Who better to talk about vegan men’s grooming products than a vegan man, and a gay one at that. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the wide array of products in the Vegan Cuts Men’s Grooming Box. The box had even more products than listed on the Vegan Cuts website! While not all the products were winners, some were truly outstanding.
As I don’t have a long beard, I outsourced the testing of Fanciful Fox Beard Oil to my friend Michael Harren. If you don’t know who Michael is, you are missing out. He is an incredible musician and all around awesome guy. If you are familiar with the Our Hen House podcast, he sings the theme song, which he also wrote, at the opening of every episode. Michael has a thick, full beard and was eager to try out the beard oil. He liked that it come with a medicine dropper, so you don’t end up pouring out more than you need. He worked some through his beard and was quite happy with the results. It softened his beard nicely and helped keep it tame. This is a winner for bearded men!
Sage & Arrow Coffee Scrub comes in a metal tin and try as I might, I could not open it. I worked on it for about 10 minutes. Some oily black material did leak out as I tried to open the tin, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to get it open. So I cannot tell you anything about this scrub which is really disappointing as I really wanted to try it out.
Thrive Face Wash has an amazing, spicy scent to it. It left my face feeling clean and not dried out at all. The wash works very well.
Bare Bones Body Care Deodorant was not a winner for me. The main ingredient is coconut oil and I know people swear by using coconut oil deodorants, but I felt this left my pits feeling a greasy and I had to wait to dress so that I wouldn’t get oil on my shirt. Thankfully I keep my arm pits trimmed, but for men who don’t this could get very messy. Once it dried, it did work well: I was odor free all day. However, the initial application was not something I want to do again.
nyl Foaming Castile Hand Soap produced a nice thick lather that didn’t run. The only negative about this product is the bottle itself. The white letting on a clear bottle makes it hard to read. If you didn’t know what it was, you might skip using it in favor of another, more easily identifiable hand soap.
Preserve Triple Razor System is made “with love and recycled yogurt cups.” I am all in favor of using recycled products, but this razor handle is very light. It reminded me of when I first started shaving and used my dad’s disposable razors that he would buy in a jumbo back at the pharmacy. Because of this association, I was expecting lots of nicks and a less than close shave. I was pleasantly surprised that I was wrong. I got a nice shave and no nicks. I have thick whiskers, so the real test was the subsequent shaves. The triple blades held up nicely and left my face, and other body parts, smooth and nick-free. Once you are done with the razor, unlike my dad’s old disposables, you can recycle it, which is great. This razor would be great for a travel bag, but for every day use, I still prefer my heavier razor with 5 blades. What likely helped this razor was the Ursa Major Stellar Shave Cream. I really liked this shaving cream. It is very thick and stays on in the shower. I like to put on my shaving cream before I even shampoo so that it is time to soften my beard a little. Many other shaving creams and foams will wash off before I shave, but this holds on nicely. When I paired this with my regular razor, the results were fantastic. The small tube is perfect for keeping in a travel bag or gym bag.
Speaking of Ursa Major products, the box also contained Ursa Major Fantastic Face Wash. I really loved this product. It has a light, slightly citrusy scent unlike many other face washes that are heavily scented. It neither dried out my skin nor left if feeling oily. My face felt clean and refreshed. After drying my face, I used the Ursa Major Fortifying face balm. The balm has crisp and clean smell that is very pleasant. It felt good on my face and left my skin feeling softer and toned.
Brickell Men’s Products Face Moisturizer comes in a hard plastic bottle, so it was a challenge to get out. I found the lemon scent to be overpowering. I love the smell of lemons, but this was more like lemon Pledge. If fact, it was so strong, it made my eyes tear a little. If you like a lemon scent, go for it, but for a men’s product, I found it too heavy.
I typically do not use after shave products, choosing instead to wash my face after I shave. However, I did try the Aubrey Organics Men’s Stock After Shave Balm and quite liked it. The balm soothed my skin, helped prevent razor bumps and left my skin feeling refreshed.
If you are not versed in hair styling products you might not know what the small container of Jonathan Product Green Rootine Pure Paste is for as it is not clearly labeled. Thankfully as a gay man, I am well versed in styling products, so I know “paste” means hair product. The paste has a light green color thanks to the avocado in it. The paste has a fresh, citrusy scent as opposed to many other styling products that smell either waxy or chemically. The paste worked well at holding my hair in place without feeling heavy or weighed down. This is a good product to keep in your hair styling arsenal if you have short hair. If you have longer hair, however, this paste is not for you.
Both the Verb Hydrating Shampoo & Verb Hydrating Conditioner have nice, light scents to them. The shampoo lathered up very well, unlike many other natural shampoos. It didn’t dry out my hair or leave it feeling greasy. The conditioner was thick yet didn’t leave my hair feeling weighted down. While these won’t replace my regular products, the small bottles in the Vegan Cuts Men’s Grooming Box are great to keep in a travel bag or gym bag.
Overall impression: the Vegan Cuts Men’s Grooming Box is a great variety of products and contains something in it for every man. If you are a man, get one a try them out for yourself. If you need a gift for a man, or want to introduce vegan products into a man’s grooming routine, this box is a great way to do it. After all, there is no better man, than one who doesn’t use animal products, so this box is a Win-Win: a well-groomed man who care about animal is a keeper! For me, the clear winners are the Ursa Major products. Try it our for yourself and let me know what you think.
