances thinness or patchiness with a fuller appearance
- Eases dandruff and flakiness
- Provides styling control and smooths stray flyaways
- Helps hair roots produce natural oil in a healthy way
- Makes beard maintenance and care easier
Beard balm vs. beard oil
Some think the two are the same, but beard balm and beard oil function differently. While beard balm is made by blending, heating, and cooling a mixture of sealants, waxes, and moisturizers, beard oil is a leave-in conditioner made of a carrier oil and essential oil blend.
Beard balms have a different texture than oils. The presence of butters in beard balm improves spread and promotes a thicker consistency. It’s generally helpful to start with an oil and finish with a balm if your beard is very dry or if you live in especially dry conditions. Using a beard oil in conjunction with your beard balm can provide additional silkiness and promote healthy growth. It can also act as a beard cologne.
Using beard balm with other products
In addition to beard oil, there are additional products that can be added to your routine to maximize the effects of beard balm. Opt for a beard-specific shampoo or soap that won’t strip essential oils from your facial hair. You can also add wax or pomade for additional hold, a hot-oil mask to enhance hydration, or a product that integrates a hair-growth supplement.
Features
Scent: Most beard balms aim for a musky scent that is strongest when applied and dissipates throughout the day. Popular scents include sandalwood, pine, cedar, vanilla, tobacco, black pepper, eucalyptus, rosemary, patchouli, and citrus.
Consistency: The consistency of beard balm is usually thick and waxy. Depending on the desired hold level, it can range from viscous to nearly solid.
Holding strength
Different brands offer different levels of thickness and hold, from light to strong. Hold level dictates the performance of a balm for your type of hair. For instance, if your facial hair is prone to get a little wild, medium- to strong-hold balms might be necessary to tame it. For finer hair and shorter beards, light to medium-hold balms should work. Medium- to strong-hold beard balms contain a higher content of wax, which generally means that they have fewer conditioning properties than balms with a more flexible hold.
Did you know?
Soy-based foods can prevent the growth of facial hair, as they contain higher levels of estrogen than other foods.
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Beard balms prices
Most beard balms come in 2- to 4-ounce metal or plastic tins, with prices ranging from $4 to $15.
Inexpensive: Drugstore options are inexpensive and provide a good value, but be aware that many budget formulas use petroleum jelly-based sealants that can dry the skin and include a greater percentage of low-quality filler ingredients. Drugstore beard balms typically cost $4 to $7.
Mid-range: Well-known commercial brands and some salon brands carry lines that put an emphasis on organic or pure ingredients, which is why they typically cost more than drugstore options. These mid-price beard balms are considered the most popular consumer choice, as they are cost effective but still provide decent results. Mid-range products are priced from $8 to $11.
Expensive: These high-end products generally contain premium ingredients. Beard balms at this price point often target specific issues, such as patchiness or hair loss. Typically offered by respected brands, high-end beard balms are available for $11 to $15.
Tips
- Don’t use cheap shampoo or bar soap to wash your beard. For best results, invest in a beard soap. Harsher hand soaps and regular shampoos can strip your beard hair of natural oils and dry out your skin.
- After showering, gently pat your beard dry with a towel. This allows your beard to hold on to nutrients and remain frizz-free.
- Work beard balm into your entire beard. Massaging beard balm into your facial hair can stimulate hair follicles, prompting your beard to grow faster.
- Trim your beard to ensure even growth. Trimming your beard regularly as it grows will ensure healthy growth and a well-groomed appearance.
Other products we considered
If you’re looking for an all-natural option with maximum styling control, try Wahl Beard Balm. It doesn’t leave your beard feeling greasy or heavy as some balms can, and it uses nourishing oils like hemp, moringa, and jojoba, which all combat itchiness and carry a subtle fragrance.
Another popular choice with a milder hold is the Premium Beard Balm by Prophet And Tools, which uses an alcohol-free, beeswax-and-butter base. Its color melts on clear, making it suitable for any hair type or color. It also contains ingredients that thicken follicles to provide a fuller appearance and promote healthy growth.
FAQ
Q. What’s the difference between a beard brush and a beard comb?
A. A brush traps excess beard balm and evenly distributes it throughout the beard, while a comb is mostly used for shaping and styling.
Q. Can I use beard balm on other body hair as well?
A. Yes. It might end up being expensive if you do this regularly, but beard products are suitable for hair on other parts of the body.
Q. Can beard balm increase your facial hair length?
A. No, but it can promote healthier growth. Use beard balm in conjunction with a beard soap or oil for best results.
