So you want to find out what is the best beard oil of 2024 in terms of scent, value, ingredients, and more?
That’s a tough task, given that there are already more than a thousand choices of beard oil in Amazon, and the beard care industry has been an explosive growth trend for a few years now with no end in sight.
Lucky for you, I have personally tested more than 70+ beard oils and due to the rapid growth of this website, I have the privileged position of being able to test out samples from a wide variety of beard care companies.
In this massive beard oil review and guide, you will learn not only what are the best beard oils to buy and what to look for, but also the key facts about why, when, and how to use beard oil properly. We have key details and specs about the beard oils below, as well as a comprehensive comparison table of the top three picks.
So let’s begin the end-all-be-all guide and review to all things beard oil ↓
Best Beard Oils Quick Summary
What is Beard Oil
Beard oil is a mixture of natural plant, fruit, and seed oils that you apply directly into the facial hair as well as into the skin underneath it.
It’s typically packaged into a 1-2 oz (30-60ml) bottles and the prices can wary from just five dollars per bottle all the way to more than 50 bucks per oz.
The purpose of beard oil is primarily to replenish the natural sebum oils you lose while washing your beard, but it can also add in extra moisture, prevent beard itch, help reduce beard split-ends, and even reduce beard dandruff.
Understand the Beard Oil Ingredients
All of the beard oil ingredients can be categorized into three different types.
These include:
- Carrier oils (jojoba oil, coconut oil, almond oil, etc) – which are the most used ingredient and make up the “moisturizing base” on which the beard oil is built on.
- Essential oils (peppermint oil, tea tree oil, cedarwood oil, etc) – are very potent and volatile aromatic oils that are primarily used for scent in small 1-10 drop amounts.
- Preservative ingredients (vitamin E oil, vitamin C, etc) – which are used to extend the shelf-life of the beard oil and increase its quality by preventing the oxidation of the oils.
When Should You Start Using Beard Oil
You can use beard oil at any length of beard, but the fact is that you really don’t need it if your beard is short.
That’s because the sebaceous glands that produce the natural oils underneath your skin are strong enough to naturally oil up a short beard, but as they are finite in size, the longer your beard gets, the harder it will be for the glands to keep up.
The cut-off point at which you should consider using beard oil is around 1.5 to 2″ length.
Considering that the average beard grows at a rate of 0.5″ per month, it will take about 3-4 months before you “need” to use any beard oil.
Things to Look for When Buying Beard Oil
Quality of the Ingredients
The quality of beard oil is not something that can be determined by a nice looking bottle or slapping the word “premium beard oil” into the label.
Instead, you need to focus on the ingredients and see which one of them are shelf-stable and which are volatile and easy to go rancid. Usually, the higher the amount of polyunsaturated fats an oil has, the easier it is to oxidize and go rancid.
If a beard oil is chock-full of low-quality vegetable oils and is not properly balanced with more stable carrier oils and preservatives like vitamin E oil, then it’s easy to realize that the quality is not very good.
Bottle Material and Size
The bottle material can greatly impact the quality and shelf-life of beard oil. Typically dark glass bottles are used because the light is one of the things that can oxidize volatile oils and degrade them in quality.
It’s also a fact that size matters… In beard oils. Typically you can find beard oils in 1 fl oz bottles, but if you appreciate a product that lasts longer, then there are also some brands that offer 2 fl oz bottles as well.
Finding the Right Applicator
The type of applicator is also an important factor to focus on, primarily for the ease of application.
There’s no right or the wrong type of applicator, but you should choose the kind that you prefer using on a daily basis.
The most commonly found beard oil caps include:
- dropper-cap
- dripper-top
- or a dispenser cap.
Scented vs. Unscented
Beard oils are typically scented with essential oils or synthetic fragrances. The sheer amount of different essential oils makes it possible to craft the most unique and amazing scent combinations.
Or, if you don’t like having any aromatic scents right under your nose, you can opt for unscented fragrance-free beard oil, which has no essential oils, just a blend of carrier oils.
Unscented beard oils are also a great option for bearded fathers with small kids, considering that many essential oils are very potent and not suggested to be used near small babies and infants.
Price
Beard oil is currently one of the most expensive of the men’s beard grooming products you can own. Which makes many men ask the question of “is it even worth using beard oil?“.
It does not cost a lot to make (roughly $1-5 per bottle for any bigger brand using bulk ingredients) but the selling price often lingers around $20 and some brands are greedy enough to sell their 1 fl oz bottles for close to $50.
Most of the beard oils in this buyer’s guide offer great value, and the cheapest ones are almost equivalent to what it costs to make some yourself (without you actually having to make it yourself).
Best Beard Oils of 2024 and Beyond
1. ZilberHaar N°1 Organic Beard Oil
Best Overall Beard Oil
ZilberHaar is a German beard brand most well-known of their high-quality beard brushes.
Well, recently they have also started producing beard oil as well, and man did they hit the nail on the head with their first oil, the aptly named N°1 Beard Oil.
The oil has everything you could expect from a good all-rounder beard oil product, such as a sizeable 2oz dropper bottle, use of premium organic ingredients, competitive pricing, and a nice minimalistic design that doesn’t make you want to hide the bottle after use.
The N°1 Beard Oil is also unscented, so you can either enjoy it as a basic fragrance-free beard oil or if you want, you could also just buy your favorite essential oils and scent it up yourself.
Key Specs
- Size: 2 fl oz (60ml)
- Scent: Unscented
- Strength: None
- Viscosity: Light
- Manufactured in: Germany
- Container: Dark Glass Dropper Bottle
- Carrier Oils: 2
- Essential Oils: 0
- Price: $ / $$$
- Our Score: 9.7 / 10
Ingredients
Organic Cold-Pressed Golden Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia Chinensis), Organic Cold-Pressed Moroccan Argan Oil (Argania Spinosa).
Pros:
- Extremely high-quality organic ingredients.
- No extra fluff, just two of the best carrier oils and that’s it.
- 2 fl oz bottle is bigger than most beard oils, yet costs just $20.
- Ingredients used have a good shelf-stability (low in polyunsaturated fats).
Cons:
- Adding some natural vitamin E oil to the formulation would improve shelf-life.
Where to Buy: You can (and should) grab a bottle of this beard oil from Amazon.Com
Bottom line: If you’re looking for a great all-around beard oil as a newbie to beard oils, you really can’t go wrong with the ZilberHaar Number One. The price is good, it unscented, it has just two of the best ingredients around, and it just looks amazing too. Well done ZilberHaar.
2. Ranger Grooming Co. Unscented Beard Oil
Best Unscented Beard Oil
When it comes to best-selling beard oil, one of the big names is the Ranger Grooming Co. Beard Oil by Leven Rosen.
They have thousands of positive user reviews on Amazon and are arguably one of the top producers of beard oil in the world right now.
And for a good reason too; their beard oil is 100% organic, it has two high-quality ingredients just like the ZilberHaar one has above (jojoba oil + argan oil) and it’s fragrance-free as well.
The only reason it’s not #1, is the price. 1 fl oz of the stuff will cost you little less than fourteen bucks, which is a tad bit higher than with the ZilberHaar beard oil.
Key Specs
- Size: 1 fl oz (30ml)
- Scent: Unscented
- Strength: None
- Viscosity: Light
- Manufactured in: USA
- Container: Dark Glass Dropper Bottle
- Carrier Oils: 2
- Essential Oils: 0
- Price: $ / $$$
- Our Score: 9.6 / 10
Ingredients
Organic Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia Chinensis), Organic Moroccan Argan Oil (Argania Spinosa).
Pros:
- Same great organic jojoba oil and argan oil as with ZilberHaar’s beard oil.
- Unscented means that you can use it as is or add your own scents.
- One of the most positively reviewed beard oils on Amazon.
Cons:
- No beard oil is truly fragrance-free as all carrier oils have a bit of aroma.
- Including some vitamin E oil would increase shelf-life.
Where to Buy: Being one of the best-rated beard oils on Amazon, that is also where you’ll find your bottle.
Bottom line: With virtually the same ingredients as with the beard oil above, the Leven Rosen Ranger Grooming Co. Unscented Beard Oil is close to #1 spot. However, it’s slightly more expensive and the container is smaller, so therefore it shall remain at rank two.
3. Live Bearded The American Beard Oil
Best Beard Oil Scent
Okay, so we are done with the two unscented beard oils, let’s move into what I think is the best smelling beard oil out there.
The American by Live Bearded.
I had a chance of trying this one out when I visited the US some time ago, and even though it’s been a while, I still reminiscent “The American” as my all-time favorite beard oil scent.
Blended into a nice carrier oil base of jojoba oil, argan oil, and grape seed oil, is an interestingly masculine scent with a hint of forest, musk, and citrus that comes from the use of cedarwood, pine, vetiver, and bergamot essential oils.
I like the scent so much that I’m probably going to import a few bottles of it into Finland, even though it’s going to cost me a lot of money, and take a lot of time to get there (not to mention the hoopla with the customs, etc).
Key Specs
- Size: 1 fl oz (30ml)
- Scent: Woodsy Orange
- Strength: Mild-Medium
- Viscosity: Light
- Manufactured in: USA
- Container: Dark Glass Dripper Bottle
- Carrier Oils: 3
- Essential Oils: 4
- Price: $$ / $$$
- Our Score: 9.4 / 10
Ingredients
Argan Oil, Jojoba Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Pine Oil, Cedarwood Oil, Vetiver Oil, Bergamot Oil.
Pros:
- A good base of carrier oils with argan and jojoba oil focus.
- Best smelling beard oil with a musky and masculine scent.
- Nice patriotic design, likely to be appreciated by any American.
- Competitive pricing and no misleading claims like “improves growth”.
Cons:
- The scent may be too overpowering and musky to some men.
- Grapeseed oil is mostly polyunsaturated, so it’s prone to lipid peroxidation.
- Not that accessible of a product if you’re from outside the US.
Where to Buy: As most American’s do their online shopping at Amazon, it’s only fitting that “The American” beard oil is also available from Amazon.Com
Bottom line: It’s hard to compare the scent to anything, but overall I’d say that most of the Live Bearded oils are like a more reasonable alternative to the ridiculously expensive Beard Brand oils. They even have the same kind of bottles.
4. Beckwith’s Organic Cedar & Bergamot Beard Oil
Best Beard Oil Ingredient Formulation
I found this small beard oil company through being a member in a large FaceBook group where guys use Minoxidil on their beards.
Naturally, these guys care a lot about optimizing their beards growth rate and thickness, and they will want to make sure that the beard oils they’re using, will not suppress facial hair growth in any way shape or form.
Surprisingly, many beard oil ingredients actually block the hormones needed for optimal beard growth; testosterone and DHT.
Especially heinous are the omega-6 rich vegetable oil carriers (like sunflower oil, sesame oil, and hemp seed oil) and the essential oils such as lavender, eucalyptus, and tea tree oil.
And so this is what the founder of Beckwith’s Organic Beard Oils – Sam – is focusing on; creating premium beard oils with ingredients that are surely NOT going to suppress your beards growth potential.
His carrier oil blend includes amazing organic oils such as meadowfoam seed oil and castor oil, and he is sure to scent them with the essential oils that do not hurt your beard growth.
After reviewing the ingredient lists of hundreds of beard oils, the formulation of Beckwith’s Organic Cedar & Bergamot is by far the most impressive one.
Key Specs
- Size: 1 fl oz (30ml)
- Scent: Foresty Bergamot
- Strength: Mild-Medium
- Viscosity: Medium
- Manufactured in: USA
- Container: Dark Glass Dropper
- Carrier Oils: 3
- Essential Oils: 2
- Price: $$ / $$$
- Our Score: 9.4 / 10
Ingredients
Organic Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Organic Castor Oil, Organic Vitamin E Oil, Cedarwood Essential Oil, Bergamot Essential Oil (Bergaptene-Free).
Pros:
- Truly the most impressive formulation of beard oil ingredients.
- No DHT-blocker carrier or essential oils used.
- Handmade in small batches to provide good quality.
- Lack of polyunsaturated oils means long shelf-life.
Cons:
- Small one-man operated brand so shipping might take a while.
Where to Buy: These oils are made to order in small batches and only available from BeckwithsOrganic.Com
Bottom line: It’s a really unique and amazing selling-point to create a beard oil free of DHT and testosterone blocking oils, and many potential customers don’t sadly even realize the importance of that.
5. Bush Klawz Lumber Prince Beard Oil
Runner-Up for Best Smelling Beard Oil
Honestly, Bush Klawz as a brand didn’t raise too high hopes for me after the first impression.
Their logo looks a bit unprofessional, their website looks even more unprofessional and just redirects to their Amazon listings, and they really do not have too much detailed information about their products.
But after reviewing the ingredients, I decided to give it a go anyway, and boy it was worth it.
“Hidden inside this 2 fl oz pump-bottle, is one of the best smelling beard oils I have ever tried so far.”
Their proprietary fragrance is a blend of tobacco leaf, vanilla, pine, leather, and musk essence, which comes together in a really interesting uber-masculine scent – perfectly suited for beard oil (none of that floral lavender etc, nonsense).
The scent is blended into a carrier oil base which features some of the basic – top of the line – oils like jojoba and argan oil, and also a hint of coconut oil (which has been scientifically proven to deeply moisturize the deep-skin layers and even penetrate hair fibers).
There’s yet another great benefit here, and it’s the price. With little over ten bucks for a 2 fl oz pump-bottle, you are looking at a very cheap beard oil – yet the quality of the ingredients is not compromised in any way.
Key Specs
- Size: 2 fl oz (60ml)
- Scent: Musky & Masculine
- Strength: Strong, not very lasting
- Viscosity: Medium-Thick
- Manufactured in: USA
- Container: Plastic Pump-Bottle
- Carrier Oils: 5
- Essential Oils: Not Specified
- Price: $ / $$$
- Our Score: 9.2 / 10
Ingredients
Jojoba Oil, Argan Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Aloe Vera, Fragrance (Proprietary Blend).
Pros:
- Good blend of carrier oils provide good base ingredients.
- The musky scent makes this one of the best-scented beard oils available.
- Coconut oil in the formulation is proven to hydrate beard from within.
- Great low-budget beard oil that’s almost as cheap to make as DIY beard oils.
Cons:
- Not a big fan of grapeseed oil as a carrier, though the other oils balance it.
- The brand does not provide too much information about the brand or its products.
Where to Buy: The Lumber Prince Beard Oil and all of the other Bush Klawz scents can be found from Amazon.
Bottom line: Finding a beard oil that has a great scent, but also a low price is hard. In my opinion, the Bush Klawz Lumber Prince is one of the few beard oils that has managed to do it well.
6. Seven Potions Woodland Harmony Beard Oil
Great All-Rounder Beard Oil
The familiar yellow labels of Seven Potions are hard to miss, and this UK-based brand is one of the best in the game when it comes to beard oil, beard balms, beard waxes, and beard brushes.
Their products come in a few different scent options (and they even have an unscented kind), but my personal favorite from them is the Woodland Harmony fragrance blend, which according to the manufacturer, the recipe for is secret.
All of their beard products are manufactured in a state-of-the-art facility that is safe and third-party inspected. So no, this is not a beard oil brand put together in someone’s tiny garage.
The Seven Potions Beard Oil is a great all-rounder of a product. It has great ingredients, reasonable pricing, it’s accessible all-around the World, and smells nice.
Key Specs
- Size: 1 fl oz (30ml)
- Scent: Woodsy Citrus
- Strength: Mild
- Viscosity: Light
- Manufactured in: United Kingdom
- Container: Dark Glass Dropper
- Carrier Oils: 5
- Essential Oils: 6
- Price: $ / $$$
- Our Score: 9.2 / 10
Ingredients
Organic Apricot Kernel Oil, Organic Crambe Seed Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Sweet Almond Oil, Vitamin E Oil, Sandalwood Essential Oil, Cedarwood Essential Oil, Fragrance (Blend of 4 Secret Essential Oils).
Pros:
- Reputable UK-based brand with a solid customer base.
- A pleasant scent that is not too overpowering, but not too mild either.
- Their other beard products have the same scent options for cross-use.
- Made in a quality-controlled third-party facility.
Cons:
- The 4 essential oils used are “secret”. Why?
Where to Buy: Whether you are in the UK or in the US, it’s likely that your local Amazon stocks Seven Potions beard products.
Bottom line: Living in Europe, I seriously appreciate the accessibility of this beard oil and their other products too! There are so many bad brands out there that I would almost have to get if Seven Potions wouldn’t be there to save me from their formulations.
7. Smoky Mountain Beard Co. Bootlegger Beard Oil
Best Cheap Beard Oil
Smoky Mountain Beard Co. has a slogan that reads: “Great Beard Care, Affordable Price”.
And that is precisely what makes their beard oils some of the best ones around, and possibly the best ones when it comes to overall value.
Their 2 fl oz bottle of the “Bootlegger” conditioning beard oil with sandalwood & bourbon scent, for example, costs just $15 for a bottle.
That’s a measly $7 per oz of beard oil, almost as cheap as making your own DIY beard oils from bulk ingredients.
You’d think that for such a low price, the ingredients have to be low quality then? Well, that’s not the case; the jojoba oil-based formulation is just as good – and even better than the average beard oil has – with just fraction of their price.
Key Specs
- Size: 2 fl oz (60ml)
- Scent: Woodsy Bourbon
- Strength: Medium-Strong
- Viscosity: Light
- Manufactured in: USA
- Container: Dark Plastic w/ Dispenser Cap
- Carrier Oils: 5
- Essential Oils: 2
- Price: $ / $$$
- Our Score: 9.2 / 10
Ingredients
Jojoba Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Argan Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Essential Oils.
Pros:
- Possibly the cheapest beard oil out there without compromising quality.
- Wide range of scent options as well as a scentless option too.
- Large 2 fl oz dispenser cap bottles are pleasant and easy to use.
Cons:
- The Bootlegger scent may be too masculine for some users.
Where to Buy: This inexpensive beard oil has made its way to Amazon, along with more than a thousand of its peers.
Bottom line: If you appreciate a low – reasonable – price and are always looking for the best value choice, then after making your own DIY beard oils, the Smoky Mountain Beard Co. Oils are likely going to be the best bang-for-your-buck option.
8. Mo Bro’s Beard Oil Sample Pack
Best Beard Oil for Beginners & Scent Testing
If you’re new to the world of beard oils and want to try out different scents without breaking your budget, then this 7 bottle sample kit is a great first choice to go with.
Mo Bro’s is an UK-based brand that manufactures beard oils and other beard care products.
If you have ever watched England’s version of Shark Tank (Dragons Den), you might have seen the episode where they were asking for the sharks to invest in their company (and yes, they did secure a pretty big investment)
In their very inexpensive beard oil sample kit, you are getting seven 10ml bottles of differently scented beard oils for just $25, which comes down to 2.36 fl oz of beard oil ($10/oz).
So not only is the beard oil cheap overall, but you will also be able to test seven different scents as well. That’s bloody brilliant if you ask me.
The available scents include:
- Vanilla Mango
- Sweet Mint
- Cedarwood
- Unscented
- Winter Spice
- Summer Spice
- and Orange Bergamot
So again, if you want to try out different beard oil scents (in the same carrier oil blend), then, by all means, give the Mo Bro’s beard oil collection a try.
Key Specs
- Size: 2.36 fl oz (7 x 10ml)
- Scent: Multiple Different Ones
- Strength: From Mild to Strong
- Viscosity: Light-Medium
- Manufactured in: England
- Container: Plastic Mini Dropper Bottles
- Carrier Oils: 5
- Essential Oils: 2
- Price: $ / $$$
- Our Score: 9.0 / 10
Ingredients
Sweet Almond Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Essential Oils
Pros:
- Makes scent testing easy and inexpensive for new beardsmen.
- Reputable UK-based brand operated by three brothers.
- The scent options are amazing, none of that lavender BS.
Cons:
- The carrier oil blend could use some improvement.
- You have to make sure to store the oils in dry dark place to prevent oxidation.
Where to Buy: You can grab your beard oil sample pack from Amazon.Com
Bottom line: If you appreciate a low – reasonable – price and are always looking for the best value choice, then after making your own DIY beard oils, the Smoky Mountain Beard Co. Oils are likely going to be the best bang-for-your-buck option.
9. HuskyBeard American Reserve Beard Oil
Great Masculine Beard Oil Scent
Proudly made in Arizona, Huskybeard is known for its prompt customer support and multiple innovative scents.
This wasn’t always the case though, the company had quite a poor reputation a few years ago, but that was before it was bought by a new owner who promptly turned things around.
Their scent – the American Reserve – is a unique masculine blend of musky bourbon and cedarwood, which I think suits a beard oil perfectly.
These oils are handmade in small batches to ensure good quality, and their products have been recently praised by such big beard YouTubers as Dan C Bearded and BeardTube.
Key Specs
- Size:1 fl oz (30ml)
- Scent: Woodsy Bourbon & Patchouli
- Strength: Strong
- Viscosity: Light-Medium
- Manufactured in: USA
- Container: Dark Glass Dropper Bottle
- Carrier Oils: 9
- Essential Oils: 3
- Price: $$ / $$$
- Our Score: 9.0 / 10
Ingredients
Virgin Argan Oil, Pure Jojoba Oil, Vitamin E Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Apricot Kernal Oil, Avocado Oil, Pumpkin Seed Oil, Hempseed Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Cedarwood Essential Oil, Patchouli Essential Oil, Citrus Essential Oil.
Pros:
- Unique strong scent with patchouli and cedarwood.
- Vitamin E oil is included for better shelf-life and oil preservation.
- Pretty competitive pricing especially considering the number of oils.
Cons:
- Nine carrier oils are bit much IMO, I would ditch the pumpkin and hemp.
- The scent is a hit or miss, especially to most girlfriends and wives of beardsmen.
Where to Buy: Huskybeard’s beard oils are sold exclusively through their own website.
Bottom line: Aside from small amounts of hemp seed oil and pumpkin seed oil in the carrier oil formulation, I really dig this beard oil. The scent is extremely masculine and something I really like personally, with a slight adjustment of the carrier oil base it would rank even higher on this beard oil review, but that’s just my own preference.
10. Risu Afternoon Orange Beard Oil
Best Unique & Exotic Beard Oil Formulation
Risu is a Finnish beard oil brand that makes really unique beard oils with innovative scents and some special carrier oils you rarely see elsewhere.
As I too am from Finland, of course, I’m going to rep a small brand from my home country, so yes, I might be biased! But seriously, these oils deserve a place on this list.
They ship all around the world and the shipping is free inside Europe. Although the oil is on the expensive side, it’s somewhat justified due to hard to source nature of some of the oils they’re using.
The afternoon orange scent is my favorite one, which is perfect after a long session in the Sauna (which, most of us Finns have built-in our houses). You could even throw it on the rocks with a splash of beer for a nice aromatic experience.
Key Specs
- Size:1 fl oz (30ml)
- Scent: Bergamot & Lime
- Strength: Medium
- Viscosity: Light
- Manufactured in: Finland
- Container: Dark Glass Dropper Bottle
- Carrier Oils: 5
- Essential Oils: 4
- Price: $$$ / $$$
- Our Score: 9.0 / 10
Ingredients
Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Vitis vinifera (Grape) seed oil, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot kernel) oil, Hippophae Rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Essential oils (Citrus aurantium bergamia – Bergamont, Citrus Limonium – Lemon, Citrus aurantifolia – Lime, Rosmarinus Officinalis – Rosemary)
Pros:
- Unique ingredients such as nordic sea buckthorn oil.
- Phenomenal relaxing bergamot scent that is not too overpowering.
- Great design and feel of the brand.
Cons:
- Really expensive – close to beard brand pricing – and not that accessible
- More suitable for special occasions than daily use in my opinion.
Where to Buy: Risu beard oils can only be found in some Finnish barbershops and online stores – or from their own website.
Bottom line: If a bit higher price is not an issue for you, then consider testing out this exotic beard oil from the nordic country of Finland.
How to Use Beard Oil
Applying beard oil is really not difficult. You just rub it around your beard and the skin underneath and make sure to use not too little or too much of it.
The video above by Live Bearded shows the process of how to use beard oil clearly – and yes, that’s the American Beard Oil – the one we ranked as the best smelling beard oil above.
If for some reason you can’t watch the video, here’s a step-by-step on applying beard oil properly:
- Pour/drip beard oil on your palm (start with a small amount, you can always add some more later on if you need to).
- Quickly rub the oil in between your palms and rub it in the beard and the dry skin underneath.
- For best results, finish with a beard comb or brushing it to evenly distribute the beard oil from roots to tips.
- You can rub the excess oil from your palms to your arms, over your tattoos, etc. They’re almost always all-natural.
Using beard oil is simple – although a few different methods of application exists. As a rule of thumb, you want to make sure that the oils are evenly spread across your facial hair and the skin under it, without getting greasy-looking.
How Much Beard Oil to Use
According to the male beard grooming expert George Bruno, men often use way too much beard oil, which ends up clogging the pores and makes their beard look greasy.
While the optimal amount of beard oil to use is not set in stone, and different carrier oils have different recommendations, below is an average amount of beard oil you should be using for different beard lengths.
| Beard Size | How Much Beard Oil to Use |
| Stubble | 2-4 Drops |
| Short Beard | 4-6 Drops |
| Normal Beard | 6-10 Drops |
| Long Beard | 10+ Drops |
*NOTE: The above is a rough guide, your beard type and the oils used can make a big difference to the actual amount of beard oil needed.
How Often Should You Apply Beard Oil?
There really is no definitive rules for beard oil use and how often you need to apply.
Some say that it should be used every morning and every night, while some say it’s best to be applied only after a shower, and some just apply it when they feel their beard is getting a bit dry.
If you want to roll with a very general recommendation that most guys stick to with good benefits, then consider using beard oil 1-2 times per day, whenever you feel like it.
How Long Does a Bottle of Beard Oil Last
How long a bottle of beard oil lasts depends heavily on three factors…
- Your beards length
- The size of the bottle
- How often you apply the beard oil
As you can see from the table few subheadings above, you can use 2-10+ drops of beard oil per application depending on the length of your facial hair.
Typically, a bottle of beard oil will be the size of 1 fl oz (30ml) which is equivalent to approximately 600 drops of beard oil.
And lastly, applying twice per day will, of course, double your beard oil consumption.
Here’s again a table on how long a bottle of beard oil lasts:
| Beard Size | Beard Oil Bottle Size | Number of Daily Applications | Bottle of Beard Oil Lasts for |
| Stubble | 1 fl oz | Once | 6-7 Months |
| Short Beard | 1 fl oz | Once | 4-5 Months |
| Medium Beard | 1 fl oz | Once | 2-3 Months |
| Long Beard | 1 fl oz | Once | 1-2 Months |
*NOTE: If you’re applying the beard oil twice per day, just divide the time the bottle lasts in half. If you’re using it once per day but you have a 2 fl oz bottle, then you can just double the time a bottle lasts from the above table. Simple maths, really.
Can I Make My Own Beard Oil?
You can most definitely make your own DIY beard oils at home, and in most cases, it’s actually a better option to make your own beard oil rather than to buy the premade stuff.
Here’s why:
- The average premade beard oil bottle costs ~$20 whereas the average for making one at home from similar ingredients costs just about ~$5.
- When you make your own beard oils, you are 100% in control of the ingredients and can freely experiment with the scents and carrier oil blends.
- Making beard oil is stupidly simple and easy. It does not require any machinery or any special expertise. Anyone can learn it in a few days and all you need are the oils and dropper bottles.
Here’s a handy graph that shows the difference between DIY beard oils and premade beard oil pricing:
What Are Some Good Substitutes to Beard Oil?
You might be asking yourself; “Are there any beard oil substitutes?”
The answer is, yes, of course, there are. I have already compiled a list of 7 beard oil alternatives right here.
There’s nothing stopping you from replacing a premade beard oil blend with pure jojoba oil, pure olive oil, coconut oil, or even something like baby oil.
Sure, substitutes like that will lack the special scents some beard oils have, and they might have a marginally worse moisturization effect, but at the end of the day, most beard oil alternatives get the job done almost as well as any beard oil can.
Beard Oil vs. Beard Balm
Beard oil is easily the most popular beard product and often the first choice for any newbie beardsman.
But how does beard oil compare to beard balm; the second most popular beard product – and which of them should you use.
The answer is that they are almost the same thing, with the small difference being the fact that beard balms have beeswax and oils in the formulation, whereas beard oil has no wax, just oils.
“This makes beard oil light and liquid, but beard balm hard and waxy.”
As for their effects, you could consider beard balm to be the heavy-weight version of beard oil.
Beard balm offers more of a beard protecting deep-nourishing benefits, whereas beard oil is more suited for daily beard care and is far lighter and unnoticeable in use.
Beard Oil vs. Beard Moisturizer
What about beard moisturizer? How does it compare to beard oil? After all, isn’t beard oil also a beard moisturizer in a way?
Well, that’s bit complicated, and many brands do randomly call their oils “beard moisturizers”, which isn’t really the right term to use.
You see, beard moisturizer is a water-based lotion that is specifically designed to hydrate the deep-skin layers and combat a dry skin underneath your beard. It’s amazing for the skin, but not that great for the whiskers itself.
Beard oil, on the other hand, is more of an all-rounder. It’s amazing for nourishing the beard hairs, and pretty good for the skin underneath your beard as well – but beard moisturizer is still better if your goal would be to focus on the skin, not the hairs.
Bottom line: Beard moisturizer is a water-based lotion that absorbs rapidly and works best on a dry beard skin. Beard oil is an oil-based moisturizer that hydrates both the skin and the hairs, relieving itch and preventing beard dandruff and beard split-ends on the side as well.
Beard Oil vs. Beard Conditioner
What about beard conditioner, how does beard oil compare to it?
Well, it doesn’t because they are two completely different products, although once again, some brands mistakenly call their oils “conditioners”, which is not what they are.
Beard conditioner is specifically designed to be used in the shower alongside beard shampoo, and its purpose is to make your beard softer by mitigating the oil-stripping and beard damaging effects of the constant washing and shampooing.
Beard conditioner can sometimes be used to replace the need for beard oil, but this is if you do something like beard co-washing (washing only with conditioner, no shampoo). If you don’t do co-washing, then I would just keep using beard oil alongside beard conditioner.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed our definitive guide to buying the best beard oil in 2024 and learned how to use beard oil, how much of it to apply, what are the best smelling beard oils, the cheapest beard oils and much, much more.
If you have any questions about the beard oils mentioned in this review, the ingredients, or anything else, then please don’t hesitate to comment below.
Think there is oil we missed that should definitely be included in the rankings? Let us know in the comments as well.
