How to Use Beard Balm

What it does

Balm does what oil does (softens hair, conditions skin) plus a little extra. It gives you light hold to shape things, and it stays put longer than oil. Better for taming flyaways or longer beards that won't sit right.

Same four-oil base as our beard oil: jojoba, sweet almond, grapeseed, avocado. Then Sara adds shea butter, cocoa butter, and coconut oil. That's why it's stiff like cold butter when you open the jar. Not a soft "beard butter." Closer to actual balm consistency, on purpose.

How to use it

  1. Scrape a small amount out with your thumbnail. Pea-sized to start, more if you've got a bigger beard.
  2. Warm it between your palms until it melts. This part matters. If you try to push it in cold, it won't spread right.
  3. Work it through, skin first, then the hair.
  4. Comb through to distribute and shape.

How much

  • Short beard: pea-sized
  • Medium: dime-sized
  • Long: nickel-sized or a bit more

A 2oz jar lasts most guys 3-4 months at daily use.

How often

Daily works for most. Some guys do oil in the morning and balm later if they need to reshape. In winter or anywhere dry, balm earns its keep more than usual.

About the texture (the "gritty" thing)

Sometimes the balm feels a little gritty when you first scrape into it. That's normal and it's not a defect. The shea butter recrystallizes when it goes through temperature swings (sitting in a hot truck, cooling back down, etc). The grit melts away the second it hits your palms.

If a jar shows up grainy and you want to reset it, here's the fix:

  1. Take the lid off.
  2. Microwave the jar in 30 seconds intervals. You want it completely melted.
  3. Stir it.
  4. Let it cool back in the fridge. A few hours, or overnight.

It'll set back up smooth and work the same as a fresh jar. Don't skip the lid-off step, and don't go past 30 seconds the first time. You can always add more time, you can't un-melt it.

Oil vs balm

Get this question all the time. Short version:

  • Oil: pure conditioning, fastest absorption, no hold
  • Balm: conditioning plus light hold and shape, lasts longer through the day

You can use both. A lot of guys do oil out of the shower and balm before heading out.

Common mistakes

  • Trying to use it cold. Warm it in your palms first. Always.
  • Only putting it on the hair. Skin first, same as oil. The butters are doing real work down there.
  • Using too much because it "looks like a small amount." It melts down and goes further than you'd think. Start small.