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Beard Butter vs Balm: Which Should You Use?

Last Updated: July 1, 2022

Wondering what the difference between beard butter vs balm is? We break down everything you need to know to help you choose the best for your beard.

If you’ve never used beard care products before, you might find it intimidating to choose the right one for your beard. There are hundreds of alternatives and brands in the market that add to the trouble. 

Of the lot, beard butter and beard balm stand apart when it comes to beard care. You will need to weigh the benefits and efficacy of the two while deciding which to use on your beard.

To help you make an informed decision, we’ll take a look at the ingredients, uses, and texture of these products. By the end of the article, you’ll be able to tell who comes out on top in the beard butter vs balm debate.

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Beard Butter Vs Balm

While beard butter and balm share some ingredients and benefits, here are a few key distinctions that will help you make your choice.

Beard ButterBalm
Made with shea or mango butter and natural oils

— Provides light hold

— Softens and moisturizes both beard and skin beneath

— Can be used for taming and sculpting beard

— Thin liquid texture

— Matte Finish

— Ideal for short beards

— Ideal for dry, normal, or oily skin
Made with beeswax, shea or mango butter, essential oils, and natural carrier oils

— Provides great hold due to beeswax

— Keeps beard conditioned and moisturized

— Used for shaping and styling beard

— Solid or thick liquid texture

— Glossy finish

— Ideal for medium or long beards

— Ideal for dry or normal skin

What Is Beard Butter?

Beard Butter

Beard butter is a beard care product that conditions and nourishes the beard and the skin beneath. It has a light, fluffy, creamy texture, and its easy-to-absorb nature ensures that your beard gets all the benefits.  

Shea, hemp seeds, almond butter, carrier oils, and essential oils are just a few of the ingredients in beard butter that moisturize, soften, and nourish your beard. 

Beard butter provides a smoother texture than beard wax as it does not contain beeswax. Its main purpose is to deep condition your hair and promote hair growth rather than style it.

Using beard butter post-shower can prevent the skin beneath the beard from drying out. It can even help with itchy, dry, or flaky skin and dandruff. 

What Is Beard Balm?

Beard Butter Burts Bees

Beard balms are made often with waxes, butter, carrier oils, and essential oils. Take a pea-sized amount of it and apply it throughout your beard. 

Beard balms help nourish, condition, and style your hair. As they contain beeswax, they help style and tame your beard. Beard balms mainly serve as a styling product.

Depending on the type and amount of wax applied, beard balm also softens hair, hydrates skin, and regulates flyaway hairs. It is ideal for those with medium to long beards. 

Although beard balms have a more malleable consistency and are lighter than beard wax, they have a stronger hold than beard butter.

What’s The Difference Between Beard Butter and Balm?

When it comes down to it, beard butter often has more nourishing butters in its ingredients great for hydration whereas balms are primarily used for styling. 

Ingredients

Beard Butter

Beard Butter Ingredients

Beard butter primarily contains shea or mango butters, natural oils, and at least one carrier oil like jojoba or coconut oil. It does not typically contain beeswax or other ingredients that lend a strong hold.

Beard Balm

Beard Balm Ingredient

Beard balm usually contains waxes and vegetable butter, like shea butter. Balms typically contain beeswax to provide a strong hold and keep your beard in place. The butter helps easily spread the balm evenly throughout the beard.

Benefits

Beard Butter

Since beard butter includes ingredients like shea butter, cocoa, jojoba oil, and organic argan oil, it also offers the benefits of these products.

Argan Oil: Softens and moisturizes the skin underneath your beard. This keeps your skin from becoming flaky and dry.

Jojoba Oil: Makes skin under your beard soft and supple and balances oil production. Additionally, it helps reduce dandruff and irritation.

Shea Butter: Nourishes your beard with Vitamins A, E, and F. It helps keep your skin and beard soft and protects it from harsh weather.

Cocoa:  Its Vitamin E content helps keep your beard healthy. 

Beard Balm

In addition to oils, beard balm contains beeswax. Here are some benefits of using it:

Beeswax: nourishes and shapes facial hair, making it an excellent beard styling product. It helps control stray or frizzy hair and gives your beard a well-groomed look.  

Texture

Beard Butter

Beard butter has a noticeably lighter texture than beard balm. The beard usually absorbs it entirely.

Beard Balm

The consistency of beard balm depends on the ambient temperature. Most of these products come in solid form. You will need to warm most beard balm products using your palms before evenly applying them to your beard.

Use

Beard Butter

Beard Butter Uses

You can use beard butter on any hair length, but short beards may benefit most from it. Because short beards rarely need the grip a balm provides, beard butter can serve as a quick and effective moisturizer.

Beard Balm

Beard Butter Uses

A beard balm is ideal for men with long beards who need a way to maintain their style. In the case of short beards, beard balm helps tame and condition the hair.

Which One Should You Use?

Beard Butter

Both these products serve different purposes and are meant for different types of beards. So you’ll need to consider your beard length and your use of the product. 

Beard butter is the right product for you if you want something to deeply nourish and condition your dry skin and beard. It helps address skin issues like patches, dryness, and dandruff. 

Beard balm is ideal if you have longer hair and want to style it so it stays in place all day. 

It is best for those who want more control over their beard and to reduce flyaway hair.

In Conclusion

It’s hard to pick a winner in the beard butter vs balm battle as both can contribute to maintaining a healthy beard. 

Nonetheless, if you had to pick one product, beard butter would be the better option as it nourishes and softens both the beard and the skin underneath it. 

Some beard butter products even tame unruly hair, eliminating the need to buy additional beard styling products. It even boosts hair growth.

However, if you have a longer beard, we recommend that you mix both of these products for the best results. 

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