Beard + Balance with Lawrence Thompson

What inspired you to create beard + balance?
Autonomy played a huge role in my decision to become an entrepreneur.  The ability to have control over the course of my life was a strong motivating piece of the equation.  The 2nd part of the equation was understanding that no existing company does everything right, in which we felt we could provide additional value within the men’s skin care market.  We wanted to provide high quality products for the modern man, but also provide educational content along the way, which is missing in the market.  Regardless of what profession you are in, beards are making a comeback in a major way.  Now more than ever, men are extremely comfortable with growing and rocking their beards, which has a lot to do with the recent pandemic.  In the midst of it all, beard + balance jumped on the scene and we are here to shake things up.

Tell us about your products.
We provide handcrafted beard card products made with organic essential oils and all natural ingredients. Our ingredients are proven to improve the appearance and quality of the beard while keeping it hydrated and moisturized throughout the day.

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Tell us about your process in creating the scents.
Creating our unique scents is one of the most enjoyable parts of the business, but also one of the toughest and most time consuming.  It really is an art and science which takes skill and knowledge, but also trial and error.

Step 1
First, we determine what kind of vibe we are looking to accomplish with the scent.  The vibe can range from relaxing, calm, bold, spicy and full-bodied.  The vibe we are looking to obtain will then let us know what kind of essential oils will be needed to create that specific scent.  Essential oils have (8) different aroma families: floral, spicy, citrus, herbaceous, earthy, minty, camphoraceous and woody. 

Step 2
We then complete an organoleptic test by placing one drop of each essential oil on separate testing strips and then slowly draw the strips to our nose and let our imagination run wild.  You really want to envision how the scent makes you feel and what personality it has, while also being cognizant of how you feel physically and emotionally.

Step 3
Next we then have to determine what essential oil combination will make the specific vibe we are looking to accomplish. Typically it will be a combination of at least 4 essential oils. 

Step 4
Once we determine what essential oils are needed is when the real fun begins.  It’s all about trial and error, in which we blend the essential oils selected to determine the perfect combination.  You really have to play around with the ratios of the number of drops of each essential oil and determine the aroma strength you are looking to accomplish.  We either include the combination of essential oils on a strip, diffuser or room spray and see which combination provides the perfect scent.

What kind of comments/feedback have you gotten from clients?
After placing the order customers mentioned that they enjoyed the ease of navigating the website and being able to select from different scents.  Customers especially liked that we offer FREE SHIPPING on all orders. We’ve been fortunate enough to receive nothing but positive feedback on our products. Customers are sharing that their beards feel soft, nourished and look hydrated. The overwhelmingly consistent reaction has been that the beard oils just smell so good! 

Beards have become more trendy with an increasing demand for grooming products.  What makes your product so unique?
With so many beard care products to choose from it can be confusing and frustrating selecting the best product for your daily beard routine.  We wanted to make this process easier by creating products that are fast absorbing, nourishing, non-greasy and affordable.  Most beard oil products in the market contain 1-2 carrier oils, we decided to include (6) in our products which definitely makes us stand apart from the competition.  Each one of the carrier oils we carefully selected provides a specific benefit to the beard.  Jojoba oil will aid in hydrating and retaining the moisture of the beard, which are vital to hair growth.  Grapeseed oil is effective in strengthening hair and fighting against hair loss.  Apricot Kernel oil aids in improving the appearance of facial hair and providing a healthy shine.  Hempseed oil is extremely nourishing to the beard and skin and is a natural hair conditioner.  Vitamin E oil helps reduce beard dryness and helps the beard oil maintain its quality.  Baobab oil is antioxidant loaded, which helps heal damaged hair follicles.  Lastly, we would be remiss not to mention the  vast array of unique scent options we have available.  We wanted to give our clients the ability to change up the beard oil scent depending on their mood that day.  This is the reason we currently have (5) beard oil scents to choose from: lemon drop + burnt sage, leaves + lavender, herbs + spices, toasted vanilla + pepperwood and black mint + eucalyptus.  Most of our competitors just offer 1-2 beard oil scent options.

What are the options to purchase your product?
We are currently an e-commerce business, in which people can go to our website (www.beard-balance.com) or follow us and shop on our Instagram & Facebook pages (@beard.balance).  beard + balance has developed (5) beard oil scents and (1) unscented beard balm to choose from.  All products are available online for $22.50, which includes free shipping and a free beard oil sample with every order.  Use promo code: “firsttime” for 15% off your 1st order.

What else can people look forward to experience when becoming a client?
Most men don’t believe they need to use any beard care products or just aren’t aware of the key benefits proper beard care can provide to their facial hair and skin.  Male skin is at our focus and we are dedicated to providing educational content along the way on proper beard and skin care techniques.  We incorporated a Tips + Tricks section on our website just for that reason and are looking forward to continuing to expand that content, because we truly see it as a value-add and differentiator.  We strive every day to be a company that our clients can come to answer their questions, provide solutions to their problems and share our experiences along the way.  That is the experience our clients can expect to receive throughout their journey with beard + balance.

How can we follow you?
www.beard-balance.com
IG: @beard.balance
Facebook: beard.balance