Out of all the possible beard oil ingredients, vitamin E oil (tocopherol) is one of the most beneficial ones specifically for beard health and growth.
Don’t believe me? Well, I’m sure what you will be learning next will change your mind.
You see, as a fat-soluble antioxidant, vitamin E oil can prevent beardruff, moisturize a dry skin underneath the beard, relieve beard itch, and preserve the volatile essential oils in beard oil formulations from going rancid.
That last part is one of the key reasons why I think every beard oil blend should include a bit of vitamin E oil.
It’s just so good for preventing the lipid-peroxidation of the other oils in the formulation, which improves the quality of the oil and dramatically increases the shelf-life as well.
Here’s a deeper look at why you should use vitamin E oil for beard. ↓
Benefits of Vitamin E Oil for Beard
From being anti-beardruff to a perfect beard moisturizer, vitamin E oil can seemingly do it all.
“Not only the oil, but there are also some beard benefits that come from consuming natural vitamin E (tocopherol) from foods and supplements.”
Below a closer look at the proven benefits of vitamin E oil and oral vitamin E for beard growth, care, and maintenance. ↓
Vitamin E Oil Preserves and Protects Volatile Beard Oil Ingredients
Vitamin E is a blanket term for various different fat-soluble antioxidants (α, β, γ, δ-tocopherols & tocotrienols) which work by preventing the oxidative damage of oils and fats.
This makes vitamin E oil the perfect natural preservative and protectant for volatile beard oil ingredients like the commonly used essential oils and polyunsaturated carrier oils (almond oil, sunflower seed oil, sesame seed oil, etc).
“You see polyunsaturated carrier oils and most of the essential oils go rancid very easily when exposed to heat, light, and oxygen.”
This is why beard oil is often stored in dark glass droppers and should be stored in a cool and dry place.
However, once you take the oil out of the dropper and put it into your face and beard, it will instantly be exposed to all the three things that oxidize it.
Vitamin E oil can help prevent this from happening, as it has been shown to effectively suppress the oxidation of volatile fats and oils. This effectively protects the oil and maintains its quality, while also extending the shelf-life.
Bottom line: Every beard oil bottle should have a small amount of vitamin E oil in it to protect the volatile oils from lipid-peroxidation.
The Anti-Itch & Anti-Beardruff Benefits of Vitamin E Oil
Vitamin E oil is one of the best natural oils for prevention of beard dandruff and the dreaded itchy beard.
This is because it moisturizes the skin exceptionally well, reducing beard dryness (the leading cause of beard itch and dandruff).
Not only that, but both oral vitamin E supplementation and topical vitamin E oil use have been found to reduce the flaky skin caused by conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
Bottom line: As a natural antioxidant, vitamin E oil is amazing for skin nourishment and hydration. It also wards of beard dandruff and flakiness through multiple mechanisms.
Vitamin E Might Help with Beard Growth
It’s unclear whether topical vitamin E oil could help your facial hair growth, but at least we know that oral supplementation with vitamin E (400mg/day) can increase testosterone levels in both humans and rodents.
Considering that testosterone is the main hormone behind facial hair growth – and vitamin E increases it – you could put one-and-one together to realize that vitamin E should be beneficial for beard growth.
Bottom line: At least oral vitamin E supplements can support your facial hair growth through increased testosterone levels. It’s unclear if topical vitamin E oil applied directly to the beard has similar effects.
What Kind of Vitamin E Oil is Best for Facial Hair Use?
There are many natural sources of plants where vitamin E oil can be extracted.
The one that is universally considered the best one for skin and beard use is the natural d-alpha-tocopherol extracted from wheat germ oil.
Bottom line: Wheat germ oil-based vitamin E oil is the best one to use on the beard topically. For oral supplementation, a blend of tocopherols or tocotrienols around 400mg/day should help in assisting facial hair growth.
How Much Vitamin E Oil Should You Apply to the Beard?
To get the most benefit out of your vitamin E oil, I wouldn’t apply it directly to the beard as a beard oil substitute.
Instead, you should add 5-10 drops of vitamin E oil into a 1 oz (30ml) dropper bottle of any beard oil that you have (either premade or DIY beard oil).
You can still apply it directly to the skin too if you want to, just pour or drip 2-5 drops into your palm, rub together and apply all over your beard and skin as you would with regular beard oil.
Conclusion
Vitamin E oil is amazing for the health of your facial hair when applied topically. It moisturizes well and can also ward off beard itch and beard dandruff.
Vitamin E oil orally from foods or from supplements at around 400mg/day could also help your beard growth rate by increasing testosterone levels, as seen in a study linked above.
And lastly, as a natural antioxidant, vitamin E preserves volatile carrier and essential oils from going rancid, so adding it to any beard oil formulation should be a no-brainer.
