For men who take their beard seriously, it often comes down to two options: You can go with a men's grooming kit, or DIY it with each of your individual products. Each option has its advantages, with the choice depending on where you're at in your grooming journey, budget, impact, or way of life, etc. Here are the facts.
The Reason for Grooming Kits
Grooming kits are designed for the best convenience, as the purpose is to supply all your basic beard grooming needs in one easy to locate kit which includes things like beard oil, a beard balm, a comb, trimmer, scissors (sometimes), and other grooming essentials. Kits are also uniquely packaged in a way that the products come together nicely (with coordinating scents, too).
The advantages of a grooming kit include the following:
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Convenience or One Stop Shopping: You're getting all the basics in one purchase without researching all the products available.
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Consistency: The products in grooming kits have all typically been formulated to work in concert with each other, and this is often where you benefit with your beard having better overall results.
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Ready to Gift: Grooming kits are gifts that are well-suited for the beginner or for the man who wants to explore beard grooming.
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Cost-Effective (sometimes): A grooming kit does have the potential to be lower priced than buying each product separately.
That being said, grooming kits come with their downsides as well. Many grooming kits have small sample sizes that only last for a few weeks, or have products that you would never even consider using. Some kits tend to be more about the presentation than the quality.
The Case for DIY Beard Care
DIY beard care doesn't exactly mean that you will be creating the products at home, but for customization of your routine, building your own routine by personally choosing products separately. Think about it like this: you will buy a beard oil from a company, a balm from another, and maybe even a boar-bristle brush from a different place altogether.
Benefits of DIY beard care:
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Customization: You can pick exactly what you want, based on what your beard specifically needs
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Quality control: Putting the most emphasis on the products that, to you, are more important, you can spend a little more on the better products.
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Flexibility: If you don't like one product or it just doesn't work for you, you can simply get rid of it, unlike the kit, where you wasted the rest of the unused products.
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Scalability: As your beard grows or your routine changes, you can change DIY without having to switch up a kit.
The cons? First of all, it's not as quick and easy as either the concept of the grooming kit or simply DIYing at home. It requires more of your time, effort, and oftentimes, money. It would require research of the ingredients, reading reviews, and you often find out that the product doesn't work for or with your beard.
Which is Better?
If you are just beginning with beards, a grooming kit is a perfect way to learn the fundamentals of beard care and establish your own grooming routine while avoiding feeling overwhelmed. A grooming kit makes beard grooming simple, easy, affordable, and effective.
Alternatively, if you know your beard's needs and want the best results possible, a DIY beard care route is the better choice. The DIY route allows you to upgrade areas of your routine without adding unnecessary products and allows you to invest in a higher-quality grooming tool in those areas.
Final Thoughts
There truly is no right answer. Certainly, grooming kits are perfect for beginners, grooming kits are also great as gifts. Conversely, a DIY beard care routine is ideal for men who want higher-quality and precise grooming results. Ultimately, the best route may be to start with a kit and then transition into a DIY routine as you discover what is truly needed for your beard.
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