What Does Beard Oil Do?

If you’ve started to grow a beard, or have been nurturing a beard for a while, then you’ve probably heard about beard oil. Perhaps it’s been enthusiastically recommended to you. But, you might be wondering what exactly it does? To find out, keep reading and the Cremo team will tell you everything you need to know…

What is beard oil?

Let’s kick things off with a definition. What exactly is beard oil? 

Here at Cremo we define beard oil as an oil that is used to nourish, revive and condition both beard hair and skin.

Beard oil is typically composed of two core ingredients:

> Carrier oils.

> Essential oils

Carrier oils

The bulk of a good beard oil will be a ‘carrier oil’ (also known as a base oil or vegetable oil) that provides the main substance of the oil. As their name suggests, carrier oils are used to carry the other main ingredients in a beard oil - essential oils. 

Carrier oils also help to dilute the essential oils within beard oil. This is important because essential oils alone can be prone to dilution and dispersion. 

In other words - carrier oils help to keep everything together - so that the beard oil is simple and satisfying to apply to your beard. 

Carrier oils don’t just ‘carry though’. They also moisturise and nourish skin and hair in their own right. It’s the carrier oils that do the heavy lifting in terms of hair and skin nourishment, whilst the essential oils add a flourish of pleasant odour as the finishing touch.

Whilst some beard oils will contain a single carrier oil, it’s not unusual to find beard oils that mix several carrier oils together (such as Cremo beard oils). This allows our cosmetic chemists to create the optimal blend to support hair and skin care.

Examples of carrier oils include coconut oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, and more. 

Of these carrier oils, coconut oil and sunflower oil are widely regarded as being the best. That’s why you’ll find these are some of the core ingredients in Cremo beard oils. 

Essential oils

Essential oils are the second main ingredient found in beard oils. 

Essential oils are compounds extracted from plants and capture the plant’s scent (or ‘essence’ - hence the name). 

Typically obtained via mechanical pressing or distillation, essential oils are what add the distinctive scent that accompanies so many beard oils. 

Many beard oils will combine several essential oils into a single beard oil product. This allows the beard oil to present a complex, distinct and attractive scent. 

Also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, or aetheroleum - essential oils are sometimes referred to simply as the oil of the plant from which they have been extracted e.g. rosemary essential oil, spearmint essential oil etc.

Examples of essential oils found in Cremo beard oils include argan oil, jojoba oil and rosemary oil.

Combined, essential oils and carrier oils create beard oil; but naturally, no two beard oils are the same, as each one has a distinctive formulation and blend of ingredients. 

How does beard oil work? 

Okay, enough of the chemistry lesson… How exactly does beard oil work? And why is it necessary?

It all begins with one word - androgens. 

Androgens are natural hormones such as testosterone that play an important role in developing and maintaining male characteristics - such as beards.

However, although androgens such as testosterone encourage beard growth, the hair that results is typically coarse. And coarse hair, if not regularly moisturised and nourished, will become dry and brittle. 

If you just leave your beard to fend for itself (spoiler: you shouldn’t!), you’ll find that the beard hairs draw moisture from your skin, leaving it dry. This is because the hairs aren’t getting moisture and nourishment from anywhere else. 

Another important point to remember is that as your beard grows longer, it can become harder for your body to send moisture and nutrients from the follicle (the growth point of the beard hair), to the very end of each strand of beard hair. 

The result of all this can be a straggly, thin, dry beard, and dry, sensitive, itchy skin. No one wants that. 

So, what’s the solution? Beard oil, of course. 

Beard oil works by complementing and adding to the sebum that is produced by your skin. 

Sebum is a mix of fat molecules, waxes and squalene that is produced by your skin. It’s effectively your skin’s own home-made moisturiser. 

However, as anyone who suffers from dry skin will tell you, your skin won’t always produce enough sebum. This is particularly true when you’re trying to grow a beard. As we mentioned earlier, your beard hairs will actively be trying to draw moisture from your skin - especially if you’re not using beard oil.

Because beard oil is packed with moisture rich carrier oils, it replenishes your skin’s moisture - which in turns replenishes your beard hairs. 

Used regularly, beard oil will ensure your skin and beard stay moisturised and in top condition. 

When should you use beard oil?

There’s a common misconception that you need to have achieved a hearty, full beard before you can start using beard oil. 

In fact, the contrary is true. You can - and should - use beard oil from the earliest stages of growing a beard. So, even if you only have stubble, it’s beneficial to use beard oil. 

Think of beard oil as being an essential tool that accompanies you at every stage of your beard growing journey. 

What are the benefits of using beard oil? 

We realise that’s quite a lot of information to take in, so for anyone who wants the TL;DR (too long; didn’t read), we’ve provided the ‘at-a-glance’ benefits of using beard oil below: 

A healthy, envy-inspiring beard

If you want to be the best at everything you do, then your beard shouldn’t be an exception. 

Using beard oil on a regular basis will ensure your beard looks and feels great. Not only will it be well-moisturised and healthy, it’ll have a nice glossy shine that’ll fill you with confidence. 

What’s more, your beard will stand out against all of those beard wearers who fail to regularly use beard oil…

A more manageable beard

As it moisturises your beard, beard oil will make your beard far more manageable and easier to groom. 

Think of the times when you’ve had to drag a comb through your beard because it’s been dry and coarse. By using beard oil regularly, you can banish those frustrating combing sessions to memory. 

Trimming and clipping your beard will also be much easier, simply because your beard hairs will be so much healthier and in better condition. 

Less itching and hair loss

With a well-moisturised beard, you’ll experience much less itching and scratching. Not only is this pleasant in and of itself, but it can help to reduce hair loss caused by repeated scratching. 

What to look for in a beard oil

Okay, so by now we’ve hopefully convinced you of the benefits of using beard oil. If that’s the case, what should you look for when choosing a beard oil? 

Explore our top beard oil buying tips below:

Premium moisturisers

Given that the main job of a beard oil is to moisturise, you naturally want to select a beard oil which contains the very best, premium, moisturisers. 

Ideally, you’ll want your chosen beard oil to contain natural moisturisers such as coconut oil, aloe and other similar carrier oils. 

Natural moisturisers mean the beard oil is light and can be easily absorbed by skin and hair alike. This contrasts with beard oils that use synthetic moisturisers which can feel heavy and greasy, and take ages to be absorbed!

Scent

If you’re going to make your beard look fantastic, you’ll want it to smell amazing too. 

When shopping for beard oil, look for one that offers an attractive, sophisticated scent. Look for beard oils that use high-quality essential oils, as these tend to impart the most complex, intriguing scents. 

In fact, if you choose a beard oil which uses natural essential oils - such as Cremo beard oil - you may find you can substitute your aftershave for beard oil.

Barber-grade quality

Not all beard oils are created equal! When choosing a beard oil, you should look for one that has been developed by professionals and is of barber-grade quality; that is, the beard oil is of a quality that would be used by professional barbers. 

You should also look for beard oil from brands that clearly and transparently list the ingredients on their website, so you really do know what you’re rubbing into your beard and face. 

That’s exactly what you’ll get when you buy beard oil from Cremo. We’ve created our beard oils to astonishingly high standards - to meet your standards. Not the easy way. Not the cheapest way. The Cremo way. Because to make you feel your best, we have to be our best. Just like any respectable barbershop.

Natural ingredients

Related to the above points, you should look for beard oils which use predominantly natural ingredients - especially when it comes to the carrier and essential oils. 

Not only are natural ingredients generally superior to synthetic ingredients, they’ll also be less likely to cause irritation when used on a regular basis. 

The best beard oils UK

So, there you have it. Cremo’s guide to what beard oils do (as well as some other handy tips). 

Now it’s time to take a closer look at the very best beard oils on the market. Here at Cremo we offer two very distinct beard oils which meet all the criteria that we’ve outlined above. 

Let’s take a closer look at them…

Cremo Cooling Beard Oil

Buy Now - Cremo Cooling Beard Oil

With a refreshing and revitalising cooling citrus and mint leaf formula, Cremo’s Cooling Beard Oil is perfect for those early morning and late-evening grooming sessions. 

Made from a proprietary blend of oils, including argan and jojoba, the Cremo Cooling Beard Oil will nourish and soften your beard and give it a full, robust, silky appearance.

What’s more, our Cooling Beard Oil includes an exclusive blend of premium cooling ingredients that’ll leave you feeling cool and refreshed - along with a uniquely satisfying tingle. 

Palo Santo (Reserve Collection) Beard Oil

Buy Now - Palo Santo (Reserve Collection) Beard Oil

Let the tantalising aromas of premium palo santo, bright cardamom, and dry papyrus suffuse your beard with Cremo’s Palo Santo (Reserve Collection) Beard Oil.

Cremo’s legendary barber-grade quality is combined with one of our most sophisticated scents yet to create a beard oil that really is unlike any other. 

For ease of application and comfort, our Palo Santo (Reserve Collection) Beard Oil has a lightweight, leave-in formula that is packed with premium moisturisers, including coconut oil and aloe. 

So, not only will this beard oil leave you smelling your best, but will soothe itches and tame unruliness in a light touch and easily absorbed manner. 

To beard boldly, you need Cremo

If you want to upgrade your grooming routine and beard boldly, then you need Cremo on your side. 

We combine everyday authenticity and high-performance ingredients with a luxurious grooming experience. We are committed to delivering an astonishingly superior grooming experience from head to toe, day in and day out. 

Shop Cremo’s range of beard grooming products now