A good beard balm moisturizes your skin and helps shape beard hair while adding a smooth shine. The men’s beard care industry is saturated with many products that just don’t deliver on these necessities. So, we’ve uncovered the best beard balms that really work and produce results.
Beard balms use formulas with a higher viscosity thanks to their beeswax ingredients. Typical products have a thicker texture and add longer-lasting moisture than a beard oil or conditioner.
If you want to tame your wild beard hair and eliminate dry skin, beard balm is one of your best choices. We’ve reviewed the best beard balm products from our experience and provide a comprehensive buyer’s guide. Keep reading.
Buyer’s Guide to Beard Balms
Choosing the right hair care products is a lot easier when you know what to look for. We find that the best beard balms typically have a light to medium hold with ingredients like beeswax and coconut oil.
We go over all the features you should look for in the top beard balms and how to choose the right product, whether balms or oils would be best for your hair type and condition.
Ingredients
When it comes to picking the right beard balm, your first step is to eliminate any products with ingredients that may cause allergic reactions, especially if you have sensitive skin. There are typically four types of ingredients in any beard balm:
- Beeswax
- Shea butter
- Carrier oils
- Essential oils
These ingredients provide more hydration for your skin, and the best formulas will be all-natural with beeswax as the primary ingredient. Jojoba oil is one of the best ingredients for beard balms because of its naturally moisturizing properties.
Want to make your own Beard Balm? Try a great DIY Beard Balm recipe at home.
Hold Strength
Balms come with light, medium, or strong hold features. If you’re looking for a taming moisturizing balm, you should go with light to medium, but if you want to sculpt your beard and mustache, then a medium to strong hold will have a higher concentration of wax.
Stronger holds in balms mean it will have less moisturizing properties though, so choose wisely and a beard wax may be a better option for strong hold. See the beard balm vs beard wax.
Scent
Scented or unscented? It’s a personal preference. Beard balms don’t necessarily have to have a scent, but if they have any essential oils like coconut or jojoba oil, it will likely have some kind of light, pleasant smell. The more luxurious brands use sandalwood to add a light, earthy scent.
Beard Balm vs Beard Oil
Lots of beardsman recommend beard oil as a moisturizer because it can be applied easily, and it quickly absorbs into your skin underneath your beard.
However, it’s not always the best for your beard hair or even for your beard length. Fuller, longer beards will benefit from the waxy coverage of a beard balm versus a beard oil. With either product, beard combs help distribute even a small size amount of product.
Beard balms do come with different oils, such as sweet almond oil, jojoba, argan, and many others. These essential oils help to soften and tame an unruly beard. However, aloe vera and shea butter can help with beard dandruff.
Beard balms also come in different packaging due to their texture and consistency. Whereas oils come with applicators or droplet bottles, balms typically come in a small tub or tin. They’re more like a pomade and may have a light woody scent, depending on the ingredients.
Beard Balm vs Beard Butter
These two products are often confused but make no mistake, they are quite different and used for different purposes.
Though they may contain similar ingredients like essential oils and shea butter, beard balm contains wax where beard butter does not.
So, beard butter is great for moisturizing a dry, itchy beard, it won’t last long. Where beard balm provides some moisture, plus it provides beard hold and will last throughout the day. Check out beard balm vs beard butter reference guide.
Hair Type Usage
Your beard hair is totally unique, but it has certain properties that work best for different hair types. For example, applying beard balm for frizzy or wavy beards may like beard balm more because it’s not as oily and holds your beard shape.
Daily Moisturizer Balm
Beard balms with light to medium holds make for great daily skin moisturizers, especially if you have dry skin under your beard. You only need a small amount to spread over your skin and beard hair.
Best Beard Balm Reviewed
1. Rocky Mountain Beard Balm Cedarwood (100% Natural)
The all-natural Rocky Mountain Beard Balm Cedarwood formula includes grape seed oil, coconut oil, beeswax, jojoba oil, and tea tree oil, but there’s several other potent oils listed in the ingredients.
Rocky Mountain is known for its 100% natural ingredients and woody scents, but this cedarwood balm is the best for softening your beard hair.
- Cedarwood Scent - Our Cedarwood beard balm features real cedarwood essential oil for its signature cedarwood scent.
- Convenient 2 oz tin - Our Cedarwood beard balm comes to you in a rugged 2 oz tin and fits anywhere for on the go grooming.
- Simple Ingredients - Our Cedarwood beard balm features simple ingredients so you can feel good about what you’re using on your beard.
- Crafted in Small Batches - Made in small batches to ensure you receive a beard balm made with the freshest ingredients possible.
- Made with Real Cedarwood Essential Oil - We are proud to say that our cedarwood beard balm contains actual cedarwood essential oil that will keep your beard looking and feeling great
Due to the pliable texture of this balm, it’s good for any beard length. Short beard styles as well as full and long beards can get the full benefits of this leave-in conditioning balm. It never feels greasy or oily.
Where to Buy
2. Honest Amish Beard Balm (natural & Organic)
Made with natural, organic ingredients, Honest Amish Beard Balm is another favorite among men who need to tame their beard hair and get rid of dry, itchy skin.
It’s a very gentle conditioning balm that goes on easily and doesn’t leave any residue. The smell is pretty light, but slightly spicy due to cloves, anise, and cedar.
- Hand Crafted in the USA
- Softens Coarse and Rogue Hairs
- Stops the Itch and Eliminates Beardruff
- The BEST for your beard - GUARANTEED!
- The Most Trusted Brand for Beards in the World
Many people have recommended this brand to the B&B team for review because of its consistency, scent, and moisturizing benefits.
In comparison to many other balms, this is definitely a premium, high-quality product that will soften your hair and eliminate dry skin. However, you can also sculpt your beard hair due to its medium hold strength.
Where to Buy
3. Bulldog – Original Beard Balm
The B&B team is a firm believer in the power of aloe vera to cure skin irritation, itch, and redness. That’s why we love the formula from Bulldog Original Beard Balm for its aloe vera, green tea, and camelina oil ingredients.
However, this balm isn’t “all” natural, though its formula is vegan and animal cruelty-free.
- not all beards are created equal: bulldog knows you take pride in your beard, so whether it’s course or straggly, bulldog beard products cover the full range of beard grooming; from cleaning and conditioning, to moisturizing and taming
- ingredients: bulldog original beard balm is specially formulated to soften and tame the beard; our original line contains brilliant natural ingredients; our beard balm contains aloe vera, camelina oil and green tea; we combine these with carefully selected man made ingredients for exceptional performance
- simple and effective: our original line works simply and effectively to deal with the specific issues men face. bulldog original beard balm uses ingredients designed to provide moisturizing and softening properties to help manage even the straggliest beard
- directions: rub a small amount into your hands and apply evenly to your beard. don’t be afraid to give your beard a good comb to make sure product is evenly distributed
- Hair type: All Beard Types
Made in the UK, Bull Dog’s beard balm has a light citrus scent and goes on smoothly. It’s just like other premium balms, but the price isn’t as high.
We like the way it tames hair without the grease, but the brand has issues with marketing as the balm as a “shampoo or conditioner,” which customers found to be deceiving. It’s mainly just a moisturizing styling product.
Where to Buy
4. Viking Revolution Beard Balm – Strengthens & Softens
The formula really does make the beard balm better. With Viking Revolution Beard Balm, you’ll get an argan oil and mango butter conditioning balm that also has a stronger hold. The wax content is a bit higher in this balm, so you can tame and mold the shape of your beard hair.
- Tame Your Beard: Restore, mold and shape your beard with our high quality beard balm treatment. Even the burliest of beards can be smoothed, straightened and controlled.
- No Itching Or Scratching: Get rid of the dreaded beardruff! Massage a pea sized amount of beard balm into your skin at the roots of your beard to prevent flaking all day long!
- Citrus Scent: Our beard balm treatment has a fresh and clean citrus fragrance which leaves your beard or mustache smelling as great as it feels, day after day.
- 100% All Natural: Our beard balm is made of the highest quality Argan Oil, Jojoba Oil, Mango Butter and Beeswax. Leave the non-greasy balm in all day to condition and soften your beard.
- The Viking Promise: If for any reason, you’re not completely satisfied, simply contact us and we’ll take care of it.
This beard balm does it all. Tame and soften your coarse beard hair, while also molding a ducktail beard or other beard style. The formula is also 100% natural and comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Where to Buy
5. Mountaineer Magic Beard Balm (Soothing)
We like beard balms that provide all-day soothing moisture to our beard hair. That’s exactly how the Mountaineer Magic Beard Balm works. It comes with conditioning and repairing ingredients in an all natural formula that includes eucalyptus, cedarwood, and beeswax for a light to medium hold.
- FOR A BEARD THAT'S REVERED: Mountaineer's premium conditioning beard balm is ideal for keeping short, medium, and long beards soft, groomed, and manageable. Our beard balm for men is perfect for those who want to care for their beards while looking their best!
- CONDITION AND REPAIR DAMAGED HAIR: Moisturize the skin under your beard and help reduce an itchy beard with our beard cream for men. Our beard care products are handcrafted with a powerful blend of beeswax, butters, and essential oils to condition, maintain, and repair dry and damaged beard hair. Our beard hair softener liquefies quickly and absorbs easily into your beard!
- HOW TO USE: Give your beard a look and feel it deserves with our beard balm conditioner. Remove the desired amount of product with your thumbnail and liquify it in your palms. Work it into your beard hairs, making sure to get all the way to the ends. This scented conditioning beard balm will soften your beard and keep it looking healthy.
- A FANTASTIC GIFT: We make a terrific leave-in beard conditioner for men. Our beard balm is an excellent gift for husbands, dads, sons, boyfriends, uncles, and male friends! Give that special bearded man in your life a unique and thoughtful gift they'll actually use!
- HANDMADE IN THE USA: At Mountaineer Brand, we make all our premium products by hand. This gives us complete control over what ingredients we put in our products that you will apply to your scalp, skin, beard, mustache, and body. Handcrafted in small batches, we take care with each step to ensure premium, high-quality products for mustache and beard care for men.
The Mountaineer brand offers high-quality moisture from this balm that has a lightly woody scent due to cedarwood and essential oils. It works really well to reduce beard itch and smooth down wily beard hairs.
Where to Buy
6. Old Spice – Beard Balm for Men
A go-to grooming brand for most men, the Old Spice Beard Balm is one of the best beard taming products that has an incredible smell for under $9. While the formula is a bit questionable due to its alcohol content, most men with normal skin won’t notice the difference.
- Old Spice beard balm for men is a fancy word for beard-taming goop that smells good
- Get everyday results by applying beard balm every day
- Makes your beard more sculpted than a really good metaphor for something that's sculpted really well
- What else is there to say?
- It's probably worth mentioning that proper beard care gives you the control over your beard that you've always desired Just to be safe
You only need a small amount of the Old Spice beard balm to spread over all of your facial hair. It’s a great way to condition your beard, and it doesn’t have a very strong scent.
Where to Buy
7. AMERICAN CREW Beard Balm & Styler
The AMERICAN CREW Beard Balm is a premium beard conditioner and styling balm that uses softer wax to tame your beard hair.
With sweet almond oil and shea butter, this balm is a bit higher in price than the other balms on this list. Good news is you’ll only need a small amount to spread across your facial hair to get the job done.
- BEARD CONDITIONER AND STYLER: A soft balm that tames and conditions the beard with flexible application for styling.
- BEARD CARE FOR MEN: Use as a finishing beard product for conditioning benefits and as a styling tool.
- KEY BENEFITS: Conditions the beard with sweet almond oil, shea butter, and crambe abyssinica seed oil.
- HOW TO USE: Place a small amount onto palms, distribute evenly through beard, style if desired.
- WHO WE ARE: American Crew is a leader in, Men's Grooming for HAIR, BODY, BEARD, SHAVE, STYLE categories. American Crew's ongoing commitment is to elevate men's style and enhance their personal image.
If you don’t like strong-scented grooming products, the American Crew balm may be a little overwhelming. However, many users love the scent and suggest you won’t need a cologne if you use this balm. It also works extremely well as a moisturizer and light styling cream.
Where to Buy
8. Cremo Styling Beard Balm
Cremo is one of those men’s grooming brands that always puts high-quality products, which is why their Cremo Styling Beard Balm is the most highly rated on our list. With nourishing oils, shea butter, and a forest scent, this styling beard balm works for short and long beards.
- Styles, shapes and tames beards that have grown past the scruff stage
- Designed with blend of beeswax, shea butter and essential oils
- Just a small dab locks in moisture and keeps beard looking shiny and healthy
- Woodsy forest scent won’t overpower your other fragrances
- Used and approved by top barbers
This balm has incredible moisture properties that quickly absorb into your hair and skin. We heard about the Cremo styling balm from barbers, who recommend this product for its gentle formula and medium hold. This forest scent balm is their best smelling product in our humble opinion.
Where to Buy
9. WAHL Beard Balm for Grooming
With essential oils like manuka oil, argan oil, clove oil, and meadowfoam, the WAHL Beard Balm offers an incredible combination of healing and calming oils that will quickly absorb into your skin, while also softening your beard hair in seconds.
- Tame Your Beard – Wahl Beard Balm is formulated to add shine & polish to your beard for ultimate styling control without weighing down your beard or leaving it feeling greasy or oily
- Reduce Beardruff - Our specially formulated beard balm can help by reducing beardruff, moisturizing the hair and skin, and reducing itchiness of the skin and beard
- The Wahl Blend - W blend uses high quality ingredients, like meadowfoam seed oil, manuka oil, clove oil, and moringa oil, that help you not only smell great, but feel great too
- Made for Men – For far too long, men have had to choose their grooming products from brands that specialize in women’s beauty; our products were formulated exclusively for men to help them look & smell their best with an aromatic scent that doesn’t overpower
- Complete Grooming Line - Wahl now offers a full line of Wet Goods exclusively designed and formulated for men. From beard care to shaving creams and gels to body wash, lotion, shampoo & conditioners
This is a beeswax formula that provides a decent hold without making your beard feel stiff or stone-like. You can easily tame your scruff with this balm while also getting rid of dandruff and itch.
Where to Buy
10. PROPHET Silky Smooth Beard Balm
Finally we wanted to review a thickening beard balm that promises to condition and strengthen your hair, while also being suitable for sensitive skin use. The PROPHET Beard Balm is a top-notch product with shea butter, beeswax, jojoba, sweet almond, castor oil, and vitamin E.
- All-Day Beard Control & Style: Our beard balm is crafted to tame unruly beards, offering a light hold that controls flyaways and shapes your beard for a well-groomed look that lasts all day.
- Hydrates & Adds Shine: Formulated with natural oils and butters, this balm deeply hydrates each strand, leaving your beard soft, moisturized, and with a healthy, natural-looking shine.
- No Staining, Transparent Finish: With a translucent formula, our beard balm applies clear, so it won’t stain or leave residue, keeping your beard looking clean and fresh.
- Mouth-Watering Scent: Enjoy a refreshing, subtle scent that enhances your grooming routine without overpowering. The aroma is carefully balanced for a light, appealing fragrance.
- Perfect for Every Beard Type: Whether your beard is long, short, thick, or fine, this balm works wonders to add texture, definition, and a well-groomed finish, making it a great addition to any beard care kit.
While we’re not sure if everyone will like the scent of this one, it’s a premium product that’s made to reduce inflammation and redness, while also thickening your hair and making it shine. You’ll love the way your beard looks with this premium balm.
Where to Buy
