The 9 Best Beard Oils for Hydrating and Nourishing Your Facial Hair

Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. We may earn a commission from these links. Here’s how we test products and why you should trust us.horace / marlowe / beardbrandWalk into any N.Y.C. barber shop and you'll find proud Italians stocking Proraso on the shelves. That's because it's cheap, but gets the job done. All its products are well-made and this beard oil is no exception. It will soften, glisten, and moisturize, no matter the thickness or length of your beard.The only reason to not pick this one up would be the scent. It's a divisive one. We love the earthy smell of cypress, but understand some folks might want something brighter—or on the flip side, something less powerful.This one is coming to you after I spent hours on various grooming and beard Reddits trying to find a consensus. Because it's the internet, there wasn't one. But Beardbrand kept coming up as a consistent favorite among your average dudes. I think that's because it's compatible with so many different skin and beard types. No matter if you need to touch up your mustache with a little shine, or give your coarse beard a nice massage, a little bit of Beardbrand's oil goes a long way. It's also loaded with vitamin E and other natural healing oils.That all being said, it also smells like the kinda thing you'd expect from Reddit guys. A little overcompensating.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowThis new launch was a favorite of mine from earlier in the year and I’m still using it on the days I need to give my beard an extra shine. This grooming award winner uses aromatic oils, including appleseed, lavender, and rosemary, to nourish and soften the hair and skin without ever leaving an oily film behind on my skin.Horace is a cult favorite grooming brand that we keep going back to for its enchanting fragrances. Coming out it doesn’t smell like much, but once you rub it into your beard, the lemon and mint scent starts to mingle with your own musk in the way a cologne does. The result smells as refreshing as the nourishing prickly pear and plum-oil-derived formula that is working to soften and tame your beard.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowStory time. During my aforementioned beard oil hiatus, I walked into the Blind Barber shop in N.Y.C.’s East Village and got (what was, at the time) a life-changing haircut. The best part was when my barber dabbed my beard with some of this replenishment oil. I walked out to the corner near Tompkins Square Park feeling like a new man—a believer in beard oil. Nearly a decade later, this oil is still one of my go-to recommendations for making my beard softer and less itchy.$12 for a two-fluid-ounce bottle of beard oil is the best deal you can get for anything that isn't, in the words of the immortal Stephen Sondheim, "piss with ink." Musical references aside, if you struggle with a dry, uncomfortable beard and just need something—anything—for temporary relief, Honest Amish is the go-to you can add to your Amazon cart and have delivered the next day.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowIf you've been reading along you've noticed the Achilles’ heel of most beard oils is the way they smell. To avoid that issue entirely, you can opt for the No. 143 fragrance-free beard oil from skincare gurus Marlowe. The brand makes this specific product with only four ingredients, all-natural oils. This also makes it the best option for sensitive or acne-prone skin.It's not the absolute king in terms of moisturizing and relief (and it doesn't claim to help regrow your beard), but if you need a beard oil free of scents, this is the most natural one that will be kind to your skin.There is nothing on this list more unique, more distinguished, than this Tom Ford oil. Does that make it the best? Not necessarily, but it has a lot of the same key ingredients (jojoba and other oils, vitamin E, etc.) that are important to keeping your beard conditioned.The woody vanilla tobacco smell is on the sweet side—more vanilla than tobacco—so it’s not going to be to everyone’s taste. But it does pair elegantly with our favorite Tom Ford colognes.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowThis is the shit (complimentary) that you came to Esquire for. Taylor of Old Bond Street ships its luxury beard oil from the UK. Originally a high society London barber shop in the 1800s, it's still a family-run business at its core, makers of great shaving creams and razors for centuries.The beard oil will tame those coarse curls and allow you to comb and mold it in a fashion that suits your style. The oil comes in Sandalwood, the most popular scent the brand makes. If you keep a closer shave (how did you end up in this story?) Taylor of Old Bond Street's shaving creams are just as phenomenal.What Ingredients to Look for in Beard OilMost beard oils are just a mixture of many other types of oils and creams. There are two critical categories of oils to look out for among those (occasionally) lengthy ingredient lists.Carrier oils: These are the oils you're looking for first. This is what is bringing most of the nourishing and cleansing to the table. Looking at which mix carrier oils make up a beard oil will help you determine which ones are better for softness versus soothing versus shine. Examples include jojoba, argan, and grapeseed oilEssential Oils: These are largely included for scent, but they can have other beneficial properties such as encouraging hair growth and reducing inflammation of the skin. Examples include cedarwood, sandalwood, and tea tree oil.