Maintain your mane with our tops picks for the best beard balms. Having a beard isn’t just about growing out your facial hair. A good beard needs love and care to get the most out of it. Similar to the hair on your head, beards need conditioning to maintain their softness and stay healthy. A beard balm is a great two-for-one option for doing this, working as both a leave-in conditioner and styling product.
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1. Honest Amish — Heavy Duty Beard Balm
Hand-made in Pennsylvania, the Honest Amish Heavy Duty Beard Balm is perfect for gents who need something a little more robust to tame their beard. The texture is slightly thicker than the original blend, which gives it that stronger hold for wilder beards. Additionally, the combination of organic oils and butters delivers conditioning and control. Breathe in the light, crisp scent, which is reminiscent of an Old Fashioned cocktail.
2. Duke Cannon Supply Co. Big Bourbon Beard Balm
Bring some civilization to your bushy beard with this balm from Duke Cannon Supply Co. The company takes inspiration from the hardworking by the men and women of the United States Defense Force, partnering with the personnel at Camp Ripley. They also give back to the defense force community by supporting several veteran’s causes. The Big Bourbon Beard Balm will do the hard yards in looking after your beard. It contains the exceptionally nourishing apricot kernel, argan, and jojoba oils, as well as organic cocoa butter. Plus, because a little bit of bourbon can fix many things, there’s also a hint of Buffalo Trace Bourbon in the mix. Thankfully, you won’t smell like the floor of a dank dive bar, as this beard balm has a masculine woodsy, oak barrel scent.
3. American Crew Beard Balm
Landmark salon brand American Crew has provided men’s grooming solutions for over 25 years. Their beard balm contains sweet almond oil and shea butter for the ultimate in conditioning, with a light shine for healthy, glossy hair. Perfect as a finishing product, the balm is a great styling solution. Simply warm it in your hands and distribute it evenly throughout your beard to tame flyaways. Enjoy the light, citrusy-herbal aroma.
4. Every Man Jack Sandalwood Beard Balm
Smell clean and fresh with this lightly sandalwood scented beard balm from Every Man Jack. The shea butter hydrates the skin, while tea tree oil has natural antiseptic properties that can help with beard dandruff. Meanwhile, vitamin E will also strengthen your beard hair. Using as many clean, natural, plant-based ingredients as they can, Every Man Jack creates a full range of men’s grooming products that are manufactured in the United States.
5. The Ladies Man Badass Beard Balm
Badass in name, badass in nature. While Bad Ass Beard Care has a variety of balms with different scents, this is one the ladies will love. Made with the finest butters and oils, it features a light lemon and vanilla scent and will make your beard soft and strokable. Using only organic, food-grade ingredients, you’ll feel confident using this on your face. It boasts a light, natural hold and will tame flyaways and moisturize your skin.
6. Old Spice Beard Balm
Make your move from scruff to sculpted with the beard balm from Old Spice. This iconic brand is known for its cheeky advertising and long lineage of creating men’s grooming products. The clean-smelling beard balm features a citrus aroma, meaning you’ll feel fresh and energized all day. Shape and define your beard with this medium hold balm, taming flyaways, and looking awesome in the process.
7. Cremo Astonishingly Superior Beard Balm
Cremo’s Astonishingly Superior Styling Mint Blend Beard Balm will lock in moisture and shine, creating the ultimate results when taming your unruly beard. The shea butter and essential oils also moisturize your skin and alleviate itchiness and irritation. The combination of spearmint, lemon, rosemary, and lavender oils smells fresh and clean and lasts all day long.
8. SheaMoisture Beard Balm
Tackle beard and skin dryness head-on with SheaMoisture Maracuja Oil & Shea Butter beard balm. The oil from maracuja, more commonly known as passionfruit, is packed full of vitamins and nutrients that are great for your skin and hair. The scent of this balm, which also uses fair trade shea butter, boasts a masculine woodsy musk smell. Plus, you can feel good about your purchase. SheaMoisture, in honor of the Sofi Tucker, the grandmother of the brand, gives back to the community. They invest in programs that empower disadvantaged women from the United States and Africa, to create an inclusive and thriving society, that breaks the cycle of wealth disparity.
9. Mountaineer Beard Balm
Be the lumber-snack you were meant to be. The American born and raised Mountaineer Brand is based in West Virginia, the third most forested state in the USA. This heavy-duty balm smells like the rugged West Virginian outdoors thanks to the combination of cedarwood, fir needle & eucalyptus oils. Tame stubborn beard hairs, repair dry ends and soften the skin under your beard with this balm. The company only uses natural ingredients, an essential company philosophy, after founder Eric Young lost his wife to breast cancer.
10. Bulldog Natural Beard Balm
Simple & effective, Bulldog Natural Skincare’s Original beard balm, softens and tames wily whiskers. The fast-absorbing formula uses aloe vera, camelina oil, and green tea. This results in a nourished beard, as well as softened, itch-free skin underneath. Combining natural ingredients, with carefully curated man-made elements, the brand gets the best of both worlds, for exceptional performance.
FAQs
What is a beard balm?
Beard balm is essentially a leave-in conditioner and styling aid for the beard. Using a beard balm regularly provides several benefits. First, it moisturizes your beard. A moisturized beard will be softer and look tidier because it won't be dry and frizzy, and it will, therefore, be less prone to split ends. Secondly, the butters and oils in beard balm can relieve skin itchiness, and help treat beard dandruff. This benefit is increased if your balm contains essential oils such as tea tree that acts as an antiseptic. Finally, beard balms also contain wax, such as beeswax, which helps with styling and provides a light hold.
What are the best beard balms?
Some of the best beard balms are Honest Amish — Heavy Duty Beard Balm, Duke Cannon Supply Co. Big Bourbon Beard Balm, and American Crew Beard Balm.
Is Balm good for beard?
Beard balm is fantastic for your beard. It provides a good level of nourishment and moisturizing for both the hair and face, thanks to ingredients like shea butter, argan oil, and jojoba oil. It’s also perfect for styling your beard, as it has a medium level of hold that will help tame, without inhibiting movement.
Which is better beard oil or beard balm?
Beard balm and beard oil do very similar jobs. The goal of both is to moisturize the hair in the beard and the skin of your face. Which one you choose mostly comes down to personal preference. Beard oils, by their nature, are lighter in feel and can reach the skin easier. However, they don't provide any hold or styling assistance. While beard balms, because they contain butters and wax, need a little more work to get to the skin, but they do help with styling. If your beard is unruly, a balm might be the better choice to get it under control. Alternatively, for shorter and new beards that are naturally pretty tidy, an oil could be the way to go. You can choose one or the other, or even include both in your regular beard maintenance routine.
How to Use Beard Balm
Beard balm is easy to use. It comes as a solid product in a tin, so it needs to be liquified before you apply it, so it distributes evenly. Simply scoop out a fingernail-sized amount and rub it between your palms to warm it up and melt it into its liquid form. For gents with longer beards, you might need more product, while smaller beards might need less. Then, massage it into your beard, from the roots to the ends, making sure to get it into your skin as well. You can then either style it with your fingers or run through with a comb or brush to finish the look.
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