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Beard oil is one of the most popular products amongst bearded guys as it keeps your beard healthy, soft, and shiny. And one of its main ingredients is essential oils.
There are a lot of essential oils to choose from, but not all of them have the same properties. Some of them are best suited for guys with sensitive skin, dry skin, or an itchy beard. Some others promote beard growth, and some are just smelling good.
We created this best essential oils for beards guide because many people have contacted us asking which oil is the best for their beards.
It is a long list, but it will give you a good idea of what essential oil you should choose for your beard. We will also talk about why you should use them and their benefits for your beard, so keep reading.
What are Essential Oils and How to Use Them on Your Beard?
Essential oils are made from plant extracts. Just like the name suggests, they hold the essential parts of the plant. For example, Rosemary essential oil contains oil and nutrients from the rosemary plant.
They are 100% natural, 100% vegan, and 100% chemical-free.
When used in beard oils, they get diluted into a carrier oil. Carrier oils are oils that “carry” the essential oil into your skin and beard. The most used carrier oil is coconut oil because it sinks into your skin easily. Here you can read our list of the best carrier oils for beards.
You can’t use them without being diluted in carrier oils because they are very strong. They can irritate your skin and make your beard itch. So the only way to use them is in a beard oil mix.
They also come in different concentrations; for example, Rosemary essential oil is the strongest concentration. It has 8% of its active ingredient compared to 1-2 % found in other oils.
Why you should use essential oils for your facial hair?
Let’s talk a little bit about why your beard needs essential oils.
The number one reason essential oils are used in beard oils is for their scent. They have a strong scent that can stay with you all day long.
Secondly, they moisturize your beard and skin because they contain fatty acids, vitamins A & E, antioxidants, and other nutrients for your skin.
If you have dry skin, it is important to moisturize it. Your skin can’t repair itself without moisture, and your beard will become dry and unmanageable. Some pure essential oils like Lavender are actually used for repairing damaged hair.
Thirdly, some oils promote beard growth like thyme, rosemary, or peppermint oil (more on this later).
Essential oils and beard growth
A lot of guys with patchy beards or slow beard growth struggle to find the right beard oil. They want to grow a thicker, fuller beard but struggle with growing one or staying motivated.
One thing that you should know is that your beard growth depends on your health and genetics. But there are oils that can promote faster facial hair growth over time.
Rosemary oil is one of them and has been researched and proven by this study. Scientists found that rosemary oil stimulates blood flow to your skin, scalp, and face. This leads to faster hair growth by nourishing the cells in your beard follicles.
Another study found that thyme oil can promote hair growth because it contains thymol. Thymol is an organic compound with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Peppermint oil is a close second because it contains menthol. Menthol, just like thymol, is a natural stimulant that increases blood flow to the skin and promotes hair growth.
In short, you don’t have to settle for slow or patchy beard growth; you should use beard oils that promote beard growth and nourish your hair follicles
What to look for when choosing an essential oil for your beard
When choosing an essential oil for your beard, you should consider its benefits and scent because it will go into your skin and beard, and you will be smelling it all day.
Each essential oil has different properties, and this is something you have to consider as well. For example, the peppermint oil I mentioned is used for promoting beard growth. Other oils have anti-inflammatory or antibacterial properties (like tea tree oil).
So depending on what you want to achieve with your beard, look for oils that suit your goals. Below we are going to talk about some essential oils and what they can do for your beard.
Top Essential oils for beard
1. Rosemary oil
Rosemary oil stimulates blood flow to the skin, and facial hair promotes thicker and fuller beards and keeps your beard clean by removing debris from your skin. As mentioned above, it is even better than lavender oil at stimulating hair growth.
2. Sandalwood essential oil
Sandalwood oil moisturizes and nourishes your skin and beard, helps prevent acne and itchy skin (it can also eliminate dandruff), and softens your beard to make it healthy and shiny. Also, this beard oil has a very sweet scent and is widely used in aromatherapy.
3. Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil is an excellent stimulant that promotes blood flow to the skin and beard growth and is one of the most popular essential oils among men.
4. Lemongrass oil
Lemongrass oil contains high amounts of antioxidants and keeps your beard conditioned and shiny. It also stimulates blood flow to the skin, allowing nutrients to effectively reach your follicles.
5. Thyme oil
Thyme oil contains thymol, which is an organic compound with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. So it boosts your beard growth by nourishing the cells in your hair follicles with nutrients that are important for hair growth.
6. Lemon oil
Lemon oil has a sweet citrusy scent and is widely used in aromatherapy. It has antioxidants and antifungal properties that can keep your beard healthy and shiny.
7. Cedarwood oil
Cedarwood oil eliminates dandruff and itchy skin conditions, making your beard healthier, shiny, and soft. It also has a woody scent that you will love. Like sandalwood oil, it is widely used in the perfume industry.
8. Bergamot oil
If you like the citrusy smell of bergamot fruit, then this oil is a good choice. It is mostly used for the dark citrusy smell but being a citrus extract also has high amounts of antioxidants and antibacterial that will keep your beard safe.
9. Vitamin E Oil
This oil is known for speeding up the process of wound healing. It’s good for your beard because it speeds up cell turnover, which allows new cells to grow faster. Vitamin E Oil also moisturizes your skin and prevents itchiness. It should be used along with other essential oils and carrier oils as it prevents the beard oil mix from going rancid.
10. Pine oil
This is a good oil to use if you have dandruff problems. It has anti-inflammatory properties that reduce dandruff and itchy skin. Pine oil will keep your face itch-free, so it is a good choice if you have sensitive skin. It also has a nice piney scent that will make your beard smell great throughout the day.
11. Tea tree oil
Tea tree oil has antibacterial properties and can kill bacteria that cause acne and dandruff. It is widely used to treat various skin conditions (such as dermatitis, psoriasis, staph infections, etc.) because of its antimicrobial properties. On the other hand, studies show tea tree oil might cause breast enlargement, so you should be really careful and talk with your dermatologist before using it.
12. Eucalyptus oil
Eucalyptus oil is an antibacterial and antifungal agent. It will keep your beard healthy by eliminating bacteria, preventing dandruff, and killing fungi that cause itchiness. Eucalyptus oil not only promotes beard growth but also has a very refreshing scent, so if you like the minty kind of smell, this is a beard oil you should consider.
How to use essential oils in your beard grooming routine
As already mentioned, you should use only essential oils when diluted in a carrier oil like jojoba, argan oil, grapeseed, sweet almond, etc.
Always start with a few drops of essential oils and add more if needed to make sure that their concentration is not too high for your skin. A general rule of thumb is the 1/3 ratio. Meaning that if you are using 3 teaspoons of carrier oil, then no more than 1 teaspoon of essential oils should be added. But this is something you should experiment with and see yourself.
Never apply them directly to your beard because they can cause skin irritation. Always use them in beard oil blends and apply the DIY beard oil blend into your beard by gently massaging it with your fingers or a beard brush.
A patch test should always be done before adding any bead oil that contains essential oil to see if you are allergic to it.
Essential Oil Side effects
You should be very careful with essential oils because some of them can cause skin irritation and other health problems like breast enlargement.
Some people might get allergic reactions from some fragrant plants that are used in making these oils; for example, lavender oil is made out of lavendin, which is a form of the herb Lavandula and it causes skin irritation and headaches in some people.
Again you should always do a patch test to see if you are allergic to the oil before using it on your skin.
To do the patch test, take a little bit of the beard oil mix and apply it behind your ear or on your inner elbow.
Then, wait for 24 hours to see if you get any effects like redness, itchiness, or headaches. If there are no symptoms of skin irritation, then it means that your skin can tolerate the oil, and you will not have any allergic reactions from using it.
If the beard oil causes itchiness, redness, or any other negative reactions, we recommend stopping using it immediately and seeing if the symptoms disappear after a couple of days. If they don’t go away within 2-3 days, you should visit your doctor.
Essential oils FAQ
What Essential Oils Are Good For Your Beard?
We have already listed some of the best essential oils for your beard that will help you treat itchy and flaky skin, remove dandruff, and eliminate acne.
What Scents Should I Get?
This is a very subjective question because everyone has different tastes. Some like a woody type of scent while others prefer minty-menthol ones. So, you need to experiment and see what works best for your beard.
Can You Use Essential Oil As Beard Oil?
It is not recommended to use essential oil directly on your beard because it can lead to skin irritation. So if you want to use an essential oil you should mix it with other a carrier oil like olive oil first and use it as a beard oil then.
Can I Put Tea Tree Oil In My Beard?
As already mentioned, you should treat tea tree oil with caution because it has been linked to breast enlargement. If you want to use this in your beard you will need to do a patch test before using it on your face and always mix it with a carrier oil.
What Essential Oils Stop Facial Hair Growth?
You should not rely on essential oils to slow down your beard growth because they won’t and some of them might actually stimulate it. In this case, you will need to use more products that contain chemicals that make your facial hair less noticeable like anti-androgen medication.
Which Essential Oils Stimulate Hair Growth?
Essential oils that increase the blood flow stimulate the hair follicles which means that they are also good for beard growth. These oils include peppermint, rosemary, and thyme.
Conclusion
There is a lot of hype surrounding essential oil and its miraculous effects on beard hair growth because essential oils include various minerals, enzymes, proteins, antibacterial agents, antioxidants, and vitamins that are good for your skin. And it’s no doubt that having healthy skin means you will also have a more beautiful beard. So do not be afraid to experiment with them and see which ones work best for you.
If we have missed a few beard care oils that you like, let us know in the comments section below!
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.
