How To Use Beard Oil

Beard oil is kind of an amazing thing, but it's also one of those products you don't know you need until you've used it. Once you've started using beard oil, you realize just how much better your beard and face both look and feel. Your beard will be softer, less tangles, look more presentable, it will have a sheen and smell great. Your face underneath will be smooth and happily hydrated - meaning no more itch and no more flaky skin peppered throughout your beard.

The process of applying beard oil is pretty straight forward but I always hear questions regarding how much to apply, when to apply it and how often. We'll be touching on all of those as well as a few tips. First things first though, if you're going to be using beard oil, make sure to get the best beard oil available from Genesee Beard Co!

This step is much more important than you might think. In order for the oils to really do their job and get in there, your beard and face need to be clean and it needs to be slightly damp; not soaking wet though. A clean beard will allow the oils to penetrate and stick to your hair better and a damp beard allows the oil to displace the water and absorb into the hair and skin. Whatever you do, don't wash that beard with a shampoo designed for the hair on the top of your head. These shampoos are far too harsh for your skin and beard and are designed to strip away much more of your natural oils than your face can produce. Your scalp produces much more oil than your face does. Make sure to go with a wash designed specifically for your beard!

Tip: If you need to get out of the house in a hurry and don't have time to take a shower, simply splash and work warm water through your beard, pat it dry and apply oil. You'll look freshly groomed and no one will know you rolled out of bed 5 minutes earlier.

This seems simple enough but we think it needs its own step. Don't assault your beard with a towel; simply pat it dry while leaving a little bit of dampness. Water shouldn't be dripping off but it shouldn't feel like the Sahara either.

One of the biggest questions we get is, "how much oil do I use?" I think many of the guides available are regurgitating the same poor information and are substantially low balling the amount of oil you should use. Generally, Genesee Beard Co.'s glass droppers will fill up halfway when you squeeze the bulb. On my own beard, I use two squeezes which is the equivalent of one full dropper. My beard tends to be pretty dry and is currently 11 months old and when pulled straight, the hair is 6 inches long (see below).

So how much oil should you use then? For a beard that's 1-4 months old, I'd recommend a few drops to 1/4 of a dropper. For a beard that's 5-8 months old, 1/4 to 1/2 of a dropper. For a beard that's 9 months to a year old, 1/2 to 1 full dropper. The recommended oil amount is really dependent on the length and thickness of your beard; the thicker and longer the beard, the more oil you're going to need.

Once you've determined how much oil you need, suck it up with the dropper and dispense it into your palm.

Rub your palms together and work that oil through your beard and down into the skin. I generally apply the oil to the lower, underside of my beard first (neck area, below the jaw). Make sure to get the oil onto your skin and rake your fingers through your beard. After working the oil in from below, run your hands over the top of your beard, across the cheeks and down through the goatee area, again raking your fingers through the beard to help disburse.

Don't forget the mustache and soul patch area! That's where most of your dry skin comes from!

To ensure the oils make it to all the hairs in that face blanket of yours, give it a good comb through with a nice wooden comb (wooden combs don't create static like plastic ones and the excess oils they absorb can be reapplied when combing later in the day).

This one is nice and simple - just pat your beard down into a nice shape and you're good to go!

If your beard is a bit more unruly and you're still dealing with rogue hairs sticking out, you need the heavy duty assistance of a beard balm to get everything to fall in line. Don't worry, we've got a guide on applying beard balm as well!

Typically, you want to use beard oil once a day. Right after you shower in the morning, apply beard oil as part of your regular routine. If you live in a particularly dry environment or if you're going out in the evening, apply again at night.

Simply wet your beard with warm water and pat it dry so that it's damp. Drop some oil into your hands and rub them together. Work the oil through your beard, comb it and shape.

If you're ready to take the plunge, check out our best selling beard oil, Mountaineer!