The Differences Between Beard Balm, Oil, and Butter

Stylists, beard-care enthusiasts, and people who have had facial hair for a long time will all tell you that caring for your beard requires care. Keeping your facial hair hydrated and moisturized is an essential part of beard care, especially if you intend you style your beard or want soft facial hair. Unfortunately, choosing the right products for your beard has somewhat of a learning curve, especially with how many moisturizing products are on the market. If you’re ready to take your beard journey one step further, first take a look at the differences between beard balm, oil, and butter.

What Is Beard Oil?

One of the most important facial hair tips guys should know is to keep their beards conditioned and moisturized. Beard oil comes in a liquid form and is a fantastic product for beards of all lengths and textures. Its formula can contain different carriers and essential oils, which help moisturize and hydrate your beard. If you notice the skin around or under your beard feels tight, itchy, or dry, beard oil will do the trick. Although it doesn’t do much in terms of styling your beard, it does keep the follicles healthy, ensuring your beard can look its best.

What Is Beard Butter?

Beard butter is the middle ground between oil and balm. It’s thicker than beard oil but not as hard as beard balm. The formulation of beard butter moisturizes the hair and helps you style it—but that doesn’t mean you should throw away your beard oil altogether. Beard butter and beard balm are better for styling beard hair and have a lower concentration of moisturizing ingredients. Beard butter will help you manage flyaway, but if you have a stiffer hair texture and more stubborn stray hairs, you may need something a little thicker.

What Is Beard Balm?

Beard balm is the thickest of these three products, and the base of the formula is typically beeswax, which gives the balm its hard texture. The beard balm will keep your beard soft, but its main job is to style your beard and manage intense stray hairs that don’t want to stay down. If you need a strong styling hold or want your beard to stay in a particular shape, beard balm is your best bet. It also doubles as a kind of leave-in conditioner, so the more you use your beard balm, the softer it will become over time.

Now that you know the difference between beard balm, oil, and butter, what combo of products will you use for your beard?