Best Beard Conditioners for a Full, Soft, and Healthy Beard

Peanut butter and jelly

Bacon and eggs

Fish and chips

Bread and butter

Macaroni and cheese

Beard shampoo and beard conditioner

Some things just work better in pairs.

Unfortunately when it comes to beard care and grooming, most men don’t even bother using beard conditioner. While we are all familiar with the benefits of beard shampoo, beard oil, and beard balm — beard conditioner on the other hand offers its own unique set of beard benefits that definitely shouldn’t be overlooked.

In a hurry? Skip ahead to the list of best beard conditioners

Unlike beard oils and balms, beard conditioner is intended to be used in the shower (after beard shampoo) and rinsed from the beard — not unlike hair conditioner that’s used on the scalp.

The benefits of using a beard conditioner are numerous and can have a significant impact on the overall health, feel, and appearance of your beard.

Benefits of Using Beard Conditioner

1. Beard conditioner reduces breakage and split ends

Two of the biggest problems men with beards have to face are breakage and split ends.

Breakage and split ends are a common result of beard hairs that are overly dry and brittle.

In a perfect world the oil (sebum) that is naturally produced by our skin would be enough to moisturize and hydrate our beards. But the problem is that our skin is limited on the amount of oil that it can produce. While this shortage of sebum typically isn’t a problem for men with stubble or short cropped beards — it’s a real issue for men with long or very full beards.

As beard hair gets longer it becomes harder and harder for our skin’s natural oils to moisturize and hydrate the entire length of the hair shaft. This commonly results in beard hair ends that are dry and brittle, which often leads to annoying breakage and split ends.

One of the best ways to fight back against breakage and split ends is to use a quality beard conditioner that will help moisturize and protect beard hairs from damage.

Beard conditioner works by delivering moisture and hydration deep into the hair shaft and helps lock it in by refortifying the hair cuticle with a protective coating.

This greatly improves beard hair softness and elasticity; effectively reducing the likelihood of breakage and split ends.

2. Beard conditioner smoothes and softens

One of the most noticeable effects of beard conditioner is it’s ability to soften and smooth coarse beard hair.

A really cool experiment to perform is applying beard conditioner to only one half of your beard, and then feeling the difference between the treated half and the untreated half once you’re out of the shower.

Not only will the conditioned half feel noticeably softer and smoother, but it will also be a lot more manageable and easier to control.

To put it simply, beard conditioner works by smoothing the outermost layer of the hair shaft called the cuticle.

The cuticle is made up of a bunch of overlapping, shingle-like layers that strengthen and protect the hair shaft.

When hair is dry or over treated with products the cuticle opens up and causes beard hair to look dull, frizzy, and also makes it more susceptible to damage and split ends.

Using beard conditioner helps close the cuticle and even fills in gaps between the cuticle scales to help beard hair appear smoother, softer, and shinier.

3. Beard conditioner increases shine

While you probably haven’t spent much time mulling over how much your beard does or does not shine — that doesn’t mean it’s not important.

A beard that is dry, dull, and lifeless is not only unhealthy, but it’s also a sign that your not properly providing your beard with essential nourishment and hydration.

As you already know, beard conditioner softens, smoothes, moisturizes, and protects the hair shaft by closing and sealing the cuticle.

A smooth cuticle does a much better job of reflecting light than cuticles that are raised. By using a good daily beard conditioner your beard will not only be stronger, healthier, and shinier, but it will also help it look and feel it’s best.

Now that we discussed some of the benefits of using beard conditioner, I want to share with you my hand selected list of best beard conditioners for men. Not only do these beard conditioners provide superior quality and performance, but they are some of the best selling, and most highly reviewed beard conditioners available on the market.

The Lineup:

• The Bearded Grenade – Beard Conditioner
• Scotch Porter – Beard Conditioner
• Zeus – Beard Conditioner
• Grave Before Shave – Beard Conditioner
• The Art of Shaving – Beard Conditioner
• Bossman – Beard Conditioner
• Viking Revolution – Beard Conditioner

Best Beard Conditioners Reviewed

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The Bearded Grenade – Beard Conditioner (Rinse-out)

If you’re looking to step up your beard care routine I highly recommend you check out The Bearded Grenade’s Peppermint & Eucalyptus beard conditioner for men. Handcrafted in the USA, this plant based beard conditioner is designed to soften and smooth coarse beard hair, help eliminate beard breakage and split ends, fight beard dandruff, and even help promote growth. Offered in a generous 8 oz aluminum bottle with pump dispenser, this premium beard conditioner is absolutely worth a try if you demand nothing but the best for your beard. Here’s a look at the key ingredients: shea butter, olive oil, sunflower seed oil, coconut oil, jojoba seed oil, aloe vera leaf juice powder, vitamin E, biotin, essential oils

What I like about The Bearded Grenade beard conditioner:

• Noticeably softens and smoothes

I’ve tried and tested many beard conditioners and I can say without a doubt that The Bearded Grenade beard conditioner is at the top of the list. Not only does it provide an immediate improvement to the look and feel of coarse beard hair — you’ll notice the difference after the first use — but it continues to improve the quality and manageability of coarse beard hair the more you use it.

• Great for beard dandruff (beardruff)

If you suffer from dry skin or beard dandruff, I highly recommend you check out this beard conditioner from The Bearded Grenade. It’s formulated with plant based ingredients including peppermint and eucalyptus essential oils that help eliminate and prevent beard dandruff from spoiling your beard.

• Fresh scent

Who doesn’t like a great smelling beard product? TBG beard conditioner features a fresh peppermint and eucalyptus scent that smells excellent and provides a refreshing cooling sensation to the skin. Pair it with their peppermint and eucalyptus beard wash for the full TBG experience. Peppermint and eucalyptus not your thing? TBG also offers their beard conditioner and beard wash in an aquatic cologne scent called Stem to Stern.

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Scotch Porter – Beard Conditioner (Rinse-out)

If you’re looking for the best beard conditioner you should consider checking out this offering from Scotch Porter. Founded in 2015, Scotch Porter specializes in male specific grooming products for men who desire to look their best. One of Scotch Porter’s most popular products is their deep-penetrating Beard Conditioner. It’s formulated using safe, all-natural ingredients, and is designed to smooth and soften course beard hair while delivering nourishment and hydration deep within the hair shaft. Here’s a look at some of Scotch Porter’s key ingredients: Shea butter, castor seed oil, safflower seed oil, burdock root, panthenol, aloe leaf juice, jojoba oil, glycerin, biotin.

What I like about Scotch Porter Beard Conditioner:

• It doesn’t take much

If I had to find one thing to complain about Scotch Porter Beard Conditioner: it’s the price. It’s kind of expensive. On the plus side I find that a little bit of this stuff goes a very long way. While usage will vary depending on your beard size, I find that a small dab of this conditioner spreads easily and evenly, and covers a lot of ground.

• Smells great

One of the things that I really like about Scotch Porter Beard Conditioner is the fresh, masculine scent. Once you unscrew the top off the jar you are greeted with a warm, musky, slightly spicy aroma that is perfectly suited for bearded gentlemen such as ourselves.

• All-natural ingredients

What’s not to like about all-natural ingredients? Scotch Porter uses only safe, all-natural botanicals and extracts in their beard conditioner, making it a great option for men with sensitive skin.

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Zeus – Beard Conditioner (Rinse-out)

If you desire the beard of a Greek God, it only makes sense that you should consider trying this moisturizing Beard Conditioner from Zeus. When it comes to beard care and grooming, Zeus is one of the first brands I turn to. Their product line includes beard oil, beard balm, beard shampoo, combs, pomade, brushes, and of course Beard Conditioner. Formulated using natural ingredients, Zeus Beard Conditioner excels at nourishing and hydrating coarse beard hair, while it noticeably smoothes, softens, and detangles. It’s made right here in the USA and is very reasonably priced for an 8oz bottle. Here’s a look at some of Zeus Beard Conditioner’s key ingredients: Aloe vera, glycerin, panthenol, green tea, jojoba oil, avocado oil.

What I like about Zeus Beard Conditioner:

• Improves thickness and fullness

One of the things that I really like about Zeus Beard Conditioner is how it improves beard thickness and fullness with the help of panthenol (pro vitamin B5). Panthenol protects beard hair from damage by locking in moisture and forming a protective layer over the hair cuticle. This helps add volume and thickness to the hair shaft, and it also improves shine, texture, and can even help prevent annoying beard breakage and split ends.

• Great scent options

One of the great things about Zeus’ products is that they are always available in multiple scent options. Their beard conditioner comes in 3 awesome scents, including: Sandalwood, Verbena Lime (my favorite), and Vanilla Rum.

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Grave Before Shave – Beard Conditioner (Rinse-out)

If you’re a hardcore beardsman you may be interested in checking out this Barber Shop scented Beard Conditioner from Grave Before Shave. Known for their massive selection of great scented beard oils and balms, Grave Before Shave products have earned themselves a solid reputation for quality, performance, and uniqueness. Their Beard Conditioner is designed to soften and smooth coarse beard hair, nourish, hydrate, and help prevent dry skin and beardruff. It also features an awesome “old school” barbershop scent that leaves the beard smelling fresh and masculine. Here’s a quick look at some of this Beard Conditioner’s key ingredients: Argan oil, panthenol, hydrolyzed quinoa protein, glycerin, jojoba oil, meadowfoam seed oil.

What I like about Grave Before Shave Beard Conditioner:

• Noticeably increases shine

A dull, dingy looking beard is not a good look. What’s worse is that it’s a sign your beard is dry and lacking nutrients. Not only does this make your beard look kind of shitty, but it can lead to serious breakage and split ends in the long run. No good. One of things that I really like about Grave Before Shave Beard Conditioner is that it contains panthenol (pro vitamin B5) and hydrolyzed quinoa protein. Both of these nutrients are known for their ability to moisturize, hydrate, smooth, and protect the hair follicle, while increasing shine, and even adding fullness and volume.

• Masculine scent

One of the first things you’ll notice about Grave Before Shave Beard Conditioner is the awesome Barber Shop scent. It smells fresh, clean, and extremely masculine. The smell is absolutely reminiscent of those old school barber shops that either you, your father, or your grandfather used to frequent.

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The Art of Shaving – Beard Conditioner (Rinse-out)

While I am going to dock a point from this beard conditioner for being from a “shaving company”, I will however still give it two thumbs up for being a really great beard conditioner. As you can guess by the name, The Art of Shaving specializes in all things shaving related, including: shaving cream, razors, shave soap, aftershave, and shave brushes. The good news is they also offer some really high-quality non-shaving products as well, including: cologne, bar soap, facial scrubs, and of course beard and mustache products. Their Peppermint scented Beard Conditioner is designed to smooth and soften coarse beard hair while it noticeably improves beard luster and shine. It’s also worth mentioning that the all-natural Peppermint scent is extremely refreshing, and offers a nice little pick-me-up during those early morning showers. Here’s a look at some of this Beard Conditioner’s key ingredients: Jojoba oil, castor oil, rosemary oil, glycerin, eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil, olive oil.

What I like about The Art of Shaving Beard Conditioner:

• Awesome scent

The first thing you are going to notice when you open the bottle of this Beard Conditioner is the awesome Peppermint scent. While the smell of peppermint might not be every guy’s cup of tea, I on the other hand really like it — especially this one from The Art of Shaving. It smells refreshing, clean, masculine, and offers a nice kick to the senses during those half-asleep morning showers.

• A little goes a long way

Another great thing about this Beard Conditioner is that you don’t need to use much of it to get the job done. I’ll admit, a 4oz bottle of this stuff isn’t exactly cheap (all of The Art of Shaving products are kind of pricey), but on the plus side a little bit of it goes a long way. Try to remember, you’re beard can only absorb so much conditioner. Overdoing it on the application is simply a waste. I suggest starting with a small amount and using more if necessary. With this particular Beard Conditioner — chances are you won’t need it.

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Bossman – Fortify Beard Conditioner (Rinse-out)

If you’re serious about the health of your beard, start maintaining it like a boss. Or in this case a Bossman, I guess. Bossman Fortify Beard Conditioner is designed to keep your beard healthy, strong, and looking great by softening, smoothing, detangling, and eliminating beard dandruff and itch. It’s also formulated with key ingredients that have been shown to stimulate and increase beard growth. Bossman Fortify Beard Conditioner is made right here in the good ol’ USA and is full of natural, beard beneficial ingredients. Here’s a look at some of the key ingredients: Mango butter, rosemary leaf extract, argan oil, avocado oil, aloe leaf juice, jojoba esters, betaine, sunflower seed oil, glycerin, coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, soybean oil, hydrolyzed soy protein, panthenol, castor seed oil.

What I like about Bossman Fortify Beard Conditioner:

• Scent options

Guys like having options. Bossman gives us options. One of things that I really like about Bossman Beard Conditioner (and a lot of their other products) is that they offer a ton of unique scent options for us to choose from. Their scent options include:

• Magic (pictured) – A warm blend of sandalwood, vanilla, bergamot, patchouli, and frankincense.
• Gold – A woody scent featuring cedar, spruce, and sandalwood with notes of lemon, saffron, bergamot, and lavender.
• Hammer – A masculine blend of geranium, lavender, vanilla, and patchouli.
• Stagecoach – A rugged scent featuring leather, tobacco, and bourbon.

• Noticeably thickens and softens

Bossman Beard Conditioner is packed with natural ingredients that not only soften, smooth, and moisturize, but they also noticeably improve beard thickness, and even help promote new beard growth in the long run. Here’s a closer look at two of Bossman Beard Conditioner’s most powerful ingredients:

• Rosemary – Has been shown to improve cellular regeneration and improve hair growth by increasing blood circulation when applied topically. According to a 2014 study, rosemary oil performed as well as the hair growth treatment minoxidil when applied to the skin.
• Castor oil – Derived from the castor bean (ricinus communis), this oil is purported to improve hair follicle health and even promote new hair growth.

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Viking Revolution – Beard Conditioner (Rinse-out)

If you’re looking for a really high quality beard conditioner but don’t want to spend a small fortune, Viking Revolution Beard Conditioner is absolutely worth checking out. Ounce-for-ounce this Beard Conditioner is one of the least expensive beard conditioners on the market, and it still kicks ass. It’s formulated with argan and jojoba oils and is designed to soften, smooth, and moisturize, while alleviating unsightly beard dandruff (beardruff) and itch. Available in a massive 17 ounce pump bottle and offered in 2 great scents, Viking Revolution Beard Conditioner is definitely worth consideration if you’re in search of the best beard conditioner. Here’s a look at a few of this Beard Conditioner’s key ingredients: Argan oil, jojoba oil, glycerin, ginger root extract, hydrolyzed yeast protein, aloe.

What I like about Viking Revolution Beard Conditioner:

• Two great scent options

While many companies offer their beard conditioner in a one-scent-fits-all option, Viking Revolution saw fit to give us 2 great smelling options, including Sandalwood (pictured) and Peppermint & Eucalyptus.

• It’s really cheap

I really like when a product disproves the notion that you get what you pay for. Although the price of this Viking Revolution Beard Conditioner would indicate that it’s inferior and low quality — I’m glad to report that that’s not the case at all. Offered in a large 17 ounce pump bottle and priced very inexpensively per ounce, this Beard Conditioner is hands down one of the best bargains on the market. Yeah, I said it.

• Does a great job softening and smoothing

Even though Viking Revolution Beard Conditioner is very inexpensive (ounce-for-ounce), it’s nice to know that they don’t skimp on quality and performance. It’s packed with natural ingredients that have a noticeable impact on beard softness, smoothness and fullness. It even improves beard luster and shine.

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3 Beard Conditioner Tips

Okay, so applying beard conditioner isn’t exactly rocket science. You simply slather it in your beard, rinse it out, and call it a day, right? Wrong! Well, partially wrong.

The truth is, using beard conditioner is pretty fool proof. But just because it’s fool proof doesn’t mean there isn’t a better way of doing it. So to help you get the most out of your bottle of beard conditioner I’m going to share with you a few quick and easy tips that you can put into action during your next shower.

1. Let it absorb

Unlike beard shampoo that you rinse out immediately, beard conditioner needs a bit more time to do it’s thing. The best coarse of action is to apply your beard conditioner towards the beginning of your shower and then rinse it out at the end. This will give the conditioner time to penetrate deep into the hair shaft — noticeably improving it’s performance and effectiveness.

2. Don’t overdue it

While it may be tempting to cake your beard in conditioner, it’s important to keep in mind that your beard can only absorb so much. By overdoing it on the application you’re simply wasting product and rinsing your hard earned money down the drain, literally.

My advice is to start small and add more if needed. I think you’ll find with most good beard conditioners that you really don’t need to use much to get the job done.

3. Thoroughly rinse it out

One of the risks of using beard conditioner is clogged pores and breakouts due to the type of ingredients that they typically contain. The problem is usually caused when the conditioner is not fully and completely rinsed from the beard — allowing it to penetrate and clog the pores.

My advice is to take a few extra moments on rinsing it out, especially if your beard is very thick, dense, or long.

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Thanks for checking out my list of best beard conditioners. If you found this article helpful, check out my list of best beard oils for men. As always, if you have any comments or questions feel free to drop me a line in the comment section below.