Now that beards have become a hot fashion trend for guys, a lot of people have been asking questions about how to properly take care of their beard once it gets to the right length and style that you’ve been looking for. Two products in particular, beard balm and beard oil, each offer their own distinct benefits and advantages when it comes to keeping your facial hair looking its absolute best.

Why Does My Beard Need Anything At All?

In some cases, some men are born with the right genetic series of codes and live in the right environment, and can grow a fairly luxurious beard without much help. Some beard products help men acquire that extra edge in keeping their beard looking fresh and vibrant, while others are more focused on cleaning, something essential even for men blessed with good natural beard genes.

Beard Oil

Once your beard begins to grow, and gets past the early, perhaps itchy stages, to achieve a comfortable length and style, it becomes more important than ever to take good care of your beard. All men can instantly feel with their hands that the fibres in beards are different than those on the rest of the face and on the scalp. As such, they need special care, and beard oils are usually a natural blend of special moisturising oils that keep your beard in excellent condition.

Beard oil is also recommended for periods in which you are growing your beard, as it works as a softener and relaxer on the skin under your beard, and will help encourage optimum conditions for strong, healthy beard growth.

We recommend – Milkman Beard Oil

Beard Balm

In some senses, you can think of beard balm as more of a styling aide more than strictly a product for cleaning and hygiene, although a quality beard balm will also function nicely as a leave-in conditioner for your beard.

Although some guys reach for the petroleum jelly and other artificial styling gels and hair products, it’s far better to stick to natural products. There are a great number of different beard balms out there, many of which include healthy natural ingredients like shea butter, lanolin, and beeswax. A well-moisturised beard looks thicker and more vibrant, and does a great job of preventing sharp beard hair tips from irritating the skin on your throat and neck. If lip balm is a great aide to keeping your lips moisturised and fresh when spending time outdoors, then consider beard balm to the equivalent for your important facial hair.

We recommend – Milkman Beard Candy

Beard Shampoo/Conditioner

Some men, when questioned, admit that they’ve often used their girlfriend or wife’s shampoo to clean or conditioner to relax their beards, and while that may work sometimes as a stopgap measure they will probably irritate the skin. Products such as a high-quality beard shampoo/conditioner like Milkman Beard Shampoo/Conditioner do a much better job to work with your skin type and make the beard incredibly soft. Beard Shampoos are relatively unknown but will change your beard and your life!

We recommend – Milkman Beard Shampoo/Conditioner

Tips on Applying

Many producers have specific instructions on how to use their beard balm or beard oil, but generally speaking it’s best to first thoroughly wash and clean your beard with a quality Beard Shampoo as discussed above. Once your beard is fully dry, apply a tiny amount of beard balm or oil to the palm of one of your hands, and rub it in until your fingers and palm are silky. Run your fingers through your beard, starting at the lowest point and then massaging your way up until you have worked the balm or oil into the skin at the root of your beard hairs. Once you’ve completed that, run your fingers in the reverse direction, and follow your normal styling routine for your beard.