10 Best Beard Balms in 2024 [Top Picks] – Used & Reviewed
If you have a beard or think about growing one, you need to learn about beard balms. A beard balm is a moisturizing and conditioning remedy for your beard. It can keep your hair looking groomed while moisturizing your skin and preventing dandruff. Many balms also work as shape holders so you don’t have to worry about stray hairs or frizz.
We’ve checked out about 25 different balms to find the best options. After doing extensive beard balm reviews, we can now recommend 10 best beard balms for your use. Each balm has different features and ingredients. Take a quick look to find the perfect one for yourself.
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What Is Beard Balm?
Beard balm is a leave-in conditioner for your beard. It moisturizes and softens your hair. Most beard balms offer holding properties to help you shape your beard. A beard balm is a compulsory care product for men with all types of beards.
What Is Beard Balm Made Of?
The best beard balms are made out of natural ingredients.
- Essential Oils – Moisturizing and softening
- Carrier Oils – Help essential oils do their job
- Sealants and spreaders – Butters such as shea and cocoa help spread and then lock the moisture inside the hair
- Shapers – Such products as beeswax can help shape the beard and tame the flyaways and frizz.
The essential and carrier oils usually produce a certain scent. Before purchasing a beard balm, even if it’s 100% natural, read into the ingredient list. For example, you may see peppermint oil there, which gives a strong peppermint scent. If this smell is not one of your favorites, the balm is a no-no.
Summary Reviews: 3 Best Beard Balms At A Glance
Best Value: Honest Amish Beard Balm Leave-in Conditioner
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There is a reason why a majority of men prefer this beard balm. It’s 100% natural. It softens, conditions, removes itching, and gives your beard a healthy shine. The balm has a nice citrus scent.
Beardstyle Product Rating: 9.8/10
Value for the money: Prophet and Tools 2 IN 1 Beard Balm and Wax Styler
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Besides offering impressive moisturizing, itch – relieving and softening powers, this balm doubles as a wax to shape coarse hair. It has a non-greasy texture and a peachy scent.
Beardstyle Product Rating: 9.5/10
Exclusive: Grave Before Shave™ Bay Rum Beard Balm
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This is a great option for men on a tight budget. Besides, it can last for a very long time. The balm moisturizes, smooths, and softens even the coarsest beards.
Beardstyle Product Rating: 9/10
Digging Deeper: Top 10 Beard Balm Reviews To Help You Make A Choice
1. Honest Amish Beard Balm Leave-in Conditioner
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This balm is one of the most popular products among bearded men thanks to the reputation of the respected manufacturer. It’s made out of 100% natural ingredients. It works as a softner, conditioner, and moisturizer. This balm can also shape your beard unless you have overly thick and coarse hair. It adds your beard a healthy shine.
2. Badass Beard Care Beard Balm
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This particular balm is well-known for its scent. Besides citrus overtones, it contains certain aphrodisiacs. That’s why many men buy it to charm the ladies. The balm is made out of organic food-grade ingredients. It reduces itchiness and moisturizes the hair. The balm offers light to medium hold properties so it’s not a perfect choice for untamable hair. This particular product comes with a rather high price tag.
3. Prophet and Tools 2 IN 1 Beard Balm and Wax Styler
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This is a great 2 in 1 combination of balm and wax. It softens and moisturizes your beard while giving it the hold you are looking for. The balm has a nice and soft texture. It deals with beard flakes and repairs breakable hairs. The balm/wax mix is 100 % organic and contains no alcohol. The product has a slight peachy scent. It’s clear so you can use it on any hair color (as opposed to some waxes, which are black).
4. ArtNaturals Mustache and Beard Balm-Wax
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This beard balm is made out of 100% natural ingredients. It has a slight orange smell. It doesn’t have a great holding power but if you have fine hairs, it can deal with flyaway strands. The balm does a fair job moisturizing and softening the beard. It can repair fragile hair and deal with beard flakes, itchiness, and dryness.
5. Smooth Viking Beard Care Beard Balm With Shea Butter & Argan Oil
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This beard balm has a nice and non-greasy texture. It offers softening properties as well as slight holding options. The balm is great for men with fine hair, who want to make the beard look thicker and fuller. The product is made out of 100% natural ingredients and has a shea butter scent. Only a small amount is required for each use.
6. 1740 Beard Balm
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If you like peppermint scent, this beard balm is for you. It’s 100% natural handmade beard balm controls the flyaway hairs and moisturizers the beard. Even though it doesn’t have strong holding properties, the balm can be a great choice for men, who need a deep leave-in conditioner.
7. Grave Before Shave™ Bay Rum Beard Balm
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If you are looking for a beard balm with a macho scent, this one is for you. The bay rum scent is light yet appealing. This balm does a great job conditioning the hair and leaving it smooth after each use. It doesn’t offer much holding power but can control your beard if it’s not overly thick.
8. Rocky Mountain Barber Beard Balm
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This beard balm has good holding powers so most likely you won’t need to invest in wax. It has a wooden scent and 100% natural ingredients. Even though the balm has a somewhat greasy texture, it does a fair job softening and moisturizing the beard. It’s strong enough to be used on your hair as well.
9. Liberty Grooming Beard Balm
This is a fairly priced beard balm, which you can use to soften and moisturize all your facial hair. It deals with dandruff and itchiness while offering moderate holding properties. If you are not a fan of scented balms, this one is for you. It has a very light smell, which goes away quickly. The manufacturer offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
10. Beard Balm – All Natural Easy-to-Use Leave-in Beard Conditioner
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If you have a coarse and frizzy beard, this balm can help you turn it into a shapely and moisturized beard style. It contains 100% natural ingredients, has a nice texture, and an appealing scent. The balm offers slight holding properties so if your hair is not too thick, you can skip buying a wax. This beard balm is handmade and nicely priced.
Final Verdict
After checking, testing, reading, and making beard balm reviews, we are ready to present the top pick. And the winner is Honest Amish Beard Balm Leave-in Conditioner.
How to Apply Beard Balm?
Applying a beard balm may seem tricky at first due to its slightly thick texture. By following these simple steps, you can make sure you get excellent results.
- Start by washing and slightly drying your beard. The hair should be damp to absorb the balm in the most efficient manner.
- Take a dime-sized amount to start (you may need more balm later). It’s better to start with a small amount to avoid a greasy look.
- Rub the balm between your hands so it warms up. Otherwise, it will be too thick to spread evenly.
- Apply the balm to your beards and distribute it using a brush.
- Shape and smooth the beard to give it the look you need.
- Wait several minutes for the balm to cool. This way you’ll see how well it holds the beard and make a decision about applying more.
- Apply beard balm at least once a day and see how it goes. If you feel dryness and itchiness, you can apply balm one more time throughout the day.
Many men are confused about which tool to use to spread the balm. Both brushes and combs can do a fair job spreading the balm for shaping the beard. However, brushes can do a better job applying the balm to every hair. That’s why if you have thick and coarse hair, the brush is the way to go. If your hair is fine, you can use a comb.
Important: Buy only high-quality combs and brushes. Cheap synthetic and plastic tools can damage your hair and cause split ends.
Do you need to use beard oil and beard balm together? Beard oil softens the hair as well as the skin under your beard. Beard balm can do the same but in a less effective manner. So if you suffer from itchiness or irritation, you should apply the beard oil first and then use the beard balm.
Beard Balm Before And After
Let’s take a look at the way the beard changes after you apply the beard balm.
Beard Balm vs Beard Wax vs Beard Oil
You’ve made a decision to purchase a beard balm and even chose the right one. Can you stop there? Not always. If you have a terribly unruly beard, you may need a beard wax. If your hair is to dry and flaky, you may require some beard oil. What’s the difference? Let’s take a closer look.
Beard Oil
A beard oil is a mix of essential and carrier oils. It comes in a bottle and has a liquid texture. The oils don’t just soften your hair, reduce itching, and boost beard growth. They moisturize the skin under your beard. Oil also acts as a cologne for your beard. If you need your beard to smell great, choose a product with the essential oils you like.
Pros:
- Softening
- Moisturizing
- Reduces itching
- Liquid texture
- Easy to apply
Cons:
- Doesn’t seal the moisture in
- Doesn’t shape the beard
Beard Balm
Besides containing essential and carrier oils, like beard oil does, beard balm provides styling options. It can make your beard look thicker and shinier while sealing in the moisture. Depending on the amount of beeswax, the beard balm can become a great shaping aid. However, the sealants and beeswax thicken the texture. And the thicker the balm is, the harder it is to apply.
Pros:
- Softening and moisturizing
- Seals the moisture in
- Reduces itching
- Offers shaping properties
Cons:
- Thick texture/may be hard to apply
- Doesn’t offer as much holding power as wax so not suitable for shaping overly unruly hair
Beard Wax
Beard wax contains all the same ingredients as the beard balm (carrier oils, essential oils, sealants, and beeswax). However, the amount of beeswax in the wax is much higher. The wax is required when you have bushy, coarse, curly and unruly hair. However, the more beeswax the product contains, the thicker it is.
Pros:
- Softening and moisturizing
- Seals the moisture in
- Reduces itching
- Excellent styling and shaping properties
Cons:
- Hard to apply
- Not suitable for fine hair
Are Beard Balms Worth It?
If you are overwhelmed with new time-consuming procedures that come together with a beard, it feels like adding new products is a bit too much. Experienced beard wearers will tell you to buy a beard balm. But is it really worth it?
In order to understand if you need a beard balm, all you have to do is take a close look at your beard. Does it look unkempt? Is there frizz? Flyaways? Flakes? Does it itch? If you answered “no” to all of these questions then you don’t need a beard balm. But let’s face it. Such perfect beards rarely exist.
The only trouble with the beard balms is their overwhelming number. Choosing the best beard balm is complicated, to say the least. That’s why we did the above research for you.
Beard balm reviews weren’t easy to make sense, at the first glance, all the products look the same. We hope we helped you choose the perfect balm for your needs. Whether you picked one of the above options or went on to find a better product, we want to hear your opinion. Let us know which balm you are using!
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