Beard Balm vs. Beard Butter: What's the Difference and Which Should You Use?
One of the most common questions we get at Mad Viking HQ is some version of: "What's the difference between beard balm and beard butter, and which one should I be using?"
It's a fair question. They look nearly identical sitting on a shelf. Both are made with butters and oils. Both condition your beard. So what gives?
The difference matters more than you'd think, and once you understand it, you'll know exactly which one belongs in your routine.
What Is Beard Balm?
Mad Viking Beard Balm is a semi-solid product built on shea butter, cocoa butter, and a blend of natural carrier oils. The ingredient that sets it apart from beard butter is beeswax.
That beeswax does a few things. It creates a thin protective barrier over each hair strand that shields your beard from wind, cold, and general outdoor abuse. It locks in moisture so the conditioning work you're doing actually sticks. And it provides a medium hold that keeps flyaway hairs in check and gives your beard a groomed look.
Beard balm softens the hair, moisturizes the skin underneath, and provides light styling control, all in one shot. Use it alongside a few drops of beard oil in your daily routine and you'll notice a difference fast.
What Is Beard Butter?
Mad Viking Beard Butter looks almost identical to our balm. Side by side, most guys can't tell them apart at a glance. But the formulation is completely different.
Beard butter is built almost entirely on natural butters: shea, cocoa, and mango. We use a small amount of key carrier oils like jojoba and argan, and that's it. No beeswax. That's the defining difference.
Because there's no wax, beard butter melts almost instantly in your hands from body heat alone. It absorbs fast, doesn't leave any residue in the beard, and is specifically designed to mimic the natural oils your skin already produces. Think of it as a leave-in deep conditioner for your beard. One or two applications and you'll feel the difference in softness. And because there's no beeswax, you get a much more natural-looking beard with no stiffness or "product in my beard" feel.
Beard Balm vs. Beard Butter: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Beard Balm | Beard Butter | |
|---|---|---|
| Key Ingredients | Shea butter, cocoa butter, carrier oils, beeswax | Shea butter, cocoa butter, mango butter, jojoba oil, argan oil |
| Contains Beeswax | Yes | No |
| Hold Level | Medium | Minimal/natural |
| Primary Purpose | Condition + style | Deep condition + nourish |
| Finish | Groomed, slight sheen | Natural & slight sheen |
| Absorption Speed | Moderate | Fast |
| Best For | Shorter to medium beards, daily styling | Medium to longer beards, intense conditioning |
| Works as Leave-In Conditioner | Partially | Yes — this is its primary role |
Which One Should You Use: Beard Balm or Beard Butter?
If you want hold and styling control in your daily routine, especially if you have flyaways, shorter growth, or you're dealing with harsh weather, go with beard balm.
If your main goal is deep conditioning and softness, and you're not fussed about hold, beard butter is the right call.
If you're serious about your beard, use both. A lot of guys do. A common routine for guys with longer beards is beard butter at night as a leave-in treatment and beard balm in the morning for shape and protection. Some guys layer oil underneath and balm on top. There's no wrong answer once you figure out what works for your beard.
Guys with longer beards tend to lean toward butter. The reason is pretty simple: once your beard has real weight and length to it, flyaways take care of themselves. The hair holds itself down. What you need more of at that stage is conditioning to keep the ends from drying out and breaking.
Shorter beards get more out of balm's hold, keeping things tidy while the beard is still finding its shape.
Can You Use Beard Balm and Beard Butter Together?
Yes, and plenty of guys do. Here's a layering approach that works well:
- Start with a couple drops of beard oil worked into a damp or dry beard down to the skin
- Warm a small amount of beard butter in your palms and work it through for deep conditioning
- Finish with a light pass of beard balm on top for hold, shape, and weather protection
Each product has a job and they don't step on each other. It's the same idea as layering skincare: each layer does something different. You're not doubling up, you're building.
What Ingredients Should You Look For in Beard Balm and Beard Butter?
Not all beard products are made equal. Here's what to look for, and what we use in ours:
Shea Butter — A deeply moisturizing fat that softens both hair and skin without clogging pores. A core ingredient in both balm and butter.
Cocoa Butter — Rich in fatty acids and antioxidants, cocoa butter helps with moisture retention and gives beard products their characteristic semi-solid texture.
Mango Butter — Found in our beard butter, mango butter is lightweight, absorbs fast, and does a solid job mimicking the skin's natural sebum. Great for conditioning without heaviness.
Jojoba Oil — Technically a liquid wax, jojoba is structurally close to human sebum, making it one of the most effective carrier oils for beard and skin health.
Argan Oil — High in vitamin E and essential fatty acids. Adds softness, tames frizz, and supports long-term hair health.
Beeswax — The hold agent in beard balm. Natural, non-greasy, and effective in small amounts. Provides protection and locks in moisture without stiffening the hair.
All Mad Viking products are made by hand, in small batches, right here in the USA. We don't cut corners on ingredients.
The Bottom Line
Beard balm and beard butter aren't competing products. They do different jobs. Balm conditions, protects, and holds. Butter conditions deeply and keeps the hair healthy from the inside out. If you're picking one to start with, just think about what your beard needs most right now: control or conditioning.
At Mad Viking, we make both with the same attention to ingredient quality. Hand-crafted, small-batch, made in the USA.
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Shop Mad Viking Beard Balm and Mad Viking Beard Butter
BEARD BALM VS BEARD BUTTER FAQ's
The main difference is beeswax. Beard balm contains beeswax, which gives it hold and weather protection. Beard butter has no beeswax. It's built for deep conditioning and softness, absorbs fast, and leaves no residue.
Neither product directly stimulates beard growth, that's mostly genetics. But beard butter's deep conditioning supports healthier hair overall, which reduces breakage and helps you hold onto more length over time.
For serious moisture and softness, beard butter is the better tool. The high butter content and fast absorption make it better suited for dryness, especially on longer beards or in dry climates. Beard balm's beeswax does lock moisture in well too, so both products help with dryness, just in different ways.
Yes. Both are designed for daily use. Beard butter can even be used nightly as a leave-in without any issue.
Beard balm is usually the better starting point for shorter beards. The hold helps shape things up during the early growth phase when flyaways are everywhere. Beard butter works fine at any length, but you really feel the conditioning benefits once there's more beard to work with.
No, not if you're using a quality product and not overdoing it. Mad Viking Beard Butter absorbs quickly and completely. No grease, no stickiness.
Both work at any length. Generally, balm is more useful for shorter to medium beards where hold and shape matter. Butter is where it's at for medium to longer beards where conditioning and softness are the priority.
I actually use both, along with oil. I use the balm in the morning, along with some oil. This keeps my beard looking and feeling good all day. I use butter before bed. I treat it like a leave in conditioner. My beard has never been healthier. I even use the left over on my hands to condition my tattoos.
I use a combination of the three. Oil and butter underneath and balm on the outside. My beard is down to my sternum. And then I top off with a strong mustache wax. Just the routine that I have come up with in my years of having a beard. 🙂
Thank you Mad Viking! Your products by far are amazing and this thorough explanation was very helpful for me trying to decide what would make a good gift. I am going to get both anyway, when in doubt go all out.
I am retired Police Officer and Military and would like to thank you for the discount, that Mad Viking provides to those that have served.
Thank you for returning my message regarding beard butter versus beard balm but ingredients are very important to me I wish you had hemp seed oil in your beard butter as you do in your beard balm
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