There are tons of beard products available on the market, from miracle elixirs to scientific formulas, all promising incredible results for beard hair growth.
It can all feel a little bit overwhelming.
But if you’re hunting for an all-natural product that can deliver top-notch results for your beard, look no further than the humble almond.
Almond oil is fantastic for promoting beard growth and nourishing facial hair, helping you to nurture the bristles of your dreams.
Let’s run through some of the biggest benefits that almond oil offers beard growers, and explain how you can start harnessing the power of this natural beard oil.
What is almond oil?
Almond oil is a nutrient-rich product that’s extracted from ripe almonds.
This oil is used for a wide range of purposes and offers a number of health benefits, from moisturizing skin to reducing bad cholesterol. But most importantly, almond oil is a quality beard care product that can nourish and protect your facial hair.
There are also two distinct variations of almond oil that are important to recognise - sweet almond oil and bitter almond oil.
Sweet almond oil is the more common product for skincare and beard grooming and can be used as a carrier oil. Bitter almond oil is a different type of oil that can actually be toxic to ingest, so when we’re discussing almond oil for beard care, we’re talking about the sweet variety.
If you’re interested in learning more about beard oils in general, and how they can support beard health, take a look at our guide on the effectiveness of beard oil.
What vitamins and minerals are in almond oil?
Almond oil is absolutely packed with vitamins and minerals, which is a big part of why it’s so effective for beard care.
The oil contains high levels of vitamin E, vitamin A, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids, among other beneficial nutrients.
These vitamins and minerals offer an array of health benefits, from boosting immunity to managing cholesterol, but they’re particularly good at providing your hair follicles with the resources they need to achieve healthy growth.
What are the benefits of sweet almond oil for beard care?
It’s highly emollient
Almond oil is ‘emollient’ - which is a fancy way of saying that it helps to manage water loss and boost moisture absorption.
This is great news for beard growth.
When your skin is fully hydrated and able to retain water, it won’t need to suck precious moisture away from your beard hairs. That means your hair follicles can remain properly moisturized and nourished, preventing dry hair and promoting healthy growth.
It has anti-inflammatory properties
Almond oil is rich in natural antioxidants, which means that it carries powerful anti-inflammatory properties.
Antioxidants help to protect tissue against damage from harmful free radicals, which reduces the likelihood of inflammation. In simple terms, this means that almond oil can help to prevent skin irritation from occurring, which keeps your hair follicles happy and healthy.
It can strengthen your facial hair
Using almond oil is also a great way to strengthen your beard hair, making your bristles less likely to break and reducing the likelihood of split ends. The oil helps to lubricate and moisturize every inch of your facial hair, conditioning your beard so that you don’t need to fret about damaged hair.
A strong beard is a happy beard, and sweet almond beard oil can be a game-changer for boosting the resilience of your whiskers.
It softens your beard hair
Since almond oil does a brilliant job of retaining moisture in your beard, it can make your beard hair much softer and silkier to the touch.
Using almond oil regularly over time will help to improve the texture of your bristles, so they’ll be looking and feeling better than ever. When your beard is moisturized and hydrated, you’ll also find that softer hairs are much easier to control and style to your liking.
It promotes healthy beard growth
Time for one of the biggest benefits of almond oil - promoting beard growth.
Now, it’s worth clarifying here that hair growth is heavily dependent on your genetics. Beard oil isn’t going to sprout a luscious beard overnight, and you’re not going to find a magic potion that transforms your follicles into hair-growth machines.
(Trust us - if that existed, we’d be selling it.)
However, if you’re struggling with patchy hair or slow growth, you may find that almond oil gives your hair follicles the nourishment they need to thrive.
Almond oil is loaded with nutrients that are ideal for accelerating beard growth and can lock in vital moisture that keeps your hair healthy. Although almond oil isn’t a miracle cure for patchy facial hair, it can be an excellent tool for encouraging healthy hair growth.
There are plenty of advantages to using almond oil for beard care, but there are also many alternative options you can explore as a facial hair aficionado.
Our Underdog Smoke-Spiced Bourbon beard oil, for example, contains a unique blend of sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, and argan oil that’s designed to nurture your dream bristles.
How to apply almond oil for beard care
Now that we’ve run through the major benefits of almond oil for beard care, let’s take a look at how you can apply beard oil to those beautiful bristles.
Prepare your beard
To prepare your beard for a healthy dose of almond oil, start by wetting it with water and combing through until you’ve removed any tangles.
Once you’ve completed the de-tangling, it’s very important to let your beard hair dry completely before applying any oil. Almond oil can’t penetrate your hair follicles if they’re still damp, so pat down your beard and dry thoroughly to ensure maximum absorption.
Apply almond oil
Apply a small number of almond oil drops to your palms. Shorter beards will only require around 2-3 drops, while a longer beard can require 6+ drops to achieve proper nourishment.
Spread the almond oil evenly across your fingers, and begin to massage gently into your beard hair with circular motions. Make sure that you’re reaching all corners of your beard, including the skin underneath your whiskers, to deliver full coverage.
(If you’re dealing with a lengthy beard, you can also use a comb to gently distribute oil throughout your hair. Not only will this disperse the almond oil properly, but it will encourage blood flow which is key for healthy beard growth.)
Looking to learn more about different natural oils? Discover how to apply grooming products properly, or explore our market-leading beard care range, just visit the Mission Beard website.
What are the best practices for using almond oil?
Frequency of use
To maximize the benefits your beard receives from almond oil, make sure that you’re applying it as part of a consistent grooming routine. You can use almond oil up to twice daily, but if your beard is feeling a little greasy, you can reduce this to once a day.
Combining with other beard oils
Sweet almond oil is one of the most popular carrier oils for beard care, meaning you can combine it with various oils to unlock a range of benefits. Take a look at our guide on hemp oil or our guide to sandalwood oil, for example, to understand how different oils can benefit your beard growth.
Avoiding overuse
While almond oil can promote beard growth and nourish the skin beneath your hair, you can have too much of a good thing.
Try using a modest amount of almond oil to begin with (i.e. 2-3 drops for shorter beards) and building up if you think more is required to keep your beard moisturized.
Excess beard oil can lead to clogged pores and greasy hair, so don’t overdo it!
Almond oil is one of the best oils for hair care, helping to directly promote beard growth, remove dead skin cells, and maintain healthy facial hair. If you want to keep your beard soft and shiny, almond oil is a brilliant option.
Keen to explore more beard oil options? Explore our range of expertly-crafted beard oils, made with premium all natural ingredients, to find the perfect product for your beard care routine.