Even before The New York Times declared that male facial hair was fashionable, more and more men have started growing beards, but often still don’t believe any grooming of their beard or mustache was necessary. Today, more and more men consider grooming their facial hair as important as the care they give the rest of the body. Beard oil has risen tremendously in popularity, helping men have a well-groomed and attractive appearance.
So, will using beard oil give you acne and pimples? The answer is that certain ingredients contained in some beard oil products, such as safflower, soybean, almond, and coconut oils, can cause pimples to surface, so it’s important to know which ingredients those are and which ingredients are safe.
Ingredients that are classified as comedogenic will clog pores and cause blackheads to appear, or whiteheads, or pimples, depending on a person’s skin sensitivity. The questions arises, “Which oils tend to clog pores and which ones don’t?” Knowing the difference will keep your skin hydrated and healthy, and free of acne and pimples.
Table of Contents
Avoid Oils that are Comedogenic
Research findings reveal that the most common comedogenic ingredients – the ones that can cause an outbreak of acne – include safflower oil, soybean oil, almond oil and coconut oil. Coconut butter also tends to clog pores and can cause the onset of acne. Many users of beard oil have allergic reactions to essential oils as well, resulting in itchiness as well as stinging and burning sensations.
Why does beard oil give some people have acne while others don’t?
Human skin is comprised of millions of hair follicles. These follicles can be found everywhere on the skin except for the lips, palms and the soles of the feet. Each hair follicle is packed with cells which react to hormones, producing different types of body hair. Hair emerges from the follicles.
Simply put, when hair follicles become clogged with either oil or dead skin cells, whiteheads, blackheads or pimples will surface on the skin. In some people, large cysts develop which need to be treated with topical medication or drugs to control outbreaks. Preventing the hair follicles from clogging is key for the prevention of acne symptoms.
Some skin is more sensitive than others. While some people have an easy time keeping their hair follicles clear and unclogged, regardless of how well (or how poorly), they take care of their skin, other people have to be vigilant with their skin to avoid serious allergic reactions that can cause hives, rashes and severe outbreaks of acne.
We have all known people who need to hardly do anything to keep their skin healthy, and others who have had severe acne outbreaks that continue beyond puberty. Knowing your skin and what keeps it from acne breakouts will allow everyone, no matter what their skin sensitivity, to use beard oil to improve the look of their facial hair.
Which Products Should I look for in Beard Oil?
Not only are the beard oil ingredients listed here safer and less likely to cause skin irritation, but they do a better job at keeping skin hydrated, resulting in facial hair that feels softer and is easier to groom.
- Evening Primrose Oil: This oil is named as such because the yellow flowers of the plant open at sunset and close up again in the daytime. It is a medicinal plant and is used to make certain medicines. One of its uses is for the treatment of the skin condition known as eczema.
Evening primrose oil is suffused with a high quantity of gamma linolenic acid, or GLA; GLA helps to prevent water from evaporating on the surface of the skin. Evening primrose oil also helps reduce inflammation.
- Argan Oil: This oil is of medium “heaviness,” or viscosity. This means it’s good for all skin types, and especially good for dry skin. It contains a large amount of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and is rich in vitamin A and vitamin E. Vitamin A is the key ingredient in retinol and has been used by dermatologists for years to help control acne. Vitamin E naturally helps to heal dry hair and dry skin and when applied, helps prevent hair damage.
Argan oil leaves an attractive gloss to beard hair while simultaneously protecting it, leaving a healthy-looking shine.
- Tea Tree Oil: This oil comes from a tree that is commonly found in Australia. Aborigines have used the tea tree for medicinal benefits for centuries. It has many uses including use as a natural deodorant to a hand sanitizer to a mouthwash. It is also commonly used for the treatment of acne and is found to be as effective as benzoyl peroxide, one of the strongest and most prescribed acne medications by dermatologists.
Tea tree oil is highly recommended in beard oil products for men with sensitive skin who have a history of dealing with facial acne. It helps soothe skin inflammation and is particularly useful in the prevention of beard dandruff, or “bearddruff.”
- Jojoba Oil: Like Tea tree oil, jojoba oil works to reduce inflammation while moisturizing the skin. It leaves the beard soft and moist, while also being a hair conditioner. Note the many hair conditioning products on the market that contain jojoba oil.
Jojoba oil is extracted from the seed of the Simmondsia shrub that is native to Arizona, Southern California and northern Mexico. It has been used for hundreds of years as a remedy for dry skin, and leaves the beard looking healthy and thick. Jojoba oil is rich in vitamin B and vitamin E.
- Olive Oil: The properties of olive oil have been known for thousands of years and has been used to nourish and grow hair. Olive oil is rich in antioxidants and its role in preventing the growth of fungus and for its inflammatory properties. This means it’s perfect for sensitive skin and will prevent breakouts of blackheads and pimples. Used as a beard oil, it will not give you acne and pimples, but instead leave beard hair shiny and clean.
What is the Best Way to Apply Beard Oil?
When you apply anything to the sin, especially to the face and upper shoulders (where there are a lot of hair follicles and sebaceous glands), always start by cleaning the face thoroughly with a soap or other cleanser that works best with your skin type.
Dry your face thoroughly, especially the areas where you will be applying beard oil. Place a few drops of beard oil to your hands and rub them together.
Apply the oil to your beard, first to the sides. Next, move down the front and underneath. Make sure to cover the entire beard and avoid using more than just a few drops of beard oil to start.
Finally, comb your beard with a beard comb until you have the desired look for your beard.
How often you use beard oil depends on your hair and skin type. Since you are just starting to use beard oil, only apply it every other day, or even every third day, to see how your skin reacts to the beard oil product you’re using.
Look at the Label
The best beard oils are those that hydrate your hair and skin and leaves the beard looking healthy and smooth. Don’t rely only on what the label tells you the beard product can do. Read the label, especially the list of ingredients. The best beard oil products are those that won’t give you acne and pimples, but instead contain one of the oils mentioned above and which do not include the other oils listed.
People with sensitive skin should be especially vigilant in choosing a beard oil product. You want to make sure the beard oil contains anti-acne ingredients (such as tea tree oil, argan oil or jojoba oils, which naturally fight acne). If the label specifically discusses its antioxidant and acne fighting properties, or if it states the beard oil product is hypoallergenic, then it would be a good choice for you.
Beard oil improves the appearance of beards, and its hair softening properties means that it won’t feel rough against another’s skin. There are so many advantages to beard oil, and it’s important to experiment with using them until you’ve determined which product matches your skin type best.
Which Beard Oil is the Best Option?
When I was discussing whether or not beard oil will give you dandruff, I talked about my favorite beard oil of all time. This beard oil that I got from Amazon is one of my all time favorites and you can find it HERE.
The ingredients in this beard oil are spot on. There’s no artificial junk chemicals that clogged up my pores when I was using it. If you’re in the market for new beard oil, I’d highly recommend it. You won’t regret it.