While picking out one of the best beard trimmers is a good start, it's certainly not all you need to do for a healthy chin of hair. A good maintenance routine can make all the difference, ensuring you always look and feel your best.
To that end, Harry's has just unveiled its latest array of products designed to keep your facial hair feeling soft and supple. The brand has exploded onto the scene in recent years, starting with a direct-to-consumer model and expanding into traditional retail stores.
Now, the brand has a new beard and face wash, as well as a beard conditioning spray. Those are described by the brand as "two must haves for every bearded gentleman." I've been testing the new range, to get an understanding of what's on offer.
Harry's Beard and Face Wash
Let's kick off with the beard and face wash. That's designed to be used every other day, and is designed to be used – as the name may have suggested – on both your hair and your skin.
There's a gentle scent at play here, though it's relatively subtle. Hints of citrussy notes are overshadowed by a wholly soapy palette. It's refreshing, and neatly neutral.
In use, it's a really nice product. It can be a little abrasive on the skin – it's definitely worth testing on a small area before you lather your entire face in it – but the results are pleasing. My skin was left feeling renewed, while my facial hair was soft and refreshed.
Harry's Beard Conditioning Spray
If the beard and face wash was a good undercard, the beard conditioning spray is a crowd-drawing main event. Designed to leave your beard feeling light, fresh and nourished, it promises to soften those bristles with a neat scent.
I'll start off by saying the fragrance here is a little less neutral. Following a similar overall profile to beard and face wash – lots of citrussy notes – there's something here which is ever so slightly off-putting. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's some kind of herb, like the sort of thing you'd find burning in a seaside gift shop which sells crystals.
Still, I can forgive the scent because it performs so well. A few spritzes each morning is enough to give you a really soft, light and fluffy beard. That lasts for a few hours, though there's nothing to stop you having a quick top up midday for all-day softness.
What's more, over the week or so that I've been testing this, it seems to have had a lasting effect. While the bottle makes no suggestion of such a feature, the balm appears to be leaving my face fuzz softer between uses. Perhaps it's just a placebo, but it's a welcome one, regardless.
Overall, I've been seriously impressed with these two products. Priced at just £8 (approx. $10 / AU$15) for the beard and face wash and £10 (approx. $13 / AU$19) for the beard conditioning spray, these are relatively affordable options.
The results really do speak for themselves, and I must say I'm sold on them. Sure, the scent of the spray wouldn't have been my first pick, but I'll live with it because I've never found another product which can achieve these results.