The Best Beard Oils for Healthy Facial Hair

Growing a beard is as easy as simply existing. Growing an attractive, well-maintained beard is another story, however, and no one product is more beneficial to a man’s mane than beard oil. Natural, untreated beards dehydrate, become brittle, and dry out the facial skin beneath. Beard oil serves as a one-stop solution to these issues, while at the same time providing a myriad of additional benefits such as eliminating facial itch, moisturizing your face and beard, bolstering facial hair growth, effectively combatting dandruff, and adding a pleasant scent. That’s why we’ve rounded up some of our favorites for our best beard oils guide.

What does beard oil do?

Beard oils are highly-calculated, well-balanced blends of various oils, vitamins, and nutrients, each with its own unique benefits. Selecting a beard oil should be dictated by the particular wants and needs of your beard. If you’re in the early phases of learning how to grow and maintain a beard, an oil that delivers solid growth is probably a good call, just as a particularly moisturizing oil might be best if you’re looking to remedy a dry, itchy beard. These oils are also offered in a variety of scents as well as non-scented versions, which is another factor to be considered.

why should you use beard oil?

Despite their close proximity, scalp, and facial hair are fundamentally very different, with the latter’s follicles being markedly thicker, more curly, and wirier in texture. For this reason, facial hair requires its own unique nutrients and oils to look and feel its best, and that’s where beard oil comes into the equation. On top of yielding a softer, thicker, more manageable beard, beard oils also have the added benefit of moisturizing the underlying skin, as well as bolstering the ease of use and efficacy of supplementary bearding products like beard waxes, balms, and combs. Put simply: beard oil is the unequivocal foundation for any healthy beard.

how to use beard oil

Not only is beard oil incredibly effective, but it’s also remarkably affordable and efficient, with a single one-ounce bottle typically lasting several months – assuming you aren’t rocking a full ZZ Top-style mane. Better yet, beard oil is one of the easiest-to-use men’s grooming products out there. Beard oil application is as simple as dabbing 2-4 drops into your palm, rubbing your hands together, and then running them softly and evenly through your beard. It’s also worth noting that beard oil isn’t a one-time cure as much as an efficacious maintenance tool — not unlike shampoo or toothpaste.

can you use beard oil every day?

Yes, and ideally, you should use it after you’ve showered (or at least after washing your face). If you keep up a routine, your beard will get softer over time, and the skin underneath will become less likely to get itchy or irritated.

what to look for

Ingredients: The most common (and ideal) bases for beard oil include jojoba, argan, coconut, olive, and sunflower oil. Natural vitamins and antioxidants from these ingredients will hydrate your hair and skin.

Scent: If you’re not sure what you prefer in the scent department, you can always go for something seasonal. With fall on the horizon, something with a woodsy scent is perfect for brisk weather, for example.

Cremo Beard Oil

The Starter Pick: Cremo is a trusted grooming brand that routinely looks to the barbershop for inspiration and for fine-tuning products. This beard oil may be affordable, but it still contains all the natural oils that hydrate and soften your beard, and relieve any itchiness you may be feeling. It works well with any beard length and comes in Cremo’s Barber Game formula, a lightweight and non-greasy solution that helps condition your skin.

Bevel Beard Oil

The Best Oil for Sheen: The black-owned label Bevel is on fire right now, with high-quality grooming products that are easy on the skin, and free from any nasty synthetics. In this beard oil from the brand, you’re getting natural anti-inflammatories like vitamin E (courtesy of the argan oil), and a nourishing blend of ingredients that leave your beard hydrated (and with a nice sheen as well). This oil will also help soothe the skin under your beard without leaving a greasy feel.

Oars + Alps Beard Oil

The Best Natural Oil: As one of the leaders in the natural grooming space, Oars + Alps continues to deliver premium products that are always sustainability made with the highest quality materials. It’s made of Alpine Caribou Moss (which fights inflammation), along with jojoba and argan oil, giving your skin and beard natural hydration. A little goes a long way with this stuff, and the bottle should last around three months.

Detroit Grooming Black Beard Oil

The Best USA-Made Oil: A reputable product from a very reputable company, the Downtown beard oil from the Detriot Grooming Co. uses a magnesium-rich sweet almond oil base infused with vitamin E that together helps to keep facial skin and facial hair moisturized. This formula provides fast-acting effects without clogging pores or leaving an unpleasant film. Offered in a variety of scents, this grooming oil is formulated and made in America.

Baxter of California Beard Grooming Oil

The Best Oil for Dry Skin: This lightweight, fast-acting beard oil blend from Baxter Of California is enriched with squalene and avocado oil and was formulated to moisturize facial hair and skin while at the same time promoting healthy, even growth. The enriching formula is complemented by scents of sandalwood, Jasmin, and cedarwood. And, unlike many of the relatively newer brands on this list, Baxter has a wealth of knowledge and more than half a century of experience to draw from, with the Los Angeles-based operation stretching back to 1965.

Jack Black Beard Oil

The Best Organic Oil: Packed with certified organic essential oils, antioxidants, and botanicals, including Kalahari melon oil, brown algae, vitamin E, and carrot extract, Jack Black’s beard oil is a stellar choice for transforming scraggly and unruly facial messes into rich, luscious beards. Developed using the company’s PureScience natural formulas, this nicely-packaged product is touted for its ability to remedy dry, itchy skin and facial hair. A convenient pump spout makes its application easy and mess-free, too.

Duke Cannon Big Bourbon Beard Oil

The Best Woodsy Oil: This unique organic beard oil is formulated using Buffalo Trace bourbon, along with apricot kernel, argan, and jojoba oils. Despite the bourbon content, this oil gives off a woodsy, oak scent and was designed to moisturize even the dryest and most damaged beards, so much so in fact that Duke Cannon even claims the oil is effective at treating common skin conditions like acne and eczema. Made in the US and sold in a large 3oz bottle, this oil donates a portion of its proceeds to military-vet-related charities and NPOs.

Beardbrand Utility Beard Oil

The Best Lightweight Oil: With an argan and jojoba oil base supplemented by a host of essential oils, this all-natural beard oil is a flagship product of its manufacturer, the Beardbrand. The Old Money formula includes tones of amber, bourbon, oak, and black pepper, and is the strongest scent offered by the Austin-based outfit, but it’s also available in two other scents if you prefer (one highlighting eucalyptus and the other highlighting vanilla). With thousands of positive reviews, this blend has an average 4.5-star rating, despite costing around twice as much as the majority of the competition.

Tom Ford Oud Wood Conditioning Beard Oil

The Premium Pick: A luxurious, scented beard oil from legendary designer and film-maker Tom Ford, this aptly-named beard oil boasts a myriad of standard bases (jojoba, argan, and sesame seed oils) combined with high-end ingredients to deliver a truly exceptional formula that moisturizes and conditions facial hair, while also hydrating underlying skin. As one would expect from a design outfit like Tom Ford, this oil is also bestowed with a top-shelf cologne fragrance. While some of what you’re paying for here is the brand name, this beard oil’s relatively exorbitant price does reflect its overall quality and efficacy.

The Best Brushes for Your Beard

While beard oil is undeniably a huge help when it comes to properly maintaining your beard, a brush is equally important. So check out our best beard brushes guide to make sure you’re covered.