After trying a wide variety of beard oils currently available in stores and online, I noticed that the great majority of the base oils used are edible and that the essential oils used to impart fragrance and a little personality to the mix are readily available at independent health food stores and places like Whole Foods Market. Since I like to cook, I know I can follow a recipe. Since I know how to cook fairly well, I know that I could check out a few DIY beard oil recipes and then come up with my own concoction that could, with a little practice, be as good as the beard oils that are currently available.
First, I started with figuring out what kind of oil I would use as the carrier, or base. This choice is crucial because it is the bulk of what will ultimately be applied to the beard. After some research, I settled on grapeseed oil. According to my research, grapeseed oil is super light, has little to no odor, and does not become sticky due exposure to air. It is also nice in a vinaigrette with some shallots and Dijon, so if this experiment failed, I could at least have a nice bowl of mixed greens.
Once I decided on what oil I was going to administer to my beard, I had to make it smell good. After a half hour of putting my nose to every tester bottle of essential oil in my local Whole Foods, I finally decided on lime. It is bright, clean, and zesty, and I figured for a first attempt, instead of making some complicated mixture that I would never be able to replicate, I would keep it simple. Here’s what you’ll need if you want to mix some up for yourself:
- One 1 ounce glass dropper bottle (use glass. oil can break some plastics down)
- One bottle of organic grapeseed oil (plan to spend around $10 for 16oz)
- One .5 ounce bottle of lime essential oil
Add 20-25 drops of lime oil to the dropper bottle. Fill the bottle the rest of the way with grapeseed oil making sure to leave enough room for the dropper to be replaced. Secure the top to the bottle and shake vigorously to mix.
Crack open the dropper bottle and give it a whiff. Lime too strong? Pour out a little of the oil from the dropper and replace with plain grapeseed oil. Lime not strong enough? Pour out a tiny amount from the dropper bottle and replace with a few more drops of lime oil. Tweak the recipe to your liking. That’s the beauty of making it yourself. You get to customize it.
Once your DIY beard oil is to your liking, drip a dropper full into the palm of your hand (a puddle about the size of a dime if you have a thick, full beard), rub your hands together and work your lightly oiled hands through your beard. Style as per usual. Within a day or two you will notice how much easier it is to get your hands, brush, comb, etc, through your beard. You should also notice that because of this new found ease, you end up with much less hair in the sink or trapped in your brush or comb. Rejoice!
