How often should you use beard oil?

When should you apply beard oil?

Fit beard oil into your daily moisturizing routine, immediately after washing or showering while your skin is still slightly damp. The useful timing is after cleansing, rather than a particular hour on the clock. Moisturizer traps water in the skin, so applying it to damp skin makes practical sense. If you shave part of your face or neck, moisturize afterward too.1

How to apply beard oil

1. 1Wash your face and beard with a gentle cleanser suited to your skin type.
2. 2Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water, then pat dry with a clean towel, leaving the skin slightly damp.
3. 3Apply a small amount of beard oil and massage it through your beard, reaching the skin beneath the hair.
4. 4Comb your beard to spread the oil evenly and detangle the hair.

Start sparingly and add more only if needed to avoid a greasy look. Distributing the oil matters as well as applying it: a beard comb spreads the product through the hair, doing the distribution work without a department meeting.2

Should every skin type use beard oil daily?

Beard oil is best suited to normal or dry skin once the beard has grown in. If you are prone to acne, choose a beard conditioner instead: beard oils can promote breakouts in skin already prone to them. Changing the product is more useful here than trying to solve the problem with a different oiling schedule.24

For sensitive skin, choose a mild, fragrance free moisturizer that is noncomedogenic, meaning formulated not to clog pores. "Unscented" is not the same as fragrance free; some unscented products contain masking fragrances that can irritate skin. During the stubble phase, use a moisturizer with SPF 30 or higher rather than switching straight to beard oil.12

What should beard oil help with?

Moisturizing helps soften beard hairs and keeps the skin underneath from becoming dry, flaky and itchy. The skin needs care as well as the hair, even though the beard gets its name on the bottle. Think of beard oil as part of daily care, not just something to use when the hair starts feeling prickly.2

What if your beard still itches?

Dry skin is only one cause of beard itch. Ingrown hairs, dandruff and infections can also cause irritation, so persistent itching is not automatically a reason to apply more oil. For dryness, work moisturizer into the skin beneath the beard. Red, scaly, itchy skin can need dandruff treatment instead. Seek medical assessment for persistent irritation or inflamed bumps, rather than repeatedly increasing the oil.45

What about beard oil containing minoxidil?

A product labeled BEARD oil oil contains minoxidil and directs morning and evening use. That schedule belongs to that medicated product, not ordinary beard oils. Its label warns against use on broken skin and says to stop and ask a doctor if a rash occurs. Stop use for chest pain, rapid heartbeat, faintness, dizziness, unexplained weight gain or swollen hands or feet. The label also warns of potential harm during pregnancy or breastfeeding.3