Growing a beard might not be that challenging, but keeping it from looking insane once it grows a little long sure can be!
If you’re a beard aficionado, you’ve probably heard of beard oils, waxes, and specialty conditioners. Now, beard balms are sort of in between oils and waxes. They’re moisturizing and taming products aimed at simplifying your medium-length-to-long beard care routine.
We’re here to help you find the best beard balms that suit your facial hair needs, so here are our picks for 2023!
Overview
Depending on what you want from your beard balm, we’ve put together a list of quality products you’ll want to give a try. Here are our picks:
- Best Overall: Honest Amish Beard Balm
- Best on a Budget: Old Spice Beard Balm
- Best for Shine: Viking Revolution Beard Balm
- Best for Light Hold: Bulldog Original Beard Balm
- Best Luxury Beard Balm: American Crew Beard Balm
- Best for Beard Dandruff: Rocky Mountain Barber Beard Balm
- Best for Sculpting: Reuzel Wood and Spice Beard Balm
Best Overall: Honest Amish Beard Balm
The Amish take their facial hair super seriously. Aside from being a sign of manhood, it’s also considered a divine order to grow them out. That’s why you know an Amish beard balm is the good stuff!
The Honest Amish beard balm has a mix of apricot kernel, almond, virgin argan, avocado, and virgin pumpkin seed oils. They’re then mixed with fruit and nut butters to produce a smoothening, strengthening, and conditioning beard balm.
The scent is also natural, with hints of cedar, clove, and anise seed.
Pros
- All-natural ingredients with no harmful chemicals
- A trusted product with consistent quality
- Helps tame wiry, unruly hairs
Con
- Not everyone enjoys the scent because of the clove and anise notes.
Best on a Budget: Old Spice Beard Balm
If you’re on a budget and want to reach for a cheap yet effective option, may we suggest the Old Spice beard balm? It’s about half the price of each of the other options and still does a heck of a good job at keeping your face mane at bay.
The only real downside to the Old Spice beard balm is the inclusion of drying ingredients like alcohol and parabens. This is to be expected from a commercial brand, but some customers might not prefer to use a facial hair product with these ingredients.
Pros
- Original Old Spice scent but is faint enough to use with other fragrances
- Great price compared to competitors
- Effective for smoothening and frizz control
Con
- Contains alcohol, parabens, and other artificial ingredients
Best for Shine: Viking Revolution Beard Balm
The Viking Revolution beard balm is a breath of fresh air thanks to the super refreshing citrus scent. The unique mix of argan oil and mango butter helps make your beard stronger, shinier, and a lot more under control. The perfect way to grow a Viking beard!
That said, if you have a naturally soft beard, this beard balm might be overkill. The formula is a little heavy and might be too overbearing if you have acne-prone skin underneath the beard.
Pros
- Smoothing formula perfect for longer or thicker beards
- Citrus scent for a refreshing aroma after application
- Great shine if that’s the look you’re going for
Con
- Can get too greasy and tacky for naturally soft beards
Best for Light Hold: Bulldog Original Beard Balm
If you’re looking for a leave-in conditioner for your beard, look no further than the Bulldog beard balm. This lightweight formula is perfect for short-to-medium-length beards that don’t require a lot of hold.
The Bulldog beard balm contains Aloe Vera, Camelina oil, and green tea. It’s also vegan and cruelty-free, so it has that going for it.
Pros
- Lightweight, moisturizing beard balm that takes care of your beard and the skin underneath
- Easy to distribute formula that leaves no residues
- Matte finish, if that’s your preference
Con
- Doesn’t work for longer beards that require more hold
Best Luxury Beard Balm: American Crew Beard Balm
This luxurious beard balm by American Crew has all the goodness of sweet almond oil and shea butter going for it. It’s both smoothening and moisturizing to the skin beneath the beard, keeping your beard soft and your face happy.
Pros
- Smoothening formula with natural ingredients
- Helps moisturize dry skin
- Perfect for coarse hair that frizzes easily
Con
- The smell could be too overpowering for some customers.
Best for Beard Dandruff: Rocky Mountain Barber Beard Balm
If you have sensitive skin and are struggling with continuous skin irritation, some heavy products might cause beard dandruff, aka “beardruff.”
The cedarwood beard balm by Rocky Mountain Barber has tea tree oil as part of its formula to relieve itchy skin and aid in healthy beard growth.
Pros
- Contains cedarwood and tea tree essential oils that give this beard balm its scent and efficacy
- Reduces beard dandruff and itchiness with regular use
- Lightweight, non-greasy formula
Con
- The scent isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
Best for Sculpting: Reuzel Wood and Spice Beard Balm
For those with wiry, thick beards who’d like something a little more akin to beard wax, try Reuzel’s beard balm. This product has better sculpting properties than a regular conditioning beard balm, but it still keeps your beard healthy and skin nourished.
Just make sure you get the Reuzel beard balm in the “wood and spice” scent since the “original” tends to smell like baby powder or elderly women’s cologne.
Pros
- Has heavier formula for thick and long beards
- Better beard balm for sculpting your whiskers
- Contains shea butter and argan oil for a softer beard
Con
- The texture could be a little too hard and unworkable for shorter beards.
How to Pick a Beard Balm For Beard Care and Styling
Choosing the best beard balm for your facial hair care needs depends on multiple factors:
Beard Types
Short beards require products with minimal styling properties; that’s why a beard oil or a beard conditioner-like balm is suitable. Once you grow a longer beard, you’ll probably need beard balms with more sculpting power.
The same goes for soft beards vs. coarse beards. If your beard hairs are wiry, a thicker product would make more sense.
Skin Sensitivity
People with sensitive skin often struggle with issues like itchiness around the hair follicles, which could sometimes lead to flaky skin or beardruff. Moisturizing the skin and having bacteria-fighting ingredients in the beard balm can help mitigate this issue.
If you have acne-prone skin, avoiding comedogenic ingredients that clog pores, like cocoa butter or coconut oil, can help prevent breakouts. Aim for lighter ingredients like jojoba oil and grape seed oil.
Scent Preference
The best beard balm won’t be the best if you hate how it smells. Keep in mind that the stuff hangs around right under your nose. That’s why you should find something you enjoy so you wouldn’t feel suffocated all day.
How to Apply Beard Balm
If you’re more of a beard oil kind of guy and beard balms are a bit out of your comfort zone, here’s how to use beard balm:
- Start with a freshly washed and dry beard before applying beard balm or other beard products.
- Using a beard comb, brush out your beard in the direction it normally goes.
- Take an appropriate amount of beard balm into your hands and rub it between your palms.
- Spread the product evenly through your beard. Don’t be afraid to really get in there!
- Using a beard brush, smooth down your beard and style it as you usually do.
- Add more beard balm to the areas that need it.
Conclusion
The best beard balm on the market isn’t just one product. Your individual needs define what beard balms should work best for your face mane, just like with head hair!
Try to go for a product that suits your beard style, whether short or long. A heavy, wax-like balm can do wonders for long beards and be a dud for short beards.
Aim for a decent beard balm with natural ingredients. These product tins usually last you over a month, so investing in a good-quality beard balm probably won’t hurt your wallet too much.