SIXTH GEAR Beard Oil by MAN SOAP
As mentioned on my Instagram post earlier this week, I recently met up with the folks of MAN SOAP. A local family of artisans from the Ottawa/Gatineau area that make a full range of grooming essentials. I walked away from this meeting with one of their beard oils and tried it the following morning.
First off, this bottle is nicely packaged in a box listing all of the essential information. The bottle itself is that classic dark amber, but instead of sporting a drop counter you get a dispensing pump. No matter how you look at it, working with oil has the potential of being a messy proposition. Any effort towards a simple and efficient dispensing solution earns extra points in my book. The pump is such an improvement.
Quantity wise, this is a typical 30 ml bottle. Unless you are rocking a 10 inch pirate beard, this bottle is very likely to last you a couple of months of daily usage, if not more.
When it comes to bear oil there are 2 mains attributes: the quality/performance of the oil arrangement and the scent. Why are you getting a beard oil to start with? To smooth that coarse beard hair. To sooth and moisturize your dry skin and lastly to add a little aroma to the party. In the same manner that an aftershave offers that finishing touch along with a fragrance. We could say that beard oil is the aftershave of the bearded man.
Here is the ingredient list:
- Hemp seed oil
- Grape seed oil
- Pink Grapefruit oil
- Bergamot oil
Hemp seed and Grape seed oils are among my favorite top performers when it comes to beard and shaving oils. These are also oils with incredible street creds. See for yourself and click the links.
As a side note, I find it sad that hemp as a whole went in disgrace almost worldwide for an extended period of time because of its wacky-toabaky persona by the same folks who saw it fit to prohibit alcohol. The cotton lobby was more than happy to help them get rid of their competition. As a textile, hemp is considerably more durable than cotton. We now also know that hemp oil has phenomenal properties for the health of both hair and skin. Check this page out for more on that.
The Instagram slideshow of MAN SOAP’s kiosk
As for the pink grapefruit and bergamot oil, they are most likely used for their olfactory qualities. To expand on the aroma of this oil, MAN SOAP calls it SIXTH GEAR. The basis obviously has a sweet citrus character and the bergamot tones it down it gives it considerably more depth. To my nose this is an easy, friendly and pleasant arrangement. Easy because it blends in nicely with pretty much anything you are wearing. The fragrance has staying power in the range of 2 to 4 hours. This is noticeably more than most beard oils. As for the intensity, worry not – you won’t be upsetting anyone unless they are in your space and have some aversion to grapefruit. To which I might say: Get out of my beard! 🙂
At application time, I found this oil to be incredibly light and clear. It felt luxurious on my fingers. Very easy to apply and blend in to my shorter beard. Two pumps sufficed to cover my mug. Note that I rubbed the left over unto my cheeks and neck area. The oil was absorbed very fast leaving no oily residue or greasy feeling. Some 8 hours after application my face and beard still felt incredibly comfortable. No itchiness or tugging sensation in the beard area.
As presented in previous beard oil posts, we will use a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 is the top mark and these will be our very scientific rating parameters:
- Composition: This one will be based on the ingredient selection. The more natural oils are in attendance, the better the grade. The same with chemical, the less of them are invited, the better the grade.
- Aroma: This is one is completely subjective as it is based on my nose and what I think of the scent.
- Performance: Overall performance, how does the oil feel, how long does it last, does it improve the dryness of my skin and beard, etc.…
Here is the score card for SIXTH GEAR by MAN SOAP :
- Composition: 5 (At only 4 natural ingredients, this scores full points)
- Aroma: 5 (the scent is fresh and completely masks the oil, while not being too strong)
- Performance: 5 (total comfort)
To sum things up, this beard oil was a find. No matter what kind of beard you are sporting, from the Viking warrior to the day after stubble, this will open the door to a next level of comfort. Both for your beard and for your mug.
For more on beard oils, check this out: Beard oils are for every guy!