Everyone’s beard is different. This means that even the best advice on Internet one work for some people. There are some fantastic blogs which recommend using every type of product under the sun. However, pretty much every beard owner uses beard oil during their daily maintenance routine. For some people, using beard oil is enough to keep their beard hydrated and looking healthy and smooth. For others, no matter how often they use beard oil they just can’t stop it from looking dry and dull. If you are reading this article – I assume that you are struggling to keep your beard looking healthy even if you are using beard oil. In this article, I am going to tell you the 10 things that you can do all use on your dry beard which includes using oil properly and supplementing it with other products.
If your beard is dry even if you are using oil you should try using a beard butter. Beard butters contain shea butter and other organic butters which act as a leave in conditioner for your beard. You can also try switching out your shampoo and trying other natural products like coconut oil.
There are two methods that you can use if you find that beard oil is not working for you. Firstly, you should consider the type of beard oil that you are using as well as the way in which you are using it. I am going to line go through the things that are important about beard oil that you may not be doing if it is not hydrating your beard. Secondly, you may need to supplement your beard oil routine with another product. Using another product means that your beard is getting more nutrients from a range of sources and perhaps the different product for your beard type and condition. The good news is that you don’t need to stop using beard oil or you have to do is add in another small step to your daily maintenance routine.
Here are all of the things that you should consider if your beard is still dry after using beard oil.
Article Contents
Use another oil
There are plenty of beard oils on the market for you to try. I think that if your current beard oil is not working for you, you should try a different manufacturer of beard oil as not all beard oils are created equally.
Each beard oil manufacturer uses a different mixture of common carrier oils and also uses varying qualities and amounts of essential oils. If your beard oil has too many essential oils and it could easily be drying out your beard. Why not try and unscented beard oil to see if the essential oils are causing the issue?
Also, each beard oil manufacturer uses a different quality of carrier oil and essential oils. Stick with a well-known beard product manufacturer such as honest Amish, beard brand, Viking revolution and stay away from smaller brands which may be using white label products – products where they change the label to match the seller but is bulk manufactured for a number of different beard product brands.
Not using enough
You may not be using enough of the beard oil to make a real difference in your beard. The important question to ask yourself here is: how long is my beard? If your beard is only as long as a few millimetres one or two drops will be perfectly fine as long as it is spread evenly across your face.
But if your beard is wickedly long you may need to use up to 10 drops and also apply it in stages to your beard. We all have habits which can inadvertently affect our beard and if you are applying most of the oil to the front of your beard out of habit it could be depriving the sides of your beard with as much love and attention as front gets.
If you are not using enough you will notice that some parts of your beard are well nourished and looking healthy whilst other parts are not looking as shiny. Remedying this is easy as you should increase your application by one or two drops to see if that helps. It will take a couple of weeks to really assess how this extra oil is helping your beard.
Use a beard butter
Beard butter is an incredible product because not only does it contain the oils that you typically find in beard oil but it also hydrates conditions and repairs your beard hair by using a combination of natural butters.
Beard butters can be used alongside oils and because they are a taste they stay in the beard for longer which means they have more time to soak into your beard. If your beard is a little bit to coarse using a beard butter will soften it right up.
The actual butters used in beard butter varies but they tend to be either Shea butter or cocoa butter. Here are some of the awesome benefits of Shea butter.
Shea butter
Shea butter is extracted from the nuts of the Shea tree. The raw form has an off white color and is a solid at room temperature. Shea trees are found in Africa and has been used for centuries for it’s medicinal properties.
The shea butter has so many awesome properties that it would be silly not to buy a beard butter that has this as one of it’s main components:
- It can help you beat beardruff – In 2018 a study found that when used in combination with other products it helps reduce flakes.
- It may help hair get stronger – Similar plant-based butter has been shown to make hair much more resistant to breakages
- It is antibacterial and antifungal – if your beard is smelling or you have some issues with a dirty beard. Shea butter will help fight off the bacteria that are in your beard. Want more about beard bacteria? Check out this article all about beard bacteria.
- Can add slight sun protection to your beard hair – If you live in a sunny and hot environment shea butter ats an extra layer of sun protection that has been estimated to provide a 3 – 4 SPF protection.
These properties mean that it is amazing to use as often as you want on your beard!
Try putting it in your beard while it is damp
Another little trick that I find out the other day is that if I apply my beard oil directly after a shower and before using any heat treatment on my beard, my beard ends up softer and more manageable in the morning. I discussed my finding in a short YouTube video that I posted on my YouTube channel:
You see, the inside of your beard hair relies on moisture being retained for it to be healthy and strong. After a shower at your beard has moisture sat on the outside of the hair cuticle. By applying oil you force the oil to sit on top of the water which gives the water more chance to be absorbed by the beard hair rather than evaporating.
Oil does not contain any water (or a very very small amount of it at least) and so it will not hydrate your beard as well as a higher water percentage product such as beard butter or balms. Look at your beard maintenance routine and identify the areas where your beard may be losing moisture. Then, simply tackle those moments for a much more hydrated and well-conditioned beard.
Use a boar bristle brush
If you have been using beard oil with only your hands a little bit of brushing and maintenance should be used to evenly disperse the beard oil throughout your beard.
Some blogs recommend that you use a boar bristle brush which has had beard oil directly applied to it. I have never used this method as I like to apply the beard oil my fingers and open palms first and then distribute evenly using my soft bristle brush.
When you are brushing your beard hair remember to go slowly and don’t be scared about going upwards on your beard – against the grain. This will make sure that the beard oil gets distributed even to depths of your beard.
Harsh shampoo
Another reason why your beard oil may not be cutting it in terms of leaving your beard well hydrated is that it is simply not able to cope with the harsh shampoo that you are using to clean your beard.
You should never use head shampoo on your beard as it is formulated for a very oily part of your body. This removes all of the oils from your face and the beard oil is simply not enough to replace all of the oils that you have stripped from your beard.
Check out my YouTube video where I do a 50-50 beard wash experiment with two very popular beard product manufacturers. Choosing the right soak will mean that some oils remain on your beard and that the beard oil only has to work so hard to get your beard looking nourished and healthy.
Try a number of different shampoos and if you find that your beard is still dry after using something like honest Amish you should look for a very mild soap which contains a load of natural oils so that it doesn’t strip the oil from your beard completely.
Try other individual ingredients
If you find the commercial beard balms are not working for your beard you should consider using individual ingredients to find out which one would be most beneficial for your beard to stay hydrated and shiny.
Vitamin E oil
Vitamin E is a fat soluble nutrient which you can either eat or apply topically to the surface of your beard hair.
According to some, using a vitamin E oil regularly can help replenish the shine that can be lost due to beard damage and aging of the hair. Vitamin E oil can also stop beard oils becoming rancid through oxidation and dramatically increases the shelf-life of the beard oil. So if you are making your own oil you should consider using a little bit of vitamin E oil. This is particularly important if you are making a big batch and it will sit around for a few months before you open a new bottle.
Most of the claims that follow vitamin E around is dues to its anti-oxidant properties (why it preserves beard oils). Here are a few things that vitamin E can do to help your beard:
- Increase shine – There is limited scientific evidence that vitamin E restores shine but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence from manufacturers of hair products and their customers. It probably won’t hurt to give it a go for your beard!
- Prevent hair fall from beard – there is a very small study that looked at the ability of vitamin E to prevent hair loss. More research is needed but the results from the study showed a small improvement of hair growth over the placebo control.
- Heathier skin – Vitamin E could help you maintain healthy skin underneath the beard due to its antioxidant effects. This property could help reduce the amount of oxidative stress that could cause the hair follicles to break down.
Vitamin E can be found in beard care products but you can also obtain vitamin E from your diet. Foods with a high level of vitamin E are leafy greens, nuts and seeds, vegetable oil and fortified cereals.
Argan oil
Argan oil is a natural plan oil which is derived from the kernels of the fruit of the Argan tree. The Argan tree is native to Morocco but because of the oils properties and popularity it has spread across the globe.
To use Argan oil all you have to do is use it like your beard oil. Use the argan oil straight after showering. Drop approximately 3 – 5 drops of beard oil into the palm of your hand. Rub it between your hands and them in downwards motions rub it on to your beard. Focus first on the direction of beard growth. Then work the oil into the underside of your beard against the growth. Don’t rub for too long during the application – keep going long enough so that it is evenly distributed! Brush the beard lightly and shape the way you want your beard to sit for the day.
Coconut oil
Coconut oil is fantastic for hair because it has been well documented to seek under the hair cuticle’s which can be made more efficient using the application of heat.
Once the coconut oil has seeped to the inside of the hair it is able to nourish and protect the strength of the inner core.
To use coconut oil effectively all you have to do is soften the oil and apply throughout their hair and leave in for at least 20 minutes. Simply washing it out with a mild shampoo afterwards is a fantastic way of doing a dehydration treatment which you can do at home.
Use a leave in conditioner
Here are some of the best reasons that you should consider using a dedicated beard conditioner:
- It nourishes and moisturizes the beard – one of the biggest benefits to your beard – it makes it lovely and soft and will make your wirey hair much easier to manage.
- It helps softens the stubble on the face – If you are not one for growing a long beard but prefer to keep it close to the skin the it’ll help soften the ends of the hairs and make it way less spikey!
- Imparts a healthy shine – A well-conditioned beard is one with a nice healthy shine to it. If you want to find out more tips and tricks to making your beard shine – check out my other article.
- It makes combing and styling easier – having hair that doesn’t grip the comb and sits well after it is brushed into place is an achievable outcome if you use a beard conditioner regularly.
- It reduces irritation and dry skin – the skin under a beard is not easy to look after. However, the regular use of a conditioner will leave the skin nourished and irritation-free. If you are worried about bacteria and a smelly beard you can also use a beard conditioner with essential oil that has antibacterial properties.
- They leave a nice fragrance The last and maybe one of the strongest effects noticed by others is that a good beard conditioner will leave your beard smelling lovely! Choose a beard conditioner that has a smell that you like and, if you have a significant other, make sure that they also like the smell! There is nothing quite like a lovely smelling product!
So, there are the main benefits of using beard conditioner on your beard!
Can I use hair conditioner on my beard?
Absolutely you can use hair conditioner on your beard – but it probably will not give you as good as results as using a conditioner that has been specially formulated for beards. The scalp is a much oilier place than your face and so the conditioners that are made for head hair do not do as much as you need them to do.
The hair on your face needs a beard conditioner specially formulated for a less oily part of your head. So, it’s better to use a beard conditioner.
If you want to use your hair conditioner on your beard I recommend that you use a conditioner formulated for dry head hair. That will make it more suited to the conditions on your face.
Summary
There are all of the things you can do to make sure your beard is never dry even if you are using beard oil. Because everyone’s beard is different you need to experiment just to find which beard oil or product works best for hydrating your beard and leaving it shiny and smooth.
Approach this with a sense of fun and you will be able to try a load of different products and I recommend that you note down what each one does to your beard and how it leaves it so that when you have to make the decision you will know exactly which one worked the best!
Happy beard growing!
