Movember Beard Balm

Even though the focus of Movember is mustaches (perhaps because “Bovember” just sounds funny?), we’ll also feature some beard products, since facial hair often goes past the ‘stache.

But first, here’s the second thing on the list of Things Men Need to Know and Do: Have open conversations. You don’t need to be an expert, and you don’t have to be the sole solution, but being there for someone, listening and giving your time can be life-saving. 70% of men say their friends can rely on them for support, but only 48% say that they rely on their friends. In other words: we’re here for our friends, but worried about asking for help for ourselves. Reaching out is crucial.

Another fun fact: A one-month-old mustache is capable of holding approximately 30ml of liquid or around 10% of a glass of beer before leaking its contents down the face of the owner. (Ummm, good to know.)

This is a simple beard balm recipe based on our marvelous Oil Perfection Base. Check out all you get in the Oil Perfection Base: Aloe Extract, Argan Oil, Coconut Oil Fractions, Jojoba Oil, Sunflower Seed Oil, and Orchid Extract. Wow! It’s a wonderful thing to keep on hand for times you need a moisturizer formulation – we’ve done all the hard work of creating the base, and you get to take all the credit!

You’ll love how quickly this formula comes together. I chose Rice Bran Wax because it imparts a smooth creaminess along with impressive hardening ability. Illipe Nut Butter is a great oil for conditioning hair – we don’t want scratchy beards! And Shea Butter just makes everything so dreamy. I opted for High Melt Point Shea Butter because of the higher melt point of Illipe Nut Butter and because there is a high percentage of Shea Butter in this recipe. There is nothing worse than having your Shea Butter fractionate and turn gritty!

For a scent, my idea is to use Tea Tree Essential Oil because it’s a really clean odor and is historically used to fight bacteria. Beards are cool, but sometimes I get a bit grossed out by thinking of how much bacteria might be lurking in there. I took a look at the ingredient lists on my husband’s various beard balms, and nearly all had Tea Tree Essential Oil, so I decided to include it.

I also wanted the option of a blend of essential oils that have a pleasant scent. Definitely be careful about how much you use, because a little scent goes a long way in a beard balm. The balms my husband has used always have some scent, but it’s very light. I’m guessing he may smell it more than I do, since he’s the one wearing the beard around!

Here are some ideas for essential oil combinations I think would work well in a beard or mustache product:

Cedarwood Virginia and Grapefruit

Cinnamon Leaf, Clementine, and Clove Leaf

Lemon Eucalyptus and Lavender

Siberian Fir Needle and Rosemary

Use your imagination! We have many high-quality essential oils in our catalog that are sure to delight your senses! Of course, if you don’t like Tea Tree or want your beard balm to be unscented, just omit the essential oils.

Recipe: Makes enough to fill 4 of our 0.75 ounce screw-top tins.

*QS means Quantity Sufficient, which means it’s totally up to the Adventurous Maker how much of a QS ingredient to add to a formula – or they can be left out completely.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Weigh the Rice Bran Wax, HMP Shea, Illipe Nut Butter, and Oil Perfection Base into a microwave-safe container. Heat in 30-second increments, stirring after each increment.

The 8-ounce recipe took 1 minute 20 seconds to fully melt. It was about 220 degrees (F) at that point. Using the HMP Shea Butter is great, because you don’t have to worry about it fractionating. Illipe Nut Butter is a very brittle product so it will take a bit longer to fully melt. Because it comes in chunks, it can be difficult to accurately weigh into a recipe. I decided to grate a few chunks to make it easier to get an accurate weight and help it melt faster. It worked like a charm! The Rice Bran Wax was the last ingredient to fully melt.

After hardening, it’s clear which was the first, second, and third pours by the different texture. First, on the left, came out smooth and pretty. The mixture quickly hardened, and the second and third tins show it.

I left the oil in the beaker to cool a bit before I added the essential oil. In lotion making, waiting until the mixture cools to 120 degrees (F) is the usual routine. But this formula was already solidifying at 160 degrees (F)! I hurriedly added my essential oils and blended it well. By this time, the mixture was cloudy and almost too solid to pour into tins. I got the first tin poured very nicely. The second tin was a bit more clumpy. By the third, the balm was coming out in blobs that I had to smooth into the tin with the spatula I used to scrape it out of the beaker. Watch out for that!!

I can hardly wait for my husband to try this formula. His current favorite beard balm has a lot of Shea Butter, so I think he will find this one a good option. When I feel the two balms (his favorite and this Simple Beard Balm), I find our recipe produced a much creamier product that leaves my fingers feeling smooth and pampered.

The day after I made this, he tried it. He said it’s very smooth and has a nicer texture than his purchased favorite. I noticed it did a good job controlling the edges of his beard that tend to be a bit scraggly. It kept all the hairs together nicely. He would prefer more scent than I used, which was very little.

I hope some of you Adventurous Makers decide to give this recipe a try, and please give us your feedback in the comments section!