Beard Oil vs Balm: What's the Best Beard Care for Itchy Beard?
If you suffer from beardruff (beard dandruff), an itchy beard, or red itchy skin under the beard, finding the right beard care regimen is key. While everyone’s beard care regimen is different, should you include beard oil vs balm? Or should you use both beard oil and beard balm together to alleviate itchy skin under the beard? Let’s take a closer look at whether beard balm vs oil is the best solution when your beard is itchy.
Why Is My Beard Itchy?
If you’re experiencing an itchy beard, you may be suffering from beardruff or beard dandruff. In addition to noticeable white flakes, scratching the area can cause red itchy skin under the beard. In either case, beard dandruff is dry skin or dandruff on the face underneath the beard. This condition is often caused when the skin cells underneath the beard shed at a faster-than-normal rate.
It results in inflamed, dry, itchy skin under the beard as well as unsightly little white flakes of dandruff falling from your beard.
While beardruff or an itchy beard may have little to do with your hygiene, it can make you look unkempt. Simply put, beardruff is NOT a good look. Even so, beard dandruff and itchy beards are a reality for many men — but it doesn’t have to be.
Know the Common Triggers for an Itchy Beard
A beard that is itchy can be caused by many factors. Certain beard creams and beard care routine products have skin-irritating ingredients. These ingredients are known to cause or worsen beard irritation and beard dandruff. Beard care products with the following additives may cause contact dermatitis and could be doing much more harm than good:
- Castor oil,
- Artificial fragrances, and
- Chemicals.
Other potential causes of beardruff and beard dandruff:
- You have a yeast infection from the Malassezia fungus.
- Dry skin under the beard is causing the beardruff.
How to Stop an Itchy Beard? Can Beard Balm Help?
Beard balm is a common beard care product that acts as a leave-in conditioner for styling, conditioning, moisturizing, and softening your beard. This common beard care product works to slowly hydrate your beard throughout the day.
Beard balm is much thicker than beard oil and can help coat the surface of your hair shaft. The thickness of beard balm also helps weigh down flyaways and beard hairs that work against your beard’s shape.
Beard balm becomes more necessary as your beard grows. This is because as your beard grows further away from your face, it will be more difficult for the sebum and beard oil to travel the length of your strands.
What Are the Main Ingredients in Beard Balm?
Although every beard balm is unique, most will have some iteration of the following base ingredients:
- Carrier oils
- Beeswax
- Essential oils
- Malleable agent,
Can Beard Oil Help Get Rid of an Itchy Beard?
Beard oil is a dynamic conditioner that softens and moisturizes beard hair, helping shorter beards feel softer and tamer. It acts like a leave-in conditioner for your beard and the skin underneath.
Why Is Beard Oil Important?
Everyone’s skin produces a natural oil called sebum, which is critical to your beard’s condition, health, and appearance. However, when you wash your face and shower with harsh detergents, sebum is stripped away.
Beard oils are instrumental in replicating sebum and preventing your beard from becoming brittle, dry, and wiry. As an added bonus, beard oil can add shine and luster to your beard.
Should I Use a Beard Oil vs Balm as an Itchy Beard Cure?
The ability of a beard oil and/or balm to alleviate the itch will always depend on the ingredients. Unfortunately, not all additives and ingredients will treat and hydrate the skin. Here are a few of the best ingredients for beard balms and oils.
Rosehip Oil Is Key to the Best Beard Oil and Balms
Rosehip oil has been used for centuries by Egyptians and Native Americans to treat scalp itching, dryness, dandruff, and beardruff. It’s also excellent for helping inflammatory skin conditions, such as eczema. If your itchy beard is caused by the Malassezia fungus, rosehip has phenols that include:
- Antifungal properties,
- Antiviral properties, and
- Antibacterial properties.
Look for beard care products with rosehip oil as an ingredient.
Jojoba Oil Can Help Alleviate Itchy Beard & Inflamed Skin
Loaded with beneficial skin and hair minerals, jojoba oil can help nourish dry skin, moisturize dry scalps, and eliminate beard dandruff. It has vitamins C, B, E, zinc, and copper, which are all excellent ingredients for your beard and the underlying skin. Whether you use a beard balm vs oil or both, make sure jojoba oil is a key ingredient.
Avocado Oil Helps Strengthen Your Beard and Alleviate Beardruff
Because of its unique composition of antioxidants, vitamins, and monounsaturated fats, avocado oil can moisturize your skin and help prevent it from drying out and flaking.
Apricot Kernal Oil Helps Promote Beard Growth
Rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, apricot kernel oil is excellent for protecting your skin and scalp by decreasing inflammation, which can help promote beard growth. Got a patchy beard? Make sure your beard oil and/or balm includes apricot kernel oil.
Shea Butter’s Antifungal Properties Help Alleviate Beard Dandruff
According to one scientific study, shea butter is packed full of cinnamic acid. This substance has antifungal properties that will work against Malassezia species. In fact, shea butter can also combat skin acne caused by fungi.
Butter by Q’s 100% Natural, Plant-Based Beard Oil & Balm Are the Perfect Beard Dandruff Remedy
Our Citrus Crush Beard Balm and Citrus Crush Beard Oil are formulated to style your beard, promote growth, and alleviate beardruff and beard dandruff. Our beard balm starts with premium, unrefined shea butter, which has anti-inflammatory properties to relieve rashes and skin itchiness.
It also includes a power-packed blend of super-hydrating oils that moisturizes and hydrates the skin underneath.
- Jojoba Oil relieves skin flakiness, alleviates itching, and prevents dandruff.
- Rosehip Oil includes targeted fatty acids that help promote healthy beard growth while controlling dandruff and beardruff.
- Apricot Oil is a hero ingredient that helps decrease skin inflammation, support hair growth, and improve skin health.
The same oils are used in our beard oil to provide a concentrated dose of nutrients and vitamins that alleviate beard itch and beardruff. Each product also includes carefully-selected botanical extracts that offer additional benefits for your beard and hair.
Shop our all-natural, plant-based products today!
