Beard balm should be an essential part of your grooming kit, but if you're new to it, it can be hard to figure out how best to use it. Should you apply beard oil first and then beard balm on top? How much should you use? What does beard balm even do? These are all questions we here at Beard Swag asked ourselves when first started out many years ago, so today I'm going to answer them for you.
What is beard balm?
Beard balm is a beard grooming product that conditions and softens your beard, as well as providing some hold. It's basically a leave-in conditioner for beards. Beard balms can also be used to style and shape your beard, depending on the type of product you get and how you use it.
How to use beard balm?
Beard balm is a versatile tool. You can use it to style your beard and tame unruly hairs, moisturize dry skin and split ends, soften coarse stubble, condition new growth and hold in place the longer hair at the bottom of your face.
Yes you read that right: beard balm can finish off that man bun you’ve been dreaming about for months now! The texture of beard balm is what makes it so useful in this scenario. It's not too hard or too soft to damage your hair but has enough oomph to keep things under control without giving you helmet head (which we all know isn't cool).
Should I use beard oil or beard balm?
While beard oil is a conditioner, beard balm is also a styling product. And while some men prefer to use both products in tandem, there are others who don't feel the need to mix their beard oils and balms—they'll use one or the other.
To answer this question, we must first understand that many of us have been conditioned by society to see certain things as mutually exclusive: You can be good at math and not speak Spanish; you can enjoy football on Sundays and still have an appreciation for opera; you can wear black pants with your favorite pink sweater.
But in reality, these things aren't mutually exclusive at all! In fact, they complement each other quite nicely—and using them together often results in better overall results than using either alone. In the case of our bearded brothers-in-arms above (or anyone else who wants their facial hair looking its best), beard balms provide additional styling power without fully replacing conditioners like oils or waxes (which we'll discuss later).
With the proper application and maintenance, beard balm can keep your beard looking great.
Beard balm is a great product for keeping your beard looking healthy and full between washes. It can be used as a styling product, or in conjunction with beard oil to keep your beard looking great all the time.
Conclusion
I hope this article has given you some insight into the world of beard balm. It can be a confusing topic, but once you get the hang of it, it’s not too bad! Don’t be afraid to experiment with different Beard Swag balms and oils and techniques until you find what works best for your facial hair type.