You may have seen jojoba oil (pronounced as ho-ho-ba) mentioned a few times in the bottles and tins of your favorite beard products.
It’s no surprise, as this 100% natural moisturizing oil is by far the most used beard oil ingredient known for its many great benefits to the health of your facial hair.
Some of the many reasons to use jojoba oil for your beard include its ability to reduce beard dandruff and itchiness, it helps with breakage and beard split-ends, and it has amazing moisturizing qualities thanks to the long-chain fatty acids and natural vitamins A, D, and E found in the oil
Let’s take a closer look at what makes jojoba oil so great for facial hair:
What is Jojoba Oil
Jojoba oil is extracted from the seeds of the jojoba tree shrub (Simmondsia Chinensis). It’s well-known as one of the best natural oils to use in a variety of cosmetic products, including men’s beard oils, balms, washes, conditioners, and so on.
The kernel seed of the jojoba tree is rich in this precious oil, as up to 50% of its content can be made up of the highly sought-after eicosanoic acid fats.
Most of the jojoba oil comes from the US, primarily from Arizona and California.
What makes jojoba oil so good for beard use (and all kinds of cosmetics use for that matter) is its long shelf-life and stability against heat and oxidation, odorless & colorless nature, and light consistency that is quick to absorb and non-comedogenic (doesn’t clog pores).
Jojoba oil is by far the most used ingredient in all of beard products, with argan oil, grapeseed oil, and coconut oil coming right behind.
Jojoba Oil vs. Argan Oil – Which to Use on Beard?
We often get this question:
“Should I use argan oil or jojoba oil for my beard?”
The answer is that you should use both of them. There’s no reason to use just one of them and exclude the other, because both of them have unique benefits that nicely compliment each other to create a perfect blend of carrier oils.
While they both offer good moisturizing benefits, anti-dandruff, anti-itch, and beard split-end protection, there are still few key differences between jojoba and argan oils.
You see, jojoba oil is mostly made up of stable long-chain fatty acids, which makes it more resistant to damage caused by heat, oxygen, and light. It’s also considerably lighter and faster to absorb than argan oil.
But where argan oil is slightly superior to jojoba oil is in its moisturizing qualities. Argan oil has higher amount of vitamin E and it contains natural squalene, which is identical to the natural sebum oil of the skin.
Bottom line: Jojoba and argan oil both have their similarities and differences, and you shouldn’t choose one over the other, instead blend them together so you can enjoy the great benefits of both.
Is Jojoba Oil Good for the Beard
Jojoba oil is one of the best carrier oils to use for beard care, thanks to its natural vitamin E content, supreme moisturizing, anti-dandruff, and anti-itch benefits – all while remaining light and non-comedogenic on the skin and beard.
Thanks to the vitamins A, D, and E, and the hydrating long-chain fatty acids, jojoba oil will nourish the dry skin underneath your beard while it also prevents moisture from escaping the skin.
There is also naturally occurring iodine inside the oil pressed from the jojoba kernels, which gives jojoba oil its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal benefits to help ward off things like beard dandruff and inflamed beard pimples.
As a light and fast-absorbing non-comedogenic oil, jojoba oil is the perfect carrier oil to deliver and carry other compounds directly into the facial hair follicles.
Let’s say for example that you want to use peppermint oil for beard growth, wouldn’t you then want the active ingredients in the peppermint oil to reach their target, the beard hair follicle?
Of course you would, but peppermint oil by itself is not very good at absorbing through the skin, plus its volatile and easily oxidized.
So that’s where jojoba oil as a carrier oil steps in. You can blend the volatile essential oils into it, to enhance their absorption and to prevent them from getting oxidized on the skin. That’s the magic of carrier oils.
Bottom line: Jojoba oil is a fantastic carrier oil to use in your beard oils, balms, and other beard products. It has amazing moisturizing qualities and can greatly reduce beard dandruff, beard itchiness, and splitting of the beard hairs. As a carrier oil, it also carries other more volatile oils and compounds straight into the hair follicle cells.
What is the Best Jojoba Oil for Beard
Any kind of pure jojoba oil is good for the beard, but if you want the best kind possible, then look for pure organic cold-pressed jojoba oil.
Why?
Well, let’s break that down a bit…
First of all, you want it to be pure jojoba oil. No other poor quality oils diluted into it, just straight up jojoba oil from the source.
Then you want to make sure it’s organic. Why? Simply because the price difference between organic and non-organic jojoba oils is almost non-existent, and if you pick the organic one you can be sure that it has not been processed with any man-made chemicals.
Lastly, you want the jojoba oil to be cold-pressed. This means that the oil will be extracted from the kernels with grinding or pressing machinery, without the use of any external heat or solvents that would destroy some of the more volatile compounds in the oil.
You could think that jojoba oil with all these specs has to be very expensive, right?
Wrong, it’s cheap.
A big 16 oz bottle of organic cold-pressed jojoba oil costs about twenty-five to thirty-five bucks. That’s roughly the same price you normally pay for a 1 oz dropper of high-quality beard oil (this is one of the many reasons why I’m fond of making DIY beard oils at home).
Bottom line: Although all kinds of pure jojoba oils are decently good for external beard use, the organic cold-pressed kind is the best of the best.
Does Jojoba Oil Promote Beard Growth
Even though jojoba oil creates the optimal growth conditions for your facial hair, it does not directly enhance your beards growth rate or cause new beard growth.
Wait, what?
Yes, you heard me right. Jojoba oil does not directly impact your beard growth. You may have seen many brands using it on their beard oils saying that it would promote beard growth, but that’s what they typically say for any oil they use!
Jojoba oil is super nourishing and an awesome oil for moisturizing the beard (one of the best in fact), but that does not mean it would enhance growth. Sorry if you though that.
So far, after researching and reviewing the active ingredients, studies, and other factors in dozens of beard oil ingredients, I’ve only found two oils that could potentially enhance beard growth, and those would be: peppermint essential oil and castor oil.
Benefits of Jojoba Oil for Beard
- Moisturizes the beard: Jojoba oil is one of the most well-known natural moisturizers. The wax esters in the oil are similar to your skins natural oils and perfect for softening the beard.
- Nourishes the beard: Jojoba oil is rich in the antioxidant vitamin E and in vitamins A and D as well. It contains important minerals for your beard like zinc, copper, and chromium.
- Removes beard dandruff: Thanks to its moisturizing effects, zinc, and iodine; jojoba oil can fight the most common causes of beard dandruff (dryness, fungi, and bacteria).
- Helps reduce beard itchiness: As with most oils that help hydrate and soothe the skin, jojoba oil prevents red rashes and itchiness underneath your beard.
- Enhances absorption of essential oils: The main function of a good carrier oil is to carry nutrients and essential oils into the hair follicle. Jojoba oil is extraordinarily good at this.
- Prevents breakage and split-ends: You can say goodbye to beard split-ends when using jojoba oil on the beard. The nutrients and natural oils keep your beard follicle health on point.
- Helps with ingrown beard hairs: You know the awful pain that results from ingrown beard hairs. Luckily you can remedy and prevent it with jojoba oil, thanks to its antiseptic moisturizing effects.
How to Use Jojoba Oil on Your Beard
Use Pure Jojoba Oil Directly on the Beard
You can use jojoba oil straight from the bottle. Just apply couple of drops into your fingers and gently massage into the skin underneath your beard and run your fingers through your beard hairs to disperse the oil from roots to tips.
You can also use a boar bristle beard brush or a good beard comb after applying the oil to better distribute the jojoba oil into your facial hair, but this step is optional.
The amount of jojoba oil used varies greatly depending on your facial hair length. For stubble beards and short facial hair use 1-3 drops, for medium-length beards apply 3-6 drops of jojoba oil, and for long beards 8-12 drops should do the trick.
Make your Own DIY Beard Oil with Jojoba Oil Carrier
One of the recommended ways of using jojoba oil is to add it as a carrier oil into your DIY beard oil blends.
Here’s one example jojoba oil beard oil recipe:
- 1/2 oz pure organic jojoba oil
- 1/4 oz meadowfoam seed oil
- 1/4 oz pure argan oil
- 3 drops peppermint essential oil
- 5 drops vitamin E oil
Directions:
- Mix your carrier oils together in a 1 oz dropper bottle (use small metal funnel to help you pour them in).
- Apply the peppermint essential oils and vitamin E oil, close the dropper cap and give your beard oil a shake.
- You’re done. Use this oil whenever you feel that your beard needs moisture and protection. 2-10 drops per use depending on your beard length.
Conclusion
Now you know why jojoba oil is so popular in beard oils.
This US sourced tree nut oil is just too good of a carrier oil to miss, and its list of beard benefits is simply out of this world.
You can use jojoba oil as a carrier oil in your homemade beard oil blends or straight out of the bottle.
What do you think, did we miss something important, have something to add? Let us know in the comments below.
