Men Really Wanted to Know How to Use Beard Balm This Year
Google’s Year in Search is a great way to revisit the political, cultural, and ridiculous things that happened over the last twelve months. It also tends to reveal a few surprises, like the fact that “how to use beard balm” was the #5 most-searched beauty question in 2015. That a male-specific grooming question broke into the top 10 is itself remarkable, and who knew that so many guys didn’t know how to use beard balm? How to tie a tie, we sort of get, but this is a matter we thought was addressed in our deep and thoughtful examination of beards this year.
From left: Tom Ford Oud Wood Beard Oil, $50, available at saksfifthavenue.com; Beardbrand Temple Smoke Beard Oil, $40, available at beardbrand.com; Beard Balm Beard Conditioner, $20, available at amazon.com; David Mallett Hair Beard Balm, $35, available at luckyscent.com
In short: You use beard balm like a pomade for your hair. Take a dime-sized amount out of the jar, warm and distribute the product in your hands, then work it through your beard evenly with your fingers or a comb. Beard balm conditions and tames your beard so it should look soft and less unruly but not shiny or greasy (if it does, you’ve probably used too much product). For the record, beard oil works pretty much the same way. Use it even more sparingly because, you know, it’s oil. A little goes a long way. If the skin under your beard is dry and itchy, beard oil is the way to go. If you just need the smallest amount of spiffing, stick with balm.
In other news, Jake Gyllenhaal has decided to grow back his excellent beard. Thanks to him and a few others, perhaps beard maintenance will show up on next year's list too.
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