Whether you’re rocking a short goatee or going full-on mountain man, beard grooming is going to be important. Whatever your beard style, not washing a beard can lead to dandruff, unhealthy skin, and an overall ratty appearance. If you want to live the beard life right, you need to pick the best beard wash and liven up that facial frock.
Couple your new beard wash with a great beard brush and some of the best beard conditioners for men (plus other supplements like beard oil if you want), and you’ve got a combo made in facial hair heaven. Don’t underestimate the power of a proper grooming routine; your face will thank you.
Deciding on the best beard wash can be hard, so we did the work for you. Now you can spend your time doing all the badass stuff that guys with sick beards love. With help from your new wash, you’ll be free soloing mountains and punching sharks in no time (results may vary).
Scent: Woody, Aromatic | Hair Type: All | Size: 8.45oz | Type: Liquid
Horace is one of the best one-stop shops for all of a man’s grooming needs. Or anyone’s needs, really. They’ve got it all, including the overall best beard wash for men. Their French-made blend is heavy on heavenly Jamaican castor oil, aloe, linseed oil, and castor oil.
Horace beard shampoo is basically a beard-healing dream team. It’s great for all skin types, so if you’re especially oily, dry, or have afro-textured hair, don’t worry, you’re good. If you want an excellent, versatile daily-use beard wash that smells great, check this one out.
Scent: Cedar, Cypress, Lemon Peel | Hair Type: Balanced | Size: 16oz | Type: Liquid
When you’re a guy who’s constantly on the move, you need to optimize every minute of every day. That doesn’t mean you can slack off on your beard care, though. When saving time is key, Cremo’s woody-fresh cedar and cypress 2-in-1 has you covered.
This one wash will take care of the shampooing and conditioning, so you don’t waste time with multiple rinses. Keep in mind that Cremo recommends this for balanced hair types. If your hair leans toward extra dry or oily, you might need more help than a 2-in-1 can provide.
Scent: A Clean, Manly Mystery (tea tree) | Hair Type: Balanced | Size: 33.8oz | Type: Liquid
2-in-1s not enough for you? Save even more time in the shower with the best beard wash with 3-in-1 action from GIBS. Their Man Wash has the goods to take care of beard, hair, and body washing at once. Shower time doesn’t get a whole lot easier than that. It comes in three sizes, but I love the big ol’ 33.8 oz pump-action tub the most. Considering you’re using the stuff to wash your entire body, you’ll need a lot.
This 3-in-1 manages to work wonders on the entire body. Not only does it keep your skin and hair nice and moisturized, but it also doesn’t strip all the healthy oils from your hair. It will pull all the crud and dead skin out, and you won’t need a conditioner just to be sure your beard stays soft. A true jack of all trades.
Scent: Sandalwood, Carnation, Oakmoss, Vanilla, Cashmere, Musk | Hair Type: Afro-textured, Coarse, Dry | Size: 8oz | Type: Liquid
Afro-textured hairstyles need to be taken care of correctly in order to prosper, and that goes double for beards. Just washing your beard with regular shampoo isn’t going to cut it. Scotch Porter knows this and designed a moisturizing beard wash with dry or coarse afro-textured hair.
This wash utilizes burdock root, nettle leaf, and aloe vera, three of nature’s best destroyers of dryness. These ingredients will soothe an inflamed scalp and help rebuild it as strong as possible. It has a sweet, floral smell that anyone can appreciate. Keep in mind, you don’t have to have coarse or afro-textured facial hair to buy this; it does amazing work on all dry beards.
Scent: Rosemary, Lavender | Hair Type: Itchy, Sensitive, Dry | Size: 4.7oz | Type: Liquid
Dandruff can be a bitch and a half. There’s no way around it. Take it from me, the driest face in Philadelphia. When a blizzard ensues every time you touch your beard, you need to take action, and Medicine Man’s itchy beard wash is here to help (we don’t mean some guy in the jungle).
The masterful mix of coconut, olive, hemp, jojoba, and lavender oil come together with vitamin E to form the Justice League of itchy beards (Avengers if you’re more of a Marvel guy). This is the best beard wash to rejuvenate the natural oils in your beard while exfoliating and shooing away dead skin.
Scent: Vanilla Rum | Hair Type: Most, Dry | Size: 8oz | Type: Liquid
Since their founding in 2014, Zeus has been building serious momentum. Currently, they sit near the top of the men’s grooming Mt. Olympus worldwide (reviews don’t lie) and are only getting more popular. Unsurprising, considering they do nearly everything all the best beard washes do but smell as sweet as possible doing it.
The vanilla rum scent is the tastiest smell I could find. It’s not strong enough to waft around the room but will leave you smelling deliciousness for the day. If you like sweet scents, this is probably the beard wash to go for. If sweets aren’t your thing, Zeus also has a sandalwood beard wash that smells just as amazing.
Scent: Citrus, Coconut, Rosemary | Hair Type: All | Size: 6oz | Type: Cream
If Zeus’s vanilla rum scent is too much for you, maybe consider something with a milder fragrance. Anthony conditioning beard wash might be just the smell you’re looking for. Even without the scent, it’s one of the best men’s beard washes in its own right, thanks to the botanical extracts, black currant oil, rosemary extract, and coconut oil.
The light citrus/coconut scent is the perfect scent to have lingering around your face all day. Anthony also clearly displays everything that isn’t in the beard wash (parabens, phthalates, GMOs, DEA, and triclosan), so it should be a great option for everyone but guys with the most sensitive skin.
Scent: Soapy (short-lived) | Hair Type: All | Size: 8.5oz | Type: Liquid
Even though Bluebeard was from a french fairy tale and not a real pirate at all (sorry, Bluebeard original), he’d probably have one nasty-ass beard if he was one. He’d probably need Bluebeard Extra Conditioning Beard wash. Yes, extra conditioning. If a regular 2-in-1 isn’t doing it for you, this probably will.
If your beard is stiff, stanky, itchy, tangly, or all of the above, this is the best beard wash to handle it. The mixture of aloe and lime is a vicious tag team that will smash even the most hardened beards into soft submission. If you have a facial birds-nest like Blackbeard (you know, the actual pirate) this will save it.
Scent: Unscented | Hair Type: All | Size: 8.5oz | Type: Liquid
Well, we already learned that Bluebeard wasn’t a pirate, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s the best beard shampoo for men who hate scents. It’s similar to the extra-conditioning version, just toned down a little.
It’ll still smooth, soften, moisturize, and unclog your pores, plus fight frizz and flakes. It even works great on all hair types. If scents aren’t your thing, you might have just found the best beard wash for guys like you.
Scent: Coconut | Hair Type: All | Size: 11oz | Type: Liquid
King C. Gillette is basically the fancy version of plain-old Gillette products. Just because you can find this brand in your local pharmacy doesn’t mean you should avoid it. Gillette didn’t get this far by sucking.
This is a gently cleansing beard and face wash, so it should be good for guys with sensitive skin. It takes care of all the basic beard and face requirements (i.e., moisturizing, softening, etc.), but isn’t exactly the best performing in all categories. It’s great for most guys, but if you have a particularly dry, knotty, troublesome beard you might want to look elsewhere.
Scent: Fresh, Clean, & Manly | Hair Type: All | Size: 8oz | Type: Liquid
This guide has 18 of the best beard shampoos on the market, but they don’t all help a beard grow. Most specialize in other areas (kind of what this guide is for). If you have a sad, patchy beard, or one that just won’t grow as fast as you want, maybe check out Gentleman’s Beard Beard Wash.
Fear no more, this is the best men’s beard wash formulated for hair growth (you probably put that together). The main ingredients are naturally sourced argan oil and aloe leaf extract, one of the most magical beard wash tag-teams around. They describe the scent as fresh, clean, and manly. Sounds good to me.
Scent: Tea Tree, Rosemary | Hair Type: All | Size: 8oz | Type: Liquid
If you need the best men’s beard wash that’s natural but not necessarily organic, Artnaturals has you covered. Their natural beard wash will soften, moisturize, and cleanse any beard while bulking up weak and thin manes. They do all that without help from sketchy ingredients no one can pronounce.
Its scent is pretty nice too. The tea tree and rosemary combination will leave you with a pleasant woody, fresh, and piney scent that will help you perk up in the morning but won’t follow you around all day. Not all natural beard washes perform this well, but this does its job and then some.
Scent: Delicate, Natural | Hair Type: All | Size: 8.5oz | Type: Liquid
If you have sensitive skin and found that beard washes only make things worse, you might want to try the best beard shampoo with all-organic ingredients. This will wash out all the BS from your beard, whether it’s dead skin, environmental pollutants, or scraps of food. And it’s a 2-in-1, so the conditioner will soften up a stiff beard nicely.
Thanks to the cold-pressed keratin and other natural oils, it’s a perfect organic wash for repairing hair. The infusions of important B vitamins do wonders for stimulating hair growth as well. When your only option is organic, Monster & Son might be the best men’s beard wash for you.
Scent: Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Lemongrass | Hair Type: Dry, Patchy | Size: 4oz | Type: Liquid
If you want to pick up a moisturizing shampoo, you might as well grab one that also promotes beard growth and fullness. Wild Willies has just that. It might not be the most well-known and isn’t my favorite scent, but it does the job it claims to do very well.
It’s loaded with caffeine and biotin, a combo that even some of the best beard shampoos don’t have. Those two additives will promote growth, soften, and of course, moisturize. If you have a troublesome, dry beard that’s also patchy and/or slow growing, you might want to give this powerful blend a try.
Scent: Cedar Forest | Hair Type: Scruffy, Dry, Thick | Size: 6oz | Type: Liquid
If you already have a big beard but haven’t been taking care of it properly, you might want to check this out. Even if you’re not raining dander, chances are it’s gotten pretty stiff and scraggly. When this happens, Cremo Cedar Forest Beard & Scruff Softener is there to fix it.
Before you shave it off in frustration, give this stuff a shot. It didn’t make the best men’s beard wash guide by not producing excellent results. It also claims to work in only 30 seconds. I can confirm this, but I’m also never really in that much of a rush. But for guys actually going to the office for work, this can be a real time saver.
Scent: Minty Fresh | Hair Type: Most | Size: 8oz | Type: Gel
If you’re going to make it to the national beard championships, you’re going to need the best of the best beard shampoo. If I’m going to recommend the best beard wash for styling, it has to be the one my own barber uses. Suavecito Cleansing and Styling Beard wash was specially formulated to not just clean and moisturize but make your beard easier to style.
Together, the tea tree oil and peppermint oil (among plenty of other ingredients) help create a more pliable beard than other washes. That way, you can do things like make your bird a birdcage out of your beard because that’s definitely every guy’s dream. You might not love the minty smell, but don’t worry, it won’t stick around for very long.
Scent: Orange Walnut | Hair Type: Balanced, Dry | Size: 5oz | Type: Bar
If taming your rampant growth is on the agenda, Tame the Wild has your back (or beard, rather). They made a beard wash in a good ol’ fashioned bar form because what’s easier than a bar of soap? Just rub this on your face, rinse it off, and you’re good to go.
This shea butter and coconut oil bar of goodness is great for camping. Hop in a creek, rub this on your hairy face, and continue living your mountain man dreams.
Scent: Sandalwood, Verbena Lime, & Vanilla Rum | Hair Type: All | Size: 1 / 2 / 8oz | Type: Liquid, Oil, & Balm
When it’s gift time for the bearded man in your life, a good set is always better than one lonely bottle. Zeus’s Beard Grooming kit is the best beard wash set of the bunch, and any man is nearly guaranteed to love it. If he has any problems with an oily, itchy, frizzy beard, this will leave him looking dapper in no time.
It comes with everything you need for a healthy beard. It comes with beard wash, beard conditioner, beard oil, and beard balm, all in a timeless sandalwood scent. Whether it’s a gift or for you, this is definitely the GOAT of beard kits. If sandalwood isn’t your vibe, there’s also a verbena lime and my favorite scent of all, vanilla rum (scroll up and check it out if you missed it).
It’s also the only beard wash kit with a perfect 5 Amazon stars. Not bad.
What To Look For In A Beard Wash
Scent
Of course, scent is an important factor when deciding on the best beard wash. You’re obviously going to want something that doesn’t make you gag, so think about what your favorite smells are before making a decision.
There are tons of scents for everyone, so don’t worry if you aren’t crazy about the first few you see. Eventually, you’ll find one (or five) you love.
Ingredients
Ingredients play a big role in how each beard wash affects your hair and face. All companies aim to use the best ingredients they can. Just watch out for what each ingredient is best at and make a decision from there. Some are better for dry skin, some are better for oily folks. If you haven’t already, scroll up and check out the guide.
Size
The size of the bottles is the last big important factor in figuring out the best men’s beard wash. Don’t feel pressured to buy big if you aren’t sure if you’ll like a certain brand yet. The best thing to do for some guys is to buy several small bottles, whether all at once or over time.
Once you decide on a favorite, you can buy your jumbo size. That said, if you want a jumbo bottle off the rip, then don’t let us stop you.
FAQ
-
-
How often you wash your beard really depends on your skin type. Guys with oily skin might not need to wash it as much to avoid stripping all the natural oils. On the other hand, guys with dry skin will want to wash and use some products to help amplify the moisture and patch up funky hair follicles.
As a rule, you should at least rinse your beard with water once a day. That will keep it from getting disgusting, but it isn’t too hard on the skin for sensitive-skinned men.
-
Washing most beards is pretty simple. Just wet your beard in a warm shower, grab your product, and lightly apply a few drops to your palm. Apply it gently to your face and let it lather up nice and smooth. If you think going harder will help your dying beard, think again. As much as it seems like a good idea, don’t scratch or scrub.
Once you’ve got the wash worked in well, allow the lather to soak into your beard. After several minutes, wash it out (again, gently) and follow with one of the best beard balms or best beard oils for men.
Voila. You’re on your way to a happy, healthy, and flourishing beard.
-
The shower is one of the best places to wash a beard. The convenience is unmatched, and it’s easy to add it to your bathing routine. It’s also a solid spot to add some beard oil or beard balm, just be sure not to rinse those out until the end of the day or the next morning.
-
You can probably guess what happens if you don’t wash your beard. We’ll give you a hint: it’s disgusting. A beard can be one of the dirtiest spots on your body if you don’t take care of it, especially if you end up growing something Gandalf and Jason Mamoa would envy.
Unwashed beards will store dead skin, food particles, sleeping drool (we all know it happens), pollutants in the air, and whatever other nasty crap comes into contact with your face. And they might end up smelling nasty.
Just take care of your beards, guys. Everyone around you will thank you for it, and it’s always more comfortable having a clean, soft beard.
-