A Beard Balm For Colds

By Matt Bell January 9, 2014

Badricks Berad Balm — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Beards and colds. They go together like… bacon and vegans, tequila and luke warm water, gay people and Russia. OK, so if you’ve had a cold, and you own a beard, then you (and whoever you may be sharing a bed with) already know that these two things don’t play well together in the sandbox. All that sneezing, nose dripping and coughing in such close proximity to your whiskers is disgusting and can turn your face fuzz in to a Summer at the Jersey Shore for germs. Gross.

Of course you should clean your beard regularly, and keep it conditioned with some oil, but if you’ve landed yourself in sick-ville, you need to do this right away: Get a tea tree beard balm or oil. “Tea tree oil acts similarly to a vapor rub, getting into the airways when you breathe in the scent,” says Diana Duncan, certified naturopathic doctor at Bastyr University. “And because it has broad antibacterial-antiviral action, it could potentially kill illness-causing bugs hanging out in your airways.” By using a tea tree beard balm or oil, not only can you keep your whiskers soft and bacteria free, but you can reinforce them with some potential cold and flu-fighting powers, not unlike drinking plenty of fluids and eating foods high in vitamin C.

Our favorite tea tree balm this season has been Da Balm from Badricks ($19.95 for 2oz) and, for you oil fans, Beard Brand Tea Tree Oil ($25 for 1oz), both of which have done a stand up job at keeping our beard disinfected, de-frizzed and hugely helpful with a sick day on the couch.

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Matt Bell is a travel and grooming writer. He's endured Thai face slapping massages, swam in a cage with crocodiles and…

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