The Men’s Attitude is reader-supported! We might get a small commission if you purchase something after clicking our links, at no extra charge for you.
Does beard oil expire? This is a common question amongst bearded men. The answer to this question is that, yes, beard oil expires, but the expiration date varies because it depends on the type of oil that you are using and other factors. Certain oils will last for up to two years, while others will only last six months before they go bad. There are also different factors that come into play when determining how long the beard oil lasts, such as the quality of ingredients used, how often it is applied, how it is stored, and what kind of container it comes in (glass or plastic), etc.
Your beard oil will expire when the oils it contains begin to break down, and oxidation takes place. Once the oil becomes too oxidized, it will turn rancid and produce a foul odor that no one wants to deal with. In order to keep your oil from going bad, there are a few things you can do, and we are going to talk later about them
So use our guide to help determine if your current bottle has expired so you can properly dispose of it.
Table of Contents
How do you know if your beard oil has expired?
As we mentioned, beard oil begins to expire when oxidation breaks down the natural oils. The more your beard oil gets exposed to oxygen, the faster it will expire. For this reason, you want to make a conscientious effort to keep your bottle tightly closed whenever it is not being used.
So as you understand, it is difficult to give you a firm answer as to how long a beard oil is going to last. In general, it will last from six months to two years if it is stored in a cool place away from the sun, but this may vary depending on how often you open the bottle. But let’s see how you can tell if your beard oil has gone bad.
1. Smell
The first and most basic way to tell if your beard oil has gone rancid is by its smell. You will immediately understand it cause the fragrance of the bottle you purchased will be changed. If it smells different than what it originally smelled like, it is a clear sign that something isn’t right, and it is probably time to replace your product with a new one. The kind of smell your beard oil will have when it expires will be a bit sour.
2. The color
Another way to know if your beard oil has expired is by looking at its color. Remember, oxidation causes things to break down and change colors. Once you notice that the color has changed, this is a good sign that it is time to replace your bottle with a new one. A clear example is if your oil turns light yellow or brown, as this signifies that it is oxidized.
3. The texture
You can also tell if your beard oil has gone bad by its texture. The consistency of the beard oil will be different when it is expired. Normally beard oils are a bit thick, but if they get to a watery consistency, then this is a good sign that the oil has gone bad.
This happens because the natural ingredients used in your beard oil will begin to separate, causing the oils to lose their thickness. You may also notice that the oils have separated.
4. Irritation
If you have been noticing redness, itching, or irritation on your skin, then this is a good sign that the beard oil you are using has gone bad. This is because when oxidation occurs, certain ingredients in the oils begin to break down into different compounds. These new compounds might cause different reactions on your skin, which is a clear example of irritation.
So if your beard oil irritates your skin but didn’t irritate you before, it is a good idea to stop using it.
5. Time on self
If you know what oils your beard oil contains, you can know when it expires. Keep in mind that oils break down and oxidize at different rates, so this is just a general rule to follow. We have made a table with the approximate shelf life of some carrier oils so you can easily tell if your beard oil has gone bad.
| Coconut oil | 18 months |
| Argan oil | 6 months |
| Jojoba oil | 2 years |
| Avocado oil | 6 months |
| Castor oil | 1 year |
| Sunflower oil | 10 months |
| Sweet almond oil | 6 months |
As you can see, carrier oils have similar shelf life spans, but on the other hand, essential oils have a long and completely different shelf life that can vary from 8 years to less than two years.
Now that you know how to tell if your beard oil has expired let’s see what you can do to prevent beard oil from going bad.
Related Article: Can I Use Beard Oil On My Head Hair?
How to make your beard oil last longer
The factors that cause your beard oil to expire are oxygen, sunlight, and heat, so the best way to prevent this is by keeping your oil away from them. It may sound like a complicated process, but it’s actually quite simple. Let’s see in detail what you need to do in order to make your beard oil last longer.
Oxygen
We have already mentioned many times that oxygen is the biggest factor in natural beard oil spoilage. To prevent oxidation, you need to make sure that your bottle is tightly closed after every use. This will help prevent oxygen from getting into your oil, which also means that it won’t get damaged easily.
The second thing you can do to prevent the oil from going bad is to not use it in the bathroom. It might sound weird, but most people usually use beard oil in the bathroom after showering. This is a problem because the vapors from the hot shower carry lots of water. If you use your beard oil in the bathroom, then it will be exposed to this excess water and oxygen, which will cause oxidation to occur faster.
So make sure to use your beard oil when you are in another room like your bedroom or living room.
The last thing you can do to minimize the exposure of your oil to oxygen is to use small beard oil bottles. This will help reduce the amount of oxygen that your oil is exposed to because there won’t be enough space for it.
Heat
Heat can also damage your beard oil, so you should take some precautions. Make sure to never store beard oil in a car because of the high temperatures inside cars, especially when they are under the sun. Also, avoid storing your oils close to windows or next to radiators because this will expose them directly to heat for long periods of time. Your bathroom isn’t a good place either because the water vapor’s heat makes it hot.
You are the one who knows which is the coldest place in your house, so store your beard oil there.
Sunlight
The shelf life of your beard oil will be greatly reduced if it is exposed to direct sunlight, so avoid placing it anywhere near windows. Sunlight easily changes the chemical composition of essential oils and natural pressed carrier oils, which will, in turn, damage them and make them less effective. If you want your beard oils to last for as long as possible, then you need to protect them from sunlight.
Tinted glass bottles will help your beard oils last longer because they don’t let light in. If you want to buy a new beard oil then we suggest getting a beard oil in a tinted bottle, and if the seller doesn’t have any available, you can print this page and give it to him as feedback 🙂
Quantity
Our last advice on extending your beard oil’s shelf life is to not buy too much at once. If you buy a large bottle of beard oil and won’t finish it within six months to a year, it might go bad before you finish it.
The best thing to do is buy a small bottle. Depending on the price of the oil, make sure to buy no more than 1 oz or 30 ml. If you end up loving the beard oil then you can always come back and get a bigger bottle later on.
Expired beard oil side effects
As we already said, you might experience irritation or burning on the skin underneath your beard hairs if you are using expired beard oils. This happens because due to oxidization, many chemical changes happen to the components of the oil.
New compounds are created, and you might be allergic to these new compounds, which is why you experience these side effects after using expired oil. This is also why your beard might not look as good anymore because it doesn’t contain all the compounds necessary for optimal beard growth.
Also, if you don’t use your beard oil within its expiration date, then it won’t be able to hydrate your skin and nourish it properly.
How to get rid of rancid beard oil?
If you have beard oil that has gone rancid, please don’t throw it in your sink. You should dispose of it like any other oil you use at home.
The best way to do it is to freeze it and then put it in the trash. There are small trash cans you can buy that are specially intended for throwing away oils. This will make sure that it doesn’t interact with other elements in the trash.
How long does 30ml of beard oil last?
Well, the answer to this question depends on many factors, and the most important is how much and how often you actually use beard oil. If you like to apply a lot of oil, it won’t last for more than three months. For the average user that applies a couple of drops every day, it will last for 2-6 months.
Conclusion
We have shared everything you need to know about beard oil and how to extend its shelf life so that you can take care of your facial hair properly. But this is where you come in. We want to know how long your own beard oil lasts! What’s the expiration date? Do you find that after 6 months of use, it goes rancid? Does it smell different when nearing expiration (think sour milk)? Please share any thoughts below about what happens with your product as it nears expiry.
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.
