Best Beard Balms

A well-made beard balm will nourish your beard hairs and stop beard itch while also providing structure and hold to look your best throughout the entire day.

In this guide, we look at some of the most popular beard balms on the market for any facial hair style.

Beard Balms Compared

Ranking	Beard Balm	Size (ounces)	Holding Strength	All Natural?	Scent	Price	Price per Ounce	Award	Rating
1	Proraso Beard Balm	3.4	No hold	No	Wood, Spice	$18	$5.29	Best Overall	98
2	Billy Jealousy Beard Balm	2.0	Light hold	No	Warm pepper, Sandalwood	$18	$9.00	Best Smelling	95
3	Badass Beard Care Beard Balm for Men	2.0	Light, Natural hold	Yes	Vanilla, Sandalwood	$20	$10.00	Made in USA	92
4	Scotch Porter Beard Balm	3.0	Strong	Yes	Marshmallow, Coconut	$13	$4.33	For Dense & Curly Beards	90
5	Smooth Viking Beard Balm	2.0	Strong	Yes	Citrus, Sandalwood	$10	$5.00	Firm Hold	87
6	Cremo Styling Beard Balm	2.0	Strong	Yes	Mint	$14	$7.00	Non-Greasy	85
7	Grave Before Shave Beard Balm	4.0	Light	Yes	Bourbon	$23	$5.75	Light Hold	84
8	Honest Amish Beard Balm	2.0	Strong	Yes	Cedarwood, Anise, and Clove	$11	$5.50	All-Natural	83
9	Wild Willies Beard Butter	2.0	Light	Yes	Woodsy	$9	$4.50	Deep Moisturizer	82
10	Woody’s Beard Balm	2.0	Strong	Yes	Minty, Grapefruit	$9	$4.50	Affordable	79

The Best Beard Balms

Here’s our list of the best beard balms currently available:

Italian-based Proraso has been a fixture in the men’s grooming world for over 100 years.  With a rich heritage of well-crated products, we think you will love their liquid-based beard balm – here’s why:  

This liquid balm is largely derived from natural ingredients (91% in total) that will penetrate your beard and skin easily for fast and effective results.

Containing no parabens, no silicone, no alcohol, and no colorants – it should work well even if you have sensitive skin.

Whether you are just starting the beard-growing journey or are a seasoned beardsmen, this balm will work on all beard types – stubble, dense, curly, short, long, etc.

As for the scent, Proraso offers up a diverse lineup which includes Azur Lime, Cypress & Vetyver, Refresh, and Wood & Spice.

If you are ready to take your beard to the next level and leave other men jealous with beard envy, then get this balm; you won’t be disappointed.

What customers are saying: Customers are praising this beard balm for its non-greasy formula and effectiveness in softening and moisturizing the beard. The refreshing and mild scent is appreciated by both users and their partners. However, some customers reported issues with the product’s packaging, such as leaky bottles and loose caps.

Billy Jealousy hits all the right notes in more ways than one with their Devil’s Delight beard balm.  While the moisturizing and nourishing properties of this balm are top-notch, making it worthy of your beard, we think you will love the scent here the most.

With a warm black peppery and sandalwood scent, it is borderline intoxicating to apply to your beard daily – and will quickly become the best part of your morning routine.

While the scent will linger for some time, you can expect it to fully dissipate by lunchtime, so you don’t have to worry about it being too potent or overpowering.

By relying on a rich blend of coconut, sunflower, and castor seed oils, you can expect this balm to get rid of any beard itch quickly while also making your beard look significantly better after the first application.

If you are a guy who appreciates an effortless-looking style, you will love the matte finish that this balm provides once dried.  The balm gives your beard a nice bit of structure while also looking healthy without being overly shiny or unnatural.

Lastly, the hold on this balm is lighter than most – so be sure to use a brush or comb when applying.

What customers are saying: Customers generally have positive experiences with this beard balm, praising its scent and effectiveness for thick and healthy beards. However, some do report that the product can cause their beard to become dry or that it lacks in hold strength. Overall, customers enjoy the beard oil’s complementary addition and find it to be a good moisturizer with a pleasant scent.

Badass beard care has been servicing men with wild beards for years, and they are incredibly good at it.

Made in the USA and run by veterans of the armed forces, it doesn’t get more American than this.

But beyond feeling incredibly patriotic when applying this beard balm, it delivers a warm scent along with the right mixture of ingredients.

The ingredients are top-notch and include shea butter, cocoa butter, rosemary oil, eucalyptus oil, coconut oil, tea tree oil, and many more – you can see the complete list on their site.

Therefore, if you are dealing with a dry, itchy beard, you should be happy with the results of this beard balm after a few short uses.

Given that this is more of a hydration-focused beard balm, the concentration of beeswax is a fair bit lighter.  Therefore, if you have a long beard and want some structure, this beard balm won’t be for you.

However, if you are still within a few inches of total beard length, this balm will be fine.

What customers are saying: Customers generally have a positive experience with this beard balm, praising its pleasant scent, ability to soften and maintain beard, and the fact it’s not too waxy. However, some customers mentioned that the scent doesn’t last long and one preferred another product due to dissatisfaction with the scent.

Containing a wide array of natural ingredients, including marshmallow root, nettle leaf, aloe vera juice, shea butter, jojoba oil, and several others, this beard balm is one of the best on our list when it comes to moisturizing your beard.

While any man can use it, this hydrating-focused beard balm is the perfect beard balm for men with dry, coarse, and dense beards.

The reason being is that this balm could soften coarse and thick hairs within only a few days.

While its moisturization abilities are the strongest selling point, the scent of this balm is a close second.  A light marshmallow/coconut scent is both intoxicating and manly.

Men fell in love with this scent, and even one individual sought out if Scotch Porter sold this same scent as a cologne.

If there were any downsides for this product, it would be around holding strength.

Should your beard be a bit unruly, you might have some difficulties wrangling those whiskers with this product.

What customers are saying: Customers have mixed opinions about the scent of the beard balm, with some finding it pleasant and others too strong. They also mention that the product works well in making their beard feel softer, but may not be suitable for short beards or those who prefer the feel of oil conditioners.

Whether your beard is short, long, or somewhere in the middle, Smooth Viking beard balm will work wonders to keep your unruly whiskers in check.

This beard balm was beloved by men for keeping its structure throughout the day through the use of several natural ingredients, including jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, shea butter, and candelilla wax.

As strong as its hold was on your beard, it still provided plenty of moisture to stop any beard itch or flaking from occurring.

The ratio of moisturizers to wax in this beard balm is one of the most balanced on our list.

Beyond the stellar ingredient composition, Smooth Viking beard balm is made in the USA – providing greater quality control during production.

There’s a reason why this balm was so highly rated by other men – it’s just that good.

What customers are saying: Some customers are unhappy with the product, mentioning issues with the hold and possible changes in the formula. However, many others report positive experiences, praising the beard balm for its effectiveness in softening, shaping, and controlling their beards while having a subtle scent. Overall, the product generally provides satisfaction in helping maintain a neat beard appearance.

This beard balm is perfect for those men searching for a beard balm that can accommodate their long and flowing beard.

While the texture may be a bit greasier than some of its buttery, balmy counterparts, Cremo’s beard balm has no problem styling and moisturizing even the wildest of beards. The only setback with this styling beard balm is the smell.

Some have reported that while the aroma of peppermint is strong at first, it fades away and isn’t too bad. However, others say that this balm resembles the strength of Vicks vapor rub. Other than that, Cremo’s product is easy to use, fast-absorbent and leaves your beard feeling fresh and moisturized.

Designed for long and full beards, you would think that this balm would have a killer hold, but that isn’t the case. Even though Cremo’s is great for styling and moisturizing a beard, you will want to reapply later in the day if you are very active.

What customers are saying: Customers have mixed opinions on this beard balm. Some praise it for softening their beard, making it easy to brush, and having a pleasant scent. However, others find the balm to be greasy, chunky, and providing little to no benefit. The scent and effectiveness of different versions (mint vs. forest blend) also seem to vary.

Don’t let the struggles of a dry beard drive you to shave off all of your hard work.

Save it instead with this beard balm by Grave Before Shave. With deep conditioning and a subtle scent of bourbon that lasts throughout the day, this product helps you achieve it all, whether you want a tamed beard or one with a wild style.

One of the downsides of the Gentleman’s Beard Balm is that the hold is relatively light. While the texture does a great job of keeping the hair soft and styled a bit, it will not hold well all day long.

On top of all this, the ingredients list does not name every essential oil this product uses, so those with sensitive skin may want to avoid using this balm. But, besides all that, Grave Before Shave balm is extremely easy to apply due to its buttery texture and leaves no residue behind. So if you are looking for a great beginner’s balm, this one may be just what you are looking for.

What customers are saying: Many customers are pleased with the beard balm, praising its scent, hold, and ability to soften and improve the texture of their beards. However, a few customers experienced issues with dry skin and the balm drying up in their beards, causing flakes. Overall, the majority found the product to be a great value and effective in managing their beards.

Honest Amish beard balm is one of the most popular beard balms within the beard maintenance world and likely one that you may have already heard of before.  Its low entry price makes it easy for most guys to pick up and use it as their first-ever beard balm.

Now when it comes to scent, the aroma for Honest Amish beard balm is hit or miss.  Some guys will love it, and some won’t.

Evoking a licorice/anise mid-tone scent, it truly is unique.

After application, you will find that it does dissipate after about an hour of application.

One ingredient noticeably absent from this beard balm is beeswax – making this a balm that is focused squarely on softening your beard.

Now it’s worth noting that Honest Amish does make another beard balm – labeled as their heavy-duty beard balm.  This one does contain beeswax and will provide a much firmer hold.

What customers are saying: Customers have mixed opinions about this beard balm. Some praise its ability to combat beardruff, its pleasant smell, and easy application. However, others point out issues such as lack of hold, inconsistent product quality, and the absence of instructions on how to apply the balm.

After using this product for a few days, there is no doubt about it – Wild Willie’s Beard Butter Balm will completely stop any dry and itchy feeling that has been going on with your beard.  Not only does it give your beard great form, but it will hydrate your skin as well.

With so many oils listed as ingredients in this beard balm, your beard will feel soft and look healthy within about a week after using it.

The scent of this beard balm is that it has tea tree, rosemary, and cedarwood essential oils; it does give off a kind of a lavender/woodsy scent.

If you prefer an unscented beard balm, then this isn’t for you.

But look:

About an hour after application, the scent will likely dissipate.

Scent aside, the actual performance of the product was indeed pretty top-notch.  We were able to get a much softer beard compared to other beard balms reviewed.

If there is any downside to this beard balm, it will be the use of emu oil within the product.  If you aren’t sure what emu oil is, it’s an oil extracted from the fat of an emu.  If you are a vegan at all, then this product is not for you.

On the other hand, if emu oil doesn’t bother you, this product is worth checking out. You will be happy that you did.

What customers are saying: Overall, customers appreciate the beard balm’s ability to reduce itching, increase comfort, and help style facial hair. However, some customers expressed disappointment in the ingredients, stating they received a castor oil-based product instead of shea butter as advertised. A few also mentioned the product smelling like shoe polish and having a thick consistency more akin to beard wax.

With an affordable price and a refreshing smell of grapefruit, Woody’s Beard Balm is an invigorating beard balm that will eliminate beard dandruff.

When applying this liberally to your beard, you won’t need to worry about waxy residue or greasiness because this product is smooth as butter.

One issue we found with this product is the lack of clarity of what’s in the balm.  Woody’s only listed a few “key ingredients,” such as beeswax and coconut oil. As a result, there isn’t a clear picture of what is contained in this beard balm, so those with sensitive skin may want to steer clear.

However, it was relatively firm when it comes to the hold and should keep your beard structure for the day.

What customers are saying: Customers have mixed opinions about this beard balm. While some appreciate the strong hold, great texture, and pleasant smell, others find it too thick, sticky, and not moisturizing enough. The scent has been described as both appealing and off-putting, with some users comparing it to cheap cologne or Play-Doh.

Wrap Up

There are several great beard balms available. However, we hope that the in-depth reviews provided in this guide helped you find one that will work well within your grooming routine.

How to Choose a Beard Balm

When buying a beard balm, consider the following:

1. Ingredients

A quality beard balm relies on four key ingredients.  Here’s why they are important:

• Carrier Oils.  These provide both moisture and nourishment to your skin and facial hair to not only reduce itchiness but also make your beard soft.  Carrier oils come in several different varieties. In addition, carrier oils with low comedogenic ratings, such as argan or grapeseed oil, will be less likely to clog pores.
• Essential Oils. These provide the fragrance for any given beard balm.  Popular scent profiles include woodsy, citrusy, smokey, or a classic barbershop aroma.  Disregard medicinal claims regarding essential oils as they are largely unproven.
• Beeswax. A natural humectant and protectant, beeswax also provides styling control. In addition, beard balms with a greater concentration of beeswax give a firmer hold throughout the day.
• Butter (Shea or Cocoa).  This ingredient helps provide malleability and increases the conditioning of the beard balm.  Great for dry climates.

Note: Cheap beard balms may add fillers or artificial ingredients.  These will be less likely to condition your skin and facial hair as well.  Avoid if possible.

2. Holding Strength

When shopping for a new beard balm, you will come across many companies that mark their beard balm as having one of the following hold strengths:

• Light
• Medium
• Strong

If your facial hair can get a bit unruly, or you simply prefer a more involved beard style, consider a medium to firm hold beard balm to keep your beard in shape throughout the day.

3. Beard Growth & Vitamins

Take great caution when buying a beard balm that claims it will increase beard growth.  Virtually all claims about growing a thick or full beard are not scientifically proven.  

Additionally, beard balms containing these “accelerants” are often priced much higher than average.

4. Price

Beard balm is a fairly affordable grooming product.  We found during our research that most beard balms will cost anywhere between $8 and $30.  For a well-made product containing only natural ingredients, expect to pay about $15 to $20.