Beard oil
Best in test
Caring for your facial hair with an emollient and often fragrant oil is the key to maintaining a soft and healthy beard. The oil is especially important for moisturising the skin under the beard, preferably in combination with a rough beard brush afterwards, to exfoliate dead skin cells and allow the conditioning agent to penetrate the skin layers. Here are our top five beard oils!
#1. benjamin barber beard oil
black oak
Why we like it: Benjamin Barber's beard oils simply have to take first place. Rich, fragrant and in an easy-to-handle package. As well as the usual organic plant-based oils and fragrance essences that make up the base, it also contains a dash of argan oil, making it slightly thicker than other beard oils and therefore particularly suitable for those with heavily recalcitrant facial hair.
The handy, sturdy pump bottle minimises mess and makes dispensing easier. One squeeze of the pump is enough for a small to normal beard, and the 50ml capacity of the bottle - more than the usual pipette versions - makes it incredibly economical. The scents are reasonably discreet; the masculine Black Oak is clearly the most popular with its notes of tobacco, leather, sandalwood and cedar, and now the oil is also available in a very fragrant heavier version based on the exotic wood Oud, and one with the scent of saffron and leather!
#2. power beard oil pro growth
Why we like it: In second place is a new product on the market - Powers Triple Action Beard Oil. It has a heavier price tag than the others, but you should remember that it has slightly different properties that set it apart. If you have tried Powers hair shampoo, you know that the focus is on dry skin with a tendency to dandruff, irritation and itching, and the beard oil is based on the same formula. Like the shampoo, it also contains active ingredients that promote better beard growth and provide better conditions for a fuller and healthier facial hair. We think it is both rich and beneficial and feels really caring for the skin under the beard, as promised. The scent is a cooling mint that purifies and calms down.
#3. sailor's Beard oil
Why we like it: Sailor's affordable beard oil always gets a good and safe position on the lists because of its nature-friendly pure ingredients. Most beard oils are more or less pure natural products but this one is guaranteed to be 100 per cent organic, paraben-free and made in Sweden. In fact, they are said to be so pure that, according to the advert, you could eat them (if you had to).
For those who like discreet scents that don't take over, Sailor's is an economically and ecologically sustainable alternative. The scents come in three varieties, Antarctica with mint, eucalyptus and citrus, Desert with a warm and embracing scent of spicy saffron, exotic dates and masculine leather, and Forest with green vetiver, cedar and spruce. And the oil does its job - your beard and skin couldn't be better.
#4. proraso beard oil
Why we like it: The traditional brand Proraso is best known for its shaving products that have served Italian men for decades and generations. Now that they've branched out into beard products, there's a reason why they're one of the most influential brands. Like Sailor's, they deliver their oils in 30 ml bottles with a pipette, but these have stronger, more pronounced scents.
The most classic scent, Wood & Spice, is typical of Proraso's old style in a stronger eucalyptus tone with lemon leaf and cedar, but there's also one in cypress wood - where you can really feel the wood fibres - and a lime for those who like citrus. Still, they work as a base for most men's perfumes. The oil makes the beard extremely soft and feels incredibly beneficial, and if you prefer a slightly thicker consistency with less shine, we can recommend their beard balms in the same scents.
#5. dr K soap company "beard tonic"
Why we like it: Irish brand Dr K is known for its strong spicy scents but also for its beneficial properties. One hundred per cent natural raw materials and nourishing ingredients such as jojoba and apricot kernels have made the brand a standout. Their beard balms are thick and buttery in texture, while the oils are known as "beard tonics", i.e. a slightly thinner, runnier character than regular oils, which means they penetrate nicely into both facial hair and skin.
An exciting brand for those who like a little more character in the scent. The only negative is that it can be messy and impractical to get the liquid out of the bottle, as there is no pump or pipette.
