I couldn’t take it anymore. To my ears the sound was like fingernails scratching down chalkboard. I looked up to see my colleague scratching his beard again. Normally it wouldn’t be such a problem but in a super quiet environment where you can hear any and all noises, it’s enough to turn a sane man into a nervous wreck – and it was happening to me!
But how do you breach such a topic? Do you pipe up and scream across the room, “STOP SCRATCHING YOUR BEARD?” Probably not the best course of action. I was pretty much at a loss. I might just have to succumb to this awful sound for the rest of my working life.
I grew out a beard on just a handful of occasions in my life and I know after a period of time the skin underneath can get dry and sometimes irritated. I figured that was happening to him. To remedy the situation for myself, I remember using hair conditioner on my beard to soften it and soothe the skin underneath.
I didn’t really want to suggest that to him because it would be the equivalent of saying, “Hey dude. You’re scratching your beard. It’s annoying me. I think you should go condition it so you’ll stop scratching it.” Maybe he wouldn’t think that at all but I have a tendency of overthinking and over analyzing situations. Regardless, he was a work colleague of mine and the last thing I wanted to do was a throw a small wrench in our relationship.
There had to be a more a chill, inconspicuous way to go about this itchy predicament.
I brought up this festering annoyance in conversation with my wife.
“Isn’t it his birthday soon?” she asked.
“Yea, so?” I replied.
“Well why don’t you use some of my essential oils to make him a beard oil?”
What?!! That was it!
Make the man some beard oil.
It solved the issue of his birthday coming up in a week and in a sneaky way it would encourage him to use a conditioner on his beard.
Check out what I made for him below. I didn’t want him to run out for some time so I made him two bottles of the stuff.
Recipe 1
What You Need
- 1oz. bottle – preferably with a top dropper
- Fractionated coconut oil – very moisturizing to the skin.
- Jojoba oil – very similar to our own skins sebum (oil). Highly absorbable and conditioning to dry skin.
- Small metal funnel – not required but helps get the oil into the bottle
- Peppermint oil – a nice fragrance and is refreshing to the skin
- Eucalyptus oil – soothing and helps reduce any irritation on the skin
- Lemongrass – invigorating to the skin
- Melaleuca oil – also known as tea tree oil, this oil is highly anti-microbial, anti-viral and anti-bacterial
What You Do
Take your 1oz. bottle and place the small metal funnel on top. Start by filling half of it with fractionated coconut oil. Fill the other half with jojoba oil (be sure to leave enough room for your essential oils). Next add two drops of each, peppermint, eucalyptus, lemongrass and melaleuca oil. I used highly potent oils so depending on the brand you choose, you may need to adjust these drops based on preference.
Shake up the mixture and you’re good to go – either for a gift or to use yourself.
Most 1oz. bottles come with a dropper which can be used for easy application and remember a little goes a long way.
Other Carrier Oils You Can Use
Coconut oil and jojoba oil are not the only carrier oils you can use. Feel free to experiment with different ones to find the scents you prefer. Some other choices are:
- Hazelnut oil – known to help reduce acne and eczema and has an incredible scent.
- Hemp seed oil – awesome stuff. Very moisturizing and helps prevent beards from getting dry and coarse.
- Sweet almond oil – anti-inflammatory and helps prevent breakouts.
Other Essential Oils You Can Use
You can pretty much use any essential oils you want but some of the more common ones used are listed below:
- Cinnamon Oil – incredible fragrance, increases circulation and uplifts mood.
- Orange Oil – reduces wrinkles, improves complexion and is calming.
- Amla Oil – known to be beneficial for hair.
A Happy Ending
My wife is a genius. She really is. My colleague loved his beard oil. And within two days he stopped scratching. I was thrilled. But best of all? So was he. He hasn’t stopped talking about how much he loves his beard oil and has recently started experimenting with making his own. I’d say that’s a pretty happy ending.
If you know anyone with a beard and want a great idea for a gift, take a shot at using essential oils to make them some beard oil. They’ll probably love it too.