Beard oil is an essential for the beard of any length because it stomps out beard itch, nourishes maximum growth, and functions as a natural alternative to cologne.
Beard oil is straightforward to make once you have invested in the required ingredients.
The Recipe:
- 1/2 ounce (15 ml) bottle [Container]
- 1 tablespoon sweet almond oil [Base oil]
- 3 drops orange essential oil [Essential oil]
- 2 drops vanilla essential oil [Essential oil]
Combine carrier and essential oils into container. Shake. The end. Your beard oil is ready for use immediate use (allow 24-48 hours for full penetration of essential oil into the carrier oil).
The Ingredients:
- Container
- Base oil
- Essential oil
Container
Any glass vessel of the appropriate size will do. Smaller containers of 1 oz or less are best for your first batches while you experiment with different scent combinations.
You will be rubbing the contents onto your face and beard, which means the investment in a clean and empty container is justifiable. Many natural foods stores have a small selection of glass bottles in this size range. I have seen single containers priced $2-$4 in health stores, which seems steep but may be worth it if you want to complete this project today. Alternately, there are many choices for buying packs of 1/2 ounce (15 ml) bottles or 1/3 ounce (10 ml) bottles on Amazon for less than $1 each ($6-$7 total).
Base Oil
The base oil you select will vary the effect of the beard oil on your skin and hair. Sweet almond oil or grapeseed oil are good, lower-cost choices for skin moisturizing and follicle nourishment. Jojoba oil is slightly more costly but gains praise as an oil that prevents oily skin by inhibiting excess activity in the sebaceous glands. Manufacturers of beard oil often use a mix of carrier oils to gain the benefits from multiple types. The down side of multiple carrier oils for the home mixer is of course the additional upfront cost of buying multiple oils. When I first made my oil, grapeseed was the cheapest on the shelf so I bought it. It worked fine and so has recipes only containing sweet almond oil.
Essential Oil
The essential oils selected must create a scent that is appealing to you but can also vary the effect of the beard oil on your skin and hair. For example, peppermint essential oil can help stimulate blood flow to the roots of your beard hair and facilitate the access to nourishment needed for maximum growth. Lavender and tea tree are other oils with widespread reports of benefits to hair and skin. I used a citrus blend of essential oils for many years simply because the scent was enjoyable. There are many other aromatherapeutic essential oil blends that you could pick from to spice up your beard oil if you want to save on costs of buying individual scents. Essential oils are also available at most health food stores if you want to create your oil immediately or if you simply would like the chance to smell essential oil combinations before buying.
The Costs:
Using the recipe above, it will cost you between $25-$30 to get started hopping at a local health food store. If you have an Amazon Prime membership, you should be able to get the same ingredients and many additional glass containers while staying within this same price range. This startup amount will be enough to make you 4 oz of beard oil, which comes to $6.25-$7.5/ounce.
Because the essential oil will go so far, the cost off creating additional beard oil beyond this first 4 ounces (using the same scent) will be approximately the cost per ounce of your base oil, which can be bought for as little as $5 per 4 oz of grapeseed oil.
Another factor consider in making your own beard oil is the time involved.
If spilling oil all over your bathroom counter while trying to fill tiny bottles isn’t high on your list of desired weekend activities, give the Dollar Beard Club a try. It’s $1 per month, plus shipping and handling, to get their smallest bottle delivered monthly. You can get a larger 2 ounce bottle of their burly fir scented oil for $4.
If you want to treat yo’self to something that is functionally equivalent but a bit more costly, try Okamura Farms’ Comfort Beard Oil, which has a delightfully light and meadow-like, refreshing scent.