Consider beard oil alternatives because ‘special’ beard oils are pricey! The average cost of a ‘premium’ beard oil can go for about $20/oz., which wouldn’t even last you for long because it is small.
Due to this, many have asked, ‘Should I give up on having a beard because I cannot afford a beard oil?’ ‘What can I use instead of beard oil?’ We know not every man is swimming in cash, but that shouldn’t hurt your journey to growing an epic beard.
So today, we would answer these questions by providing you with some cheap alternatives to beard oil. There are many products that can serve as a substitute to beard oil. We would only consider those that are beneficial to your beard.
Table of Contents
Why is Beard Oil important?
Before getting into beard oil alternatives, we have to reiterate the importance of beard oil in your beard grooming routine. It might be expensive, but it’s probably still the most essential beard grooming product.
Beard oil is made up of 2 primary ingredients (3 sometimes):
- Carrier Oil
- Essential Oil
- Vitamin E Oil (optional)
Carrier oil is a necessity for beard oil. Many men’s grooming products contain one or two carrier oils. Why? It is beneficial! It cares for your beard and skin and also complements the natural oils of the skin. In a beard oil, carrier oils help to moisturize and hydrate your beard, making it softer and preventing itching.
Essential oils give beard oils its scent. Essential oils are potent and cannot be applied directly to the skin. Hence the need to mix with carrier oils. They also give secondary nutrients beneficial to the beard. The most popular essential oil is sandalwood.
Vitamin E is an optional ingredient for beard oil, but when included, there are added benefits. The most important advantage is that it helps repair damaged hair. Beard oils that contain vitamin E are even more expensive than those that don’t.
Beard Oil Alternatives
Finally, we’ll get to it and take a look at some of the best beard oil alternatives available to bearded men.
1. Beard Balm
Beard balms are basically beard oils in solid form. It is probably the best beard oil substitute there is and usually comes at a cheaper price.
At less cost, beard balm gives a better conditioning job than beard oil. The ingredients that give beard balm its solid form are beeswax and shea butter. Due to this, it has a better hold than beard oil.
While beard oil would get absorbed faster by the beard, beard balm would stay on your beard for longer. This means you only need to apply once a day for a healthy beard. Beard balm is also useful in styling your beard.
There’s really no downside to using a beard balm in place of beard oil as it is usually cheaper and lasts longer.
- Made with only Natural and Organic Ingredients
- Hand Crafted in the USA
- Softens Coarse and Rogue Hairs
- Stops the Itch and Eliminates Beardruff
- The BEST for your beard - GUARANTEED!
- The Most Trusted Brand for Beards in the World
2. Carrier Oils
As mentioned earlier, carrier oil is the core ingredient of any quality beard oil. It can also serve as a beard oil alternative by being used directly on your beard, providing almost the same benefits as beard oil.
Most carrier oils are naturally unscented. This makes it suitable for men sensitive to smell. There are several carrier oils to choose with each providing specific benefits. The most popular carrier oils which also serve as base ingredients for most beard oil are Argan Oil and Jojoba Oil. Jojoba oil is especially popular because it is the oil that is most similar to the natural oils of the skin.
One of the downsides of using one type of carrier oil is you miss out on the benefits other oils can provide.
3. Homemade Recipes (DIY Beard Oils)
You’re the type of man that likes to get messy and get stuff done on your own, then Do It Yourself (DIY) beard oil is probably something you would fancy.
As with many things, homemade products tend to be cheaper than those you buy at your local store or online. With the two primary ingredients needed for beard oil purchased at a low price, you can make your batch of beard oils from the comfort of your home.
You also have the luxury of choosing the carrier oils you want in your beard oil. You get to select carrier oils you think would be suitable for your beard at a less cost. You have full control and you get to be creative with it.
If you’re new to beard grooming, we recommend you get a beard oil the first time, so you know how it looks. Then you go ahead to make your DIY beard oils.
4. Mineral Oils
Mineral oil also known as baby oil is another cheap substitute that can be used in the place of beard oil. However, there are clauses attached to this product.
Mineral oil is attractive to beards men because of its water-retention property. This is great as this means the hair follicles can easily get moisture from the surface of the skin. However, the oil sits on the skin which clogs the skin pores and leads to an itchy beard
Of all the beard oil substitutes, this is the one we would advise against the most. We’ve written an article on using mineral oil for your beard. This is because baby oil is made from synthetic products (petroleum jelly) and lesser quality baby oils could be carcinogenic.
Mineral oil should also be used in an emergency.
For men that are in the early stages of beard growth, beard oil is crucial as it prevents itchy beards common at the early stage. However, many won’t be able to afford it. Some alternatives that can be used are:
We’ve heard of many alternatives that men have said they used at certain points in their beard journey. Many perform poorly while a few are quite useful.
If you’re looking for cheap alternatives to beard oils where you don’t have to sacrifice the health of your beard and skin, then all the options listed above would do the job. They are guaranteed to leave you not missing your beard oil too much.
