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5 Best Beard Exfoliators & Beard Scrubs In 2023

I’m sure you know all the benefits of exfoliating your body, but did you know it’s super important to exfoliate your beard, too? No lie. Here are some of the best beard exfoliators to use in 2022 because if you want a sharp, healthy, fly ass beard, it starts with exfoliating.

Table of Contents

Billy Jealousy Scruff (Our Top Pick)

Billy Jealousy was created back in 2004 and has gone on to be featured in places like GQ, Men’s Health, Esquire, and Forbes, where they rave about how awesome their products are. We even named their shampoo one of the best professional shampoos for men this year.

That’s how great their products are.

And their Scruff is one of the best beard exfoliators I’ve tried.

Here’s what I love about it. Like all my favorite products, this scruff has some incredible all-natural ingredients. There’s Green Tea Extract, Apple Fruit Extract, Watermelon Fruit Extract that does an amazing job at cleansing your skin while making it smell absolutely amazing.

But there’s also freaking awesome Essential Oils like Eucalyptus Leaf Oil that hydrates––always important for healthy hair and skin.

This is one of the best beard exfoliators you can find because not only are the ingredients superb, but it really does an awesome job on your skin. It softens that irritating itchy stubble when you’re trying to grow your beard or a smooth 5 o’clock shadow.

My favorite part?

It helps prevent ingrown hairs–the cause of those God-awful, itchy razor bumps––something that I’m always fighting with.

Pro Tip: Remember to wait a full 24 hours between uses to avoid irritating your skin.

Pros:

  • Super awesome beard exfoliator that’s made with some of the best natural ingredients and essential oils that hydrate your skin and prevents irritating stuff like ingrown hairs.
  • Perfect for using as prep before shaving.  
  • Can be used several times a week to keep your beard soft, fresh, and healthy. Just be sure to wait a full 24 hours before using it again.
  • The scent is an awesome mandarin orange and oak moss. It smells manly but clean and fresh, too.

Cons:

  • It has several acidic ingredients that can cause irritation for guys with sensitive skin.
  • Works well for stubble and short beards. If you have a long beard, it won’t do much.

Proraso Exfoliating Beard Paste & Facial Scrub

This Italian brand was started way back in 1908 and for the last 114 years, have been creating some really amazing grooming products for men. Their goal is to produce high-quality grooming products that men can use in the barbershop or the comfort of their own homes.

I love that. Sometimes a guy doesn’t have time to make it to the barbershop, so it’s super convenient to have salon-quality products that you can use at home.

I dig this scrub a lot. They use tiny grains of almond and hazelnut shells instead of those harmful microbeads that other brands like Axe or Dove use.

I also love that it’s paraben-free, mineral-free, and silicone-free. Those are all harmful chemicals that can dry out your skin or even damage it.

With this scrub’s natural ingredients, there’s no need to worry about any of that.

And it’s super easy to use, too.

  • Wet your face.
  • Finger out an index-finger length of product into your palm and rub your hands together.
  • Close your eyes and rub the product all over your face and neck in circular motions.
  • Rinse off completely.

Pros:

  • Has awesome ingredients like Shea Butter and Eucalyptus Leaf Oil which are some of the best hydrating and moisturizing ingredients you can find in a grooming product.
  • Uses Almond and Hazelnut shells instead of dangerous microbeads.
  • Paraben, Mineral, and Silicone-Free which is freaking awesome.

Cons:

  • Has alcohol in the ingredients. That’s no good. Alcohol dries your skin out and can damage it.
  • The scent is super strong. It can linger around for a while even after washing it off completely.

Pacinos Beard & Face Scrub

What does Diddy, Jay-Z, Ludacris, and Kevin Hart all have in common?

Pacinos the barber.

He created this brand after working with some of the top A-List actors and musicians as a celebrity barber for almost twenty years. Now he’s created some of the best high-quality men’s grooming essentials.

The Pacinos Beard & Face Scrub is one of the best beard exfoliators you’ll find in stores across the country like Target and Walgreens. And that’s one of the things I love about this brand. It’s high-quality products that are accessible for the everyday guy like you and me.

And there are some of my favorite ingredients, too. There’s Aloe Vera and Tea Tree Oil that are incredible moisturizers. They leave your skin fully hydrated which is always a good thing. 

But there’s also coconut, bamboo, and walnut micro particles that are used for the scrub instead of microbeads that are harmful to your skin.

And I love that this scrub will exfoliate your skin, getting rid of all the dead skin cells that cause acne, while making your beard soft and shiny.

Follow these directions for the best results. Your girl will be amazed at how fly your beard looks after using this scrub.

  • Wet face.
  • Squeeze out a small dime-sized amount into your palms.
  • Work it into a lather.
  • Massage your entire face in circular motion while being sure your entire beard is covered. Be sure to get your neck, too.
  • Wash out thoroughly.

Pros:

  • Uses coconut, bamboo, and walnut particles instead of harmful plastic microbeads.
  • Great at exfoliating your skin, especially the neck area where ingrown hairs tend to crop up.
  • Can be used 2 to 3 times per week without irritating your skin.

Cons:

  • The particles used are rough. You have to be gentle when using it so it doesn’t irritate your skin.
  • Can leave your face super dry if you overuse it. Remember that less is more with this scrub.
  • It’s not the best scent. They need to do some tweaking, so the aroma is a lot more pleasant and not so chemical-y.

Brickell Men’s Renewing Scrub

Brickell is another men’s grooming brand that you’ll see being praised in the pages of GQ, Men’s Journal, Men’s Health, and Men’s Fitness. They have some truly awesome products and one of the best hairsprays for men, too.

You can never go wrong with the Brickell brand.

Their Men’s Renewing Scrub is a phenomenal choice if you’re one of the guys who, like me, fights ingrown hairs and has oily skin. This scrub specializes in cleansing oily skin but can still be used by guys with all different skin types.

And of course, it has some bomb ass ingredients like Aloe Vera and Green Tea, too. Both great for repairing and rejuvenating skin––especially when it’s irritated from shaving.

The other wonderful thing about this scrub and why it’s one of the best beard exfoliators is that it repairs your complexion to make it clear, too.

Pros:

  • 98% Natural products that are great for your skin. I love the Aloe Vera and Tea Tree Oil being included because they are known to cleanse and hydrate your skin extremely well.
  • I love that it fights to clear your complexion, too. That’s awesome for a lot of us that deal with acne or razor bumps.
  • The coffee extract and Green Tea Extract used to create its scent is wonderful. I can’t get enough of its aroma.

Cons:

  • It’s hard to get a good lather. That sucks because you end up using more product which makes it finish quicker.
  • The microbes they use aren’t strong enough. It can leave you feeling like your face isn’t thoroughly cleansed.

Wahl Beard Wash

Wahl is known for making some of the best clippers you can find since 1919. But they decided to branch out into men’s grooming products and are now being sold in over 165 countries around the world.

But while Wahl may be known for their clippers, it’s their beard wash that gets me going.

I love that it’s created with the health of your skin in mind. That means there are no harsh irritant chemicals that strip away your skin’s moisture or damage it. In fact, this bear wash is great for moisturizing and hydrating your skin.

There’s a boatload of outstanding essential oils like Jojoba Oil, Olive Oil, Manuka Oil, and Tea Tree Oil that work wonders.

They not only cleanse your skin really well, they keep your skin incredibly moisturized so it stays healthy. And they also keep your beard soft and looking sharp and silky.

Pros:

  • Has some really amazing Essential Oils that are phenomenal for your skin’s hydration.
  • Does not contain any harsh chemicals that will irritate or damage your skin.
  • I love that it doesn’t strip away moisture like a lot of other exfoliators.

Cons:

  • There isn’t much of a scent. It’s always nice to use grooming products that leave a nice aroma lingering on your skin. This one doesn’t.
  • Can dry out certain skin types. If you already have dry skin this may not be the best option for you.

What Is a Beard Scrub?

Beard scrubs are exfoliators for your beard. They’re super awesome because they’re made specifically for facial hair and everything that comes along with its grooming. That means a good beard scrub will fight ingrown hairs, soften your beard, and protect its health, too.

They’re basically deep cleaners that will get under your beard to wash away all the dead skin cells and other impurities that can cause acne or bumps underneath your beard. A good beard scrub is also great for unclogging your pores, too.

How Do You Exfoliate a Thick Beard?

If you’ve got a thick beard, you may think it’s complicated to exfoliate but that’s not true. Even some of the thickest beards can be cleansed and exfoliated just like stubble or any other length of facial hair.

The key to exfoliating a thick beard is preparation. I always recommend either steaming your face or using a hot towel to soften your beard and the skin underneath it. Then simply follow these instructions.

  • Wash your beard with a good beard shampoo or wash.
  • Get a nickel-sized amount of beard scrub/exfoliator into your hands.
  • Work into a really good lather.
  • Scrub the skin under your beard vigorously for 60-90 seconds.
  • Rinse thoroughly.

Quick and easy!

How Many Times A Week Should You Exfoliate Your Beard?

Two to three times per week is the ideal amount to exfoliate your skin. It’s important to not overdo it when exfoliating your beard. After all, exfoliants and beard scrubs are deep cleaning products that scrub away the top layer of your skin to get out any impurities or BS lurking underneath.

Overusing exfoliants and beard washes can irritate your skin so always remember to use it two or three times per week and wait at least 24 hours in between each use.

What To Look for In a High-Quality Beard Exfoliator

It’s always important to look for healthy and high-quality ingredients in your grooming products like a beard exfoliator. You want to be sure it has essential oils like Jojoba Oil and Olive Oil, stuff like Aloe Vera and Shea Butter that hydrates your skin and protects its moisture while not having any harsh or irritating chemicals that can damage your skin.

I always like to make sure there are no harmful plastic microbeads, too. They’re bad for your skin and can end up causing damage in the long run.

But don’t forget that a good high-quality beard exfoliator also smells great. So, look for one that is healthy, hydrates and moisturizes your skin, while smelling awesome.

You can’t go wrong with that.

Andrew Phillip Kennedy is a men's style & grooming specialist who has spent years testing his knowledge in the real world on himself to land jobs, get girls, and improve his life overall. Andrew's advice is regarded as the some of the most well-researched and well-grounded in the game. For the perfect combination of men's grooming theory and real world results, you'll want to follow Andrew.