Best Leave-in Beard Conditioners and Lotions

How’s your beard looking?

Is it dull?

Dry?

Coarse?

Wiry?

All of the above?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, it’s high time you got yourself a quality leave-in beard conditioner or lotion to take care of that mess.

Leave-in beard conditioner/lotion? What’s that?

Leave-in beard conditioner/lotion is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a conditioner that you apply to your beard, but unlike traditional beard conditioners, you don’t rinse it out.

The benefits of using a leave-in beard conditioner or lotion are numerous. Aside from providing your beard with a shit ton of nourishment and hydration, they also help soften, smooth, protect, and give your beard glorious luster and shine.

Sounds pretty good, right?

Leave-in beard conditioner/lotion sounds a lot like beard oil or beard balm. What’s the difference?

Beard oil and balm are both excellent products for beard grooming. And just like leave-in beard conditioner and lotion, they help smooth and soften coarse beard hair while providing a bunch of nourishment and hydration.

While leave-in beard conditioner is similar in function to beard oil and balm, it’s different in 2 ways:

1. Texture and consistency

The the most obvious difference is the texture and consistency. Unlike beard oils and balms, leave-in beard conditioners and lotions are much creamier and lighter in weight. This is great for guys with thin or sparse facial hair because leave-in beard conditioner won’t weigh it down.

2. Non-greasy/non-oily

Another key difference with leave-in beard conditioner is that it’s generally not greasy or oily. If you’re the type of guy that doesn’t like the feeling of beard oil or balm but still want all that good nourishment and hydration — a leave-in beard conditioner is an excellent alternative.

If a leave-in beard conditioner or lotion is what you’re looking for, I’m here to help. Below is a list of some of the best selling and most highly reviewed leave-in beard conditioners on the market. Each one is awesome at moisturizing and hydrating while still providing a very lightweight, non-greasy feel.

The Lineup:

• Mitch – Leave-in Beard Lotion
• Scotch Porter – Leave-in Beard Conditioner
• Billy Jealousy – Leave-in Beard Conditioner
• Reuzel – Beard Foam Leave-in Conditioner
• Pacific Shave Company – 3-in-1 Beard Care
• Mr. Rugged – Beard Lotion
• Rockwell – Leave-in Beard Conditioner

Best Leave-in Beard Conditioners and Lotions Reviewed

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Mitch – MVRCK Beard Lotion

If you’re looking for the best leave-in beard conditioner or lotion, this offering from Mitch is a great place to start. Mitch was created by John Paul Mitchell Systems and is a premium line of men’s grooming products designed specifically for gentlemen such as ourselves. The Mitch MVRCK Beard Lotion was created by professional barbers in Los Angeles, California and is designed to provide deep down moisture and hydration to beard hairs and the skin underneath. Not only is it ideal for men with coarse beard hair, but it’s also great for guys who suffer from dry skin, beard dandruff (beardruff), and beard itch. This lightweight lotion is non-greasy, non-oily, and it also has a subtle, masculine scent that isn’t too strong or overbearing. Bottom line: Two thumbs up.

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Scotch Porter – Leave-in Beard Conditioner

If you’re familiar with Scotch Porter you probably already know they make one of the best rinse-out beard conditioners on the market. But did you know that their leave-in beard conditioner is just as awesome? Formulated using safe, all-natural ingredients, Scotch Porter Leave-in Beard Conditioner is designed to moisturize and hydrate while leaving the beard feeling smooth, soft, and shiny. This lightweight, non-greasy conditioner also features an excellent masculine aroma that contains notes of sandalwood, carnation, oakmoss, musk, vanilla, cashmere, amber, and spice. Here’s a look at some of the key ingredients: Abyssinian oil, biotin, white willow bark. Bottom line: If you’re in search of the best leave-in beard conditioner for men — Scotch Porter is definitely worth checking out.

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Billy Jealousy – Leave-in Beard Conditioner

If you’re looking for a leave-in beard conditioner that offers a touch of hold, this is the one for you. Billy Jealousy was founded in 2004 and offers a long line of premium men’s grooming products, including: shaving cream, aftershave, shampoo, conditioner, face wash, body wash, hair pomade, and a bunch of beard care products such as oil, balm, wash, wax, and of course, conditioner. Billy Jealousy Leave-in Beard Conditioner is designed to moisturize and hydrate coarse beard hair while offering a light hold that doesn’t weigh the beard down. It’s perfect for men who are looking for a non-greasy alternative to beard balm that is capable of smoothing and softening their beards, while also controlling frizz and annoying flyaways.

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Reuzel – Beard Foam Conditioner

When it comes to leave-in beard conditioners this Beard Foam from Reuzel is definitely one of a kind. Instead of traditional beard conditioners that are thick and creamy, Reuzel Beard Conditioner exits the bottle as a thick foam. It’s designed to not only soften and smooth coarse beard hair, but it also helps reduce itch, beard dandruff (beardruff), and it even offers a bit of light hold to help tame flyaways. Aside from being very unique and one-of-a-kind, this Beard Foam is actually very functional and easy to work with. The texture is very thick and fluffy, but also light enough to not weigh beard hair down. It’s non-sticky, non-greasy, and is very easy to work through coarse beard hair with ease. It’s also available in two scents: Original and Wood & Spice. Bottom line: This leave-in beard conditioner is an excellent option for men looking for a quick and easy way to moisturize and hydrate their beards.

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Pacific Shave Company – 3-in-1 Beard Care

While I initially didn’t expect much from a beard conditioner made by a shaving company, I’m glad to say that I was pleasantly surprised. As you can guess by the name, Pacific Shave Co. specializes in all things shaving related. From shave creams to aftershave and everything in between: Pacific Shave Co. has got shaving products covered. But what about their beard care products? Surely a shaving company doesn’t know jack shit about about taking care of a beard, right? Wrong! As it turns out, their 3-in-1 leave-in beard conditioner performs exceptionally well. Not only does it do a great job of softening and smoothing coarse beard hair, but it also soothes beard itch, and helps eliminate beard dandruff (beardruff). It’s also made with safe, all-natural and organic ingredients. Bottom line: Pacific Shave Co. 3-in-1 Everyday Beard Care is an excellent performing leave-in beard conditioner that’s made from natural and organic ingredients. The 7 ounce bottle is also very reasonably priced.

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Mr. Rugged – Bold Beard Lotion

Take care of your beard the all-natural way with this Bold Beard Lotion from Mr. Rugged. Formulated using safe, all-natural ingredients, Mr. Rugged Bold Beard Lotion is designed to soften and smooth the beard while it also helps repair and prevent breakage and split ends. The lightweight lotion is smooth, creamy, and very easy to apply, and best of all it won’t weigh your beard down. It’s perfect for men who are looking for an alternative to beard oil or balm. It comes in a long lasting 4 ounce bottle (a little goes a long way), and is packed with a ton of all-natural, beard beneficial ingredients, including: Aloe vera, sandalwood oil, argan oil, jojoba oil, glycerin, olive oil, grapeseed oil, panthenol (pro vitamin B5), hydrolyzed rice protein. Bottom line: Mr. Rugged Bold Beard Lotion is an excellent, all-natural beard lotion that moisturizes, hydrates, and repairs without feeling heavy in the beard.

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Rockwell – Beard Conditioner

If your beard is in desperate need of moisture and hydration, you should consider checking out this Barbershop scented Beard Conditioner from Rockwell. Formulated using natural jojoba, hempseed, and argan oil, this highly moisturizing leave-in beard conditioner is designed to shape, soften, and eliminate beard dandruff and itch. It also features an excellent Barbershop scent that contains notes of leather, anise, neroli, lilac, and cedarwood. It smells very fresh and masculine, and is absolutely reminiscent of old school barbershops. Texture wise, this conditioner is very smooth, creamy, lightweight, and non-greasy. It’s perfect for gentlemen who want to add moisture and hydration to their beards, but prefer to avoid oils or balms. Bottom line: When it comes to the best leave-in beard conditioners, this awesome smelling offering from Rockwell is definitely worthy of consideration.

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How to Apply Leave-in Beard Conditioner and Lotion – 5 Tips

Growing and maintaining a beard is one of the many things that makes being a man so fucking awesome. 

Beards come in all shapes, sizes, lengths, and densities. But the one thing all beards have in common is the need for nourishment and hydration. 

Let’s face it: a dry, scratchy, itchy beard kind of sucks. It’s not only uncomfortable for the grower, but it can also be pretty damn uncomfortable for any loved ones that get too close.

They say that beard hair can be as strong as copper wire. While I never personally tested this theory out myself, I can attest to the fact that dry, malnourished beard hair can be incredibly coarse and abrasive. 

Fortunately for us, there is a very simple solution to the problem. Beard conditioner. While there are a few types of beard conditioners available, I’m going to focus on leave-in beard conditioners and lotions because it’s most relevant to this article. 

Using a leave-in beard conditioner/lotion on a daily basis will have a dramatic improvement on not only the texture and feel of your beard, but it will also noticeably improve it’s overall health, appearance, and shine. 

But what if you’re unsure on how to properly apply a leave-in beard conditioner? 

No worries. One of the most common questions men have when it comes to leave-in beard conditioning products is how and when to apply them. 

So in order to help you get the most out of your leave-in beard conditioner or lotion, I created this list of 5 easy to follow steps that you can start implementing into your daily beard care routine. 

#1. Timing is everything

Just like beard oil and beard balm, leave-in beard conditioner is best applied to a clean, slightly damp beard. Ideally after a warm shower. The reason this is so important is because the protective outer layer of the hair shaft, called the cuticle, opens up when it comes in contact with steam and hot water. Applying beard conditioner when the cuticle is open allows for much deeper penetration into the hair shaft. 

#2. Don’t overdue it

One of the biggest mysteries when it comes to applying leave-in beard conditioner is: how much to use. While there is plenty of information online about how many drops of beard oil should be used based on beard size, leave-in beard conditioner on the hand doesn’t have near as much information about it when it comes to application. One of the reasons for this is because leave-in beard conditioner bottles are offered in a wide variety of dispensing and delivery methods. Unlike beard oil that almost always comes in a dropper bottle, leave-in beard conditioner on the other hand comes in pump bottles, squeeze bottles, jars, etc. 

My advice for applying leave-in beard conditioner is to start with a pea-sized amount and add more pea-sized amounts if needed. Once you get a feel for how much conditioner your beard needs you can consistently apply the same amount everyday. Just remember to adjust the amount as your beard grows. 

#3. Go skin deep

Applying leave-in beard conditioner isn’t exactly rocket science, but there is a proper way to do it. Once you have the desired amount of beard conditioner in your palm, rub your hands together to evenly distribute. Once your hands are fully coated, begin working the conditioner throughout your beard starting from root to tip. It’s also very important that you massage into the skin underneath your beard to help prevent dry skin, beard dandruff (beardruff), and itch. 

#4. Brush

Once your beard is thoroughly and evenly coated in your leave-in beard conditioner it’s time to brush. While a comb is completely acceptable for this step, I do recommend investing in a good boar bristle brush because they are great at distributing oils and conditioners. 

Just like the application process, start root to tip with your comb/brush and brush downward in smooth, even strokes. The truth is this step is pretty fool-proof. Just try to be thorough with your brushing to help evenly distribute the beard conditioner onto every strand of hair. 

#5. Frequency 

How often you apply your leave-in beard conditioner is completely up to you. While applying it multiple times per day certainly won’t hurt, it’s usually not necessary. As long as you are using a high quality product, your beard should stay moisturized and hydrated for the whole day with just 1 application.

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