Choosing the right beard products can be a daunting task if you don’t know where to begin. What’s beard balm? Do I buy it from a big box store? Are all these ingredients that I can’t pronounce safe for me?
Hopefully with this article, we can answer some of those questions as well as clear up any misconceptions.
First, let’s just get this out of the way. Natural fragrances (such as essential oils, fruit and nut butters, cocoa butter, etc) will always be a better choice over synthetic man-made fragrances and ingredients. Artificial fragrances are just combinations of chemicals that are trying to replicate the natural equivalent, but sometimes do so at the expense of your health, and at times, the health of animals that many of these products are tested on.
I’m not going to sit here and pretend I’m perfect. Yes, I do own products that do have some synthetic fragrances, but I am always looking at ways to eliminate those products and replace them with something else that is better for me and better for the environment. Sometimes it’s just a matter of trying products out, seeing what works best for you, and sharing those experiences with others. That’s partially why I started this website, to offer people a source of information where they can learn more about beards, beard products, and how to better manage their beards.
So let’s swing back and discuss a little more about selecting the right prodcuts.
Along with trying to avoid synthetic fragrances, you should honestly try to avoid most ingredients that you either a) can’t pronounce and b) have no idea where they came from. For example, I have no idea what a sulfate is or how it’s made. Apparently it’s used as an engine degreaser (thanks Google). So why would I need that in my beard? On the contrary, I know what shea butter is and where it comes from (healthy fat derived from the shea tree nut which is native to Africa). Even if you don’t know what shea butter is, at least you recognize one word of it, “butter.” And butter can’t be bad right? (don’t get me started on butter vs margerine…)
Artificial coloring is also something to try and avoid. No lie, my wife and I were in the grocery store the other day and I saw some white fruit dip and decided to look at the ingredients. Red 40 was in there. RED 40, in WHITE fruit dip. I still don’t understand it. Natural colors derived from fruit, oils, or leaves are okay, but let’s leave Red 40 and Yellow 5 where they belong…in the beaker.
Organic ingredients aren’t a necessity, but you should try to get organic products when you can. Any time you can skip out on nasty pesticides, it’s a good thing. Honest Amish makes a majority, if not all, of their products from organic ingredients and their products are very affordable. Just because something is organic, doesn’t mean it has to be expensive.
If you keep the above points in mind, it’s hard to go wrong when selecting a product. The worst that can happen is you might get an oil or balm that you just aren’t a fan of the smell. There are chances that some essential oils may cause skin irritation, but if they are diluted enough and the product is well made, then there shouldn’t be an issue. Reviews of a product are also a great way to see what the general consensus is. Honestly, I rarely buy beard products in physical stores unless I am familiar with the brand. The ability to see what others are saying about a product online is key, and truthfully, there are many better options online through Amazon and privates sites, than there are at Walmart or Target.
If all else fails, and you don’t want to buy beard products from a store, you can make them yourself! There many recipes and combinations you can try that are readily available on the internet, and we may post some of our own recipes here on the Beard Column down the road, but making your own beard products really isn’t that hard. You simply buy the ingredients online, and mix them to your desire. Just remember with essential oils, a little goes a long way. For a 4 oz bottle of beard oil, I usually never put more than 5-10 drops of essential oil in (and honestly that depends on the oil itself and how strong it is).
Hopefully this article helped steer you away from some of the nasty artificial products out there and gave you a better idea of what to look for. Head on over to our Featured Products page to see items that we recommend or that have great reviews online. If you want more information on different beard products, read our article about beard oil, beard balm, and beard wax.
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