Beard Balm vs Beard Oil: What’s The Difference?

Best friends or bitter enemies, beard balm vs beard oil is an interesting topic that comes up in discussions about beard care products. And as you’ll discover while reading this article, these two products are not so distantly related and you can actually integrate both of them into your facial hair care routine.

The main difference between beard balm and beard oil is that beard balm has a different texture and added styling properties compared to your regular beard oil. You can apply both beard oil and beard balm on a daily basis and your beard hairs could benefit from the use of both these products. Read on to find out more and compare beard oil vs balm.

What Is A Beard Balm?

A beard balm is a complex beard care product with hydrating, conditioning and styling properties. It combines the benefits of beard oil with those of beard wax, and we like to think of it as an in-between product that captures the best of both worlds.

Ingredients in Beard Balm

• A natural ingredient that acts as a styling agent: Cera alba (beeswax)
• Carrier oils and essential oils, which are essentially beard growth oils: rosehip oil, chia seed oil, Crambe Abyssinia seed oil, macadamia oil, sweet almond oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil etc.
• Vitamins and other nutrients
• Perfume 

Benefits of Using Beard Balm

• It’s a great hydrating agent. It contains various oils that are rich in omega fatty acids and vitamins which have natural emollient properties. This means that they help keep moisture inside your skin and hair fibres. This can also help improve your skin’s natural barrier properties for better overall health, local protection and hydration.
• It’s a great styling agent. Components like beeswax are gentle and effective at covering your facial hair and keeping it in place. This will help keep your beard-do looking fabulous all day long. 
• It adds a natural shine. We’re not talking about the greasy look that we sometimes associate with the word ‘shiny’. Beard balms can help get rid of dullness and make your beard look alive and healthy.
• Added nutrients. Good product beard products will have added vitamins or good quality oils that contain vitamins and other nutrients that can bring many unique benefits to your facial hair and the skin beneath it. 

How to Apply Beard Balm

Whether you need the extra hydration boost or you’re looking for a styling agent, beard balm is a great product to have in your beard care toolbox. You can use your beard balm every day, after applying your favourite beard oil.

What Is A Beard Oil?

Beard oil is the essential beard care product that every serious beard lover should own. As the name suggests, it has an oily consistency that’s easy to use and distribute evenly along the hair fibres and the skin underneath your beard.

You can start using beard oil on day one of your beard journey. Even your stubble needs to stay hydrated and protected and a daily application of beard oil can help keep your skin and hair fibres from drying out and help prevent itchiness, irritation and beard dandruff.

Ingredients in Beard Oil

• Carrier oil and essential oils like castor oil, jojoba oil, tea tree oil, babassu oil, Abyssian oil, sunflower oil, or argan oil 
• Vitamins and other nutrients like squalane that promote facial hair growth and nurture your hair follicles
• Parfume from natural ingredients 

Benefits of Using Beard Oil

• It’s a great hydrating agent. Beard oil has an oily consistency that favours efficient distribution throughout your beard hairs and the skin underneath it. Its ingredient list is often chosen to allow a fast and efficient absorption for a smooth but non-greasy finish.
• It has various benefits based on its ingredient list. For example, babassu oil has anti-inflammatory properties and jojoba oil has anti-acne and antimicrobial properties. 
• Good beard oil will use natural ingredients like essential oils to create its signature scents. These natural ingredients will help lower the possibility of skin irritation if you have sensitive skin.

How to Apply Beard Oil

Apply your favourite beard oil as a part of your daily beard care routine. The absorption of those valuable essential oils and nutrients is more efficient if you’re working with a clean canvas. It’s more efficient to apply your beard oil after showering and washing your beard with your preferred beard shampoo.

Take a small quantity of product and rub it between your palms then use your fingers to evenly distribute the product through your beard. Make sure to spread the oil along the hair fibres and beneath your beard. You also want that oil to reach your skin because hydrated and healthy skin will help grow healthy hair.

Things to Consider When Choosing Between Beard Balm and Beard Oil

Beard Thickness

Beard oils are the all-stars of beard care products and they can be used regardless of the thickness of your beard. On the other hand, if you want to use your beard balm as a styling product, your might want to consider switching to a beard wax with a stronger hold that can handle thick and unruly beards.

Beard Type

Both products are a great fit for any type o beard hair. But keep in mind that beard balm contains beeswax which is used as a styling agent. If your hair is in the stubble phase, you can use another moisturizing agent like beard butter, such as products that contain natural shea butter or cocoa butter, for extra nutrition and hydration benefits.

Scents

Finding the perfect scent is a huge part of picking a product. Our olfactory system is an important sense that helps us interact with the world around us. We like yummy and interesting smells and we want to smell good in return.

Skin Type

Your skin type should be another guiding factor in your search for the perfect product. If you have acne-prone skin, you will need to pay a bit more attention to the ingredient list of your beard balm and beard oil and choose products with more natural and less-irritating ingredients.

The same principles apply for sensitive skin. You should avoid irritating ingredients like silicones, parabens and alcohol.

Age

Beard and skincare don’t really have an age limit. If you’re growing your first real beard or if your beard is the gray colour of wisdom, having a good beard care routine is an essential part of the journey.

Ingredients

A product’s list of ingredients can provide a treasure trove of valuable information. You can find out what the benefits are and get an idea of its quality. For example, TBS products use natural ingredients with science-backed effects. This helps ensure amazing benefits to price ratio, and amazing skin tolerance.

Versatility

Beard oil can be used on any beard shape and size, while beard balm is probably more useful if your facial hair is a bit longer and you’re searching for a hydrating product with styling properties.

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