Shea Butter for Beard Growth - Does It Work?

Getting a long and luscious beard may be easy for some, but for a lot of men, they can find themselves continuously coming up short.

So, don’t be disheartened if you are not sprouting facial hair at the rate you would like, it’s time to stop stressing (as yes, this can discourage growth) and instead start implementing some growth-boosting ingredients into your beard care routine.

Shea butter is said to be a helpful ingredient in restoring, nourishing, and hydrating the skin and hair - but does it really help with beard growth?

What is Shea Butter?

Shea butter is made from seed fat extracted from the nut of the shea tree. Shea trees are native to Africa and grow in a long stretch over the West African savanna.

To extract the shea butter, the kernels of the shea nut are taken and ground into a fine powder, this powder is then placed in water and boiled. Once boiled, the seed fat is extracted, rising to the top of the water and hardening into a solid form, creating the smooth hydrating ingredient we know as shea butter.

Used for cosmetic purposes, shea butter has a high concentration of vitamins and fatty acids that are perfect for restoring moisture to the skin barrier and accelerating your beard’s growth.

Shea butter is also used in cooking as a coconut oil replacement, however, this is only when it is in its pure form -so please don’t decide to fry up with any shea butter-infused beard butter products, as that would be a pretty unpleasant and potentially harmful meal! 

What are the benefits of using shea butter on your beard?

Shea butter is an extremely useful ingredient that is used in many cosmetic products and has numerous benefits for those sporting a beard.

The main benefits of using shea butter on your beard are:

• Repairs dry skin. For those of you who are dryer than the Sahara or dealing with flaky skin, shea butter is excellent for hydrating the skin.
• Strengthens beard hair. Adding a layer of moisture to the hair follicle with shea butter conditions your beard and helps repair any split ends or breakage. Healthier hair means better beard growth.
• It’s not greasy! Some products leave a greasy residue through your beard, making it unpleasant to the touch. Shea butter rubs in well and only ever leaves your hair feeling soft and smooth.
• Can help prevent breakouts and blemishes on the skin under your beard. The acids in shea butter can help combat any ingrown you may be gathering that could slow down your hair growth.
• Helps calm itchy skin under your beard. If your beard hair is getting a little too tickly for your liking, shea butter-infused products have anti-inflammatory properties that can help tame that itch.
• Shea butter fights through any tangles and provides some hold so new ones aren’t formed.

How to apply shea butter for beard growth

When applying shea butter to grow your beard be prepared to feel silky, hydrated, and smooth. In just two steps you can start infusing your beard with the suspected hair-growing ingredient of the century.

Step 1:

First, get yourself a great beard butter that is infused with our wonder-growing ingredient shea butter. If you’re on the hunt for a high-quality beard butter, Jericho has a great range of beard butter that contains shea butter and smells pretty amazing too.

By using a formulated beard butter and not just straight shea butter, you are still getting all of the shea butter benefits, whilst also reaping the rewards of the other ingredients that go into it, not to mention being able to choose a heavenly smell over the pungent stench of pure shea butter.  

Step 2:

Next, you need to apply it. Shea butter is convenient in that  you can put the beard butter on when it suits you, whether that’s on wet beard hair straight out of the shower, or on bone-dry hair, it doesn’t make a difference. Jericho’s beard butters are best applied as a styling product, as they allow you to shape and smoothen out the hair too!

Using only a small fingertip amount (a little goes a long way) take the beard butter and pop it into your palm warming it up on your hands it will disappear. Once warmed, start rubbing it into your beard getting right to the root on the skin beneath your beard, and then dragging it down through your luscious locks.

You’ll notice an instant difference in the texture of your beard, and constant, consistent use should have you with a healthy and full beard in no time.

What’s the difference between beard butter and beard balm?

Beard balm is used primarily for styling your beard, the main ingredient in beard balm is usually beeswax so you get a great hold and lift in your hair.

Beard butter however is used as a deep conditioner for your beard taking a harshness out of your beard hair and restoring the skin beneath.

Both products usually contain shea butter, beard balm taking advantage of its smoothing qualities, and beard butter with a main focus on its hydrating benefits.

So, does shea butter help grow your beard?

Unfortunately, there is not a definitive yes or no answer to that question.

The way we look at it is, in terms of growing your beard, shea butter targets many problem areas and conditions that slow down or stop your beard growth altogether. By helping hydrate and restore these problem areas, shea butter can have a positive influence when it comes to getting those whiskers a couple of centimetres longer.

Jericho is Australia’s top provider of the best beard-growing products in the business. All products are designed with a focus on the ingredients that will make an honest difference to your beard hair, whilst also leaving you smelling oh so irresistible.

Shop our collection of world class beard care products to get your beard looking its best.