Until recently, men and women alike used hair products and had no idea what the tongue-twister chemicals were. As people became more focused on health and earth-given products, essential and natural oils became more popular. Jojoba oil is one of many that people flock to on the market. That makes sense for head hair, but is there any beard benefit of Jojoba oil worth noting? Definitely. There are very few things that benefit head hair that won’t benefit your beard too.
What Does Jojoba Oil Do for Hair?
Jojoba oil tackles several of the common skin and hair problems men encounter when growing out a beard. Here are a few worth considering.
- Provides Great Moisture
Some moisturizers only provide a topical solution. They sit on the surface of your hair follicles, seep into your skin and block your pores. Before you know it, you have an acne problem. Jojoba oil, on the other hand, penetrates your hair follicles just deep enough to offer a full dose of moisturizing.
How does it do this? Some people point to the structure of high-quality jojoba oil . When it comes to Egyptian jojoba oil, 3% is comprised of natural alcohols and acids. Monounsaturated fats make up the remaining 97%.
To reap the benefits these components offer, you can use jojoba oil either before or after a beard wash. If you use it after a wash, it helps to replenish the oils that washing strips the beard of. Some men go a step further and use the oil before washing. It adds a protective sheen to the beard hair to keep out sulfates and other harsh chemicals.
- Maintains the Natural Balance of Hair and Skin
Studies have shown that a benefit of jojoba oil is its properties, which bear a striking resemblance to sebum. Why is this important? Sebaceous glands in your skin secrete sebum to nourish your hair. When you wash your beard, this is the natural oil that gets stripped away. Instead of replacing it with foreign substances, adding oil that is almost identical provides a better solution.
Because of its similarity, jojoba oil can actually help to regulate how much natural oil your sebaceous glands produce. This helps to reduce the likelihood of your glands producing too much oil. This could weigh down your beard and make it look greasy.
Maintaining the natural oil and pH balance of your hair and skin has some additional benefits for you. For starters, dry skin will be less of an issue, especially during the winter. You also reduce your chances of developing beard acne.
- Thickens Your Beard
Once you consider all the benefits outlined above, you realize it’s no wonder that people use jojoba oil for beard growth. But how exactly does jojoba oil help encourage your beard to grow? One secret benefit of jojoba oil is in the ingredients. Jojoba supplies high concentrations of nutrients that your beard needs for continued growth:
- Zinc
- Vitamin B
- Vitamin E
Feeding your beard helps to strengthen it. Stronger beards hold up better against dryness and other unfavorable conditions. This reduces the amount of breakage you might otherwise experience. Note that when beards begin to thin, it’s often breakage and not reduced growth that’s the issue.
- Controls Skin Conditions
If you have a skin condition, always consult your doctor before giving skin remedies a try. This is especially important if you’re already using medication to treat it. Jojoba oil may be natural but it is still a chemical and may react unfavorably with your current treatment options.
That said, jojoba oil is known for having antifungal, antimicrobial and antiproliferative characteristics. All of these features play a role in the natural treatment of dandruff, tinea versicolor and other skin problems.
One thing to note is that jojoba forms a potent solution against some types of bacteria and fungi, but not all of them. For instance, jojoba extracts work well against candida and even E. coli, but poorly against some forms of salmonella.
How to Use It
How you incorporate jojoba oil into your grooming routine can make a big difference. Try a few different methods before settling on any one solution.
- Daily Beard Oil: Use jojoba oil as part of your daily routine. Some applicators rely on sprays while others might use drops.
- Deep Conditioning: If you suffer from extreme dryness, then apply pure jojoba oil to your beard and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. If possible, keep it in overnight. Then, wash and shampoo as you usually would.
- Shampoo & Conditioner: Some women add a few drops of jojoba oil to their hair products. Follow their lead by adding a few drops to your beard wash, shampoo or conditioner.
Jojoba oil may not be a magic elixir for all your beard woes, but it sure comes close. An even better benefit of jojoba oil is that despite its benefits, it is still an inexpensive grooming solution to keep on hand.
