Beard Oil and beard balm. Both are indispensable grooming and nourishment for the beard. Besides these 2 products, there is also a harder beard wax variant, but we will leave this out of consideration in this article. Beard Oil and beard balm are not the same. For instance, beard oil is purely for the grooming of the beard hairs and the underlying skin. A good beard oil keeps the beard hydrated, soft, and beautifully shiny. It replenishes the necessary fats and moisture levels after washing the beard. Beard Oil is actually a leave-in conditioner. If you don't use beard oil for your beard, you will quickly shave it off. Without beard oil, it becomes extremely dry and starts to flake, resulting in an incredible itchy beard. By the way, in our article 'What can you do against an itchy beard' you can read all about it.
With a good beard balm, you also nourish the beard hairs excellently, but with that beard balm, you can also lightly style and massage the beard into shape. A beard simply cannot do without beard oil. But besides beard oil, beard balm is also a crucial product, especially if you have a somewhat longer beard. Beard Balm has ultimate nourishing properties due to its ingredients, and you can also give your beard excellent styling with it. That cannot be done with beard oil.
What does beard oil consist of?
A good beard oil consists of at least 80% base oils and 20% essential (fragrance) oils. A base oil is used to dilute all essential oils or fragrance oils. These base oils are plant-based, such as grape seed oil, apricot kernel oil, argan oil, jojoba oil, or sweet almond oil. These oils are fats composed of a mixture of triglycerides, also known as fatty acids. Fatty acids that have very important nourishing and hydrating effects on our skin and beard hairs. There is a lot of choice in various types of beard oil. There are also liquid and thicker variants available in different compositions and with a variety of ingredients and fragrances. Check our article 'How to use beard oil' so you know exactly how to get started!
Why is beard oil so important for your beard?
It's actually very simple. If you don't give a houseplant water, it dries out, becomes withered, and dies. The same actually applies to your beard. If you think you can just let a beard grow without investing TLC in it, it goes wrong. Beard hairs are not like the hairs on your head. Beard hairs are stiff, hard, and inflexible. The hair follicles/skin pockets are also not able to provide the beard hairs with sufficient moisture and fats. Especially not if you have a longer beard. Then the hair follicles are quickly exhausted. Just like your beard hairs. They become bone dry. The skin also irritates quickly because of this. Flakes & beard itch! Also, check out our blog 'Why use a beard oil'. We go even deeper into it. A beard therefore needs perfect support to flourish. And to stay that way.
The solution for a healthy, soft, and shiny beard? Using a good beard oil daily. A beard oil supports a healthy beard growth because it is perfectly hydrated and at the same time provided with the necessary fats so that your beard looks super healthy. Besides the necessary nutrition, a good beard oil also gives a phenomenal scent to your beard. From softly tingling vanilla to masculine rum and smoke. Fragrance-free variants of beard oil are also available for enthusiasts. If you want to buy good beard oil, we have a phenomenal collection of beard oils with high-quality ingredients to care for your beard down to the very tips.
Tip: Especially use a good beard oil during the growth of your beard. The first 2 months are quite challenging. The skin is put to the test, and youthful beard hairs unfortunately often itch. Solution: use Beard Oil!
What is beard balm?
Beard Balm is a beard care product that consists of a mix of butters, wax, and oils. With a good beard balm, just like beard oil, you can perfectly nourish and hydrate your beard. Provided you decide to choose as artisanal as possible beard balms. There are also quite a few chemical beard balms on the market. Do not use them because: with these artificial components, you only damage the beard hairs and the skin. As we wrote earlier, you cannot style the beard with beard oil. That's where a qualitatively good beard balm comes into play. With a beard balm, you can not only excellently nourish but also somewhat style your beard so that it looks nicely shaped. And that's what you want.
What does Beard Balm consist of?
A beard balm is not a liquid elixir like beard oil is. It has more the consistency of a cream. However, with a good beard balm, you nourish the beard and the skin, just like with beard oil. But through a mix of various butters, waxes, and oils, you can also style your beard with a good beard balm. Of course, just like with beard oil, most beard balms have phenomenal fragrances added. Good to know is that the perfumes in a beard balm generally last longer than in the beard oil.
Why is beard balm so important for your beard?
Just like beard oil, beard balm is an essential part of the grooming of your beard. Suppose you don't use beard oil, then a good beard balm is a must. Especially if your beard is already a bit longer. Your beard hairs cannot do without the necessary fats and hydration. The moisture balance of a beard must be in order. Beard hairs tend to grow in all directions, and with beard balm, you can comfortably massage the beard hairs into shape. If you are not yet familiar or want to try a different product, we have compiled a top 10 of the best beard balm for you.
Tip: If you suffer from inconsistent beard growth or 'gaps' in your (relatively short) beard, using a beard balm with shea butter on board is recommended. This allows you to camouflage these spots. You can find more information about this in our blog, what can you do against bald spots in your beard.
Can you use beard oil and beard balm at the same time?
Of course, you can use both beard oil and beard balm simultaneously. However, the order is:
- Wash Beard with a good beard shampoo
- Massage damp-dried beard with a good beard oil
- After about 10 minutes, you can massage in the beard balm.
Beard Oil is easier to apply than beard balm because the latter has a thicker consistency and you need to rub it well with your palms to warm it up first. The only downside might be that with the mix of beard oil/beard balm, you get less hold in the beard.
To make it easy for you, we have also compiled a top 10 best beard oil for you. Each one is an excellent product to give your beard the ultimate grooming it needs. If you want to know more in detail about it, we recommend reading our article why beard oil.
We hope we have helped you on your way and that you now have a good understanding of the differences between the two products for eyes. Message: from a beginner to a long beard, you cannot do without a good beard oil and/or beard balm! If you still have questions, we would love to hear from you.
Good luck
Your friends, The Alpha Men.