For Dudes Who Beard, These Beard Oils and Tonics Will Save Your Scruff

Beardy bros to the front.

BY: Patrick Varone
Update: April 4, 2024

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Because if you’re going to take the time to grow the beard of all beards, you need to take care of it, groom it, and nurture it on the regular.

Using the right beard oil for your hair and skin type can make all the difference. It’ll keep your beard hydrated, moisturized, softened and tamed enough so you don’t look like you belong on the wall of your local post office. If you’re going to take a pass with your trusty beard trimmer or electric shaver, here’s everything you need to know to have the best looking beard around.

HOW TO USE BEARD OILS

Wash your face in lukewarm water using a facecloth and your favorite exfoliator to gently scrub away dead skin.
Dry your face lightly. Don’t rub your face roughly with the towel. That just irritates your skin and your beard.
Once dry, add between 3 and 5 drops of your beard oil onto your hand and rub it around for a few seconds to warm it up.
Use your fingers to lightly rub the oil into your beard in its entirety. Be sure to get the sides just as much as the chin area.
Wash your hands.
Go out and be awesome with your well oiled beard.

TYPES OF BEARD OILS + WHAT THEY DO

Tea Tree based oils drastically help with itchy beards. It softens and helps to settle that annoying itch/burn that can sometimes sneak up on you when you first start growing it.
Fruit oils, especially those with lime, have a fresh scent that’s not overpowering and can help with skin issues under the beard. Just don’t go overboard while applying it or you’ll start to smell like a fruit salad.
Coconut oils are probably the best for hydrating your face especially when it’s as dry as the desert.
Cedarwood can really help prevent acne and clean it up when you get that ‘below beard breakout.
Peppermint and mint in general helps to fresh and invigorate your beard and skin.

OUR BEST BEARD OIL WINNERS

Honest Amish Beard Oil

best beard oil overall

PROS

CONS

The Honest Amish brand made my list of one of the best because it’s truly an affordable tried and true brand. Their ingredients are all natural (organic) and they combined 14 different types of oils (from avocado oil to jojoba oil, peppermint oil and more) so I found that after using it for a couple of weeks my typically coarse and wirey beard truly felt so soft and so much smoother than ever before.

I loved the peppermint oil that’s added because it makes me feel like I’m getting an extra jolt of “awakeness” first thing in the morning.

As far as the scent goes – I’m not in love with it, especially when compared to some of the other beard oil options on the list below. The brand categorize the scent as “classic” but I almost felt like it smelled a bit medicinal. Either way, my beard as never looked or felt better, so the scent doesn’t really bother me. If they came out with one that had a different scent I’d probably give that a go.

SPECS:

Jack Black Beard Care

best for dry skin

PROS

CONS

While Jack Black’s Beard Care oil is half the amount of my favorite overall pick above and double the price, I still think it’s a top-notch beard oil. For me, my beard and my skin is almost always dry, especially in the winter. If you’re not moisturizing and exfoliating your face on the regular, this beard oil will come in handy because it’s focused on your dry skin overall. It’ll help to soften your overall whiskers and thanks to the vitamin E, melon and plum oils working together it’ll help keep those pesky dry skin beard flakes at bay. While the brand recommends using 2-3 drops per session, I found that since I don’t have a huge beard, I really only needed 1-2 drops. A little goes a long way with this one.

SPECS:

Art of Shaving Pre-Shave Beard Oil

best for sensitive skin

PROS

CONS

While most guys seem to be using beard oils for keeping their ever-growing beard soft, tame, and in check – it can also be used for your new pre-shave ritual. After covering men’s grooming gear since 2014, it seems like Art of Shaving always makes my list and this pre-shave oil is no exception. Not only is it geared towards us dudes who have sensitive skin (read: breakouts, easily marked up, razor bumps, etc) but it truly give you a super close and easy shave even if you have a thick stubble.

I’m not a huge fan of scents in my face products, but their sandalwood option is more spa-like than overly strong. The brand recommends using a coin-sized amount in the palm of your hand, but if you’re trying this for the first time I recommend using way less than that. My beard was more scruff than beard and a coin-sized amount made me feel like I had lube on my face – and not in a good way.

This can work well for prepping your skin for a razor shave by softening your beard/scruff and allowing your razor to easily glide over your face. Keep in mind, you should be using a regular razor with this and not an electric shaver because I tried that and it was basically a horrible mess.

SPECS:

Acqua di Parma Barbiere Beard Serum

for complete conditioning

PROS

CONS

Before you send me mail slamming me for choosing something so expensive, just got with me for a minute. If you’re looking for something amazing for your beard and the rest of your face (hello T-Zone) you may want to give Acqua Di Parma’s serum a try. I’m in love with their colognes because anything with bergamot is a win in my book, but also because this one is not as harsh when it comes to oil so I find it better for my sensitive skin.

It still packs a punch by really conditioning your beard and helps to detangle the hairs especially if you have a beard that grows in all sorts of redirections like me. Sadly, I’m not blessed with that Italian beard like my dad.

It may not be a big selling point to you, but the packaging is probably the nicest I’ve seen, especially compared to any of the other ones on my list (no offense to the others). Plus, it’ll look great on your bathroom counter.

You can use this serum up to two times per day (morning and night) after you clean/wash your beard and face so just a heads up because it only comes as 1 fl oz and is already priced at $72 so you could go through it rather quickly if you follow their directions. I think it makes a great gift for any of the guys in your life, especially if your bearded bros won’t buy this for themselves.

SPECS:

SheaMoisture Beard Conditioning Oil

best bang for your buck

PROS

CONS

After recommending that $72 option above, I knew I had to offer you something that not only works, but is a nice change of pace for your wallet.

SheaMoisture has a truly top-notch beard oil for a fraction of the price. It doesn’t contain parabens, they don’t test on animals and it doesn’t contain any mineral oil. Not to mention it’s the largest option on my list, coming in at over 3 fl oz. Plus, it’s under $10. How can you go wrong?

As mentioned, I have a shorter beard to while it recommends using a few drops, I really only needed like 1 or 2 (at most). When I followed the instructions it made my face basically leak oil. I ended up reading dozens and dozens of reviews on this and guys with really long and thick beards needed the full 3 – 4 drops, but they recommend to be careful not to overdo it or you’ll probably find oil drops all over your sink.

I feel like I can’t fully put my finger on the scent. I find it to be more of a masculine outdoorsy scent, but at the end of the day it just smells nice without smelling too perfumy.

I personally didn’t have this issue when ordering online, but a decent number of guys in the reviews claimed that a little bit of the product leaked in the box leaving the bottle a bit oily when they received it. I don’t think this is a deal breaker, especially because the size and price is amazing – but just a heads up on what you may get when you order.

SPECS:

Blind Barber Face + Beard Oil

best lightweight option

PROS

CONS

On a personal note I really love just about everything from Blind Barber (especially their lemongrass tea-tree body wash), so I was excited to try their beard oil.

I was actually pleasantly surprised with how much I loved it. First off, the scent is pretty amazing. It smells like a warm vanilla without being too overpowering. I kind of wish the scent was a bit stronger, but that’s just personal preference.

Again, I don’t have the longest beard in the world, so I appreciated that it helps to condition and soften my wirey beard, but also my skin underneath. After using it for just 6 days I noticed that my dry beard flakes (gross) were officially gone, which is always a plus in my book.

There are a decent number of guys online who are claiming that it helped their beard to grow in areas they always struggled with (like connecting their mustache to beard, etc). Unfortunately, I didn’t find that to work for me, but I didn’t really buy it for those purposes. Although I always welcome it as I still feel like my beard looks like I’m 16 years old trying to grow one (with the exception of those annoying grey hairs).

SPECS:

Dr. Squatch Beard Oil

best "manly" scented oil

PROS

CONS

Who doesn’t love all the Dr. Squatch ads you see on your social feeds? They always crack me up, so I wanted to give their “Crushed Pine” option a go. This is another option where a little goes a long way.

I found it to keep my beard feeling pretty soft all throughout the day and I personally loved the scent. It was like Christmas in a bottle, which is perfect for winter (or a stocking stuffer?) but am not sure I’d use this particular scent in the spring and summer. Don’t worry, they have tons of other scents to choose from too.

Again, I loved the scent but after sifting through more than 100 reviews online I noticed that some reviewers were claiming the scent didn’t smell like pine as advertised. This wasn’t my experience, but just a heads up in case you get yours and find the scent different than what you expected. The good news is that Dr. Squatch will refund your purchase if you’re not happy with their product/experience.

SPECS:

Patrick Varone

Patrick is one of the founding members of Brostrick.com, starting back in 2014. Since then he still runs the show around here, focusing on men's style and grooming trends, fun product reviews and the occasional gift guide or two. That's 10 years of experience and counting! Some of Patrick's writing can be found on BestProducts.com, Trendsicle, and Giftsicle.com. Read full bio.

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