Not sure if you should be using beard balm, beard oil, or both? Understanding the benefits of balm will help you decide what to apply to your beard each morning and evening. Many men use both oil and balm or choose what they use depending on their beard length, beard style, or their current facial hair and skin care needs. Here’s what you need to know!
When To Use Beard Balm?
After you wash your face each morning, evening, or after you work out—you must restore moisture to your beard and skin. Your product must also be nutrient-rich to keep your beard and skin healthy.
If you have a short beard or groomed scruff, you may only need to apply beard oil to nourish and moisturize. If you have a mid-length, long, or a curly, kinky, or unruly beard of any length—beard balm provides nutrients, moisture, and hold.
You can also apply both oil and balm. If you use both, always apply beard oil first. Wait a minute or so, and layer your balm on top.
Keep your skincare routine simple by applying oil or balm to your entire face. Or apply facial moisturizer and facial SPF before your beard grooming products. For your convenience, our beard balm is designed to be applied to the entire face!
Now let’s dive into the benefits of beard balm.
#1 Minimizes Beard Itch
If you are growing your beard out, there is no way around beard itch for the first 3 weeks or so. That being said, applying beard balm will help to minimize the itch. New growth itches because the sharp edges of your hair are poking through your hair follicles. Until they are long enough to lay flat, they will itch.
Ongoing beard itch is most often caused by dry skin or itchy and painful ingrown hairs, both of which can be managed by beard balm. However, using a sharp and clean razor is essential for keeping ingrown hairs to a minimum.
#2 Eliminates Beard Dandruff
The white flakes you see in your beard are almost always patches of dry skin. If your skin is flaking, apply a granular exfoliator to remove the excess skin. Scrub gently so that you don’t irritate your skin further.
After you exfoliate, apply beard balm. If your beard is mid-length or long, use your fingertips to massage the balm directly on your skin. This will moisturize and soothe your skin beneath, minimizing flakes.
If flakes persist, or your skin is red, inflamed, or irritated—schedule an appointment with a dermatologist.
#3 Protects Your Skin
If your skin is sensitive, you may want to apply balm year-round. The shea butter in your balm moisturizes, nourishes, and provides an all-day protective layer.
Some men only use balm in the winter months when the air is dry or on days when they will be exposed to the elements. The protective layer provided by shea butter will also help to protect skin from wind and cold and dry air.
If you’ll be out for a long period of time, reapply your balm—or cover your face and beard.
#4 Protects Your Beard Hair
All this talk about skin, but shea butter protects your facial hair too! Beard oil also protects your beard hair, but shea butter is thicker. Being thicker it provides a longer-lasting layer of protection.
If you will be out in the elements for an extended period of time, we suggest layering beard balm over beard oil.
If you’ll be swimming, wet your beard before hopping in the water. Then apply a light layer of oil or balm before diving in. This will minimize the amount of chlorine or salt water that finds its way to your beard. Shampoo your beard and hair after your swim.
#5 Shape And Style
Want to shape your mustache into handlebars or another fun shape? Or maybe you want to shape the tip of your beard to a point? Either way, you’ll need balm.
Avoid the temptation to use your hair mousse or gel on your facial hair. While both will effectively style your facial hair, they will irritate your skin. At the very least, they are likely to make your skin break out.
#6 Tames Unruly Beard Hair
You’ve probably already noticed, but your beard hair may not be as easy to manage as the hair on your head. Hair follicles on the face are larger and flatter than those on your head. This results in hair that is thicker and coarser than the hair on your head. If you have curly hair, your beard hair may have a tighter curl pattern.
All of this results in hair that is harder to tame. Balm will help to tame your unruly beard hair. It will also minimize frizz.
#7 Softens Beard Hair
In addition to beard hair being naturally thicker and coarser, it has more direct contact with the elements than the hair on your head. If you don’t moisturize and condition your beard, or if you use harsh beard care products your beard will dry out fast.
A beard softening balm will soften naturally coarse beards, and soften and repair dry and brittle beards. If a softening balm doesn’t improve your beard health, talk to your barber. If the damage is too severe you may need to trim a significant amount of growth.
Hair also dries out as it begins to grey, so even if your facial hair is short—consider switching from oil to balm as you begin to grey. Or layering both oil and balm.
#8 Stimulates Growth
A beard growth oil or balm is designed to nourish your hair follicles. If your hair follicles don’t have the proper nutrients, your facial hair won’t grow as quickly as you want it to.
Even if your facial hair is at your desired length, you want it to continue to grow. As it grows, you or your barber will trim away the dead, damaged, and split ends—leaving you with healthy facial hair.
Uncle Jimmy Has You Covered!
Uncle Jimmy has everything modern men need to perfect their daily grooming routine. Keep things even easier with our regimen bundles!
WRITE FOR US
Think you've got a fresh perspective that will challenge our readers to engage and educate themselves on how to attain a healthier self, beard, hair, and skin included? We're always looking for authors who can deliver quality articles and blog posts. Thousands of men and women will read your work, and you will level up in the process.
