7 Beard Oil for Black Men Switches That Actually Work

You take the same bottle that you used one year ago. You rub it as you have before. It's still hard and flaky around your chin after you've put on a lot at the mid-afternoon mark. You see some new curls or waves at your jawline with a shorter appearance than last month. That's why many men are looking for the perfect beard oil for black men — something that was formulated with coily and curly hair in mind, not straight hair.

The truth is, it's hardly ever your skin. It's your oil.

Coiled hair is different from straight or wavy. A one-size-fits-all bottle will not solve the issues that arise from that texture – rapid moisture loss, curl curl breakage, ingrown hairs, or dryness and dark spots that stand out on deeper-toned skin.

That is why there is a great number of men who are switching to a focused oil that is specifically targeted towards a particular issue instead of picking a random "beard oil.That's why so many guys are adopting a concentrated oil that's tailored for a specific problem rather than picking up any old "beard oil. Here is what each switch actually corrects – and why your first bottle wasn't wrong – it was just wrong for your beard.

The reasons why right beard oil for Black Men makes a real difference.

Coarse and coily curls dry out the skin more quickly than straight beard hair. If your skin is itchy and flaky by afternoon, even if you put oil on it early in the day, it's not the weather. It's the curlin'.

Coarse Curls Absorb and Deprive the Skin of Moisture.

The natural oils flow down a hair shaft to the skin underneath. When hair is tightly coiled, it is not possible to let the oil flow in a straight line, it must bend around each turn. This slows things down.

This is especially important because it results in a lacklustre appearance even if the beard in question is healthy and thick. This is the most common complaint men have about their beards that they use a beard product and still find that the beard is dry.

Mechanism: The mechanism is due to the capillary action of the sebum that flows through the hair. It has a compact shaft that resists the flow of water at every bend.A tightly coiled shaft that resists the flow of water at each bend. This results in skin being drier under coily or tightly curled hair than under straighter beard hair, particularly in dry climates or moist indoor air.

The solution: There are many guys that have been changing to jojoba-oil-rich formulas. The chemical makeup of jojoba is similar to that of human sebum, so the skin can absorb it directly, rather than wait for it to be carried to the skin by hair. Dip or apply 3-4 drops directly to the eye. Smoothly massage for 60 seconds in small circles. If oil is left on skin, massage it into the hair.

This means that you don't have to deal with the problem of getting the oil into the hair first. It's positioned directly where the dryness begins.

When the skin receives its required nourishment, the next problem that guys typically encounter is that the hair breaks before it can grow long enough to cause problems.

The Knapsack has been broken at the Curl Bend.The Knapsack is broken at the Curl Bend.

Curly and coily hair doesn't break all over the place. This typically fractures at the bend point: the weakest area of the strand. This is what's happening if you notice that your bearded hair is getting shorter and snapping off.

It is important because if you break a hair you lose all the progress that you have in that location. You can also see why you have certain sections of your beard that are always the same length no matter how long it's been out of your face.

The same curve which slows sebum delivery also causes mechanical stress at the bend. Pressure is multiplied at that same breaking point when you brush against the grain, dry the towel roughly or even rub up against a rough pillowcase.

The remedy: Male people suffering with this use oil made of castor oil. It is thicker than thinner hair products and has greater viscosity which does more than coat the hair, it strengthens the bend of the hair. Apply 2-3 drops at curl points only (not combed through). Use a satin or silk pillowcase to reduce friction during sleep.

The more the oil is thick at the highest stress area, the more it helps to buffer the friction that leads to snapping. An even application of a lighter oil is not as protective.

After controlling breakage the next switch typically is the result of another complaint, bumps, not length.

The 2 minute routine to prevent recurring razor bumps!

Most of the time, chronic razor bumps on facial hair are not actually caused by infection but by the hair itself going back into the skin; it's a no brainer really, more an obvious thing.

This isn't just about comfort. Repeatedly bump the same area, and it will continually damage the skin. This is how the dark marks get formed, which males complain about several months after the event.

It's because the hair has a curved shape and is cut very short to the skin, but as it grows out it tends to poke back into the skin. This sharp edge of the close shave causes inflammation.

The cure: Tea tree oil is making its way to the top of the list and is used with a special regimen.

• Use 2-3 drops on clean skin within 5 minutes after shaving (when pores are open, but not raw).

• Don't shave over the same area more than once every 3 days, to allow irritated skin follicles to heal.

• Use a gentle brush to rub in the direction of growth for 10-15 seconds to prevent the hair from curling inwards and growing back.

Tea tree is a mild antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agent which helps to soothe the skin to make it less reactive to hairs re-entering it. Space shaves and brushing to the outside also limit the number of hairs that can re-curl.

After the bumps and breakage issue has been taken care of, the next worry isn't typically about a single spot — it's about the overall appearance of the beard.

Ashy Patches Do Not Come From The Sun

If your beard is gray or ashy by midday, particularly afterwards you wash your face, it's more likely a skin problem than a hair problem. This is more noticeable in darker skin colours than lighter.

This is important because it can give an otherwise well-groomed beard a shabby look. Dry, dead, skin reflects light differently than moisturized skin. That difference is more apparent with deeper skin tones.

The solution: Men with this problem should switch to shea butter oils. Shea stays on the skin longer than lighter oils and retains moisture throughout the day, rather than absorbing and fading away in an hour or two. Use 4-5 drops on the skin at night immediately after cleansing the face, when the skin has time to absorb the product without any distractions.

Moisture loss is minimized at night with Shea's occlusive properties. It does not cover up the ashy appearance as does another lighter, fast-evaporating oil.

The next switch is not about dryness, it's about shape.

A shrunk beard can make it look half the size!

If your beard feels shorter after washing than it did the day before, this is shrinkage — just as it is for curly scalp hair, but no one mentions it for beards.

It's important since guys think that it means their beard is thinning down or has stopped growing, but this is not the case, the hair just has become coiled due to humidity or water. It's still there. It is just not possible to look at the whole length.

The water absorbed by the hair makes it contract even more, forming a tighter and shorter curl until it dries out and expands again to the original size.

The solution: Use lighter, more absorbable oils like argan to make post-wash coils relax sooner. Pour 3-4 drops onto wet (not soaked) beard hair and comb through about 2 minutes after coming out of the shower, in the direction it grows.

This is because the hair remains moist enough to allow the argan oil to condition the hair and make it more flexible before it is completely dry.

Shape problem: shrinkage. The next switch is one that requires a fix that may inadvertently cause another issue.

Heavy Oils Can Swap One Issue for Another

If men go the heavy oil route for dryness, they may end up with unsightly but minimal breakouts or clogged pores that they didn't have before.

When you start a new diet, or a new soap, it is very easy to attribute that break out to one or the other, when actually, it's just the same routine meant to help.

The more oily, the more comedogenic, and the more congested pores from the dense, curly beard hair around the neck will hold on to product.

The solution: Change to a less comedogenic oil and less product at all. Use 2 drops on the neck and jaw line, and 1 drop on the cheeks and mustache, which are fewer in number.

Mild oil will not plug up the pores in the most congested parts of the body and even though cheeks may require a heavier amount of oil, they are still fine.

That leaves 1 final grumble guys talk about long after the bumps and breakouts have gone.

Dark Marks will fade slower than Bumps.

The discolored marks left behind from bumps or ingrown hairs may persist for months after the condition has resolved. This darkening is more noticeable and will not fade away as quickly as it will on lighter skin.

This is important because guys may think that the healed and marked skin is an active irritation. They continue to treat it, which may slow down fading if the product is used too extensively or friction is caused by unnecessary movements.

During healing, when skin is inflamed, it generates more pigment. That pigment will remain in the skin until it's replaced naturally, which will take longer than the bump will heal.

The solution: Vitamin E oil is the unsung hero for areas that have been healed and marked. Pigment will fade on a skin cycle (2-3 weeks) rather than weekly, so wait at least 6 weeks before evaluating results applying 2-3 drops of the pigment per night.

Vitamin E is able to aid the natural repair mechanisms of the skin barrier and replaces pigment-producing cells at a more consistent rate without added oxidative stress.

Building Your Beard Oil for Black Men Routine

None of these seven switches are concerned with any one ‘best' beard oil. They all address a particular problem that occurs with tighter curls – slow moisture absorption, breakage at the bend, ingrown regrowth, ashy skin, shrinkage, pore congestion, and persistent dark marks.

These are not all the oils to be used each day. A realistic black man beard oil regimen is more of the following:

• Apply a daily moisturizer like jojoba or shea for normal skin moisture.

• Apply castor oil to hair a few times per week in the hair curl area

• Apply tea tree oil right after shaving

• After washing hair, apply argan oil to keep it moist.

• Use lighter oil only on the areas that are prone to congestion.

• Smear a mark with vitamin E oil at night after healing.

What Results to Expect

Be realistic. The response of skin tone and texture is delayed, as compared to many product marketing claims. Flaking and tightness will be limited within 2-3 weeks. Breakage on the curls should ease up within 6–8 weeks. The older the dark mark, the more likely it is to fade in a few months (usually 3) due to the natural turnover of the skin, not the age of the skin.

None of this is a substitute for a dermatologist when a daughter or son develops infected pimples, or when the bumps do not fade or a skin condition does not get better when it's followed by a consistent routine. These 7 changes are just to match what you're putting on your beard with what it's actually battling.

The next time you look in the mirror, looking at that same little spot, same angle, try it out. It's not something that will return at you by the afternoon.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does beard oil work well on curly and coily hair?

Yes. Because tightly curled hair is not as likely to transport natural sebum down the hair shaft, the skin below dries out more quickly. An oil is required to be applied directly to that skin and not just allowed to flow down from the hair. That is why using a single formula for all beards is not always the right choice for beards with texture.

At what point should you change oils if you have ‘razor bumps'?

It's not necessary to change them frequently. Select an oil that has mild antimicrobial properties such as tea tree and wait at least 3 weeks to assess results of the post shave routine. Frequent changes of products can make it difficult to determine what is effective.

Is it possible to mix a heavy oil and a light oil in the same treatment?

Yes, and many guys who have a textured beard do just that: using a heavier oil, like shea, for the entire beard, and a lighter, non-comedogenic oil on breakout-prone regions of the body, such as the neck and jaw line. Typically, congestion is due to the use of a "one size fits all" heavy oil.

Does it matter if you apply the oil to your beard immediately after shaving?

Yes, but if you put on an oil within a couple of minutes after you shave, then your pores will still be open and it should work if you have a clean face and the oil doesn't have a strong smell. Avoid any products containing alcohol, heavy synthetic perfume or fragrance in this window.

How long will the shrinking of beards persist?

It's temporary. As the hair dries, it returns to its natural state, typically after a couple of hours after washing. Using a lighter oil while the beard is still wet can make it relax sooner, such as an argan oil.

Do razor bumps fade away?

Most fade naturally in 2-3 months, when the pigmentation of the skin turns over, not the healing of the bump. Vitamin E oil, applied topically at night, can help to accelerate the fading process.

I have an ashy beard and after applying moisturizer it still looks ashy.I've got an ashy beard and even after moisturizing it's still ashy.

When skin appears ashy, it is typically due to it being dry and lacking moisture. This is more likely to be seen on darker skin tones, as the oil is being lost from the skin at a rate greater than its ability to be replenished with a lighter oil. If it's a heavier, more occlusive oil though, like shea, switching to nighttime application can usually cure it in a couple of weeks.