Beard Care 101 - How To Apply & Massage Beard Oil For Your Facial Hair
Are You Applying Beard Oil? Well, You Should!
Beard oil is used to cleanse, nourish, and moisturize your beard, keeping it healthy and strong. The oil also keeps your skin free from flaking and itchiness and flaking-hence why it makes an important part of your grooming. Beard oil is comparable to a skin moisturizer or hair conditioner; it protects and nourishes your whiskers. It is a blend of base oils and essential oils.
If you normally experience beard dandruff or beard itch, it doesn’t matter if you already sport a full beard or still on the stubble phase, what you need is beard oil. It not only alleviates the discomfort but helps in supporting and maintaining beard growth. Using this oil is an excellent way of keeping your beard looking awesome as it contains both essential and carrier oils.
The best time to use the oil is right after getting out of your shower. The beard will be at peak cleanness levels and the skin pores will have opened up, good for absorption. Remember to gently towel-dry the beard before you apply oil but leaving it slightly damp. Don’t apply beard oil when your hair is too wet as water and oil don’t mix well.
How Often to Use Beard Oil
When it comes to how often you should use beard oil, it will depend on a variety of factors. First of all, all beard oils are not similar in quality and composition of ingredients. Again, it may come down to individual preferences with many beard aficionados applying the oil every day and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. In fact, most experts recommend daily use to help in keeping your beard as attractive and healthy as possible.
Frequency of application will vary depending on the local climate, the season, and several other factors like cost. You may want to start with an every-other-day use and adjust the regimen as you think necessary. Your beard is likely to dry out more if you are living in a more drier climatic zone which may mean that a more frequent use becomes necessary, perhaps twice a day. If, however, you find that daily use is making your beard too oily, consider cutting down to every other day application.
Buying Beard Oil
With the trend of sporting beards being all the rage these days, the beard oils market is experiencing a plethora of beard oil manufacturers. They are selling everything from quality, pricey products to unbelievably cheap oils. Proper beard care forms an important part of personal grooming and with good beard oil, you will successfully grow a healthy and happy beard.
When you have a grooming kit with a quality beard oil, it will serve you for months because just a little ensures your beard is well-nourished. Of course, that will depend on the length of your beard. Apart from how you apply the beard oil, the type you use has a great impact on its effectiveness. The question that begs an answer then, is what you look for in beard oil when buying.
The more important issue to address is what you should avoid looking for and what ingredients to steer clear of. This is because there are several cheap imitations in the market that contain synthetic additives which have no value addition for your beard or skin.
These include alcohol, silicone, and fragrance, ingredients known to cause dryness, irritation, and build-up and which may trigger more harm than good. If the beard oil container doesn’t list the ingredients that should be a red flag. Any good beard oil that uses high-quality ingredients don't come cheap and the price can also be used as a guide. However, one bottle of beard oil goes a long way and is much cheaper than getting a shave any day!
How Much Do I Use?
Because natural beard oils have a non-greasy feel, it can be tempting to use more than your beard actually needs. Remember that if your beard is wet after a shower, the water prevents the oil from getting absorbed into your hairs and skin, therefore ensure it is dry but damp.
The amount of beard oil needed cannot be described as an exact science -- it depends on the beard length and thickness. While finding the perfect amount can be through the trial and error route until you find your balance, a good rule of thumb principle is to use a dime-sized puddle poured in your palm.
As a guide, here's how you should ideally use beard oil based on beard length:
- Stubble: 1-2 drops
- 1-2 inches long beard: 2-4 drops
- 3-6 inches long beard: 4-6 drops
- Over 6 inches beard: 7+ drops (this ensures all strands get coated and roots penetrated)
Another helpful tip is to think of beard oil as hair gel, but for the beard -- your beard will inform you when it’s nicely saturated just like your head-hair gel does.
Applying Beard Oil
Beard oil not only moisturizes your beard but also the skin underneath reducing dandruff and skin irritation. Depending on the specific type of essential oils used, you can get additional health benefits like increased blood flow to the hair follicles and lower blood pressure because of the stress-reducing aromatherapy.
When applying beard oil, it’s perhaps more important to focus on how you apply the oil. One vital aspect is to make sure that your beard gets lightly coated in oil from the root to the hair tips. All you need is just a few drops for that. If you are located in a cold zone or particularly dry climate, it becomes even more critical to maintain this daily moisturizing routine if you are to have a well-maintained beard.
Start with a few drops in your cupped palm. Rub the beard oil to evenly distribute it in your palm. Shape your beard depending on its volume and length. Work your way down from the beard roots to the end of the hair strands. Massage the skin underneath your beard gently, working your hand in a motion moving from the cheeks downwards to your chin.
If applying after showering in the morning, make sure that you have towel-dried the beard as water and oil don't mix well; but just enough such that the beard remains slightly damp to allow your hair follicles to absorb the oil. After applying your beard oil as we have described above, either use a comb or hairbrush to get your beard into the desired shape.
Conclusion
Besides hydrating the skin, beard oil helps in taming and softening your beard, thus acting a double grooming and styling role. If you are just starting to use beard oil, it’s best to use once a day, particularly in the morning after your hot shower. Before long, you will find that using this useful oil will easily slip into your grooming routine and the benefits will soon be noticeable.
Because it contains rich moisturizing oils, even just a little beard oil is adequate to eliminate flakes and tame those flyaway hairs. If, over time, you feel you could do with more beard oil, consider applying twice a day, morning and night. With the correct amount, beard oil will not just soften your beard but also hydrate it to reduce split ends and eliminate itching. A regular routine of beard oil application will keep your facial hair looking sharp and feeling soft.