Beard Oil Recipes — A How To

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Beard Oil not only smells great, it keeps the beard healthy and helps keep the skin underneath from drying out and becoming itchy. The itchiness has been the biggest complaint from the SO.

Beard oil is surprisingly easy to make. All you need are some essential oils and a carrier oil (or 2).
Now let me say that while it’s easy to make, it is not cheap. Depending on where you purchase your oils, a single bottle of beard oil could cost upwards of a hundred dollars or more just to make.

Sandalwood essential oil, for example, is a fantastic oil for a bearded man; the smell is amazing! However, one 1/2 ounce bottle can cost $30! And most other oils cost anywhere from $5 – $20 a 1/2 ounce bottle.

But really, don’t be dissuaded by the cost. If you really want to try making your own beard oil, give it a go. Like I said, it’s very easy.

Here’s what you need:

Carrier oil: This is the base. Your beard oil will be mostly carrier oil with some other oils mixed in. You have several options for carrier oil. The best, or so I’ve heard, is Jojoba oil. I don’t use Jojoba simply because it is so expensive, and you use a lot of it per bottle. There’s also Avocado Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, and Grapeseed Oil. I use a combination of Sweet Almond and Grapeseed Oils as my carrier. The carriers don’t have much of a smell, so you don’t have to worry about that part.

Next, you’ll need the essential oils. But before we get into those, you need to decide on the overall smell. I treat beard oil like it’s a perfume. It needs a high, medium, and low note. In that sense, I get a better idea of what the beard oil should have.

For example: I wanted to make a “spicy” scented beard oil. I went with a Bay Rum base. Bay rum is great for that spicy base note. To add a little earthiness to it, I added some Bergamot and Tea Tree.  To sweeten it just a little, I added the tiniest bit of Tangerine.

Well, this one did not pass the SO test, and therefore needed more tweaking before I finalized it. But you can see the thought process:

High note: Tangerine

Medium: Tea Tree and Bergamot

Base: Bay Rum

Note: Be careful with Citrus oils. They can be phototoxic if you use too much. I use just enough for someone to smell it, but not enough to be a skin irritant. Always research the oils you want to use. You never know what you should and should not be putting on your skin.

Now, I also add some Vitamin E to the beard oil for some extra help in taking care of the skin beneath the beard.

When you are done, make sure to bottle the beard oil in a darker bottle. This will help keep the oils from losing any of their strength. Depending on the length of the beard, you only need a few drops rubbed vigorously into the hair and chin. The smell might be strong for the first few minutes, but it does dissipate quickly.

I love making beard oil. It makes me feel like a mad scientist! Plus, I get to use the SO as a guinea pig. 🙂   He doesn’t seem to mind the attention, though.