You’ve already graduated from Bearding 101: You know how to trim it, nourish it with beard oil, and even prevent beard dandruff.

You’re ready for some more advanced lessons, and the first is in long-term maintenance. More specifically, how to deep-condition the beard—how to soften each bristle while preventing scratchy whiskers, ingrown hairs, and unsightly split ends. The best way to do it? Hot beard oil treatments.

While beard oils keep your hairs soft on a daily basis—like a moisturizer does for your skin—a hot oil treatment acts as a magnifier of this process—more like a deep-penetrating serum. The result is a beard that feels as good as it looks. And luckily, you can use your standard, nutrient-rich beard oil to accomplish the task at home each week.

Hot beard oil treatments are especially good for guys with big, bushy beards. These men are at greater risk for split ends, brittle scruff, itching, and unruliness. A weekly treatment will condition the hairs, tame them, and prevent any splitting. Guys with shorter whiskers will certainly benefit from the treatment, but a daily beard oil application should also suffice.

There are two ways to administer a hot beard oil treatment. One can be done with your existing beard oil and hot water; otherwise, you can buy a designated treatment pack, like this one from Proraso.

If you choose the first option, you’ll want to budget about 20 minutes. Rub a few drops of oil into your palms, then apply it evenly throughout a freshly washed (and dried) beard. You can use a beard comb to distribute the oils evenly. Next, soak a towel in hot (but not scalding) water, and wrap it around your face, as if you just had a straight-razor shave at the barbershop. Once the towel cools down, soak it in hot water again, and apply it once more to your beard. Afterwards, rinse your beard with cold water to close your pores and scrub away any remaining oil.

If you choose the second option—the treatment kit—then you’re basically buying single-dose, designated vials of beard oil, which you’ll heat up before applying. This process takes less time—just a few minutes. Pour hot water into a bowl and submerge the beard oil for a minute. Wash your beard while the vial warms up, and pat it completely dry. Then, empty the vial into your palms and massage the oil into your beard. Again, you can use a beard comb here to evenly coat each bristle. Let it soak for two minutes, then rinse your beard with cold water.

Do this once a week—and heck, why not do your weekly face mask at the same time? The treatment will keep existing hairs soft and hydrated, prevent ingrown hairs, and promote healthy growth.

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Adam Hurly has been covering men's grooming since 2013 (and for GQ since 2016). He is also a travel writer. In Fall 2024, Adam is launching Blue Print by Adam Hurly, a men's grooming platform. Adam resides in Lisbon (previously Berlin, NYC, and San Francisco). He is a Sioux Falls, SD, native... Read moreWriterInstagramRelated Stories for GQGroomingBeards