All American Gentlemen Beard Balm Review

The All American Gentleman. Fiercely patriotic, exceptionally masculine and remarkably well-groomed.

That’s the ideal, manly image this brand has always set forth, and, in a way, it’s effective.

Everything from the fragrance to the ingredients are selected to fit in with this manly, All-American persona the brand would like you to have and it’s rather hard to ignore.

I like the simple and traditional packaging they’ve gone for and the brand seems to nail the old-school barber shop aesthetic.

But what I really like about All American Gentlemen’s products is the price. Sure they have great ingredients and helpful products, but they’re all priced less than average.

This beard balm, for example, is available in two sizes, 2 oz and 4 oz tin. Though both are priced lower than other competitive and not necessarily better products.

A quick glance over the list of ingredients will reveal some pretty mainstream beard balm mixtures.

There’s shea butter and beeswax, which form the base. Then there’s Avocado, Jojoba and Almond oil, all of which are great for your skin and hair.

The argan oil is deodorized to add extra fragrance (we’ll get back to that in a bit). The only standout ingredients used in this slave are the Apricot Kernel Oil and the Bay Rum Essential Oil.

As the name suggests, apricot kernel oil comes from the seeds of apricots. It’s such a light oil that it’s usually used for massage therapies across the world.

The oil is meant to soften the skin and nourish it. The oil is known to be anti-septic, anti-aging, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and a great moisturizer. So I guess I’m glad they’ve included this oil in the beard balm mixture.

Then there’s bay rum essential oil, which is extracted from the Bay Rum Tree found in the West Indies.

Traditionally used as a hair tonic, the bay rum essential oil adds fragrance and encourages hair growth. Bay rum used to be a lot more popular in men’s over-the-counter hair products, so it’s great knowing someone is bringing it back.

Altogether, this beard balm is a well priced alternative to all the other beard balms out there.

It doesn’t have unique features or standout ingredients, but that’s okay as long as it works well as a straightforward beard balm.

Let’s find out if it does what it says on the tin.

Does it work?

The All American Gentlemen Beard Balm doesn’t have fancy packaging, rare ingredients or special features, but it makes up for all that by simply feeling and smelling great.

I like the strong, cologne-like fragrance that emanates as soon as you open the tin. It’s stronger than usual and tends to stick around for a while after you apply it as well. The smell lasts even up to four whole hours.

I know some men prefer a beard product that doesn’t smell, and I get that. This may not be the perfect beard balm for everyone, but for men who like unique fragrances this is surely a winning product.

However, I didn’t really appreciate the texture as much as I wished to.

When you first scrape apart a pea sized amount, you’ll soon realize the texture is like hard butter. That’s not really a problem since all beard balms and salves feel like that.

But the trouble starts when you rub your palms together and try to get the beard balm to the right consistency. It starts to feel really greasy. The greasiness doesn’t go away and makes your beard shiny in that weird way only beard balms can.

As you can imagine, I’m not a big fan of this texture. I like beard balms that feel natural and disappear into my beard.

While this beard balm did work well to tame the unruly hair on my face, it made it obvious that I’d used a beard balm. Also, that greasy feeling makes me feel uncomfortable although the beard felt noticeably soft.

Another issue is the fact that you’ll need a little more beard balm than usual to get the right results. The first time I used it, I had to reach into the tin again to get some more and spread the balm all over.

Most other beard balms I’ve used work well with smaller amounts. If you buy this beard balm, chances are you’ll run out of it sooner.

Taking into consideration the above, it’s a bit challenging to find the right amount that you need to apply to your beard. If you apply too much, you’ll have a greasy beard but on the other hand, you can’t apply just a bit cause it feels like it’s not enough.

This is one of those rare beard balms that are white. Most beard balms are either yellow or cream colored. It doesn’t make a big difference, but I guess it’s something worth mentioning.

The main reason for this difference has to do with the beeswax. If the beeswax is white, then the beard balm is most probably the same color.

Lastly, all the organic ingredients work as expected. The oils moisturize the skin, nourish the hair and smell great. You will get a shiny, nourished and well-styled beard as long as you use it right. You definitely won’t need a beard brush to spread it.

Concluding remarks

To sum up, this is a good beard balm. I like the fragrance and I like the price, but the consistency and texture don’t reach my expectations. It would work probably for longer beards so that balm is spread in longer length (more like a yeard).

You will need more beard balm than usual to get the style right, but since the tin is cheaper than most other products I guess that’s a trade off you can make.

If you like a matt look, this isn’t the beard balm for you. I think because the essential oils have been over diluted, the effect is shiny and a bit greasy. To get rid of that greasiness you’ll have to massage the balm carefully till it dissipates, which takes very long.

Finally, the smell is great and lasts fora good few hours, but it won’t suit everyone. Think of it as a cologne.

Would I recommend it? Yes, but not to everyone.

I’d probably recommend this if you like affordable beard products that take time to get right. Moreover, in my opinion it would work better for men with long beards, longer than a year old.

Also, buy it if you like scented products. But don’t go for it if you hate taking time to style your beard or want a matt-look. Just spend a little more and get another beard balm in that case.

The All American Beard Balm isn’t a crowd-pleaser, but it’s a good beard balm altogether that it’s worth trying.