What Makes the Best Beard Oil Recipe Popular Among Beard Enthusiasts

The popularity of the best beard oil recipe is determined by its effectiveness.The best beard oil recipe is popular among beard enthusiasts because of its effectiveness.

You've experimented with the same beard oil recipe four or five times, replacing one oil with another, or just changing the oil up to make it stronger or more scented. You then look at an enthusiast forum which has 50 boys discussing the same 3 ingredients, and each one of them claiming his ratio is the best one.

Not the ingredients, it's the recipe guys keep coming back to. It's how they get those ingredients measured, absorbed and stored; and most home blends just never get it right.

Beard communities don't have any secret recipes for attracting followers. They boil down to a few things which most people overlook: the correct carrier oil percentage, essential oils that are not too strong or irritating to the skin, and how to store the blend in a drawer so that it does not become rancid. Most of the time, it's just a handful of specific decisions that make a popular recipe make it or break it, and once you've seen them you'll realize most of the time, they lack at least two of them.

When it comes to blending, the Carrier Oil Ratio is the one that can make or break a forgettable herb mix into a cult favorite.

While enthusiasts are comparing bottles of small batch grooming products, they're always stumbling on a similar base oil percentage, typically between 65 percent and 70 percent jojoba. That's not a marketing choice. The key is in the detail – either it blends in within a minute or it remains on the surface looking greasy for hours.

A quick recipe that sucks up quickly reads just as easily — the beard looks conditioned rather than oily, which is what he has to look like to get another shot call after a bad first shot call. Heavier oils such as coconut or straight grapeseed would travel at a much slower rate when applied to the skin than lighter oils, and most first time blenders would use any oil they could get their hands on without bothering to investigate its performance on living skin.

This molecular similarity makes jojoba work like the human sebum, so the skin thinks of it as its own product and doesn't push it back out.

• To create the base use a formulation of 65–70% jojoba oil.

• Take advantage of pores that are open when you are within 60 seconds of leaving a hot shower

That is a detail that most casual recipes leave out and is one of the most common reasons for a blend to get halfway through and never be finished.

Enthusiasts Trust Recipes That Skip Fragrance Oil Entirely.

This cautionary message has been around for everyone who has walked through a grooming community: If a blend has the scent of a candle aisle rather than a beard oil, there's a high possibility that fragrance oil was added somewhere. The error that can be easily made, as fragrance oil bottles are on the shelf with essential oils and appear almost identical.

The issue is that fragrance oils are not plant-based oils; they are synthetic fragrance compounds, and therefore they have no skin, hair benefit that a real essential oil provides. Others may have phthalates or synthetic fixatives which are not supposed to be on skin for an extended period, which is a great, and exactly the sort of detail which gets a recipe flagged in enthusiast reviews.

This is due to the fact that both products come in the same type of dropper containers, and that the label "fragrance oil" can be overlooked when shopping for ingredients. Look for either "100% pure essential oil" or a plant source listed, such as Cedrus atlantica (cedarwood) or Santalum album (sandalwood) and limit the amount of essential oil used to 1-2% of the total finished blend; approximately 6 to 12 drops per ounce.

The authenticity of a recipe relying on real essential oils comes from the fact that it is verifiable — a person can check the label against the recipe.

There is a reason why some recipes are repeated year after year: Precise Measurements.

Most recipes that have been passed down for years within beard communities always have exact measurements, like milliliters. Those that fade out are typically explained in terms of "a splash of this, a few drops of that" language that cannot be repeated.

That doesn't sound so significant, but it is, since a recipe that couldn't be recreated wouldn't have a reputation. A formula would not get a mixed review unless one batch was good and three were mediocre, and they were made by the same formula.

Different oils are different thicknesses, a splash of jojoba oil from a 1/2 oz. bottle is not even close to a splash of argan oil, even if they're both 1/2 oz. bottles and the difference between them grows rapidly in a large batch.

1. Use a 5ml glass dropper or graduated cylinder to measure all the ingredients, including the essential oils.

2. Record precisely the quantity that was used when a batch is "just right"

3. From now on use that written version as a solid recipe, not as a guideline.

Any ratio once it is written down on paper can be fixed one variable at a time, rather than being a mystery to solve and a one shot fix.

A recipe that lasts long is one that is healthy for the skin, not its fragrance.

Almost always, the recipes that are used for years, and not just purchased, are based on what they are going to do for the skin underneath the beard, and not based on how they smell. If it smells good but doesn't leave skin soft and flaky, it is replaced within the month regardless of the bottle's appearance.

That's where tea tree oil typically comes in, as it is one of the few essential oils that trusty oil enthusiasts would use to flak and for mild irritation. When used appropriately it will relax the skin, but if it's used a little too much it brings the exact same redness and tightness that it was supposed to soothe, and that line is a lot closer than most would think.

Too much (more than about 6 drops per ounce of final blend) may cause the skin to become sensitive if it had been fine in the first place. Use tea tree at 1% (approx 6 drops per finished ounce) and test a patch on inner forearm before applying a new batch to face for 24 hours.

More is not always better with this particular oil because the mechanism by which it clears flaking, its effect on the microbial balance of the skin, is the very same mechanism which can irritate the skin beyond a certain point.

The longevity behind every popular blend.The shelf-life behind every popular blend.

If there is a recipe out there that can nail every ratio, but only lasts six weeks before it goes flat and no longer tastes good, then the ratio is no good. Now, this is a storage issue, not a formulation issue and it's one of the most frequently mentioned complaints in beard oil reviews after a few months of opening.

Vitamin E is added to many recipes to preserve color as well as to prolong shelf life, but it will only slow oxidation from air exposure, and won't prevent oxidation caused by UV light coming through a clear bottle. Some "good recipes" smell off within weeks even without the vitamin E, as a blend stored on top of an open shelf or windowsill deteriorates at a pretty much equal rate.

The final mixture should be stored in amber or cobalt glass, tightly capped, in a dark place, and with 3 or 4 drops of vitamin E as the actual preservative. When combined, this combination can usually help prolong the useful life of a batch from four to six weeks to three months or more.

Part of why some recipes have been around for so long in the enthusiastic recipe communities is that it's that extra shelf life that no one's giving up on a recipe because the bottle is rancid two weeks in.

A 60-Second Timing Habit Most Recipes Never Mention

Most written recipes will not mention this, but two men can use the same bottle of oil and achieve vastly different results, depending on when they use it. The same oil that absorbed quickly and left no sensation of weight on the skin that morning, does not penetrate the hair when applied on dry hair several hours after showering.

That's because warm water dilates pores and causes a slight swelling of the hair cuticle, which allows the oil to penetrate instead of coating. After the skin and hair have dried out again, that window is closed; and the same drops that absorbed perfectly after an hour will appear greasy by evening.

• Use before 60sec after a shower, when skin is still slightly moist (after towel drying)

• Apply the oil to the skin for 15-20 seconds and then work through the hair.

• If it does not work with a shower timed application for a particular day, slightly wetting the beard with water first will regain a lot of the absorption, although not as much as might have been expected with a shower timed application.

Creating a Recipe Like This

None of these six factors act alone and, indeed, that is why the most popular beard oil recipes that you see among the enthusiasts are quite simple: they use a 65–70% jojoba base, and just 1–2% of real essential oils, which are checked for purity, measured precisely with a written down amount, applied after a warm shower, and vitamin E added at 3–4 drops per ounce and kept away from light.

When added together it makes a 5 minute routine, not a complicated one — not the number of steps, but the getting the step right the first time.

Time is of the essence when it comes to feeling a difference. The grease that previously would sit on top for hours for a few days should visibly decrease in size as the right ratioed jojoba base absorbs (as opposed to coating). After the third week, the irritation caused by essential oils is subsided. A well-stored batch should still have a clean smell after 6–8 weeks of storage – this is the true indication that the storage process is working.

This won't fix a patchy beard due to genetic or skin problems; no recipe can replace the care from a dermatologist. So what it will do is eliminate the disconnect between a recipe that looks great in print and a face that doesn't look great. The fourth guy who's trying to fix the same mix isn't missing out on a better list of ingredients. These are six aspects that he typically lacks in some cases, but when they are in place, the recipe doesn't even have to be rebuilt.

FAQs

Which is a better recipe for beard oil?

The optimum beard oil formula is one that has a 65-70% carrier oil to essential oil ratio, uses pure essential oils and includes a preservative such as vitamin E. These measurable details are just about the only distinguishing feature between a good recipe and an average one; it's not necessarily the number of ingredients.

Is the kind of base oil really any different from the other?

Absorption rate is more dependent on the type of carrier oil than on nearly anything else in the recipe, yes. Denser oils such as coconut oils remain on the surface of the skin and lighter oils such as jojoba oils penetrate into the skin within minutes, as they resemble the natural oils produced in the skin.

How many times per day should you use the beard oil recipe?

Most recipes require just once per day, which is best after a shower when skin is still slightly damp. More frequent than this will not help matters as the skin has a maximum amount of oil it can absorb in that time window.

Is it possible to create a great beard oil without special equipment?

You can, but it generally won't be as consistent as it could be without a basic glass dropper, as oils have different viscosities and a "splash" means more than most people realize. A dropper is cheap and allows you to write a recipe down and try it again if it doesn't work out.

Is it a good idea to forgo a patch test when testing a new batch of beard oil?

It is a very real possibility especially with tea tree oil or any new essential oil, as what works well for one persons skin doesn't work well for another. Most of the reactions are caught before the face, with a 24 hour patch test conducted on the forearm first, before applying fresh to the face.

How long does homemade beard oil last?

Without a preservative, 4 to 6 weeks before an oil begins to deteriorate. That window usually lasts for about 3–4 months, since the storage time is longer in amber glass bottles where vitamin E is isolated from heat and light, and there are 3–4 drops of vitamin E per ounce.

The more essential oil, the more effective?

No - beyond a certain point it usually leads to irritation rather than improved results. Total concentration of essential oil in the finished blend should remain at about 1-2% which is equivalent to 6-12 drops of essential oil per ounce (combined per all of the essential oils used).

Is it possible to use a clear glass bottle to store a beard oil recipe?

Not recommended as it allows UVA and UVB to pass though as well as no bottle at all, which would destroy the carrier oils even if some vitamin E is added. One of the easiest changes, amber or cobalt blocks most of that light exposure, and extends a recipe's shelf life.

Does the recipe call for jojoba oil or can it be replaced with another carrier oil?

Jojoba is not mandatory, but the most frequently used base in the popular recipes since its structure closely resembles human sebum and it absorbs faster rather than laying on the skin. Other oils (such as argan, sweet almond) may be incorporated in smaller quantities to achieve certain advantages, including for coarser hair, extra softening.

What causes some beard oil formulas to feel oily when they should not?

It typically has more to do with timing, and less to do with the ingredients themselves, as oil applied to dry skin hours after a shower sits on top of the skin, rather than being absorbed. Many recipes might look good on paper, but can be ruined by not following the recipe in 60 seconds after drying a towel.