BEARDS: Modern Day Duke Beard Wash & Tonic

Where has he been for months I hear you say? Growing a beard. With that in mind expect one or two posts on beards over the coming weeks and months, but today I'll start off with two cracking products from Modern Day Duke - Luxurious Beard Wash and Superior Beard Tonic.

So, who are Modern Day Duke? You can read all about the company and it's ethos over at their website here:

LUXURIOUS BEARD WASH

A 200ml bottle of the luxurious beard wash will set you back £16.95, which compares favourably with other beard washes on the market. There are a number of things that I genuinely like about this beard wash - it smells lovely, it lathers up a dream, it cleans away grime and doesn't dry out my skin. 

Those four things above make this a must-have product for any beardy weirdy like me.

But saying that it smells lovely is a bit vague and really doesn't do this justice. It blends together cedarwood (a favourite base note in many an aftershave in my collection), lime and aloe vera. The cedarwood gives it an earthy masculine nose but the sharpness of the lime gives it a fresher tangy citrus waft that personally I've found a touch addictive.

Just two pumps of the beard wash, slap it onto a wet beard and you're away - it's like an explosion of lather that intensifies the fragrance two-fold. Result! 

Last but not least, my beard feels clean, smells clean and fresh while also have a softer, smoother feel. 

SUPERIOR BEARD TONIC 

Having now come down with a massive dose of OBD (Obsessive Beard Disorder) keeping it in shape and trying to avoid looking like a hobo means carefully oiling and brushing down the stray hairs. Get a crappy oil and you'll be wiping oil it off your face, hands and sometimes clothing all day. I'm happy to report that this is not one of those lemons!

While the oil itself is quite thick any fears that this would just be smeared up and down my face were quickly allayed - a couple of drops from the applicator, a quick warm up between the palms and it's ready to go. Being, well, an oil, it is smoothed onto the hair really quickly and is absorbed by the hair and skin in under a minute. Excellent.

Throw into the mix once again that lovely fragrance, this time with hints of bergamot, patchouli and grape. It's fresh, it's fruity and for some reason whenever I use this I have an urge to grab an axe and chop some wood.

Styling my beard is a doddle using this - the one day I didn't use it my lovely aunt commented "you look homeless", which says it all. 

Saving the best for last - my beard does grow quicker using the tonic - in just four months I've managed to grow a beard that would have taken at least a year. Indeed, the people I work with have commented on how fast it has grown. 

50ml of this will set you back £18 and at that price, if you have whiskers, you shouldn't be without this.  

I've been using both products on my ever-growing (and greying) beard now for a good four months. Those four months have seen my beard grow at a speed I've never known before, not a hint of beard itch or scratching and the oil leaves the longer style of beard in a position where brushing and styling is a breeze.

They (Modern Day Duke) say that with a great beard comes great responsibility. Not too sure about that, but when they attach phrases like superior and luxurious to these products I'm more than inclined to agree with the assessment. Both products are reasonably priced, I've been introduced to a brand I will be using again (when this batch runs out) and I know I'll be supporting a company that manufactures here in England. 

Summarising in one word how my beard feels after using? Majestic.

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BEARDS: Marbeian Beard & Moustache Brush Travel Kit

As my quest for something of a Viking look continues my beard game is now up to levels where daily care is required to keep both the skin underneath moisturised but also the beard itself conditioned and looking tidy. Nobody wants to look as though they slept in a bush, even if they did. It wasn't until last year that I dipped my toe into the water of beard brushes. My Kent BRD2 brush however seems to have gone and done a disappearing act while waiting for me to regain my mane. I needed a new brush (I turn into a compulsive brusher once fully bearded) - step forward the Beard & Moustache Brush Travel Kit from Marbeian. 

I picked up this set of beard grooming goodness from Amazon for just under £15, so a real steal, particularly when you consider that you get two brushes and a comb within the kit. You can pick up the kits here.

So, they are reasonably priced, but is it just tat off Amazon? Well, no. 

I'd never heard of Marbeian before, so I did a little look around to see who they were and it turns out to be a family run venture from Spain stocking a range of hairbrushes and grooming tools. Their website here gives the lowdown on the products they have to offer for all your grooming needs. Their customer promise is:

'Our promise is a happy customer who gets only superior quality products. Marbeian products don’t have to be replaced often - some ever! We offer a lifetime guarantee on many products. Style and workmanship last time making Marbeian a sustainable choice. Please consider nature and reduce waste.'

All beard brushes from Marbeian are made using boar hair bristles and the beard brush here is a real corker - the bristles have the rigidity to plough through a thick beard but they also ease out tangles and knots like a hot knife through butter. Resembling more of a boot polish brush the wooden handle makes it perfect for use in either my left or right hand. 

 

If I had to pick up one flaw with the angled bristles on my Kent BRD2 brush it was that I could only use it with my right hand making brushing the left hand side of my face awkward. With the Marbeian brush I have no such problems. 

The smaller brush is also a star in it's own right - it makes 'tache shaping so much easier and means you don't have to get your hands messy with beard oil or balm when moulding into shape for the day.

Last up is the wooden 'tache comb - excellent at de-tangling the old tea strainer prior to trimming. 

All of the items in the kit are really well made, and with the cotton carry bag these are perfect for slotting into my travel bag when I'm off out and about around the country with work. I've had these brushes for just under six months and I get the feeling that as long as I don't leave them in a hotel somewhere they will still be working their boar bristle magic on my bearded face in many years to come.

When you look at the price and look at the goods it's a no-brainer to have this kit in your grooming arsenal.

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BEARDS: Beard Baubles

Having a beard has a number of positives, during the cold weather it acts like a natural scarf keeping my face and neck toasty warm, but it also (I think) adds a bit of character to what is a pretty plain face. I'd seen some posts online of glitter beards (it's a no from me) but with the festive season approaching I thought to myself "what can I do to spice up my facial foliage?" Beard baubles people, beard baubles! 

I'll confess that I asked the missus to source some for me and as soon as she had confirmed some were on their way my mind turned to how you actually got them to stay attached to the beard and be safe enough that some random couldn't walk past and rip them and half of my face off.

Costing £4.99 HERE for nine small baubles I personally think these are a great novelty item. They feel well made and my curiosity as to how they are attached was sorted - they come with little clips - not only does this make them a piece of p**s to stick in, a gentle tug and out them come (without the beard coming with them). Result.

So......what do they look like in?

My Christmas present to my detractors - me looking like a right knobhead.

All in all these are a great, cheap little novelty item for that bearded bloke in your life - jazz up the Christmas pictures, create a talking point at your works Christmas party or perfect as a secret Santa for the beardy bloke in the office - these'll do the trick. 

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BEARDS: OSMO Beard Complex

What do you call a beauty blogger with Osmo Beard Complex? Clean Shaven......bad dum tsh

Poor jokes aside, shortly after agreeing to try out loads of beard products I had an accident trimming my beard and the whole thing had to come off! That left me with a huge box full of products designed for the bearded bloke with not a hint of a whisker in sight. Fear not though, it's been fun seeing what works well, and at what stage of growing in the months I've been working on my beard strength.

This is what they say about Beard Complex over at the Osmo website here:

'An intense gentleman's conditioning oil designed to restore wayward beards, skin and hair to their manly prime. Infused with Argan Oil and rich in vitamins A & E.'

If you want to pick up a 100ml bottle of Beard Complex you can do for just £16.02 (weird price) here.

Application is a well, how can I put this - fiddly. This comes with a pipette rather than just allowing you to pour it out. While this should mean that you can get the right amount of oil out to the precise drop, the oil itself is much thicker than you would expect, which means squeezing the top of the pipette doesn't actually release it all and I find that I end up smearing it onto my palm. It was a messy process for a good few days until I mastered it.

The thickness doesn't detract from the ability of the oil to be absorbed - I'd expected this to sit on top of the hair, rubbing off onto my hairs as I stroked my beard throughout the day. I was wrong. Despite my beard receiving lots of loving care over the last few months I found that the oil was absorbed in just seconds with just a touch of slickness that allowed me to brush down the hair and style it from unkempt to groomed.

After just a few days of using the softness of my beard was more evident, and first thing in the morning the other half agrees that my beard feels and looks soft and smooth. Result.

Taking the applying bit to one side, I found this to be a cracking little product - at under £20 for a 100 ml and considering how little is needed this represents excellent value for money. I haven't tried it on my dry skin or hair, but when it comes to beard grooming this does have a really good softening effect on my beard, and when using it a night I no longer awaken with that dry, scratchy feeling. Cumulatively, after a week of using this at night my beard did feel more conditioned to the touch, smoother and the ends were less prickly. 

Now, as I first wrote this post I looked over at the product claims on the Osmo website - it claims that this product can help bring back colours that have faded in tattoos. Now I have one or two, and decided to try this out over a couple of days prior to posting to see what happened. I rubbed a tiny amount over my half sleeve and almost immediately the tattoo seemed darker. I put this down to the moisture from the oil, but after an hour it had dried, and yes, it was still a richer, darker grey. After showering and drying again it remained more vibrant in colour than before. After three days it has probably restored 60 per cent of the previous colour - much easier, cheaper and less painful than a re-colour from the ink artist.

Good stuff that won't break the bank. As for me, my current beard strength levels? Not country strong, internationally strong

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GROOMING: 5 tips to selecting the best beard trimmer

Anyone who has seen my face recently will know that I have a nice little beard coming along – it’s finally getting to the length though, particularly on the sides where it needs to be tapered down so that most of the hair is on and around my jaw line. I could attempt to do this using a pair of scissors and a comb but given my lack of dexterity the chances of me cocking it up stand at about 99.99%. With that in mind, a beard trimmer is a must and as my creaking Braun trimmer came to the end of it’s life I had to go out and buy another. With this in mind I thought I’d share some tips on choosing the right beard trimmer for you.

First things first, research, research, research. Without this you could end up with a right lemon or worse, cripple your bank account and end up with a lemon.

My first port of call was the Beardoholic website and it was a great place to start.  

A good trimmer is a must have for those who can cultivate facial foliage. My main concerns/need were price, it had to be a brand I trusted, it had to have a charge level indicator and varying trimming speeds.

First, consider these questions when choosing a beard trimmer:

Should the trimmer have a cord?

What features do you want the trimmer to have?

Consider the battery power. How long does the battery last before you need to recharge? What is the battery’s lifespan?

Quality of the trimmer’s blades. The better the blade, the better cut. How well do the blades cut stray hairs?

Is the trimmer comfortable to hold?

Is the trimmer easy to use?

Is the price, right?

If you like having a beard, ensure your beard is well-kept - always. There is a difference between a messy beard on your face and a clean, well-kept one. You need to keep your beard tidy. This requires care. A barber can help you, but if you are trimming once a week it soon adds up and becomes unsustainable.

An electric beard trimmer is a convenient and easy device to use. A quality beard trimmer will cut unsightly beard hairs. You should never use hair trimmers as beard trimmers. Keep the two types of trimmers for their specific uses. Beard trimmers use custom blades. These razors come with an extra guard to trim beard hair to create clean cuts.

The distance between the trimmer blades determine beard hair length. Beard trimmers have higher precision. It can cut hard to reach places like above the lips or chin.

Make a rational decision when choosing a razor. Choose a trimmer based on practicality. A rechargeable clipper for efficiency sake. Similarly, buy a trimmer that allows guards or has an adjustable trimmer head. This will give a degree of versatility.

Get a clipper with detachable cutting heads so you can clean your blades easily.

GQ offers some advice too:

Ask your barber for guidance - If you're on good terms with your local barber, consider hitting him or her up for a technique tutorial on how best to use your new kit at home. Learn from their mistakes and you would be surprised how many barbers are happy to provide practical advice and assistance if you just ask.

Pay Extra for a Trimmer If Needed - It's worth paying extra for a trimmer with an additional specialized mini blade for fine detail work around the moustache and under the lips. Personally I must have a trimmer that cuts the hair away from around my upper lip.

Finally, an honorable mention for blade maintenance! Some trimmers do not require much maintenance. Others do. Some require only a switching of the guards; other more complex adjustments. You might need to apply oil to the blades after several uses. You must consider all of these issues when choosing a razor.

Keep an eye out for the review of my new beard trimmer, coming soon! 

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BEARDS: A beard-tastic giveaway

In what appears to be a stunning piece of Internet ordering or just down right ineptitude on my part I've received another Beard Mate - Beard Shaping Tool in the post. As I already have one, what better time to let a reader have a crack at winning the spare. Now this on its  own isn't going to set the world on fire, so to sweeten the deal and given that I loved my experience with the Menrock 'Awakening' For My Beardy Beloved box set I've bought one to give away. Whoop.....

So, up for grabs is:

A beard shaping tool & For My Beardy Beloved Box Set which includes:

• Sicilian Lime & Caffeine Beard Soap
• Sicilian Lime & Caffeine Beard Balm
• Sicilian Lime & Caffeine Moustache Wax
• A beard comb

You can read all about my thoughts on this nifty little device here. 

You can see what I thought to the 'awakening' beard soap which comes in this kit here.

This giveaway will be open for 28 days and I'll post it to wherever in the world the winner lives. So, what's stopping you having a crack at winning?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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BEARDS: The Beard Mate - Shaping Tool

Did you know that the average bloke has about 615 hairs per square centimetre, which can equate to around 25,000 hairs on the entire face. That's a lot of hairs to keep under control and when you throw into the mix that the average bloke will see his beard grow up to six inches every year it's obvious that grooming is essential if you want to avoid looking completely unkempt. I'm on month four of beard growing and after having my flowing facial foliage trimmed and shaped by the fantastic folk at Ted's Grooming Room on Charlotte Street a couple of weeks ago it's now time for me to have a crack at keeping my beard trimmed and shaped. Trying to shape free hand would be foolhardy, my hands shake far too much, so, to encourage me to keep the beard the missus bought me The Beard Mate Beard Shaping Tool from Amazon for £9.95.

The shaping tool is plastic, feels sturdy in the hand and is easy to keep hold of even with wet hands. The whole point of the shaping tool is that you place it to your face and then with a razor you follow the lines to obtain an even and symmetrical shave.

Being able to see where my beard had been shaped previously made the job a lot faster as I didn't have to decide where to start but I was more impressed with the ease with which razor swept around the template and left the beard on point.

My shaping efforts for the last twenty years has in 95% of cases resulted in me having to completely shave off my growth as I couldn't get the beard to look straight around my neck or even on my cheekbones. With The Beard Mate I've used it twice now and it's been great each time. 

If you want a fairly cheap way of grooming your growth without any hassle then you should really take a peek at this. I think I'd be lost without this now and look forward to many more months of using it before I finally opt for a good old full clean shave. At under £10, this should be a staple in the grooming kit of any bearded bloke who struggles to shape their facial foliage.

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GROOMING: Ted's Grooming Room - Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia

A casual look at the homepage of this here blog and you’ll see that there has been a bit of a beard obsession for the last month or so. Yes, the beard is now so grizzly and I’m so scared of cocking up the shaping of it that I asked the good folk at Ted’s Grooming Room if they would like to have a crack at my beard so that on-going maintenance would be easier for me. They of course jumped at the chance and so yesterday I ventured around the corner from my office and slipped into the barbers chair at Ted’s Grooming Room – Charlotte Street.

Usually when I venture into one of the Grooming Rooms I opt for The Full Ted, which comprises of a wash and cut, shave and eyebrow threading. With limited time, and a half-arsed attempt to grow my hair out again I opted for a beard trim and shape on my visit during lunch on Friday. This would set you back £22.50 and takes around thirty minutes. 

Drum roll please as the pictures speak much louder than any words that I could type!

Looking a state so you don’t have to!

So, this is what I looked like the morning of my visit:

 Well hello there!

The final result? Bearded awesomeness.

So, a quick compare and contrast and it’s obvious to even Stevie Wonder that Eren my nimble fingered barber performed a minor miracle. My beard is shaped and trimmed to perfection, it feels better, it looks better and it's now in a place where I can use my own trusty beard shaping tool and a razor to keep it under control.

As an aside, how cool is the lighting?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again about Ted’s Grooming Rooms – they offer a wide variety of treatments, they treat you like a king and their skilled barbers really do provide an exceptional standard of service. They know their craft and they attain perfection every time in my view. Throw in the Turkish massage and it's always an experience worth having.

Bravo, and thank you.

Ted's Grooming Room
20 Charlotte Street
Fitzrovia
W1T 2NA

Tel: 020 3 397 9966

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

You can read about previous visits to Ted’s Grooming Rooms and see the before and after shots to get a feel for the incredible work they do below:

St Paul’s

The Strand

Holborn

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