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Carrier oils are a great way to take care of your beard, but they can also be very confusing. There are so many different types of beard oils and carrier oils out there, and it’s difficult to know which one is best for you.
We all want to have the healthiest facial hair possible and healthy beard growth, but we’re not always sure what products will work best for us or how they’ll affect our skin and hair.
Our guide breaks down everything you need to know about carrier oils into easy-to-understand terms that anyone can digest! It covers topics like choosing the best carrier oil for beard, how much product you should use every day, and even some special recipes if you’d like to make your own blend. So all you have to do is keep reading!
Table of Contents
What carrier oils are and why are they used in beard grooming products?
Carrier oils are plant oils that are used in beard oils as a base to dilute essential oils. They’re also called vegetable oils or base oils, and they act as the foundation of an oil blend.
But they are not just used to dilute essential oils but also to soften your beard, hydrate it, and make it more manageable. In addition, they’re able to moisturize the skin below your beard, so you have a healthy look all over. Some oils also fight off infections or reduce your chance of getting certain types of skin irritation.
They are used in most beard grooming products like beard butter, beard oil, or even beard balms. The most popular carrier oils are coconut oil, grapeseed oil, almond oil, jojoba oil, castor oil, and argan oil.
What are the benefits of carrier oils?
Carrier oils are extremely versatile, meaning they have a lot of benefits for your beard. Their benefits include moisturizing, soothing anti-inflammatory properties, anti-aging effects, fighting bacterial infection, fighting off free radicals, and more! Let’s talk about the benefits in more detail.
Moisturizing
Carrier oils have moisturizing properties, so they’ll hydrate your beard and skin from beneath. This is especially important if you’re battling beard itch, dry skin, or just want to have a healthy beard.
Soothing anti-inflammatory properties
They also have anti-inflammatory properties, which are great for your health. So if you have inflamed skin, using the right oil will help soothe the area and reduce pain.
Fighting bacterial infection
Some other benefits include fighting bacterial infections. If you want to prevent some types of acne or other issues caused by an infection, you’ll love this aspect of carrier oils. Using them regularly will help reduce the risk of infection, so it’s important to pick an antibacterial or anti-inflammatory carrier oil.
Fighting off free radicals
Carrier oils are also good at fighting off free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that can damage your body’s cells. They’re known to cause skin problems, so fighting them off as much as possible is important.
What to look for when choosing The Best carrier oil for Beard?
First, you need to understand that carrier oils are necessary for beard oil recipes. It’s a base product that you won’t be able to blend without, so you want to choose the best carrier oil. However, what are some things that you should look for when choosing the best carrier oil?
Thickness
One thing that you should consider is how thick the oil is. The thickness of the oil will determine how it works in your beard. You don’t want to choose a thick oil because it won’t get absorbed easily and will make your beard feel greasy. So instead, you should use a thin carrier oil that absorbs quickly and helps hydrate your beard.
Scent
Another thing to consider is the scent of the carrier oil itself. You want something with a neutral scent or no scent at all because you will be smelling it all day, and it may also clash with the essential oil you will use in your beard oil recipe. So an oil with a little scent is ideal!
Stability
It is very important to choose a carrier oil with a high stability level. This means it doesn’t go bad quickly and ruin your beard oil. The more stable oils contain more monounsaturated and saturated fats.
Processing method
When choosing a carrier oil, make sure it is cold-pressed or expeller-pressed. These processes preserve all the healthy ingredients and don’t expose them to too much heat. So choose a carrier oil that has been extracted with these natural methods because they offer the best health benefits.
Moisturization
Another thing to consider is how moisturizing the carrier oil is. Moisturization will play a big factor in your beard oil recipe, so you want a nutrient-rich and moisturizing carrier oil that will penetrate your beard and hydrate it from the inside. This will keep your beard healthy and flake-free.
Comedogenicity
Another thing to consider is the comedogenicity of the carrier oil. This means how likely it is to clog your pores and cause acne on the skin. Some carrier oils can potentially block your pores and lead to excess dirt and bacteria getting stuck in them. So choose a carrier oil that isn’t comedogenic to prevent any issues with acne.
Price
We left the price last because it is the least important thing to consider. It’s not that price isn’t important, but rather that carrier oils are essential ingredients in beard oil recipes, and you will use them regularly. So it is better to choose one of the best carrier oils money can buy than to save a few bucks on an inferior product.
Top 7 Best Carrier Oil for beard
So now we are going to answer what is the best carrier oil for the beard to prevent any issues with hair growth, ingrown hairs, dry skin, acne under the beard, and overall hair health.
Coconut oil
Coconut oil is produced by pressing the white meat of a coconut. It has a high level of moisturization, is thick, rich in fatty acids, and it’s antibacterial. Coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which contribute to healthy cellular function in the skin and in the hair follicles.
It also has lauric acid, which is a fatty acid that acts as an antibacterial agent and has anti-fungal properties. With all these benefits, it’s no wonder coconut oil is one of the most popular oils used in beard products!
And as a bonus, it has a nice coconutty scent.
Jojoba Oil
Jojoba oil is made from the jojoba plant’s seed, a shrub that grows in semi-deserts. It’s well known for being a carrier oil because it mimics the natural oils produced by the body and absorbs quickly into the skin.
It’s rich in vitamin E, zinc, and b-sitosterol, all essential ingredients that will prevent hair loss, breakage, dry skin under the beard, and acne that can occur if you have dry, flaky skin.
Another benefit of jojoba oil is that it is non-comedogenic, meaning it won’t clog your pores, making it a great option for those with acne-prone or oily skin. It is also thin and absorbs, thanks to its composition and high levels of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids quickly.
When it comes to the scent, it has a light nutty scent like cashews.
Argan oil
Argan oil is produced in Morocco from the kernels of the argan tree, aka Argania Spinosa, and it’s rich in vitamin E, linoleic acid, sterolins, and squalene. All four of these ingredients are extremely beneficial for the skin and hair.
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps protect skin cells from damage, linoleic acid can help balance oil production in the skin, sterolins have been shown to be a potent anti-inflammatory agent, and squalene is a fatty acid that can penetrate deeply into the pores to prevent debris buildup and acne.
Castor Oil
Castor oil is made from the seed of the castor plant and is a rich source of minerals, making it one of the top carrier oils for hair growth. It also has antibacterial properties, which makes it a great choice for promoting healthy skin.
It’s a humectant, meaning that it draws moisture from the air into the hair follicle to keep it hydrated, which is important for healthy hair growth.
And lastly, castor oil contains Vitamin E and omega-6 that provide anti-inflammatory benefits to the skin underneath your beard hair, reduce dandruff buildup on the scalp, and promote strong beard growth.
It has a really thick consistency, so it might feel a little greasy, but that’s to be expected with castor oil. Finally, it has a nice nutty smell.
Avocado Oil
Avocado oil is made from the pulp of avocados and is known for soothing the skin underneath your beard hair. It also contains several vitamins, including A, D, E (a powerful antioxidant), K (can help improve blood flow to the scalp), and B6. The minerals contained in this oil are potassium, copper, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus.
Just like other carrier oils, avocado oil is a natural emollient, meaning it has skin-softening benefits. In fact, avocado oil can penetrate deeply into the hair follicle to nourish dry hair from the inside out. This deep penetration of nutrients can help prevent breakage and also help with beard growth.
Additionally, avocado oil has fatty acids that can moisturize your facial hair and prevent split ends, making it more resistant to breakage. It’s also high in Vitamin E, so it helps give shine to your facial hair while keeping skin nourished. It is a really light oil and absorbs quickly into the skin, which makes it a great option for those with thin or thinning facial hair.
Lastly, avocado oil has a light scent to it and no greasy feeling when applied to the face.
Sweet Almond oil
Sweet Almond oil is made from the extract of almonds, which are rich in potassium, magnesium, calcium, Vitamin E, proteins, and zinc. On top of all that good stuff for your hair and skin, sweet almond oil has another benefit: Personally, I think it has the best consistency and absorption of any oil.
Sweet almond oil is light and penetrating but not greasy. It soaks into the skin quickly and provides ample moisture throughout the day. The only drawback of sweet almond oil is that it has high polyunsaturated oil content, meaning that it can go rancid quickly if it’s not kept in optimal conditions.
So make sure to buy a really fresh oil or use it up quickly.
Squalene oil
Unlike other beard oils, squalene oil is not made from a plant. It was originally found in shark livers, but now it is produced in labs.
Squalene oil is so good because it’s naturally antibacterial and has anti-inflammatory properties. It has the same properties as sebum oil, which is naturally produced by your body to keep your hair and skin moist.
If you have flaky skin, squalene oil can help soothe it. It has really emollient properties that penetrate the skin to moisturize and keep the hair follicles hydrated.
How to use carrier oils for your beard?
You can use a carrier oil just like beard oil or mix them with an essential oil like tea tree oil, lavender oil, eucalyptus oil, or peppermint oil to make various kinds of beard oils for different purposes.
You can read here our guide about the best essential oils.
To use carrier oils as beard oil, just rub about 2-4 drops into your hands and then massage it onto your face and neck. The warmth from your hands will help activate the carrier oil’s properties and ensure even distribution across the skin.
If you want to make, your own beard oils read our article about DIY beard oil recipes.
Related Articles: Does Beard Oil Expire?
Conclusion
We know we haven’t mentioned other oils like sunflower oil, olive oil, and grapeseed oil, but we felt that the oils we mentioned were the best carrier oils for beard growth and moisturization.
But now we would like to hear from you. What carrier oil do you think is the best carrier oil for beard? Which ones have been most effective in giving your hair and skin a healthy, shiny appearance? Which essential oil do you like diluting in them? Share the best of the best with us! We’d love to hear from you. Hit the comments below if there are any other questions we can answer about carrier oils or how they work on beards.
Russell is the founder of themensattitude.com. He is a barber a beard enthusiast and he is obsessed with trying men’s lifestyle products and blog about them. If you have any questions you can hit him up via the contact page.
