So why do we use the oils that we do? (you can see the oils that we do use on the "Beard Oils" page of our website.
Many brands use a lot of similar oils. Some like to add a few exciting options and others keep it as simple as one to two carrier oils. So what is right and what is wrong?………THEY ARE ALL RIGHT!
We all have very different beards and tastes. My personal taste is a medium to thick oil with has as many benefits as it can give while leaving as little of that greasy feel as possible. Which is ironic because this is exactly what the Beard Manners oil base provides.
To add to this you also need to consider the blend itself. A prime example in our trial mixes was Avocado oil and Hemp Seed oil. Both are of a dark colour, both are thick and both have a strong scent that really do not go well together and can also over power the chosen scent of a product as well as making it an unsightly colour. The Rum Old Fashioned with its nice Rum aroma and hints of Sweet Orange and notes of Tobacco…… finished off with that pungent Hemp smell…Does that last bit sound appealing? NO! This is exactly while I didn’t use it.
Of the two, my findings all pointed to Avocado being the better of the two for the benefits provided to your beard and skin so that is what I picked.
I tried Emu and Ostrich oil but I personally found them a little too fatty. Maybe it was the mental thought but I did not like them. Then you have to consider the growing vegan customer base. I liked Rice Bran but I preferred Grape Seed. I am not saying this is 100% the case but it is what I preferred and what seemed best for my beard.
Now the other vital factor is the blending itself. When you make this oils you will see that most of them do not naturally mix. They naturally want to stick within their own consistency. Quite often the most time consuming part of my job is just mixing the blend until there are no streaks or dark colour spots. I won’t begin to use a base until it is perfectly mixed and trust me when I say that some oils really do not mix well!
I could go on for hours about why I use this and don’t use that but trust me when I say that I have tried a lot of oils and a lot of mixes before I arrived at our chosen base.
I once again want to specify that this is my choice on my findings. The only evidence I can provide is my own beard. Our product might not be for everyone. If you like a thinner oil or a super thick oil then Beard Manners might not be for you. So I repeat…..THEY ARE ALL RIGHT!! Different oils for different people.
One thing we are going to do in the near future is to add some thinner oils and will look to try some different variations but will also keep the ones that we already have and love. This is an idea that came from @docksbeardedreviews of the @ukbeardportal. Both are doing very big and amazing things for the Uk beard industry and community. People such as Dock, The Bearded Brit and Coggers have been a huge help to myself and to Beard Manners from the very start. These guys and many others (I can not mention everyone) are doing a lot to improve all things beard so give all of these guys a follow.
So my final words.......…..should people be brave or live dangerously? Yes and no is my honest answer.
Do you know what I love? I love coffee to taste like coffee, I love my whiskey to taste like whiskey and I love my steak to be a nice steak that is cooked to perfection with no unneeded extras BUT they all began with an idea and plenty of trials.
I also like my beard products to care for my beard and skin. That my friends is giving your beard some well deserved Beard Manners.