What's Better for Dry Beards, Beard Oil or Coconut Oil?

First off, this is a very popular question and it is for very good reasons. And don’t worry, we will make sure to go through them all to make you’re that you can fix and grow your beard to exactly where you want your beard to be.

There are so many different types of oils that are good for hair. Certain oils like coconut oil and almond oil are better for hair than heavier ones like olive oil which is a good cooking oil but not the best for hair.

Don’t be down on yourself and your beard for not being an expert. It takes a lot of time and research but don’t fret...

We are the beard experts.

Now, there is no simple yes or no answer to which is better for dry beards. Facial hair needs depend greatly on the person who has it but there are definitely key points in making sure every hair follicle is as healthy as humanly possible.

That includes the skin under your beard too!

Beard Dandruff

Would you believe that something as simple was washing your beard with cold water is way better than washing it with really hot water? That can really dry out your skin and your beard and strip the natural oils right out of your facial hair.

That can then lead to beardruff aka beard dandruff. Something as simple as the temperature of your shower is one of the most common enemies of healthy beard hair. One thing is for certain is that natural ingredients are the best for healthy beards.

(Read more: How to Get Rid of Beard Dandruff Once and For All)

Okay. Now let’s talk about coconut oil. It’s one of the most popular oils for hair but let’s talk about the two main types of coconut oil.

Coconut Oil

Solid coconut oil and liquid coconut oil. The latter is better known as MCT oil or medium chain triglyceride oil. All fats are made up of carbon and hydrogen but they are not all the same length molecules. Short chain fatty acids have 5 or less carbon molecules and medium chain fatty acids have 6-12 carbon molecules. Long chains have 12 or more. Medium chain triglycerides are easier in digestion and they are processed through the liver as opposed being digested. That in turn gives longer lasting energy and health benefits that come with them.

When one hears medium chain triglycerides, one immediately thinks of weight loss, LDL cholesterol and many other terms that you would think about if you wanted to lose weight.

Fats in Coconut Oil

Keeping your body healthy is very similar to keeping hair healthy and there are many key similarities. Omega 3’s, for example, are fatty acids which are extremely beneficial in keeping your skin, hair and body healthy. Eating foods rich in these vitamins and nutrients will guard against Alzheimer’s Disease, heart disease and many other major health problems.

Consuming MCT oil breaks down quickly and provides fast and long lasting cell energy for your body. It goes from the stomach directly to the liver. It’s very easily absorbed by the body because of the refining process. It quickly provides energy to our cell powerhouse, the mitochondria.

These energy factories are all over our body such as brain, heart and muscle tissue. That means that it can also be easily absorbed besides digestion such as absorption in your skin and hair. MCT oil is not stored as easily as body fat compared to solid coconut oil.

Diet-wise, solid coconut oil tend to be worse for you since it has a very high amount of saturated fat which raises your bad cholesterol. That leads to many adverse health conditions. Not good. While it does have some benefits for hair and skin, the absorption rate for MCT oil is far superior than solid.

When You Shouldn't Use Coconut Oil

Since coconut oil has a high concentration of protein, it should not be used in beards or facial hair that is extremely dry or coarse. This is because adding a lot of protein to hair that is already dry and not protein deficient will cause it to become brittle and break off.

In other words, if the skin under your beard is dry and hurts, using coconut oil may do more harm than good. Stick with argan, jojoba, almond, and other essential oils because they will add moisture without increasing brittleness.

Coconut Oil in Beard Products

Another problem with solid coconut oil melts at a low temperature. It melts at 76 degrees Fahrenheit which is a bit of a problem when it is in beard balm. If there is too much solid coconut oil, then your balm can easily melt in your own bathroom.

And forget about it being in your pocket or backpack on the go. It’s not fun opening up your bag to find that your solid coconut balm melted, leaked and covered all your stuff. Laptop, wallet, cell phone, money, keys, food.

The horror.

Solid coconut oil doesn’t have to go home, but it needs to stay out of our beard balms. Which it does here at Beard and Company. 

Beard and Company's all-natural beard balm

We found that MCT oil is best at helping to transport our growth oil into the biggest problem areas for hair growth: mustaches and eyebrows.

You can find MCT oil in our Mustache Growth Oil and our Eyebrow Growth Oil. The absorption of MCT oil is far superior and is best used with our natural ingredients growth formula.

Dry Skin and Beard Oil

Why does all this matter between dry skin and beard oil? Well, here is why. Dry skin is a huge problem and generally affects everyone at some point in time and it’s such a problem, right? Right.

The right beard oil can really help this dry skin problem so let’s get to it! The skin underneath my beard hurts, there is beard dandruff, my beard doesn’t grow like it used to...very frustrating.

Well, to fix dry beard hair, you need to understand why it is happening. Oily skin, dry skin, hot water, allergies, not showering enough, showering too much etc. There are many causes like previously mentioned here and we have talked about these reasons in our past blog posts such as the following.

Washing Your Beard

Don’t pass these up as these are the best dry beard tips that we have talked about in the past because these are time-tested general tips to help you get started on fixing that beard. If you shampoo too often or if you use a shampoo that's too harsh on your beard, you're probably stripping your beard of its natural oils with each shampoo.

Our beards actually need to be washed much less than we think. Unless your line of work exposes you to a lot of dirt and grime on a daily basis, you probably only need to shampoo your beard once or twice a week. And when you do shampoo it, it's important that you use a gentle beard shampoo that will cleanse the hair without over stripping it of its natural oils.

So ideally, you'll only be shampooing your beard once a week. Even though you won't be shampooing it every day, you'll definitely want to use a hydrating beard conditioner every day or so during your shower. This will still keep your beard clean but will do so in a much gentler way while putting moisture back into your dry beard.

After showering, dispense a few drops of Beard and Company's all-natural beard oil into your hands and gently rub into your damp beard. Try to get the oil close to your skin and using a saw cut beard comb, gently comb the oil throughout your beard.

Dry skin and beard oil. Two of the best combinations, assuming you want to get rid of the dry skin. Our combination of oils in our beard oil is what you need to fix that dry beard.

Treating Beard Inflammation with Almond Oil

Almond oil is our weapon of choice against this common but highly pesky issue. Almond oil has a high fatty acid content makes it ideal for treating inflammation. It moisturizes and softens the skin which improves circulation to the inflamed area which is a side-effect of dry skin.

It’s also great at treating and preventing dry skin and dandruff by cleansing the scalp and removing dead cells. Almond oil is also high monounsaturated fatty acids. Remember fatty acids from earlier? These can be really beneficial.

After showering, apply an all-natural beard oil to your beard. It’s important to choose a high quality beard oil that doesn’t contain any artificial fragrances or fillers. Moisturizing your beard daily with beard oil will not only keep it healthy and encourage it to grow, but it will also keep it soft and free of itch.

Dry Skin Under Your Beard

Since dry skin and beard hair is such a problem, we only use the best oils that are formulated for this issue. This includes argan oil which is a well-known anti-inflammatory. It’s fantastic for dry skin since it’s a catch-22 situation. Your skin is inflamed because it’s dry and it’s dry because it’s inflamed. You need to put out the fire completely.

In order to get your beard to reach your desired length and fullness, you need to pick the product that works the best for what you need it for.

MCT oil is fantastic at carrying our growth formula to much needed areas fast such as the mustache area, which of course is an integral part of any beard.

Our beard oil is what your beard needs for that dry skin that is preventing what your main goal is: growing your beard.

After all, a healthy beard is a great beard. And you can’t have a great beard without taking proper care of it.

Take it from us, we are the beard experts.  

Treat Your Beard

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