Whether you're sick and tired of seeing photos of Elsa from Disney's FROZEN hashtagged #LetItGrow or not; hopefully, your charitable soul has been making the most of the American Cancer Society's annual No-Shave November and/or The Movember Foundation's annual Movember campaign, which raises money to improve the lives of men affected by prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health problems. If you have and you weren't previously scruffy-faced before, chances are you are facing that dreaded itch. If so, allow me to introduce you to the Melbourne, Australia-based company TheGroomedManCo.
I know what you're thinking: "But I already have some beard-grooming products that I use." I get it. I too have been there. Last December, I got lazy and put the razor down for a couple of weeks. I liked what I saw, but the fear of the itch led me to read a lot of blogs and buy some other products filled with ingredients I still cannot pronounce. I liked, maybe even loved, these products. But Instagram, of all places, allowed me to discover TheGroomedManCo., and the brand hadn't even launched its first product yet. I patiently waited as founder and beard enthusiast Daniel Mahony perfected his beard oils. I was among the first to order, and after a week or two of using his oils, my beard finally looked great, felt amazingly soft and began to really catch some attention. Can you say #BeardEnvy?
Having officially launched in late August, TheGroomedManCo. beard oils have been proudly purchased by patrons in 32 countries. So how did it all begin? "I was inspired by a vacation traveling around the U.S. in 2013. I had grown a fresh beard in November 2012, after Movember, and decided to grow my beard longer than it's ever been. I had skin that was very prone to drying out and flaking, so I came across beard oil in NYC, and loved it," says Mahony. The only problem was that there weren't any beard oils in the Australian market at that time locally. "So, I decided to take my home formula and work with Australia's leading manufacturer of botanical oils and make it a business," he says.
With the option to buy beard conditioners, beard butters, beard lotions, salves and waxes, why would someone choose oils? "Beard oil is an essential addition to beard grooming," explains Mahony. "Our oils are made using pure to botanical oils, which are oils in their purest form. The difference is that our oils won't lose their integrity, have an extended shelf life [and] won't lose their scent in the bottle as it empties. Pure to botanical oils, unlike 'natural essential oils,' which only offer fragrance, deliver therapeutic benefits targeting inflammation, are antibacterial, antifungal, can act as an emollient to treat skin conditions, and so forth. Natural oils are still pure and great for you, but pure to botanical oils are the highest purity," he elaborates.
Most important, "Beard oil stops the dreaded itch by locking in moisture, eliminates dryness and flakey skin, strengthens and protects the beard hair, cleans and treats the beard, promotes healthy growing conditions, makes it smell great -- we are very proud about how balanced the scents are in our oils -- and softens the beard! Then there are ongoing benefits to continued use. You'll notice after your first use how good it feels. Our oil is a lightweight, non-greasy formula," Mahony points out.
One thing you've probably noticed is that the often abused and misleading term "all natural" is not used to describe TheGroomedManCo.'s beard oils. There's a very specific reason for that. Mahony explains, "I try to never use the word 'all natural.' Yes, our products are chemical-free, our products are vegan, [and] not tested on animals. The word 'natural' has been flogged so much it's really hard to tell what it is anymore. I want to coin the term 'pure to botanical' because when something is in its highest concentration due to not being processed, I'd consider it to be pure."
TheGroomedManCo. donates 5 percent of sales to local charities and others around the world. "Whether you shave for Movember or keep it for No-Shave November, it is important to make a donation to these charities. In the past year I managed to raise $103,000 for cancer through personal fundraisers," Mahony says. "It's such a personal thing as every family member that has passed away has been from cancer," he adds.
TheGroomedManCo. also has international approval by the International fragrance Association (IFRA) for quality, safety and "for smelling damn good!" I'd be remiss not to point out that since they are in Australia and all prices are in Australian dollars, the prices actually work out to be super-cheap for U.S. customers. TheGroomedManCo.'s $27 AUD price tag equates to about $22-$24 USD a bottle. Also, with approximately 600 drops of liquid gold in each bottle, they can last a bearded man anywhere between six and 12 weeks depending on the size of the beard. Plus, TheGroomedManCo. will always throw in free shipping for any order of three or more bottles.
