Did you never think about washing your beard? Consider this your sign to begin! Cleaning your beard is essential for maintaining health and caring for the skin below. To guide you, we’ve created a list of the top best beard shampoos and washes for 2024.
Why Should You Wash Your Beard?
It’s essential for the well-being of your beard! You probably already wash the hair on your head and use some soap or body wash, so why neglect this vital part of your look? 
Washing your beard is crucial throughout its growth, as it removes buildup from the skin below, cleanses dirt and toxins, and provides moisture and other benefits to hair and skin. If you have ingrown hairs or itchiness in your beard area, it’s essential.
Jack Black’s Beard Wash
The main job of a beard wash is to clean away dirt, but some products also remove moisture. Not this one! Jack Black has made a gentle formula full of helpful stuff like aloe vera and panthenol, moisturizing jojoba, sea kelp for balance, and shea butter rich in fatty acids.
It cleans well and softens, making a rough beard feel like a soft cloud of hair.
Scotch Porter Moisturizing Beard Wash
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Your beard needs a drink! Keep it moist with Scotch Porter’s version, one of the top beard shampoos and washes. It’s super softening and moisturizing, made for coarse or dry hair, so use this if you think a soft beard isn’t possible.
It comes in three scents: warm spice and powdery musk (a robust and sensual smell), sandalwood and tobacco musk (a classic manly scent), and fresh greens and amber woods (an energizing smell).
What makes this product unique are its key ingredients. Burdock root, a natural extract full of vitamin A and fatty acids, strengthens hair while fighting inflammation and irritation. Nettle leaf provides essential nutrients, protein, and amino acids to help hair grow. Aloe vera is also included to tackle dandruff and calm skin.
Viking Revolution Beard Wash
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This formula from Viking Revolution will energize you all day. It takes care of your beard and skin, cleaning deeply and then rinsing off to show off thick, lush facial hair. It might even stop dandruff! Argan and jojoba oils are the potent ingredients behind these effects.
These natural oils work with ginger, which activates the hair follicles, leading to longer and stronger facial hair. Hydrolyzed yeast protein makes hair easier to handle, panthenol pulls in moisture for a fuller look, and aloe vera conditions while soothing. This is one of the best beard shampoos and washes around with sandalwood oil to bring back shine and add a welcoming smell.
Shea Moisture Beard Wash Deep Clean & Refresh
Next, we have one of the most affordable washes on the list. It offers a thorough cleaning and lots of moisture without costing a lot. It removes smells, flakes, and dirt, then balances your skin’s pH, making your beard as soft as melting butter.
This is partly thanks to shea butter and passion fruit oil, which is full of nutrients and fatty acids. Tea tree handles any fungus or bacteria hiding under your beard, and coconut oil teams up with argan oil for lasting moisture.
Duke Cannon’s Big Bourbon Beard Wash
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Buffalo Trace bourbon might not be the first thing you think of when it comes to beard care, but it’s in one of the top beard shampoos and washes from Duke Cannon. (At least as a scent!) The shampoo uses coconut-based cleansers to scrub away dirt and debris, then moisturizes and strengthens with glycerin and hydrolyzed wheat protein. 
The fragrance makes you feel like you’re listening to smooth jazz in an old-timey speakeasy, and it’s a plus for those who love bourbon.
Gibs Man Wash BHB
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For those who like products that do many things, there’s Gibs Man Wash BHB. BHB stands for beard, hair, body! This three-in-one product doesn’t have sulfates and is packed with fatty acids, giving your skin and hair lots of moisture for the whole day.
Its main ingredients are antibacterial tea tree, balancing copaiba, and the soothing, nourishing, and moisturizing pair of argan and hemp oils. You’ll enjoy a pleasant citrus, oak, and basil smell.
Grave Before Shave Beard Wash
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Although this shampoo is made for beards, you could use it as a regular shampoo if needed. It’s filled with common ingredients like coconut surfactants and argan oil, plus tocopherol to nourish hair and olive oil for extra moisture. 
Its old-fashioned barbershop scent makes each user feel like a trip back in time.
Polished Gentleman Beard Shampoo
If you want a polished gentleman look, a messy beard won’t work! That’s where this beard shampoo comes in. It’s full of natural ingredients to help you get thick facial hair growth and has everything you need for a soft and easy to manage beard.
It Includes rosemary leaf oil which is thought to help hair grow almost as well as minoxidil ( the main ingredient in Rogaine) There’s also Manuka Honey for extra Shine, peppermint, and tea for a refreshingly clean and soothing Thai extract to kick beard itch to the curb.
Every Man Jack Beard and Face Wash
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Show some love to the skin under your beard with Every Man Jack’s Beard and Face Wash. It cleans gently with coconut-derived ingredients and then hydrates hair and skin with aloe vera. 
Lavender and chamomile address irritation and soapwort treats skin conditions like eczema, itching, acne, and dryness. This wash comes in three scents, and we like the sea salt version, which is refreshing without being too strong.
Bulldog Original Beard Shampoo & Conditioner
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Bulldog offers a simple and affordable beard shampoo and conditioner that lets you skip a step in the shower. It cleans gently and then works to balance the moisture levels of your skin and hair.
With green tea for inflammation, aloe for softness, and camelina oil for deep moisture, this product has everything you need to leave the shower feeling like a new man.
Medicine Man Anti-Itch Beard Wash
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Beard itching can be annoying or even a reason to shave. Thankfully, Medicine Man has the answer: this Anti-Itch Beard Wash! It’s a natural healing solution with a balanced mix of natural oils and extracts to prevent itching.
The blend of ingredients is brilliant, with nourishing hydration like olive and coconut oils working with calming oils like hemp and lavender to provide soothing moisture. Then, sea fennel calms the skin, and rosemary promotes growth.
Professor Edward J Fuzzyworth’s All Natural Beard Shampoo Bar
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This is the original beard shampoo, and it deserves its respected reputation. It’s been made in Australia since the early 1990s and combines many excellent ingredients in a bar form, meaning no plastic is involved.
Coconut, castor, and olive oils play essential roles. Still, there’s also apple vinegar to get rid of bacteria on the skin, cocoa powder to encourage growth, and various essential oils that work wonders on hair and skin while smelling great. This is a perfect choice if you like bar soap or are especially mindful of the environment.
Lush’s Kalamazoo
You might as well do two things at once, which you can do with Kalamazoo: a beard and face wash. Its ingredients clean and hydrate, working just as well on your face as on your beard.
It uses pineapple juice for antioxidants, apricot kernel oil for softening, and cupuaçu butter for deep moisturizing. Lastly, lime and orange oils protect against free radicals and brighten skin.
Blu Atlas Beard Shampoo
The top beard shampoo and wash is this product from Blu Atlas, which gives your beard the most satisfying clean ever. It’s a gentle formula with many natural ingredients, so you don’t have to worry about harsh chemicals near your mouth. It soothes skin and hair, leaving them soft, smooth, and shinier. Plus, it comes in two natural scents: Classic or Coconut Apricot.
So, what’s inside that tackles beard itch and dullness? It starts with the powerful combination of argan and jojoba oils, which calm wild hair and provide plenty of vitamins and minerals. Castor oil adds fatty acids for softer hair and is also known for promoting hair growth! There’s also panthenol, which seals your hair’s cuticles to prevent split ends.
Horace Beard Shampoo
Want to refresh your beard completely? Try Horace’s Beard Shampoo. It’s sulfate-free and practical – in tests, 90% of users said their beard felt smoother after regular use. Aloe vera is a key ingredient here, known for its conditioning and anti-inflammatory properties.
This beard shampoo also uses the power of panthenol, a humectant, smoothing argan oil, and linseed oil to boost growth. Castor oil adds many benefits, including strengthening and nourishing, making for an excellent natural ingredient list. Users love this product, praising its satisfying lather and how it fights beard itch.
Can You Use Regular Shampoo to Wash Your Beard?
The quick answer is yes; our top product is a regular shampoo. However, the detailed explanation is a bit more complex. While shampoos are made to clean your hair and scalp, some might be too strong for the more delicate skin on your face or might not suit the needs of beard hair. Since your beard is near your mouth, you also want to avoid shampoos with potentially harmful substances.
Beard hair is biologically different from the hair on your head. Hormones influence it, and its structure differs slightly from hair elsewhere. That’s why your beard has different needs than your scalp hair. Beard shampoos should be very moisturizing to work well, as your beard hair is often rough and can quickly become knotted.
What should you look for in the best beard shampoo or Wash?
The best beard shampoos and washes share these traits:
No Harmful Ingredients. As mentioned earlier, avoiding toxic chemicals when using products near your mouth is important. Choose formulas free from harmful substances like sulfates, parabens, phthalates, and formaldehyde.
Lots of Moisturizing Ingredients. Your beard and the skin beneath it need moisture. The best moisturizing ingredients include natural oils like avocado, argan, and jojoba, shea butter, squalane, and glycerin. These help maintain the skin’s moisture barrier and provide moisture to hair and skin for a softer beard.
Antibacterial Ingredients. Bacteria can quickly grow under your beard, especially if you don’t wash it often enough. Shampoos with tea tree oil are a good choice, as this natural ingredient fights fungus, inflammation, and bacteria.
Anti-Itch Ingredients. If your beard itch is so annoying that you’re thinking about shaving it off, look for a beard wash with ingredients that fight itchiness. Moisturizing ingredients like jojoba and argan oil, soothing aloe vera, colloidal oatmeal, and anti-inflammatory green tea can help.
How Often to Wash Your Beard
A good rule for beard care is to wash it with beard shampoo one to three times a week. If your shampoo doesn’t have many moisturizing ingredients, consider using a beard conditioner afterward. 
Beard oil is also great after the shower; it locks in moisture and provides long-lasting benefits.
