Beard balm is an all-in-one styling, shaping, and conditioning aid that makes your beard look and feel fuller. It’s typically made from natural ingredients, like beeswax or shea butter, that give you more control over how your beard looks and feels.
(Plus, it keeps your skin healthy underneath the hair.)
But what is beard balm, specifically? Why would someone want to use it? And what makes it different from beard oil?
We’ll answer all of those questions on this page!
What Is Beard Balm?
Beard balm is primarily used as a styling and shaping agent for facial hair.
It’s important because most people’s facial hair is different from their head hair. So the hair that you get on your chin isn’t always the same as you have on your scalp.
Your scalp hair will often be thinner, softer, and more manageable than your facial hair, especially as it grows.
You may find that your facial hair is more wiry, wild, and unpredictable.
Beard balm helps close those textural and visible differences between your facial and scalp hair.
While your facial hair might never feel just like your scalp hair, you can still make it softer and more manageable with balm.
Beard balm itself is typically sold in a simple tin that contains a waxy substance. The wax itself is the beard balm, and it can be “flavored” to a variety of different scents — basically anything the creator wants.
I recently started using spearmint beard balm from Lancaster Beard Company here in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. All of their products are hand-made by local resident Scott Kingsley who retails through Etsy, The Black Comb, and a few other vendors.
I bought it blind, meaning I’ve never used beard balm or anything like it in my life. I’ve only had a beard for about a year, and before that I was clean-shaven.
It also means that I used this beard balm incorrectly for the first week or so that I had it.
So just in case anyone else is out there is a former-fresh-face-turned-facial-follicle-fanatic, here’s how to use beard balm the right way.
How to Use Beard Balm
Beard balm is super easy to use.
- Remove rings
- Scoop a fingernail-sized portion of balm out of the tin
- Rub it between your hands (it’ll feel oily and / or gritty)
- Rub into the bottom of your beard, moving upward into your face
- Refine with brushing and / or trimming
- Replace rings
- Repeat up to three times per day as needed
To follow these steps, all you need are a pair of scissors, a comb, and the balm itself.
Let’s start!
Step 1. Remove Rings
This step is pretty self-explanatory.
You’re about to rub a bunch of oily balm between your hands.
Don’t get it on your rings.
It probably won’t hurt anything. But it’ll definitely lubricate your rings for a long time, which means it’ll be a lot easier for them to slip from your hands into a gutter somewhere.
Step 2. Scoop a Portion onto Your Fingertip
It doesn’t take much balm to get started.
A dime- or fingernail-sized portion of balm is all you need. This is because the wax portion of your balm spreads well without breaking apart.
Step 3. Rub Balm between Your Hands
Rub your fingertip of balm with your other finger or hand. Eventually, you want to have the entire portion of balm spread across both palms of your hands.
Don’t worry about getting this perfect in terms of distribution. As long as you can feel the balm coating your palms, you’re good to go!
Step 4. Rub Balm into Your Facial Hair
Applying the balm is a small process.
Start by rubbing the balm into the base of your beard. This is usually toward the top or middle of the neck for most gents.
Move up through your facial hair, running your fingers over as much of your skin as you can. This application is important because it helps the balm get into your facial pores, which nurtures the hair follicles and roots for a healthier grow.
Once you’ve done that, start at the top of your beard and rub down. This will straighten your beard hair to make it more manageable.
If you’re looking for more than a straight beard, now is the time to style it!
Step 5. Refine with Brushing and / or Trimming
Now that your beard is technically embalmed, it’s time to make it look good.
Run a brush through your facial hair to get it all straightened out and looking good. Boar-hair brushes tend to work best for this, but you can make other types of brushes work too.
If you have extra-scraggly facial hair (like me), you may also have to trim some stray hairs.
Also, beard balm will help with this, along with beard oil. Just keep applying and you’ll notice a difference!
Step 6. Replace Your Rings
Remember that stuff you took off in Step 1?
Get it back on, y’all.
Step 7. Repeat as Needed (up to 3x per Day)
You may find that you need to re-apply beard balm pretty often.
Even if you don’t find it, you may still want to do it.
We recommend using it no more than three times per day.
This helps you avoid over-moisturizing your skill or clogging your facial pores with any of the ingredients in a beard balm.
Too much of a good thing can turn bad, after all.
Results of Beard Balm
Your beard looks and feels better.
This is what my beard looks like before I use it…
… and this is what my beard looks like after balm.
Depending on how long your beard is, you may see a more significant difference than I do.
Still, the difference is huge.
So if you don’t balm yet, here’s how you can get started.
Start Balming Your Beard Today!
Want to start getting a healthier and fuller beard?
A lot of companies out there make quality beard balms.
Honest Amish, Gentle Vikings, Rugged Roots, and other companies have all earned their places as high-quality brands among beard balm.
If you want to start using balm today, pick up a tin for yourself!
Gents of Lancaster 