A new “track” of pimples appears in the same place on your face where you apply the oil to your beard in the morning—right along your jawline. You took the oil completely for 2 weeks to test it, and your skin cleared up a bit, and then the same cluster returned the day you began taking the oil again. This is typically when men think beard oil and acne don't go together, and they opt back into that dry, acne free beard.

This is what that two week test really does prove: it is not generally the oiling of the beard that is the cause of the breakouts, it is what oil, how much and where the fingers have been before touching the face. There are carrier oils that are heavy enough to plug up a pore that is already struggling to be open, as well as oils that will soothe the pore. The best beard oil for acne prone skin is one that supports your skin instead of working against it.The right beard oil for acne-prone skin isn't one that doesn't use oil, it's one that doesn't fight inflamed skin. These are the 5 swaps that are working, why they work and why your last oil didn't.

Jojoba Oil Clears up the Clogging of Comedogenic Carrier Oils

However, not all beard oils cause acne; if the beard oil contains a heavy carrier oil such as coconut oil, it will be thick enough to fill the pore that is already struggling with inflammation, and push it shut. Jojoba oil is nearly identical to your skin's natural oils so it won't cause any skin congestion.

Men who suffer from acne will typically try to choose the oil that is the richest because they think the richer, the better, but what they get is new pimples in exactly where the oil goes the longest. That pattern is the proof that beard oil is not working for their skin, but it's actually the proof that one specific hair care ingredient is not working. In the majority of the cases I've encountered where a guy was unresponsive to coconut oil, he had already been a victim of breakout prone skin prior to touching a beard oil — the oil just provided a focus for the breakouts.

Use a 100% jojoba oil (unscented and unrefined) applied to clean skin daily, 3 to 4 drops, instead of directly to the hair.

Jojoba's molecular makeup is similar enough to human sebum that your skin doesn't recognize it as "foreign" and "stranger than fiction" enough to push it back into the pore that it doesn't need. Changing the type of oil eliminates the plug in the pore, but it doesn't eliminate the plug that is already in the pore underneath.

Hemp Seed Oil is an application that has been cut under your skin, which cuts out the bacteria.

Doing this means that beard oil isn't only going to moisturize, it will also trap whatever sweat, bacteria or dead skin was already there. It's a combination of hemp seed oil and a tiny amount of tea tree oil that fights against that bacteria, rather than trapping it in place.

This typically occurs when the oil is applied soon after removal of the headwear, during the day, and the first thing in the morning without rinsing beforehand. Breakouts tend to form where the oil is applied without a pre-treatment rinse first and again appear to be caused by the oil, but in reality, it was the oil that closed the door on the existing oil.

A light oil film also keeps material on the skin from being washed away, which keeps it stuck on the follicle rather than on the skin, and for the skin which is already working hard to keep inflammation at bay, that oil film is enough to push a clogged pore into the "popper".

Rinse with lukewarm water before putting on any oil, even on days when you don't wash your beard or skin, and then apply 3-4 drops of a hemp seed and tea tree blend directly on your clean, damp skin, preferably one with less than 5% tea tree.

Tea tree's antibacterial properties are effective against the same bacteria that cause acne, and hemp seed contains a lighter, less oily fatty acid profile that won't feed acne as an oil would. With clean skin and the proper mix, it's the amount of oil you apply that makes the difference, and that can either help or hinder as temperature rises.

Grapeseed Oil prevents the build-up of heat that can cause breakouts.

Just like a thick moisturizer applied under a mask, the heat and sweat entangled under the layer of heavy oil causes the pore to grow into a visible pimple for skin that already skips a breakout. Grapeseed oil is one of the lightest carrier oils and will condition without trapping that heat on your face.

This is typically represented by acne that worsens after exercise, during humid weather, or if the weather is cooler and drier and the same skincare is used. It seems random and easy to fault on a different issue altogether than the weight and volume of the oil.

Heavier oils remain on the skin for longer periods in humid conditions, and the additional duration the oil is on the skin allows perspiration and heat to accumulate on the inflamed openings of the follicles.

Avoid using grapeseed oil on hot/humid days, as it may not absorb into skin before sun exposure or activity; use 2–3 drops on skin and allow it to absorb before leaving home or going to exercise.

Grapeseed is absorbed rapidly, and leaves no occlusive film upon application, unlike heavier oils, which means that heat and sweat are not trapped against the hair follicle as they would be otherwise. While the oil's weight is important for what will happen during the moment, the breakouts caused by an overcorrected wash routine can take longer to occur (weeks, not one hot afternoon).

The Squalane Oil Breaks the Rebound Breakout Cycle Overwashing Creates is designed and formulated to help stop the cycle of over washing, which is the cause of acne breakouts.

If you're trying to wash an acne-prone beard twice daily with a harsh acne cleanser, you're on the right track but you can be doing more harm than good in stripping the barrier from your skin while simultaneously causing a rebound production of oil, which can be heavier and more pore-clogging than the washes you're removing. Squalane oil restores it without providing the comedogenic pressure a breakout requires to develop.

It's not to say that acne wash is bad, just make sure you're stripping and moisturizing at the same time, not just after the skin has flared. The rinse before oiling – mentioned above – is a light water rinse and therefore not in conflict with the active-ingredient wash.

Twice daily acne wash with salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide is actually helpful for acne-prone skin, but this is not the case that the skin will be drying out that much. What happens is that the skin overreacts and increases the amount of oil secreted, and the oil that it secretes is more occlusive than the oil that a controlled routine would want to place there.

Reduce the number of washes to one per day and apply 3-4 drops of squalane oil directly to the skin within 5 minutes before the barrier can indicate a need for oil.

Since squalane resembles the natural oil that the skin produces, it doesn't give the signal to make more oil in the first place, so that cycle is broken without the need for a second wash (which is done for the purpose of controlling active breakouts). The key to keeping the wash/oil balance correct, while protecting the skin as a whole, is that breakouts can be reintroduced just by the way you use your hands.

Argan Oil prevents fingers from spreading bacteria to new outbreaks.

A new pimple usually appears in a track rather than just in one spot because the bacteria that caused the breakout is spread by rubbing it with the same fingers that touched your phone, gym equipment or steering wheel. A little goes a long way: Argan oil won't require you to spread it on the affected skin multiple times.

Fingers are constantly touching and picking up to bacteria from all sorts of surfaces in everyday life, and rubbing oil – and the fingers – directly into an already open, inflamed pore puts it back inside. The reason the breakouts tend to be repetitive on the track is because they are getting reinfected along the same path every day with the same hand motion.

On clean, dry palms, apply 3-4 drops of argan oil and press it (not drag it) on clear areas of skin and smooth it out outward.

● Wash hands prior to each application, not necessarily before eating

● Apply oil to clear skin before an active spot; use on clear skin first.

● Allow the oil to absorb into the inflamed areas, rather than be directly applied.

Pressing rather than dragging reduces the movement of bacteria with every application and clean hands eliminate the No. 1 source of daily reinfection.

Getting the Full Routine up and running.

No it's not one bad product it is five little points where a good routine was going against inflamed skin. It wasn't the oil itself that was truly the problem, but it was the ingredient, the quantity, the timing, the wash balance, and your hands that were each causing a little damage.

The idea of this realistic version is to use all five oils rather than testing each one individually. Wash skin with a product that contains the acne-fighting agent once daily, not twice, and for 15–20 seconds; wash skin with a lighter, more non-comedogenic oil once a day, depending on the season and the condition of your skin that week (jojoba, grapeseed, hemp seed, squalane, or argan); clean, not dirty, hands before applying the oil, and not drag the oil over active spots.

Assign a real time to the new routine, before evaluating it. By 10-14 days, most guys experience a reduction in new acne along the typical zones, and by week 4, redness has visibly calmed, by week 6-8 it is stable and predictable with skin that doesn't flare on hot days or if they don't wash a day.

This is not a replacement for a dermatologist if cystic acne, active folliculitis or acne leaving scars are the problem however as a supplement to a product change it will help. In the case of the more typical form (those that appear on the skin wherever the oil happens to travel) that is usually sufficient. Repeat same section of jaw in 2 months. The cluster which re-appeared when you started to oil again should now have nothing to cling to.

Frequently Asked Questions

So, does beard oil lead to acne or does it make it worse?

Hair oil doesn't typically contribute to acne, it's the type of oil, the amount or the oil that has not been washed off the skin under the hair. Non-comedogenic oils, such as jojoba, grapeseed and squalane, are made to mimic natural sebum, and are therefore also able to hydrate without the heavier oils clogging pores. Breakouts caused by "the oil" usually go away when you switch to a different type of oil and/or application technique—not when you stop using oil altogether.

How often you should use beard oil for acne skin?

For most people with acne prone beards, you only need to wash once a day and apply to clean, slightly moistened skin, not to dry hair. It tends to produce more oil on already inflamed skin when used twice a day, particularly when the weather is hot or humid.

What about if you have active breakouts can you use beard oil?

Yes, but do so on clean areas of skin first, letting it permeate into the inflamed areas instead of applying to a pimple itself. It is more likely that a breakout will spread to other people via direct, repeated contact with fingers rather than by the oil.

Washing a beard twice a day is OK for people with acne?

Yes, two times a day, when you use an active acne wash, most guys will find that their skin's barrier is compromised and they have a surge of oil production in return. Washing once a day and lightly rinsing before applying an oil generally works to better control breakouts than washing more often.

So which is the best beard oil for acne-prone skin?

Usually, the safest place to begin is jojoba oil which has a composition similar to that of natural sebum and has a close to zero comedogenic rating. If jojoba oil is too thick or following a severe cleanser, some of the alternatives to consider are grapeseed oil and squalane.

Beard Oil Break Out Problem – What About The Duration?

After changing to a light, non-comedogenic oil and cleaning skin prior to use, most guys notice fewer new breakouts in 10 to 14 days. For full stabilization (when breakouts don't follow the normal pattern) it will take about 6-8 weeks.

Does tea tree oil work for beard acne?

Yes, tea tree oil does have antibacterial properties in small amounts (typically under 5% blended into a carrier oil such as hemp seed) that are effective against the bacteria that cause acne. A light blend is better than the oil alone as it can irritate already inflamed skin if used at full strength or too often.