Can You Use Hair Oil On Your Beard? [Solved]

Hair oil is commonly used by both men and women on their head hair to add an extra layer of conditioning. However, a question often asked is – can you use hair oil on your beard?

It is generally not recommended to use hair oil on your beard as it may irritate the underlying facial skin. Hair products, including hair oil, often contain ingredients that are too harsh or heavy for routine use on the more delicate facial skin. 

Let’s dig into this topic a little deeper. 

Sometimes, you may find yourself in a situation where you have no other option than to use hair oil on your beard. 

If this applies to you, there are some things you should know before you decide to use hair oil on your beard. 

But before we go through these, it’s important to know how hair oil differs from beard oil.

What Is The Difference Between Hair Oil and Beard Oil?

One of the main differences between hair oil and beard oil is the consistency. 

Beard oil tends to be thicker than hair oil, as it is designed with the coarser facial hair in mind. Hair oil on the other hand can’t be too thick as it is meant for head hair, which is usually thinner and has more movement. 

Hair oil is also more likely to contain harsh ingredients compared with beard oil. This is because scalp skin is less delicate than facial skin, so it can tolerate harsher ingredients.

The scalp also produces more sebum oil compared with facial skin and this acts as an additional protective layer against external elements. 

Despite these differences, there are also some similarities between hair oil and beard oil.

The main similarity is that both hair oil and beard oil often contain moisturizing oils such as argan, jojoba, and coconut oils. These act as carrier oils for essential oils such as eucalyptus, pine, or cedarwood, to name a few.

This gives these products their conditioning properties. 

The differences between these two types of product become important when discussing why hair oil is generally not suitable for use on your beard.

5 Tips For If You Need To Use Hair Oil On Your Beard 

Let’s go through what you need to know before you consider using hair oil on your beard.  

Wash It Out At The End Of The Day

When applied to head hair, hair oil doesn’t need to be washed out straight away as it is generally applied to the tips for its conditioning action, as opposed to close to the scalp skin.

Even if some hair oil is applied closer to the scalp, this is less likely to irritate the scalp when left in as scalp skin is tougher than facial skin.

However, this isn’t the case when hair oil is applied to your beard. 

As facial skin is more sensitive than scalp skin, if you leave hair oil on your beard for a prolonged time there is a risk of the skin becoming irritated due to the harsher ingredients usually included within hair oil. 

Additionally, if oil is left in for too long on your beard it can attract dust and sweat, which isn’t going to do any favors for your delicate facial skin and might even lead to breakouts.

So if you are considering applying hair oil to your beard in the short term, make sure you are diligent about washing it out at the end of the day. 

Wash Your Hands After You Apply It

Not many people realize that hair oil can stain clothing.

Whenever you apply hair oil, whether it be to your beard or to your head hair, it’s important to wash your hands straight after so that you don’t accidentally get any on your clothes.

This will also stop you from accidentally touching your face with oily fingers and getting hair oil on your delicate facial skin. 

Do A Patch Test 

As I’ve already mentioned, hair oil tends to contain harsher ingredients compared with beard oil, which can aggravate delicate facial skin.

If you can, it is always recommended to read the ingredients on the label carefully before you use hair oil and to do a patch test. 

A patch test is usually recommended any time you are using a new product where you may be at risk of an allergic reaction. This process is often used by hairstylists when a client is having their hair dyed for the very first time. 

When doing a patch test there is a risk you can react badly to a new product, so it is important to seek medical advice before you do this, especially if you are known to have allergies. 

You will also need to allow 24 hours in order to do a patch test.

However, despite the time and effort of doing this, you can save yourself a bad skin reaction by doing a patch test. 

Don’t Apply Too Much 

When it comes to hair oil, especially hair oil on your beard, there is a thing as too much.

If you have chosen to apply hair oil to your beard, apply it sparingly and start with small amounts and slowly build up. 

Use a brush to distribute the oil evenly through your facial hair before applying any more. This way you won’t accidentally apply too much oil.

If you apply too much hair oil to your beard, you are more likely to get dust and sweat buildup in your facial hair, and you can run the risk of having a very oily and clumpy-looking beard. 

Too much hair oil also increases the risk of skin irritation when applied to your facial skin.

So, remember to start slow and build up, after all it’s better for the process to take longer than to have to wash it all out and start again from square one. 

Hair Oil Has A Stronger Scent

Another reason why you don’t want to apply too much hair oil to your beard is its scent.

Hair oil is generally either much more heavily perfumed compared with beard oil, or it doesn’t try to be scented at all. Because your head hair isn’t particularly close to your nose, the scent of hair oil becomes less important in its design. 

Beard oil, on the other hand, is designed to sit just under your nose, so it’s created with scents that are gentle, not too overpowering, and designed to be pleasant-smelling. 

Therefore if you need to use hair oil on your beard, apply it sparingly and slowly, so that you can get an idea of whether you are able to tolerate the scent. 

After all, you are going to be smelling it all day, so you need to make sure you can endure it.

What Else Can I Use On My Beard Instead of Beard Oil? 

Even though we have mainly been discussing the use of hair oil as an alternative to your beard, there are technically other things you can use to replace beard oil in a pinch.

As we discussed earlier, both beard and hair oils contain various moisturizing oils such as argan, jojoba, and coconut oils. These moisturizing oils are responsible for the conditioning action of these products, softening and smoothing the hair fibers. 

If you don’t have beard or hair oil to hand, you can actually use some of these natural botanical oils as an alternative.

Coconut oil is commonly used on the beard in place of beard oil, as it is natural and often an ingredient people already have in their kitchen cupboard.

Coconut oil is often used as a general body moisturizer, and it will also moisturize your underlying facial skin if you apply it to your beard. 

As always, however, a patch test is essential to ensure you won’t react to these products. 

Conclusion

Although it isn’t recommended to use hair oil on your beard, there are certain situations where you may feel you don’t have any alternative.

If you find yourself in this situation, you can now refer to this article and be guided through the best way to use hair oil on your beard.