You can find all kinds of articles on trimming, fading, growing, and styling a beard, but the first step for any beardsman starts with a good beard wash.
Since beards collect all kinds of grime and particles throughout the day, it’s best to wash your beard every day using a shampoo or wash specifically formulated for beards.
Beard shampoos are beard products that are explicitly made for washing and cleansing beard hair.
Top Picks
When reviewing our top beard wash picks, we carefully considered:
- quality of cleanliness
- hair softness
- overall condition
- price
- reviews
After thoroughly reviewing beard shampoos and washes, we created a best of list that scored highly in quality of cleanliness, scent, natural ingredients, effective for beard itch, and overall value.
We also made sure that all selected grooming products were paraben-free and sulfate-free.
1. King C. Gillette Beard Wash – Best Beard Cleanser
I really enjoyed this beard cleanser. It’s infused with coconut water, argan oil and avocado oil. Though it’s a mild cleanser, I found it to remove dirt and oil better than others.
It also left my skin and beard hair soft and smooth without any residual feeling. Just clean with a light smell of menthol with a slight cooling sensation, which was refreshing.
2. Zeus Beard Shampoo and Wash – Best for Sensitive Skin
Ingredients: Dragon’s blood, green tea, chamomile, cedarwood, vanilla rum
One of the rare beard shampoos on the market to include dragon’s blood (from the tree, not a mythical beast), and it really showed in the quality of cleanliness. Zeus Beard Shampoo is specially formulated for those with sensitive skin, so your skin actually feels smoother and softer after using this treatment.
In addition, Zeus shampoos include natural ingredients. Besides dragon’s blood, this beard wash also includes green tea and chamomile. This makes it so good at cleaning your facial hair without irritating your skin underneath. Dragon’s blood comes from a tree. This extract prevents skin inflammation and helps eliminate beard dandruff.
3. Billy Jealousy Beard Wash – Best Hydrating Wash
Ingredients:Aloe, soy, green tea
We heard about this product because it was recommended by Lucas Dennington, writer behind The Insider Guide to Spas blog and one of the current voices for men’s grooming needs. He wrote that Billy Jealousy was one of the best beard shampoos because of how smooth your beard hair feels afterward.
We completely agree! This beard shampoo not only cleans your beard hair really well, but it straightens and softens your hair, making it more manageable. If you have frizzy hair, this shampoo completely smooths out your strands and ends.
With dry skin, ingredients like aloe and green tea quickly hydrate and refresh the skin underneath your hair, leaving you with flake-free results.
4. Ranger Beard Wash Shampoo – Best Beard Softener
Ingredients:Tea tree, peppermint, rosehip seed oil, jojoba oil
Ranger Beard Wash gets high ratings from customers because of its sulfate-free formula. The brand makes all kinds of beard care products, including unscented beard oils. Their beard wash is made with softening agents and hydrating oils to heal your skin and hair naturally.
While the company also states that this beard shampoo can thicken your beard, we found that it does add a little volume if you have longer beard hair. We suggest using Ranger Beard wash if you need a good everyday wash for dry, sensitive skin.
5. Professor Fuzzworthy Shampoo Bar – Best Beard Soap
Ingredients: Olive oil, castor seed oil, sunflower seed, leatherwood beeswax and honey, Mount Wellington spring water, Tasmanian seaweed extract, cocoa powder
When it comes to a clean beard, Professor Fuzzworthy’s shampoo bar comes highly recommended. Known for its specialty ingredients only found in the Tasmanian rainforest, this shampoo bar not only cleans your beard, but your hair will feel silky smooth and look shiny as ever. With its all natural formula, Professor Fuzzworthy is also recommended for all skin types, including those who have issues with beard acne or dry skin.
With so many special ingredients and oils, Professor Fuzzworthy leaves you feeling refreshed, and the scent is absolutely amazing. You’ll receive tons of compliments from your significant other if you use this beard soap, but it also has great value for its size and price. You can probably use this for at least two years every day and still have some left.
6. Polished Gentleman Shampoo and Conditioner – Best Shampoo for Beard Growth
Ingredients: Biotin, tea tree oil, aloe, manuka honey, coconut oil, argan oil, rosemary, cocoa butter, cehami
We think it’s amazing that the beard shampoo market has taken off, but we also like when a brand does something new and creates a new formula. Polished Gentleman does just that with their beard growth shampoo and conditioner set. We tested out this product to see how well it treated facial hair and if using it every day led to any substantial hair growth.
Best Beard Thickener
Biotin is an essential ingredient for hair growth and thickening, but only some shampoos and creams include it with their formulas. In this set, the conditioner uses biotin to enhance beard hair growth, according to the company.
We found that after a couple of uses, Polished Gentleman did create more thickness and strength in our hair, but only time will tell if this leads to substantial thickening and new growth.
Most customers swear by this product, which is why it gets such highly rated reviews. We think the formulas for the shampoo and conditioner make this a phenomenal product if you’re having trouble growing a thicker beard and want something that will stimulate hair follicle growth.
7. Honest Amish Original Beard Soap – Best Organic Beard Wash
Ingredients: Olive oil, avocado, palm, eucalyptus, coconut oil, apricot kernel, castor oil, and yellow clay
For those who want to clean and moisturizing their beard, Honest Amish is a top pick for the best natural beard wash. The beard soap has unique formula and scent that many swear by. Honest Amish is one of the premier beard grooming brands with other top-rated products like beard oils and balms.
We found this product after it was recommended by a salon because of its all-natural formula. If you use this soap every day, your beard will start to shine like a god, but it’s also great for improving thickness and skin clarity. In addition, it’s a great value at under $10, and it will likely last a couple of years with daily use.
8. Jack Black Beard Wash (PureScience Formula) with Aloe
Ingredients: Aloe, panthenol, jojoba oil, vitamin B5, sea kelp, camelina oil, shea butter
This is another beard wash highly recommended by experts who work with beard hair every day. It’s stocked on the shelves of high-end barbers because of its ability to soften dry, coarse hair. However, the scent is refreshing and pleasant as well, with hints of rosemary, basil, and grapefruit.
We liked how clean beard hair looked and felt after using this product. If you have dryness and irritation, this wash aids in moisturizing your hair and skin. You can’t go wrong with this wash, but it’s a little bit on the expensive side. You don’t need very much to get a lather going, though.
9. Viking Revolution Beard Wash and Conditioner Set – Beard Wash and Oil
Ingredients:Peppermint, eucalyptus, jojoba oil, argan oil
For dry hair prone to dandruff, there’s probably nothing better than the Viking Revolution Beard Wash and Shampoo. You only need a little bit, and it comes in a 17 oz bottle, making it a great value for the price.
This shampoo is completely organic and plant-based, using peppermint and eucalyptus to create an intoxicating scent while also adding an astringent property to this product.
Viking Revolution offers a number of other products, including beard oils. Their commitment to high-quality formulas and beard care is well known, and we liked how this shampoo makes your beard hair feel. It provides a great clean, but the shampoo also contains oils that help moisturize and soften hair.
10. Scotch Porter Moisturizing Beard Wash – Best Beard Dandruff Shampoo
Scotch Porter Moisturizing Beard Wash is the best shampoo for beard dandruff because it contains Burdock Root, Nettle Leaf and Aloe Vera.
Perfect for cleansing and refreshing beards and mustache hair.
It has all-natural ingredients free from unhealthy chemicals that cleanses, softens & hydrates for a full healthy beard. The non-toxic ingredients are free of parabens, sulfates & silicones while being vegan friendly.
11. Just For Men Beard Wash – Best Beard Wash for Dry Skin
Just For Men claims to be the Best Face & Beard Wash Ever – a tall claim.
It’s a great shampoo for the beard to moisturize and helps prevent beard itch. It’s made with oatmeal, aloe, chamomile, and Jojoba Oil in a 3 fluid ounce tube.
Reasons to Use Beard Wash
In addition, beard shampoos also must care for the skin underneath your facial hair. When you wash your face and neck to clean your beard hair, you want to scrub away dead skin cells gently and promote healthy follicular growth.
- Eliminates beard itch
- Removes odor and grime
- Cleanses your beard hair and skin underneath
- Supports healthy beard growth
- Prepares your beard for trimming and styling
There are differences between beard shampoos and hair shampoos, as well as certain washes with different ingredients. Some of these work better than others at keeping your beard healthy while also providing shinier, thicker hair.
NOTE: A beard wash is not a face scrub nor exfoliator. Check out our article on the Best Face Scrubs & Exfoliators.
What to Look for in a Beard Wash?
After trying a variety of beard washes and shampoos, we have found the top 8 beard shampoos and reviewed them below. However, we rated these shampoos based on the following:
- Quality of Clean: We looked at whether the shampoo cleansed our hair quickly and left the hair clean and shiny. In other cases, we down-rated shampoos that left a residue, didn’t clean the hair well enough, or if it created more beard itch.
- Prevents Beard Itch: No beard shampoo should ever increase your need to itch after a fresh wash. In fact, beard washes are made to eliminate this irritation.
- Eliminated Flakes and Dryness: We used moisturizing beard shampoos and rated the ones that healed our skin in just one use.
- Ingredients: What did the beard shampoo include that was different? We liked washes that included some moisturizing agents, such as argan oil or jojoba oil, and we tested other formulas that included coconut oil and aloe vera to see if they helped with dry, irritated skin.
- Scent: Most beard washes have a scent related to the oils included in the formula. For example, some have essential oils such as cedarwood or pine that add to the musk. Others are completely unscented. We looked at both in our reviews below.
- Cost: From initial price to ongoing maintenance, we wanted to find beard shampoos that would hold their value and didn’t strain your budget too much. However, a couple made it onto our list that were a little pricey because they worked like a charm and smelled amazing.
In addition to the shampoos and washes we rated, there are a few other products you should look at, such as beard oil, beard balm, and beard conditioners.
Beard Shampoos and conditioners are typically part of beard grooming kits and beard growth kits.
Best Ingredients for Beard Shampoos
While there are some natural beard shampoos on the market that help your beard, many also contain irritating chemicals that do nothing for your skin or hair.
Best Beard Shampoo Ingredients
It’s common for beard washes and shampoos to include these good natural ingredients:
- Carrier Oils: Jojoba oil, argan oil, olive oil, and coconut oil
- Essential Oils: Peppermint, cedarwood, and pine
- Beard Vitamins: Biotin, vitamin E, and vitamin D
With cheaper beard washes and shampoos, there are some other chemicals added that don’t help your beard at all. These may dry out your skin and cause your hair to become frail and dull.
Worst Beard Shampoo Ingredients
We suggest avoiding any beard shampoos with these bad ingredients:
- Parabens: Easily identified by the use of “paraben” in the name, these include methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, ethylparaben, or alkyl parahydroxybenzoates.
- Sulfates: Typically, the first ingredients listed in shampoo, these include sodium lauryl sulfate, laureth sulfate, lauryl sulfoacetate, lauroyl isethionate, and sodium lauroyl taurate.
Natural, organic shampoos work the best because they have the strongest ingredients with none of the side effects, such as dandruff.
FAQ
It’s easy to simply use hair shampoo, but should you? Before purchasing a beard shampoo, there are some things that you can’t ignore with beard shampoo products. For instance, did you know that some hair shampoos can dry out your skin and create beard dandruff?
Here are a few other things to consider before buying your next beard shampoo.
What Does Beard Wash Do?
When it comes to growing a beard and maintaining one, beard shampoos, and washes are essential. Before ever trimming, shaving, or conditioning your beard, it should be free of the daily grime and food particles that get trapped in your hair.
Can I Use Hair Shampoo On My Beard?
It’s not recommended, but unless it’s really hurting your skin and beard, you can probably continue to use your hair shampoo.
One of the issues that men face with using hair shampoo on beards is dry skin underneath that produces beard dandruff.
If you have flakes in your beard, chances are that your hair shampoo is drying out your skin and creating those problems.
With a beard shampoo formulated for sensitive skin, you can guarantee that your beard is washed and healthy without sacrificing the skin underneath.
What’s the Difference Between Beard Shampoo and Regular Shampoo?
One of the benefits to using beard shampoo is that it works for both your beard and scalp. There are also different ingredients included with beard shampoos to protect your hair and skin. Some of these ingredients include:
Jojoba oil
Grapeseed oil
Argan oil
Castor oil
Coconut oil
If your beard always feels dry or your hair is coarse, use a shampoo with a conditioning agent, such as an all-natural beard wash that includes argan oil or jojoba.
When Should I Use Beard Shampoo?
It’s best to use beard shampoo when you wake up in the morning with your shower routine. Just like washing your hair, you can quickly apply a little beard shampoo or beard wash to cleanse your hair and prep for a trim or beard oil.
How Often Should you Wash your Beard?
With the right beard shampoo, you should be washing your beard every day. All kinds of particles get trapped in beards throughout the day, which causes grime, odor, and oil. To protect your skin and hair, you should use a beard wash or shampoo that won’t hurt your skin.
If you notice that your skin becomes dry or flaky after using a beard shampoo multiple times a week, you may want to take a look at the ingredients and swap out for a gentler wash that’s made for sensitive skin.
What’s the Best Beard Wash Shampoo?
When looking for the best beard wash, we found that Professor Fuzzworthy and Honest Amish have the best products for the price. However, the scent may not be for everyone.
If you’re looking for a combination product to wash beard hair and your scalp, we think Polished Gentleman’s beard shampoo and conditioner is the perfect set to go with.
