Picture this: you get invited out for a night on the town. You’re eager to start bar hopping and playing your options, but you just spent the day felling trees and uprooting brambles with your bare hands. You’ve probably got mud on your face. Some might call you a big disgrace.

But you know better—you’re 100% grade-A au naturel man. Your sweaty, dirty beard is all the evidence you need of that. It’s like a medal on your chest, and now it’s time to clean it. Polish it up so it shines brighter than Rihanna’s bling, and you can wear it with all the pride it deserves. It’s a fact of life that if you take care of your beard, it will take care of you.

Whether you’re a shower or a bath person, strip and hit it. Scrub your luscious face follicles. After you’re all squeaky, it’s time to break out the beard oil—but before you get started, let’s take a moment to consider all the benefits a good bottle of Beard Oil has to offer.

Why Beard Oil?

Beard oil is an essential component of any bearded man’s toolkit. No matter the length, your beard will suffer the wear and tear of your gloriously masculine lifestyle. First and foremost, beard oil puts all the moisture right back where it belongs: deep within your rugged beard and the pores beneath it. Nobody likes a beard that doubles as a wire brush.

Second, depending on the oil you get, it can serve as your very own beard cologne. All night long, your beard will be wafting an enticing scent that will render you irresistible. The beard is criminally underutilized as a vector for scent-based awesomeness, and it’s about time your beard knew the joys of smelling like a champ.

Lastly, beard oil can help to bring the wild, untamable beast on your face under control. Why waste time running a wet comb through it again and again, only to watch it spring back to full frizz? Save yourself the trouble, and massage your oil of choice in as often as necessary. Your beard will thank you, and promise not to be a nuisance any more.

Now that you know why you should be using beard oil, let’s take a look at what makes up a quality oil.

What’s In a Good Beard Oil?

Any number of natural oils, from coconut to jojoba, might make up the mix in the bottle. There are different blends designed to target any number of ailments—whether you’ve got dandruff, irritated skin, or an unfortunate case of dull and dreary beard. The goal is to mimic the naturally occurring oils in your skin and all the perks that go along with it.

Some oils are better than others, as they can provide the nutrients that your beard needs to be its best. You can find bottles of beard oil with avocado, argan, and grapeseed oil, all of which are excellent nutrient carriers in addition to the coconut and jojoba we already mentioned. Our rule of thumb: if it sounds like you should be cooking with it, it’s probably a good oil for your beard.

Like we mentioned earlier, particular oils are chosen for the tantalizing smells they provide. Spearmint, cedarwood, pine, and eucalyptus are just a few of the more common smells to slap on your face, but really, the only limit is your imagination.

Ok—whatever you’re thinking of right now, that’s probably not a good smell for your beard. Pros watching out for bros, you dig?

So now you know all about beard oil and why it’s so awesome. To be certain, it’s the next big thing to hit your face and gently caress your beard from the inside out. Don’t get caught without a bottle or two—or ten— in your cabinet, and you’ll be all set the next time a night out comes calling after a day of wilderness taming.

You’re probably thinking “Damn, I really need some beard oil now.” Check out our summary of the Best Beard Oils of 2015.