How To Apply Beard Oil – Everything You Need To Know

Bald man with beard

While the most recent fashion trends suggest that beards are slipping out of fashion, thick and fulsome facial hair remains extremely popular with men in the UK. This has much to do with the myriad of benefits associated with beards, which are scientifically proven to make men more attractive to the opposite sex and provide a layer of protection against harmful UV rays.

However, the most attractive beards are those that have been carefully cultivated and maintained over time, as women are often turned off by unkempt or unclean beards that have more in common with hay than facial hair!

The use and application of beard oil can certainly help you to take care of your facial hair more effectively. In this post, we’ll explore this in further detail while providing a guide on how to get the most out of your products.

When Should you Apply Beard Oil?

They say that timing is everything in life, and this rule definitely applies to the application of beard oil.

Make no mistake; the best time to apply beard oil is immediately after you step out of the shower, and there’s some sound scientific reasoning behind this assertion.

More specifically, your beard will be at its cleanest straight after a shower, while the pores of the underlying skin will also have opened nicely thanks to the combination of hot water and steam.

Man beard oil

It also makes logical sense to apply your beard oil immediately after a shower, as you can subsequently include this process as part of your daily grooming regime.

Of course, you’ll need to towel dry your beard and remove any excess water before applying your choice of oil, otherwise there’s a chance that the fluid could dilute the oil and make it unfit for purpose.

Ideally, your facial hair will be clean and slightly damp when your apply the oil, so try not to leave a large period of time between getting out of the shower and treating your beard.

How Much Beard Oil Should you Use?

In many ways, you’d think that pouring out a little oil and applying this to your beard would be the easiest part of the process.

While there’s some truth to this, however, you should adopt a more scientific approach when applying beard oil and avoid extracting random amounts.

In fact, the length and thickness of your beard should determine how much oil you need to use, and fortunately there’s a brief guide to help you make an informed decision:

  • A new beard of up to one months’ growth – apply three to four drops
  • One to three months of beard growth – apply four to six drops
  • Three to twelve months of beard growth – apply six to 10 drops
  • Beards that have been grown for a year or more – apply 10 drops and upwards

This information should only serve as a generic and rough guide when applying oil to your beard, and you may need to experiment with different amounts in order the find the best fit for your facial hair and skin type.

pouring the beard oil

Although the inclusion of natural jojoba oils will help to balance out the production of oil on your skin when using most products, you should err on the side of caution when applying beard oil to prevent your facial hair from dripping with moisture. After all, oil does not evaporate in the same way that water does, so applying an excess of beard oil often undermines even the most carefully cultivated look.

For those of you with beards that have been grown and shaped for more than a year, we’d also recommend that you apply 10 drops of oil as a minimum. In truth, you should use this as a starting point before trialling larger amounts depending on the precise length and shape of your beard.

On a final note, try to apply a minimal amount of oil when using a product for the first time. This will help you to become accustomed to applying oil on a regular basis, while making it easier to decide how much to apply as part of your grooming regime.

How Often Should you Apply Beard Oil?

Clearly, there a number of factors that determine the precise amount of oil that you should apply to your beard, and a similar principle can be applied to the frequency with which you complete this process.

In fact, there are several considerations to keep in mind when deciding how often to use beard oil, aside from the fact that not all types of facial hair have been created equal.

Humidity certainly impacts on how often you should use beard oil, as the presence of excess dampness in the air enables your skin to retain moisture more easily. As a result, men who live in hotter and more humid climates are often able to use less beard oil and apply this every two or three days.

TemperatureThe reverse is true for individuals who live in a dryer climate, as the underlying lack of moisture in the air creates dried out skin that’s prone to soreness. In this instance, you may be required to apply beard oil more than once a day, and it’s important to consider this when establishing a regular grooming regime.

Personal preference will also influence the frequency with which you apply beard oil, as while some men look to do this every single day others will look to moisturise their facial hair two or three times a week.

However, the important thing to remember is that there isn’t really a right or wrong answer here, especially if you want to apply beard oil every single day or more than once during each 24-hour period.

In fact, the majority of experts recommend that you use beard oil every day, as this serves to moisturise your skin while ensuring that your beard remains as healthy and as attractive as possible. Not only this, but the moisturising properties of most natural beard oils means that you can also apply this daily to your hair and neck, in order to maintain a smooth and even skin tone.

Regardless of the schedule that you set, just try to create a regular regime that will can be easily maintained over time. This will deliver incremental benefits to your skin over a sustained period of time.

Pouring the Oil – Avoiding Waste and Excess

The idea of pouring some oil into your hands is relatively simple, no matter what substance you’re looking to apply to your face or neck.

However, there’s a very serious risk of pouring out too much oil, which will either lead to unnecessary waste or  see an excess of product applied to your beard.

Neither of these outcomes is ideal, so it’s important to find a way of extracting the oil in a way that minimises waste and ensures that you apply the optimal amount at any given time.

Pouring the beard oil

Fortunately, most brands have developed a variety of different caps and mechanisms to help you achieve this goal, with the pipette among the most effective. This is now a standard feature on most one or three fluid ounce beard oil bottles, and it works by drawing oil along a thin tube towards a pointed tip.

Then, you can apply pressure to a rubber bulb at the other end of the pipette, and this will squeeze out oil in single and easily controlled drops.

This undoubtedly minimises waste, while making it incredibly easy to apply the

desired amount of oil to your beard according to the factors we referenced earlier on in the piece.

On a final note, you’ll need to treat your pipette with care and ensure that this is put back into the bottle once you’ve finished using it. Otherwise, you’ll run the risk of this attracting contaminants, which could damage your skin and lead to significant irritation.

Now for the Important Part – How to Apply the Oil

Now that we’ve worked through the theory, it’s time to get to grips with your beard oil and apply this directly to your skin!

While this may well be the fun part of the whole process, it’s important to follow the steps below to ensure that you get the most from your beard oil and ensure that your facial hair is as healthy as possible.

beard oil

Create an Even Spread of Oil on your Hands: Once you’ve extracted the requisite amount of oil, you need to ensure that this is spread evenly across your palms and fingers. This makes it far easier to apply the oil evenly across your beard, ensuring that once area does not receive more lubrication than others.

Beard Oil

Work the Oil into your Skin and the Roots of the Beard: Then, start to work the oil into your skin by applying slight pressure and moving your hands in a circular motion. You need to ensure that the oil penetrates the skin and works the roots of your beard, as this helps to keep it robust and healthy at all times.

Beard Oil

Distribute the Oil Evenly in your Beard: The next step is to distribute the oil evenly through your beard, as you look to ensure that everything from your moustache to your sideburns are moisturised. To ensure an effective and even finish, try to apply it with the grain and as smoothly as possible.

Beard Oil

Use your Palms to Create an Even Application: While you’re most likely to use your fingertips when applying beard oil, you should also utilise your palms when treating the sides of the beard and the front. Gently brush your palms along these areas in a sweeping motion, as will help you to achieve the best possible application.

Beard Oil

Don’t Forget About the Bottom of your Beard: Then, bring your hands up through the bottom of the beard as you continue to distribute the oil evenly. The bottom of the beard is all too easy to overlook, so it’s important that you make this a part of your application process.

Beard Oil

Use your Fingertips to Coat the Hairs of your Moustache: Finally, we come to your moustache, which is yet another easily overlooked aspect of your facial hair. You should use your fingertips to coat the hairs of your moustache evenly, ensuring that you create an even and smooth covering.

And Now for the Finishing Touches – Combing your Beard

While the hard work may now have been done, it’s time to apply the delicate and often challenging finishing touches.

Combing the beard

This involves combing your beard and moustache, which can help to prevent ingrowing hairs, minimise the number of stray hairs and contribute to thicker and more fulsome facial hair.

Here are some handy tips to help you comb your beard in the best possible way:

Get the Right Tools: They say that a workman is only ever as good as his tools, so you’ll need to invest in a high quality beard comb if you’re to genuinely look after your facial hair. In fact, we’d recommend investing in a wide and a narrow-tooth comb, as these tools will help you to cultivate both your beard and your moustache respectively.

Go Slowly but Surely: While you may be buzzing around as you get ready for work in the morning, one task that you don’t want to risk is combing your beard. This is because a comb will carefully untangle any knots that may exist in your beard, and attempting to force the pace when hitting a snag can be both painful and damaging.

Start Low and Work your way Higher: In terms of best practice, you should grasp your comb with its teeth facing upward, before combing the bottom of your beard. Start with the hair on your neck and work your way towards the chin and cheeks, in order to separate your facial hairs and achieve a soft aesthetic.

Comb Downward to Cultivate a Specific Style: Once you’ve separated these hairs and create a more fulsome look, the next step is to comb your beard downwards and into your preferred style. At the same time, take your narrow tooth-comb to work through your moustache, while also combing downwards and in a smooth motion.

The Last Word

So there you have it; our detailed guide to using beard oil and applying it evenly to your facial hair!

Now, all that’s left to do is to choose a natural beard oil that’s tailored to suit your skin type, before creating a bespoke and regular grooming schedule that really does justice to your carefully cultivated facial fuzz!

Paul Inman

Paul Inman is the founder of The Bald Gent. As the main contributor to TBG, Paul has years of knowledge, experience and stories to share with our users. His insights, advice and blogs form the backbone to everything we do and what makes being a true gent so important to the ethos of TBG.

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