Beard care for beginners: beard oil, balm, and how to use both
Most beard care advice starts with a shelf full of products and a lot of noise. We would rather start with what actually goes on your face. Our beard oil is argan oil, jojoba oil, and vitamin E. Our beard balm adds shea butter and beeswax, with no parabens or sulfates. Both are handcrafted in small batches in Mapleton, Utah, scented with phthalate-free fragrance, and formulated with no California Proposition 65 listed ingredients. That short list is usually what gets a guy to try his first bottle. The scent is what keeps it on the counter.
If you have been growing a beard for a few weeks and it has gone from exciting to itchy, wiry, and pointing in four directions, you do not need a ten step routine. You need two products and about a minute a day.
The short version
- Beard oil every day, on a slightly damp beard. This is the one that softens the hair and moisturizes the skin underneath.
- Beard balm when you want to tame flyaways and give your beard some shape.
Oil is the foundation. Balm is the finish. If you only buy one thing today, buy the oil.
Step one: beard oil, the one that does the real work
Beard oil is the product that changes how your beard feels, and it is the one we would hand a beginner first.
Here is the thing new beard growers usually get wrong: the itch is rarely about the hair. It is about the skin underneath, now covered by a beard that soaks up whatever moisture was headed for it. Beard oil goes past the hair and reaches that skin. Ours is built on three ingredients that each do a job. Argan oil conditions coarse facial hair so it feels soft instead of wiry. Jojoba oil is light enough to moisturize the beard and the skin below it without sitting on top like a film. Vitamin E rounds it out so the finish looks healthy rather than greasy.
It comes in a 1 ounce bottle with a dropper, which matters more than it sounds. A dropper means you can repeat what worked yesterday instead of guessing.
How to use it:
- Start with a slightly damp beard. Damp, not dripping.
- Put 2 to 3 drops in your palm. Use more if your beard is long or full.
- Rub your hands together, then work the oil through your beard and into the skin underneath. Do not skip the skin.
- Comb or brush it through so it lands everywhere, not just on the outside.
Use it daily, or any time your beard feels dry or hard to manage. At 10.99 dollars a bottle, it is the least expensive part of the routine and the part that does the most.
Step two: beard balm, for hold and shape
Balm is what you add once your beard is long enough to have opinions about where it wants to go.
Our beard balm starts from the same conditioning base as the oil, argan and jojoba and vitamin E, and adds shea butter for richer moisture and beeswax for a light, natural hold. Light is the operative word. This is not a wax that leaves your beard stiff and crunchy. It softens flyaways, keeps stray hairs pointed in roughly the same direction, and still lets your beard move and look like hair.
How to use it:
- Scrape a small amount out with your thumbnail. Start with less than you think.
- Warm it between your palms until it melts and turns glossy.
- Work it from the roots out to the ends, including the skin underneath.
- Comb or brush to shape.
It comes in a 2 ounce tin, and a thumbnail scrape really is enough for most beards.
Do you actually need both?
Honestly, not on day one.
If your beard is under about an inch, oil alone will handle it. The problem at that stage is comfort, not control, and oil is the comfort product. Once your beard gets long enough that the sides fluff out or the hairs by your mouth start wandering, balm earns its spot. That is usually around the two month mark, though beards keep their own schedules.
When you do run both, the order is oil first, balm second. Oil goes in damp and conditions from the inside, and balm goes on after to shape. Reversing them means the balm blocks the oil from getting where it needs to go.
What this looks like day to day
- Every morning: 2 to 3 drops of oil on a damp beard, combed through.
- Whenever you want it to look sharp: a thumbnail of balm after the oil, then brush.
- Once a week: brush a little longer than usual. It spreads everything evenly and trains the hair which way to lie.
That is the whole routine. Anybody selling you more steps than that is selling you steps.
If you want the whole thing in one box, the Grizzly Beard Crate pairs the oil and balm with a boar bristle brush, a beard comb, and stainless steel scissors. It moves quickly, so check the beard care collection for current availability.
The part that makes it a habit
Clean ingredients are why you try beard oil. The scent is why you reach for it every morning without thinking about it.
Both the oil and the balm come in the same four scents, so you can layer them without a fight. Cypress & Gin is crisp, green, and a little botanical, the closest thing we make to a walk through wet pine. Sweet Tobacco is warm and slightly sweet, the leather-chair end of the shelf. Vetiver Sandalwood is earthy, woody, and grown up, the one people ask about. Ambered Vanilla is softer, vanilla with some smoke behind it.
Pick one and run it through the oil and the balm. If you want the whole morning to line up, Cypress & Gin Bar Soap carries the same scent into the shower. That is the difference between a routine you keep and a bottle that ends up behind the sink.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between beard oil and beard balm?
Beard oil conditions the hair and moisturizes the skin underneath, and it is a daily product. Balm does that too, but adds shea butter and beeswax for a light hold, so it also tames flyaways and shapes a longer beard. Oil is the foundation, balm is the finish.
Do I need beard oil and beard balm, or just one?
For a short beard, oil alone is usually enough, because the issue at that stage is dryness rather than control. Once your beard is long enough to fluff out or stray, add balm on top of the oil.
In what order do I use beard oil and beard balm?
Beard oil goes on first, on a slightly damp beard, worked down to the skin underneath. If you want hold or shape, warm a small amount of balm between your palms and apply it after the oil, then comb or brush. Oil conditions, balm finishes.
How much beard oil should I use?
Start with 2 to 3 drops for a short or medium beard, and use more for a longer or fuller one. Our 1 ounce bottle comes with a dropper so you can find your amount and repeat it. If your beard looks shiny, use a drop less next time.
When should I start using beard oil?
As soon as the itch shows up, which for most people is the first week or two of growth. That early itch comes from dry skin under new stubble, and oil is the product that reaches it. There is no length you have to wait for.
Start with the oil
If you are two weeks into a beard and wondering why it itches, start with beard oil and give it a week. Add beard balm when your beard is long enough to need shaping, or browse the full beard care collection and pick your scent first.
Everything is handcrafted in small batches in Mapleton, Utah, backed by our 100% Scent Satisfaction Guarantee, with free shipping over 40 dollars. If the scent is not for you, tell us and we will make it right.
