A beard—especially a well-groomed beard—is something to be proud of. That’s why it’s important to use the best beard oils, conditioners and tamers on that mane. While there’s a lot you can do for your facial hair, beard oils are the fastest way to soften thick, wiry hairs and coach them into place.
Good beard oils use nourishing ingredients to boost this process; typically their formula consists of various oils (no surprises there), like botanical, fruit and essential oils. They absorb quickly into each hair strand, giving everything a soft luster while making your beard soft and touchable. The oils also nourish the skin underneath the beard, which is otherwise hard to moisturize.
The best beard oils often carry a light scent, either reminiscent of their ingredients or creating a projection of the wearer. Like a personal fragrance, they match a mood, and can even provide a subtle dose of aromatherapy throughout the day. Here are nine of our top choices.
Best Beard Oil Overall
Beardbrand Stone Mason Beard Oil
The kings of the beard-grooming game, Beardbrand’s entire collection of oils could comprise a top 10 roundup. Stone Mason, one of its many options, is a blend of jojoba, Abyssinian, babassu and castor oils, and carries notes of sandalwood, leather and musk.
Best Beard Oil for Sensitive Skin
Bulldog Original Beard Oil
Bulldog is a skincare brand with a legion of loyalists, and its beard oil proves why. (Yes, skincare and beard run in tandem.) It combines the soothing and detoxifying trio of green tea, camelina oil and aloe vera, leaving the whiskers soft and the skin rejuvenated, while also preventing any irritation or inflammation.
Best Beard Oil for Short Beards
Lab Series Grooming Oil 3-In-1 Shave & Beard Oil
A triple threat, Lab Series’ grooming oil does far more than nourish beards. Shake it up to mix its three layers—oils of sea buckthorn, jojoba and sweet almond—and this vitamin-rich blend works overtime as a shave prep, shave agent and beard softener.
And for all the conditioning and soothing it does, one of the best parts is in the showcase itself: Watch as the three oils separate again and layer themselves neatly until the next shake-up and use.
Best Beard Oil for Unruly Beards
Tom Ford Conditioning Beard Oil
This fragrant blend of grapeseed oil, jojoba oil and sweet almond oil delivers the softest, sexiest beard in town, by both look and scent. You can choose from three classic Tom Ford scents: Neroli Portofino, Oud Wood and Tobacco Vanille. But if it’s a blind buy, then stick with Oud Wood, forever the most classic Tom Ford scent.
Best Smelling Beard Oil
House 99 by David Beckham Softer Touch Beard Oil
Becks is in the grooming game, and that’s a good thing for everyone: He’s one of the grooming legends of this era. While this beard oil is a manufactured blend, that makes it no less conditioning or nourishing than the competition. Best of all is the “House Fragrance” that Mr. Beckham curated, a mélange of citrus, sage, amber, water and vetiver notes that makes this one of the best smelling beard oils around.
Best Beard Oil for Dry Skin
Jack Black Beard Oil
Made with a combination of organic oils, antioxidants and vitamins, this Jack Black Beard Oil softens dry facial hair while simultaneously conditioning the skin underneath. The Kalahari melon oil and marula fruit oil are ultra-hydrating, so they soak right into your skin, adding moisture and helping relieve itchiness. Plus, it gives you a nice sheen without making you feel greasy, so you look as good as you feel.
Best Beard Oil for Thick Beards
The Art Of Shaving Men’s Sandalwood Beard Oil
The Art of Shaving is just as artful at not shaving and has procured one of the best beard oils on the market. The core oils at play here are jojoba, avocado and argan, which are superstars at detangling, softening and delivering hearty shine (but never too much shine) to each hair strand. This is one of the most skin-soothing picks from the pack, too.
Best Beard Oil for Curly Beards
American Crew Beard Serum
With an argan oil base, this skin- and beard-soothing oil is just as effective as American Crew’s trusted haircare products. It tames unruly flyaways and helps coach the beard into a presentable, stylish state. It absorbs quickly, and thanks to a pinch of “cyperus esculentus root oil” (a mouthful of an ingredient), it also leaves a lustrous glow on each strand. For the same effect up top the head, just add a drop to any dime-sized amount of a matte hair product.
Best Beard Oil for Growth
Baxter of California Beard Oil
Baxter of California’s beard oil harnesses the hydrating power of squalene, the hair-softening and fortifying powers of avocado oil, and the soothing strength of vitamin E. Together these ingredients keep the beard strong but supple and do the same for the skin underneath. A rich and arousing aroma lingers after application—a combination of jasmine, sandalwood and cedarwood.
How to Apply Beard Oil
Beard oils are best applied to freshly washed and dried beards, in order to maximize absorption. A couple drops are all that is needed for short or medium beards, and more drops can be added as necessary for fuller styles.
To apply, warm the oil between both palms, then work through your beard in an upward, outward motion, starting at the neck. Move out to the jaw as the hands near the chin, then apply in outward motions across the cheeks, making sure to coach some oil into the mustache hairs as well.
When you’re done applying the oil, take a beard comb and run it through your entire beard, to help evenly distribute the oils over each hair. It’s important that the ends of the hairs get a decent amount of oil, too, since they’re most susceptible to dryness and splitting. A morning and evening application should suffice to keep your beard healthy, hydrated and soft.
