Is your beard feeling dry and unmanaged? Does it look lackluster or full of flakes? Carrier and essential oils condition, nourish and strengthen beard hair. Use them to target underlying issues like dry and flaky skin, beard dandruff, and acne. Rosehip oil contains Linoleic Acid which regenerates the skin and helps boost cell production. Jojoba carrier oil balances sebum production and tamanu has anti-inflammatory properties. Swap and change bases and blends to find your perfect product. As well as the theory of making beard oil, I’ve included DIY recipes for Emergency Hydration, Tame, Shine, and Magnificent Maintenance Beard Oils in this article. So join me to finally take control of your bristles and let’s dive into how to make beard oil.
What Is Beard Oil?
Use Beard Oil to tame and smooth wayward bristles and nourish and soften your beard or mustache. Beard oils can also strengthen your beard to make it look fuller, healthier, and more lustrous.
There are many different types of beard oils, ranging from just using a simple carrier oil on its own, or making more complex oil mixes with humectants like Glycerin, to care for the hair in your beard and essential oils.
What Are The Benefits Of Using Beard Oil?
Beards are very in right now, aren’t they? So for many facial hair is a fashion statement, but some men want to grow a beard to conceal something about their face. Scars in particular can be an issue, particularly from acne. Dry flaky skin and eczema can also motivate some men to want to disguise that part of the face.
However, despite best efforts, there are times when facial hair doesn’t really solve these issues and since it makes it harder to wash the skin properly, the beard can even make their skin issues worse. Since most men are very attached to their facial hair, and some religions, including Sikhism, Islam, and sects of Judaism, encourage or require them to keep beards, for many, shaving the beard off is just not an option.
This is where tailored Beard Oils, made to carefully target key issues, can make a big difference to both your skin and your self-confidence.
Using Beard Oil can also help mitigate some of these es and soothe underlying acne, and nourish and feed dry, flaky skin. You can even tailor your beard oil to do just that!
Strengthening & Nourishing
Most people search for how to make Beard Oils because they want something to strengthen and nourish their beard hair.
If your bristles fee and l dry, brittle, and are breaking, they need extra nourishment. Carrier oils deliver this deep into the hair and can then also carry beneficial essential oils deep into the hair. Choosing the right carrier oils to support healthy hair growth is key. Carrier oil choices should be tailored not only to your bristles but also to your skin type.
Conditioning The Hair and Skin
It pays to choose ingredients that will bring conditioning to both the hair and the skin over some time. Hair, once it has grown, is dead already, so it is simply preserving what is already there and keeping it in the best condition possible.
Creating a small range of Beard Oils allows you to spot and treat issues as they arise, nourish certain areas of dryness in the beard and on the skin, and get on top of acne or the odd spot. A conditioning oil can keep everything tip top in the meantime and be used to minimize underlying issues over time.
How to Make Beard Oils to Target Specific Skin Issues
Use Beard Oils infused with essential oils to target specific skin issues. Whatever your issue, there will be a carrier oil or an essential oil that may be able to help.
Moisturize dry, flaky skin and beard dandruff with a combination of Cedarwood, Spike Lavender, Patchouli, and Tea Tree.
Target underlying acne with Tea Tree, and the soothing properties of Roman Chamomile and Lavender. Combine it with Tamanu carrier oil to create a powerhouse effect against acne.
If your skin is oily, balance sebum production by combining Jojoba carrier oil with a little Grapefruit essential oil. Perhaps blend with some hypnotic Ylang-Ylang for her skin-balancing prowess too. Ylang-ylang blends wonderfully with Cedarwood and Amyris.
What Do I Need To Make Beard Oil?
You need very little to make a great Beard Oil. A combination of carrier oils and essential oils is often enough. I am going to show you how to add humectants, like Glycerine, that draw moisture into your bristles from the air and explain how you can use fragrance oils to their best effect too.
How to Make Beard Oil Choices of Carrier Oils
Jojoba
We say carrier oil but Jojoba is technically a wax. However, it is so commonly referred to as a carrier oil we’ll stick with that. Jojoba is the carrier that most closely resembles the sebum produced by our skin. As such, it is wonderful where there is any imbalance caused by over or under-production of the sebaceous glands.
Perfect for both the skin and hair it is an ideal choice where the skin is dry and flaky or oily and blemished as it will help to restore balance by regulating sebum production.
If you have an imbalance of any kind, choose Jojoba. If you don’t, it’s still an inspired choice for maintaining healthy skin and hair.
Castor
Castor oil is rich, thick, and unctuous. It contains constituents with antibacterial and antifungal properties and is best used to reduce dry, flaky skin, and dandruff.
I’ll be honest, I tried a thirty-day challenge of using Castor Oil on my face but it was just too thick for me. I felt like I was suffocating under it! So I cheated and diluted it down a little. It was a much more acceptable viscosity and my skin is looking great.
I’ll try it on my hair for the next thirty-day challenge. Why don’t you join me and enjoy having stronger thicker hair?
Rosehip
This is my favorite carrier oil, sssh, don’t tell everyone. Bursting with great stuff like stuff, essential fatty acids, linoleic acid, and antioxidants, it’s also packed with vitamins and minerals to support healthy skin and hair growth as well as to nourish the skin deeply.
It also nourishes dry, dehydrated hair. If you have dry strands of hair that need to regain moisture, or damaged hair that needs a little love make Rosehip carrier oil your go-to.
Rosehip is very rich and we recommend limiting it to just 10% of the overall volume of your Beard Oil. However, that said, if you have extremely dry and dehydrated ends on a long beard and there is little chance of it getting on your face, you can use it in higher dilutions for superb nourishing qualities.
Argan
Argan oil has been used for centuries in indigenous Morocco for both skin and hair health. In the 1990s, Argan was almost extinct but experienced a much-needed resurgence when it was resurrected by the cosmetics industry.
Argan is particularly suited to nourishing, strengthening, and smoothing your beard hair. It is wonderfully rich in antioxidants, Vitamin E, and essential fatty acids, these deeply hydrate, moisturize, and nourish your hair. Argan helps to strengthen hair follicles, adding to the overall strength and appearance of your hair. Stronger, smoother follicles also mean amazing shine and better manageability.
How to Make Beard Oil Choices of Essential Oils
The first question you need to ask when making a Beard Oil with essential oils is “What do I want the essential oils to do”? This will help you to define which essential oils are best for your tailormade Beard Oil.
Now … there are some floral-based suggestions, but please don’t go all finickety on me. Stick with me and later I’ll show you how to tame and flip them so you don’t end up smelling like your mom!
How to Make Beard Oil for Dry, Flaky Skin
Sorry guys, but this is where the flowers reign supreme. Rose, Rose Geranium, Lavender, and Helichrysum are all potent choices when it comes to reintroducing hydration and balancing sebum - Ylang Ylang is the master of balancing sebum production and I would highly recommend her to you!
Thankfully there are some more masculine choices here too. Earthy Patchouli is wonderful at restoring hydration and nourishing the skin effectively. Frankincense and Peru Balsam make fragrant and skin-nourishing choices as well.
If you have them, Sandalwood is an excellent choice for those of us with dry skin, but we need to purchase these essential oils judiciously and with care. Consider sourcing Australian sandalwood, Santalum spicatum for a more ecologically friendly choice.
How to Make Beard Oil for Oily, Blemished, and Acne Prone Skin
I did not mention Tamanu Carrier Oil above but if you fall into this category add a bottle of this to your cart too. It's fabulous at targeting the causes of acne and blemishes. Packed with antibacterial and antimicrobial properties.
Grapefruit essential oil's astringent properties help to absorb oiliness and bring more balance to the skin.
Tea Tree is always going to make the list because it is almost a panacea for all things acne-related! Try and include it into your regime and your Beard Oil, you will soon notice a difference.
Lavender and Roman Chamomile bring welcome soothing relief and can reduce redness and inflammation and improve the appearance of those angry-looking spots and blemishes.
How to Make Beard Oil for Sensitive Skin
Ah hello! Welcome to my world, come friend, and let me share my secrets with you.
Hypersensitive skin is usually tolerant of Violet Leaf Absolute. You’ll faint at the price, sorry. But, it is worth every penny if you can tolerate it. Its fresh green scent goes a long way too and you need very little of this rich, gentle oil. This means one bottle should last you ages. If you can get on with it, it is worth exploring making your skincare with it.
The soothing properties of Roman Chamomile are what I would suggest to try next. Profoundly gentle, wonderfully soothing, and nourishing for the skin and hair. Brilliant if you have eczema, dermatitis, or very dry and brittle hair.
How to Make Beard Oil for Beard Dandruff
Dandruff in your beard can make you self-conscious and feel dejected, especially if you grew a beard to hide dry and flaky skin in the first place. Fear not! We have suggestions you can try.
Cedarwood, Clary Sage, Eucalyptus, Spike Lavender, Patchouli, and Tea Tree all have properties that can address the root causes of dandruff, both on your face and on your scalp.
Add a couple of these to your Beard Oil and work into the skin of your face as well as your beard and see what works most effectively for you. Experiment to find the most useful combination for your skin.
How to Make Beard Oil for Scars
My husband grew a beard to hide scars on his face after he was bitten by a vicious dog. bite. In all our years together, I have never seen him clean-shaven. Growing a beard to hide acne, chicken pox or facial scarring is more common than you think and there’s plenty we can do with essential oils to reduce the appearance of scarring through your beard oil.
Wang (2022) found that a combination of Calendula and St John's Wort was effective, but the best outcome in regards to how the scarring looked, Peppermint came out on top.
Calendula has a long-standing history of wound healing both as a herb and an Absolute. If your scar is fresh, then make this your go-to. If you pair it with Jasmine Absolute you have an amazing powerhouse of a combination that is one of the most effective pairings that I can recommend to you.
Do exercise a little caution with Jasmine as it has a very low skin safety dilution rate of just 0.60%.
Use carrier oils like Grapeseed and Rosehip that are rich in essential fatty acids like Linoleic Acid. They are the building blocks of our skin and can help the skin to regenerate and produce healthy new skin cells.
Fragrance Oils For Beard Oils
Essential oils like Lavender, Rose, and ylang-ylang are super friendly for your skin, but some men shy away from what they perceive as more feminine aromas.
If you take a look at the heart notes of your favorite aftershave, I’ll bet that it is rich in florals. You just don’t notice them because of how they are balanced with the top and bottom notes of the overall scent profile. You can learn how to make beard oil with this fragrance balance for yourself.
A good tip would be to use essential oils to do the healing stuff and pair them with fragrance oils to pull the aroma over to a more masculine scent profile. It is possible to leverage the healing properties of Lavender and still smell butch!
Make your life easier by choosing fragrance oils with relatively high IFRA skin safety dilutions recommendations. More on this below.
Our Favorite Fragrances For Beard Oils
Always make sure you are buying and using the VINEVIDA Soaps & Candles variation for your topical products, including your Beard Oils. It is specifically formulated for these processes and will offer you long-lasting fragrance and performance.
NO. 21 - Cedarwood & Amber
Cedarwood & Amber is a deliciously smooth, sultry, and seductive fragrance oil. It is rich in deep resounding woods like Cedarwood and Sandalwood. Earthy Patchouli brings glorious aspects to the fragrance and helps round it out while the smooth notes of comforting Vanilla and divine Amber finish the whole profile beautifully.
It’s ideal to use on its own or to add smooth base notes to a floral heart for a more masculine balance.
NO. 50 - Mahogany Teakwood
Mahogany Teakwood is super rich in the precious hardwood aromas of Mahogany and majestic Oak. Cedarwood brings a resinous softwood note while Lavender and Geranium flood the heart notes and balance this stylish fragrance masterfully.
NO. 1304 - Inspired By: Santal 33 By Le Labo
This is for the outdoorsman who still wants a little style and panache. NO. 1304 evokes a sense of freedom.
Fresh and vibrant green notes open the energy out with Cucumber and Mint. The unusual combination of sweet, musky Iris, and Violet dance with Cardamom and warm spice, creating an air of mystery. Australian Sandalwood weaves through resinous Cedarwood with the masculine notes of Leather, Musk, and a final hit of rich spice.
NO. 3100 - Inspired By: Tobacco Vanille By Tom Ford
NO. 3100 is an alluring choice. Deep, rich, and intoxicating, it’s the perfect tool for seduction.
Tobacco Blossom weaves through the chocolatey notes of Cacao and the sweet rich notes of dried fruit. Warming Ginger melds through the smooth notes of Vanilla, whilst earthy Patchouli marries with deep, smooth, and rich woody notes.
We think this is masculinity redefined, it’s very alluring and seductive and perfect for Beard Oils.
Other Honorable Mentions
IFRA Safety
If you want to design, create, and formulate your own recipes you will need to think about safe dilutions of fragrance oils. However, our recipes already have IFRA maximum dilutions worked out for you so you don’t need to worry about that here.
However, if it does come up…
If you want to source IFRA safety data for yourself and are unsure where to find it, pop over to How To Find Safety Information On The VINEVIDA Website to show you the way.
You then use the VINEVIDA calculator to work out how much oil that equates to.
You will need to input a category.
Since Beard Oil is oil-based, it falls under IFRA Category 5B.
If you don’t see Beard or Face Oil in the dropdown, choose Face Cream instead. This will calculate safety data from the same category for you.
How To Make Beard Oils - Recipes and Blends
Not all Beard Oils are equal, nor should they be. The whole premise of learning how to make Beard Oil is that you can tailor them to suit your needs. There may be times when you need super hydration to rehydrate dry bristles, or to target an acne breakout underneath your beard.
Making your own Beard Oil gives you the capability to be able to address any arising issues quickly.
I recommend making things in small batches as some carrier oils can go off or rancid relatively quickly once exposed to the air. When you produce smaller batches it saves waste and helps you get better value for money. This is especially important if you are going to be using expensive essential oils and absolutes like Violet Leaf, Jasmine, or Sandalwood.
The only Beard Oil I suggest making in larger quantities would be your ‘maintenance’ Beard Oil. If you are using my Magnificent Maintenance recipe, you can simply double or triple it up. If you are developing your own formula, you need to check the IFRA safety first.
Needless to say, I'm going to give you some options, three full recipes and three essential oil/fragrance oil blends that you can swap and change with any of the oil bases in the recipes. This will give you an almost exhaustive range of Beard Oils to choose from!
You Will Need:
- Small measuring jug
- Stainless steel spoon or glass stirrer
- Quality Silicone Spatula
- Small funnel
- 50 ml glass bottle with a rubber-topped dropper or a dropper insert.
- Oil and waterproof label
Emergency Hydration Beard Oil
This Emergency Hydration Beard Oil is sensational for adding intense hydration and softening and conditioning the bristles of your beard. This Beard Oil works quickly, delivering intense hydration, right where it is needed most. The addition of Glycerin helps, as it plucks moisture from the air and plonks it right into your skin and beard, it’s a handy ingredient to have!
It’s super rich in nourishing carrier oils and packed with vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids to feed and nourish your skin and beard.
Ingredients:
- 15 ml Argan Carrier Oil (Argania Spinosa)
- 10 ml Jojoba Carrier Oil (Simmondsia Chinensis)
- 5 ml Castor Carrier Oil (Ricinus Communis)
- 5 ml Grapeseed Carrier Oil (Vitis Vinifera)
- 5 ml Rosehip Carrier Oil (Rosa Canina)
- 7 ml Glycerin (Glycerol)
Essential Oil Blend:
- 10 drops of Patchouli Essential Oil (Pogostemon Cablin)
- 10 drops of Frankincense Essential Oil (Boswellia Serrata)
- 10 drops of Lavender Essential Oil (Lavandula Angustifolia)
- 10 drops of Roman Chamomile Essential Oil (Anthemis Nobilis L.)
Complimenting Fragrance Oil (Optional)
You can add up to 20 drops to deliver the intensity of fragrance you require.
5-20 drops of NO. 50 - Mahogany Teakwood Soaps & Candles Fragrance Oil.
Safety:
Do not use it in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy, I know, moot point, but your girlfriend/wife might snafu the odd dab here and there! So pop it on the label, please!
Tame and Shine Beard Oil
When you want a Beard Oil to deliver that instant extra level of shine and make your beard appear fuller and more vibrant, Castor Oil can help.
The combined oils soften and condition the beard over weeks, helping to tame those wayward bristles and make your beard look fuller, healthier, and smoother.
Ingredients:
- 30 ml Argan Carrier Oil (Argania Spinosa)
- 10 ml Castor Carrier Oil (Ricinus Communis)
- 7.5 ml Glycerin (Glycerol)
Essential Oil Blend:
- 10 drops of Litsea Cubeba Essential Oil (Litsea Cubeba)
- 20 drops of Amyris Essential Oil (Amyris Balsamifera)
- 10 drops of Cedarwood Essential Oil (Cedrus Deodara)
Complimenting Fragrance Oil (Optional)
Up to 10 drops of NO. 3200 - Inspired By: Le Male By Jean Paul Gaultier Soaps & Candles Fragrance Oil
Safety:
- Do not use it in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy.
Magnificent Maintenance Beard Oil
This Magnificent Maintenance Beard Oil is wonderful for everyday use, for that instant dose of hydration, shine, and taming.
Ideal for softening and conditioning the beard over several weeks where it will gradually balance or restore hydration and improve the appearance and condition of your beard.
Ingredients:
- 20 ml Jojoba Carrier Oil (Simmondsia Chinensis)
- 15 ml Hemp Seed Carrier Oil (Cannabis Sativa)
- 8 ml Rosehip Carrier Oil (Rosa Canina)
- 5 ml Glycerin (Glycerol)
Essential Oil Blend:
- 5 drops of Ylang Ylang Essential Oil (Cananga Odorata)
- 15 drops of Patchouli Essential Oil (Pogostemon Cablin)
- 10 drops of Vetiver Essential Oil (Vetiveria Zizanoides)
Complimenting Fragrance Oil (Optional)
Up to 10 drops of NO. 1200 - Inspired By: Ambre By Diptyque Soaps & Candles Fragrance Oil
Safety:
- Do not use it in the first 37 weeks of pregnancy.
Blend 1 - Uplift
We can use essential oils to influence our mood and your beard is right under your nose all day. You don’t need an aroma pendant or rollerball when you have beard oil to hand!
Give yourself a boost right when you need it and uplift your mood and energize yourself.
Ingredients:
This blend must be diluted in at least 50 ml of Beard Oil Ba or carrier oil of your choice. Do NOT use this blend undiluted!
- 20 drops of Green Mandarin Essential Oil (Citrus Reticulata)
- 10 drops of Eucalyptus Essential Oil (Eucalyptus Globulus)
- 10 drops of Clary Sage Essential Oil (Salvia Sclarea)
Complimenting Fragrance Oil (Optional)
Up to 10 drops of NO. 1304 - Inspired By: Santal 33 By Le Labo Soaps & Candles Fragrance Oil
Safety:
- Do not use it in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy.
- Use Green Mandarin as it is not phototoxic like the orange and red versions.
Blend 2 - Calm
This blend must be diluted in at least 50 ml of Beard Oil or carrier oil of your choice. Do NOT use this blend undiluted!
Soothe yourself and your bristles at the same time with this calming blend of essential oils. Super soothing on the skin too and ideal for dealing with breakouts too.
Ingredients:
- 20 drops of Lavender Essential Oil (Lavandula Angustifolia)
- 20 drops of Roman Chamomile Essential Oil (Anthemis Nobilis L.)
- 10 drops of Copaiba Essential Oil (Copaifera Officinalis)
Complimenting Fragrance Oil (Optional)
Up to 40 drops of NO. 2000 - Inspired By: Fierce By Abercrombie & Fitch Soaps & Candles Fragrance Oil
Safety:
- Do not use it in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy.
Blend 3 - Silent Seduction
This blend must be diluted in at least 50 ml of Beard Oil Ba or carrier oil of your choice. Do NOT use this blend undiluted!
Let the fragrance of your beard do all the talking you need, seduce her silently with this sensuous blend of essential oils.
Ingredients:
- 10 drops of Ylang Ylang Essential Oil (Cananga Odorata)
- 20 drops of Patchouli Essential Oil (Pogostemon Cablin)
- 20 drops of Amyris Essential Oil (Amyris Balsamifera)
Complimenting Fragrance Oil (Optional)
Up to 10 drops of NO. 3100 - Inspired By: Tobacco Vanille By Tom Ford Soaps & Candles Fragrance Oil
Safety:
- Do not use it in the first 37 weeks of pregnancy.
How To Use Beard Oil
Knowing how much Beard Oil to use is important because you don’t want to either, under, or over, do it.
| Length Of Your Gorgeous Beard | How Many Drops Of Beard Oil To Use | How Often It Should Be Applied |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 1” | 1 - 3 drops | Everyday |
| 1” - 3” | 2 - 6 drops | Everyday |
| 3” - 6” | 3 - 18 drops | Up to twice daily |
| 6” - 9” | 6 - 21 drops | Up to twice daily |
| 9” - 12” | 9 - 36 drops | Up to twice daily |
| More than 12” (Way to go) | As many as you need | Up to thrice daily |
Work It In Evenly
Beard Oil is very easy to use. Simply drop the required number of drops into your hand and work it through your beard evenly. It makes sense if you have a long beard to split your beard into 4 sections and work on each section individually to ensure even coverage.
Treat Yourself For Once
Why not give yourself a wonderful little treat by warming the oils slightly for an hour? Boost.
Pour some into a small set inside a bowl of hot water and leave until warmed through. Carefully remove the bowl and work the warm oil through your beard. Then wrap your beard in a hot towel for 20 minutes to help it soak in even further.
Yes, you will look a bit daft, but frankly, who cares? Your beard will thank you!
Don’t Get It In Your Eyes
Take care not to get any Beard Oil in your eyes. If you do…. How did you manage that? Rinse with clean tepid water. If irritation persists, seek immediate medical advice taking the clearly labeled container with you. Yes… this is why we label things!
The Final Word on How To Make Beard Oil
When you first set out to learn How To Make Beard Oil, it may never occur to you that it can be a pretty simple process, and it is!
The key is in choosing the right carrier oils to hydrate, condition, smooth, and tame your beloved bristles. Not only that but choose essential oils that not only benefit and condition your hair but are beneficial to your skin.
This is especially important if you are experiencing dry, flaky skin, beard dandruff, or are hiding the world from your acne. It’s important to know you are not alone by any means and essential oils can be effective tools for you to use in your Beard Oils.
Capitalize on oils rich in essential fatty acids like Grapeseed and Rosehip. Balance out sebum production with Jojoba carrier oil and ylang-ylang essential oil. Join generations of Berbers and use Argan oil for marvelous hair conditioning and smoothing properties.
Target beard dandruff with a combination of Cedarwood, Spike Lavender, Patchouli, and Tea Tree, and maybe even add a drop of Tamanu carrier oil to help things along. You can also add Tamanu when you are targeting acne as well.
Don’t dismiss those gorgeous flowers with all their many benefits to skin and hair. If you don’t want to smell like your mum, then balance and blend them with your favorite masculine fragrance oils.
When you learn how to make Beard Oil, you will be the envy of all your mates because you’ll be sporting the most stylish, healthiest-looking beard in town!
