Over the past few years, there's been a palpable explosion of facial hair across the world, going so far as to inspire the report, "Negative Frequency Dependent Variation in Male Facial Hair." That report, which appeared in the journal,
Biology Letters, in April 2014, was produced by researcher at Australia's University of New South Wales. It looked at whether we've reached "peak beard" the moment when beards become less attractive because of their ubiquity in society.
Eric Lough, founder of
Famous Beard Co., doesn't think that's happened. Recently he launched a line of boutique, handcrafted beard oils to help condition beards to make them easier to manage and look and feel healthier. The catalog includes eight scents as well as Silky Leg Oil for women.
"Beard oil has been around for many years, but many more men are adding this wonderful grooming tool to their daily use," Lough says. "I believe that the demand for beard oil is higher now than it was a few years ago. Beards have become very popular among the men of Denver as well as other cities."
"Famous Beard Oils are meant to hydrate and soften the beard, mustache or goatee by bringing back the natural oils that are depleted after washing the face," Lough says. The oils are primarily intended as a beard conditioner, he adds, but "they can be used for pre-shaves or aftershaves as well or just an all-around skin moisturizer. They also absorb into the skin quickly without feeling greasy. I've had male and female customers buy my beard oils for many uses, not just for facial hair."
The beard oil is currently available at LoHi's Sol Shine and online. "I've only been up and running for about four months and things are moving very quickly," Lough says. He's moving into the U.K. market and looking at a number of other retail accounts. Lough plans to table at farmer's markets in Denver starting with the Horseshoe Market on May 9.
Contact Confluence Denver Innovation & Jobs News Editor Chris Meehan with tips and leads for future stories at chris@confluence-denver.com.
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