#11

Administrator
Philadelphia, PA
(02-12-2016, 09:50 PM)BadDad Wrote: I have a pretty big beard running...6 months untrimmed, kept short for the past 20 years or so.  I use beard oil religiously. Here is my $.02 which, after taxes, is not worth a whole lot...

First...alcohol is bad for beards. VERY bad. It makes the hair dry and brittle, leads to tangles, and will dry out and chaff the skin underneath, all of which is the exact opposite of what you want from a beard oil.

Second...there are a LOT of companies out there making beard oil. MOST of them are pretty good. Some are garbage. If you are bringing something new to the table, then it will be appreciated and sell. If you are making "just another beard oil", it will very likely get lost in the mix.  Most "beardsmen" don't look to shaving supply companies for beard care products. They are mutually exclusive in most cases. I admit...I'm special. Take that to mean whatever you want...Wink

At the end of the day, offering a high quality beard oil as supplemental product to your existing customers, you might do OK. Trying to corner a piece of the beard oil market is almost certainly doomed to fail. There are simply too many really good companies that specialize in what is essentially a niche market.

Just as I don't buy Proraso beard balm, I don't buy blades and shave oil from The Bearded Bastard (yes, he makes a shave oil). I buy shaving cream from Proraso and beard oil from The Bearded Bastard.

Since you already have a good scent mix, you won't lose anything by experimenting with a good carrier oil base and applying your scents to a beard oil. But if you are expecting to double your sales from it, you will probably be disappointed.

The last aspect I wanted to mention is this:

Making beard oil is not rocket science. A little bit of research easily reveals good mixtures for carrier oils that are healthy for hair and skin. Another quick search will reveal lots of quality essential oil recipes for scents and performance.  A lot of beardsmen are making their own because it is so simple. Wax, balm and oil are all very easy to mix, and aside from initial investment in EO stock and mixing containers...it isn't expensive.

Please don't take this as me trying to knock your ideas because that's not my intention. I am simply trying to give you a little insight from someone that has been purchasing, using, and yes, mixing, beard oils for the last couple years...

do you make any of your own beard oil?
Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito.
#12

That Bald Guy with the Big Beard
Bishop, CA
I have mixed my own oils in the past, and I probably will again in the future, but at the moment, things have been too hectic in my life to spend a lot of timepretending to be a mixologist. It's vastly easier for me to just buy quality oils from other mixers these days...
-Chris~Head Shaver~
#13

Administrator
Philadelphia, PA
(02-13-2016, 04:48 PM)BadDad Wrote: I have mixed my own oils in the past, and I probably will again in the future, but at the moment, things have been too hectic in my life to spend a lot of timepretending to be a mixologist. It's vastly easier for me to just buy quality oils from other mixers these days...

I've actually been using soap commander's body lotion on my face and beard as the winters here in Philly can get pretty harsh and dry. the cream works fine, but it's not as easy to rub in over the beard as oils are...it also doesn't make the beard shine like the oils do.


my wife did buy me this sample pack of 4-5 beard oils from some company on etsy, I believe. I'll switch it up here and there and use that instead of the body lotion.

BadDad likes this post
Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito.
#14

Member
Central Maine
Chris, I appreciate the honesty.

If I do it it would be supplemental to my line of existing products. But so far I've done nothing with it; maybe some day I will.

BadDad likes this post
Brian. Lover of SE razors.
#15

Administrator
Philadelphia, PA
any updates on this, ShadowsDad?
Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito.
#16

Member
Central Maine
No. I too think that if I was to make a beard oil that I should have a beard and use the product myself. I think I'd be a hypocrite to do otherwise. That's just the way I feel about it.

It's like the products I make now. I use them for pretty much every shave. I have a cabinet of soaps just languishing. Every once in a while I'll grab a brand x product just to see what I once saw in it, but those days are very few. A beard oil would see absolutely no use by me so I can't bring myself to make one.

BadDad likes this post
Brian. Lover of SE razors.
#17

That Bald Guy with the Big Beard
Bishop, CA
(04-05-2016, 03:04 PM)ShadowsDad Wrote: No. I too think that if I was to make a beard oil that I should have a beard and use the product myself. I think I'd be a hypocrite to do otherwise. That's just the way I feel about it.

It's like the products I make now. I use them for pretty much every shave. I have a cabinet of soaps just languishing. Every once in a while I'll grab a brand x product just to see what I once saw in it, but those days are very few. A beard oil would see absolutely no use by me so I can't bring myself to make one.

Nothing wrong with a little bit of personal responsibility and integrity in marketing, my friend. Glad to see it, to be honest!

wyze0ne and kwsher like this post
-Chris~Head Shaver~


Users browsing this thread: