Beard balm is a relevantly new product in the beard care industry if you compare it with beard oil. Though both are for taking care of your beard, there are multiple differences between these two. In most cases, the dissimilarities are not that noteworthy and you can pick any one between these two.
Still, you might want to know the basic differences between these two. Don’t worry. I’m going to discuss the basic difference between beard balm and beard oil so that you can understand which one to pick.
But before that, let’s talk a bit about both of these.
What is Beard Oil?
Beard oil is a type of oil that is designed for nourishing your beard and the skin under it. Also, it is designed to keep your beard soft, smooth and shiny. It is different than regular oils that are used for hair.
It is made to act like skin-produced natural oils. Then, the oil is mixed with an ample amount of carrier oil so that you can put this on your beard.
What is a Beard Balm?
A beard balm is a thick, soft product with a consistency like a conditioner. It is typically a mix of wax, butter, essential oils, and carrier oils. With a proper balance of these ingredients, a beard balm comes out to be applied to the beard.
The main task of beard balm is conditioning and hydrating the facial hair. Also, it takes care of the skin underneath the beard too. Besides, beard balm gives a good amount of hold so that you can apply a style.
Differences between Beard Balm and Beard Oil
The Consistency
Beard balm comes with a conditioner-like consistency. It is thick because of the wax and butter in it. These ingredients give beard balm a thick consistency.
On the other hand, beard oil is as consistent as regular oils. In fact, some beard oils are thinner than these. The reason is that beard oil doesn’t contain any thick ingredients. Everything it has is oil.
Ease of Using
As beard balm has some thick texture, using it is a bit tough. Not tough actually, just you’ll need some time to apply it. On the other hand, using beard oil is easy, just like you apply oil to your hair.
Also, while applying beard balm, you need to ensure that your beard is dry. On a wet beard, balm can’t be applied properly because the wax becomes interfered with by the water. But, you can apply beard oil to both wet and dry beards.
Holding Capacity
Beard balm gives your beard a strong hold as it contains wax in it. Thus, you can go for any style you want. Typically there are two types of balms- conditioning balm and styling balm. Styling balms come with more wax and consistency to ensure a stronger hold.
On the other hand, beard oil doesn’t come with any holding capacity. As a result, you can only have the natural style of your beard if you use beard oil.
Purpose of Use
You won’t find a huge difference between beard balm and beard oil from the point of the purpose of use. Both are used to moisturize and nourish the beard and the facial skin under it.
One big difference is beard balm is also used to get a strong hold that helps in beard styling. So, if you want to apply a style, you should go for beard balm. On the other hand, if you want to leave your beard naturally, beard oil is your choice.
Can You Use Both?
As beard oil and beard balm come with almost similar advantages, I guess picking one is okay. But if you’re interested in using both, you can do it too.
To pamper your beard, you can keep both beard oil and balm in your styling closet. If you’re in a hurry just after a shower and can’t wait for your beard to dry, you can apply some oil to it and go for your task.
On the other hand, if you have enough time or styling is a must, you should go for the beard balm.
I don’t suggest mixing these two and applying them to your beard because it doesn’t add any major value. There is enough chance of a mess if you do so.
So, if you want, you can keep both. Depending on the purpose and situation, you can use the one that fits most.
Final Verdict
There are not many but some significant differences between beard balm and beard oil. So, picking up one depends on your preference. However, if you’re more into beard styling, picking up beard balm is the best option for you.
If you don’t have any problem, I suggest you keep both.