The Extraordinary Benefits of Beard Balm & Why You Should Use It
Beard Balm 101
Although beards have been trending for several years now, people are not aware of how to get the most out of their facial hair. When it comes to the hair on your head, you do not just let it be, right? You shampoo, condition, apply different products, and whatnot. Similarly, facial hair must also be taken care of well.
When it comes to facial hair, their maintenance does not just require trimming them once in a while – there is indeed more to it. You will have to actively care for the beard and the skin beneath it.
Fortunately, there is a range of products that can help you maintain both simultaneously. These products, that many of you would not have been aware of, are easy-to-use.
The major products among these include beard wax, beard oil, and beard balm. In this article, you will mainly learn about the benefits of beard balm and its comparison with the other useful beard products.
What is Beard Balm?
Beard balm acts as both a leave-in-beard conditioner and a shaping and styling aid. A good beard balm must make your facial hair look denser, provide hold for styling, and moisturize. For the best results, avoid the use of balms that use synthetic sealants like petroleum jelly since they are likely to damage facial hair and irritate your skin. Look for a balm that contains natural sealants only, like lanolin, beeswax, or Shea butter. These natural ingredients are less likely to irritate the skin and fulfill all your desires related to the beard.
In case you have a thin or patchy beard, consider using a balm that contains Shea butter, as it is especially good at making the hair appear thicker. In addition to all-natural ingredients, ensure that your balm contains all-natural moisturizers like argan or jojoba oil. Without the presence of moisturizers, your beard will only seal in dryness, resulting in a brittle beard that is more prone to breakage.
How to Use Beard Balm?
A beard balm acts as a solution to all your problems of dry, brittle, and thin beard. You must, therefore, use beard balm to not only improve the condition of your beard but also style it. For best results, follow the given steps for application:
- Wash your beard with any natural beard soap.
- Wait for the beard to get dry. Now apply the beard balm.
- Scrape out balm and rub it between your palms.
- Gently run your fingers through the hair in an upward direction, i.e., from your neck towards your chin. Ensure that the balm is rubbed into the skin where the beard grows. This will aid in the nourishment of facial hair at the roots.
- Now, reverse the direction of the application – run your fingers in a downward direction, spreading the beard balm down the hair follicles. Do not forget the hair around the mouth and your mustache.
Note that you can leave the natural beard balms until you wash your beard. However, do not leave them if they contain ingredients like petroleum jelly. Balms like these must be washed nightly to avoid any damage to your facial hair.
How much of it to Apply?
A little can go a long way. Therefore, do not overdo it and risk wasting the product. In fact, you can always take more while applying if you feel it is not sufficient.
Scrape a dime-sized amount of beard balm using the back of your nail. Then rub it between your hands until you feel it softening and melting.
How Often Should You Apply It?
Every person’s beard differs from each other. No matter how much they look alike, they are unique. Some require more moisturizer, while others may not be dry as much. Besides, the size of the beard also differs.
In case you have a beard that is not dry and you do not go out often, so it does not require styling, apply the balm 1 to 2 times a day.
On the other hand, if your beard is very dry and you need to style it often, to get the best results, apply the balm up to thrice a day.
How to Get the Most of the Beard Balm?
To get the most out of beard balm, you should use it in combination with a beard comb and beard oil. Following are the ways of doing so:
- Beard Comb: Once you are done applying the beard balm on your facial hair, brush the beard balm through your beard using boars hair beard comb. This will help in distributing the balm evenly throughout the beard. Also, you can use the comb to straighten the beard.
- Beard Oil: In case of using beard oil along with balm, you will have to first apply oil, brush your hair, apply the balm, and then again brush your hair.
- a few drops of oil on your palm according to the thickness and length of your beard. Rub the oil on your palms and then gently massage it onto the beard and the skin beneath it. Then, comb the hair, apply balm as directed, and comb the hair again.
Benefits of Beard Balm
The benefits of beard balm has been known by the majority of users. Following are the pros of using beard balm regularly:
- Keeps the Beard Healthy: Beard balms can even reduce dandruff, dead ends and split ends through the use of ingredients like coconut oil, beeswax, and Shea butter. Thus, beard balm gives you a healthy beard.
- Style the Beard: Balms add a little weight and volume to the beard. The elements of ingredients like beeswax help in laying down the stray hair for a tamed and naturally groomed look. Also, the comb or hairbrush you use for your beard will glide smoothly through your beard.
- Conditioning and Soft: Do you like an itchy and dry beard? Therefore, it is essential to keep the beard soft and conditioned. Beard balms help you with these by providing you a smoother beard while acting as conditioners.
Differences between Beard Balm, Beard Wax, and Beard Oil
No matter how similar these terms sound, all of these products have different uses and benefits. The following represents the differences between the three:
Beard Oil
- Hydrates and nourishes skin and beard
- Increases the growth of facial hair
- Reduces inner skin problems like dandruff
- Increases the density of beard
Beard Wax
- Styles beard by keeping the hair in place
- Best for long beards
- Protects from weather like rain
- Increases volume of the beard
Beard Balm
- Conditions the beard
- Best for short beards
- Softens the hair
- Provides consistency to hair
Now that you would have quite understood the specialties and differences between beard oil, beard wax, and beard balm, you would be convinced to use them. However, if you are still wondering which product would be the best suitable for your beard, and which one should you buy for a great beard care routine, the answer is all three. All of these have different qualities that act differently on our beard and the skin beneath it.