Not so long ago the stereotypical average man would have been somewhat suspicious of terms such as men’s grooming and personal care.
Generations before us, we’re told, prided themselves on a personal musk comprised of sweat, dirt and grit. Who needed hair wax or beard oil, when one’s follicles were already full of real grease, from working with machines all day long?
But things have changed. The male grooming and personal care industry is booming. And we’re not just talking about the gunky hair gel made from who-knows-what beloved by teenage boys, or highly-chemicalised deodorant sprays that fumigate the locker room and leave your fellow gym-goers coughing and gasping for air.
No, we’re now into the era of natural men’s grooming & personal care products, made from natural and organic ingredients. Ones that won’t give us rashes, or dry our skin so much that we need to buy yet more products to reverse the damage.
Twenty-first century men like to look and feel good. Whether that be healthy-looking skin, well-groomed beards, or bad-ass hair. And increasingly, we care about how the products we use are made, and where they come from.
We all know that great feeling of walking out of the bathroom after a shower, feeling fresh, like a million dollars. And this article is here to help you experience that more often, as we break down our guide to the best sustainable and natural men’s grooming & personal care products around.
What are sustainable and natural men’s grooming & personal care products and why do we need them?
You may be wondering why you need to use natural products when they’re both more expensive and more difficult to find.
To put it simply, there’s an incredible amount of chemistry in today’s grooming and personal care marketplace. In a marketing-intensive industry it can be hard to break through the noise and find actual high quality products that will do your body good.
Instead, the reality is that many of the most famous products on our supermarket shelves are made with copious amounts of strongly condensed chemicals. And while, yes, they do the job of ‘washing’ and therefore leaving you feeling cleaner after using them, they’re also so strong that they strip important and beneficial oils from the outer layers of your beard, hair or skin.
And that’s where the magic of sustainable and natural products comes in to play.
Natural products are formed from different combinations of natural ingredients that do NOT include synthetic chemicals. They’re still created by chemists who study the reactions between each of the ingredients, but instead of excessive processing, they mix extractions of different herbs and oils for a more natural final product.
So why natural products?
Many guys wash their hair with a 3-in-one and it seems to work just fine, right?
If you’re concerned about your body’s health, as well as the environment that later has to deal with the chemicals you’re washing down your drain, there are many benefits to using higher quality, natural products. Especially if you have long hair, a beard, or sensitive skin.
Here are a few good reasons why you should use sustainable and natural products instead of the first thing from the drug store:
- They’re safer: Designed to do as much cleansing as possible without stripping any of the natural protective oils on the skin and hair.
- They’re packed with nutrients that help nurture and grow better hair and healthier skin.
- There are NO side effects like itchy scalp or dandruff in your hair, or acne on the skin.
- They’re better for the environment, not harming any animals in the making, or in the subsequent disposal.
What are the best sustainable and natural Men’s Grooming & Personal Care products and brands?
Now that we know the benefits of using natural products and why they’re so much better for you and the environment, let’s take a look at the best around:
#1 No Gunk (Just Funk)
No Gunk is a fresh new hair product brand that specialises in pure, 100% natural hair products that look even funkier than the ones you’d find in usual stores.
On a mission to redefine the grooming & style industry, their products are completely free from harsh chemicals and residue.
They provide a range of hair styling products for however you style your hair, including clay, wax, shampoo, argan oil, and even combs.
They also offer student discounts.
Visit: nogunk.com
#2 Bald Ape Parlour
The Bald Ape Parlour is a body shaving cream company.
They sell only three products, giving them the focus to create the best on the market, comprising natural ingredients and using minimal packaging in order to keep things easy for both you and mother nature.
The three products are a hair removal cream, which you put on, and after a few minutes just brush the hair off and wash the cream away, turning you into, well, a bald ape.
The next product is the ‘Helping Hand’, which helps you both reach your back when applying the cream, and also features a special sponge that helps in removing stubborn hairs.
Third up is a Loofah that helps your skin feel smooth after the procedure.
Bald Ape parlour pride themselves on being incredibly eco-friendly and save you the need to spend hours shaving every little spot, only to find that you have still missed some hairs.
If you’re into the clean look, check them out at → baldapeparlour.com
#3 The Bluebeards Revenge
The Bluebeards Revenge specialises in beard hair and skincare products, including shaving creams, razor blades, post-shave products, sea salt spray, moisturisers, face scrubs, and more.
They’re a great company with a friendly vibe that’s easy to get behind and even though they first started out because of a bet on a drunk night out in 2009, they have now sold millions of products in over 100 countries.
All their products are 100% natural and vegan friendly, and they’re affiliated with a number of charity programs so a percentage of everything you buy goes to mental health, cancer prevention, and other causes that the world needs right now.
The Bluebeards Revenge basically have everything you may need in your grooming routine, so be sure to check them out at → bluebeards-revenge.co.uk
#4 Neal’s Yard Remedies
Long-established Neal’s Yard Remedies have everything you need for a complete self-care ritual.
They literally have everything from skincare products to bath products, aromatherapy, deodorants and much more besides, for men, women and children, so there’s less of a focus on beards and back hair, but they’ve long been lauded as leaders in the natural products space.
Medically proven and rich in many kinds of natural ingredients, our personal favourites are the ‘For Men’ range and the Lemon and Coriander deodorant.
Take your time to browse their full collection at nealsyardremedies.com/
#5 The Body Shop
The Body Shop is another long-established company that makes all kinds of different products, covering the full spectrum of face, skin, body and fragrances.
Also with several ranges formulated specifically for men – Activist, Maca Root, Kistna and White Musk – as well as fully vegan collections, one of the things they’re most famous for is their signature body butter. This is a special butter that nourishes dry skin and makes it so moisturised and vibrant that you’ll look and feel like a celebrity.
Browse for yourself at → thebodyshop.com
#6 Russell’s Shave Club
As you’ve probably guessed by the name Russell’s is a brand that offers various shaving tools, creams, and solutions.
They have everything hair-related but mostly focus on shaving and beard maintenance. Russell’s also offer various subscription packages to help save those precious pennies.
Also, you can’t deny class when you see it and they have exactly that. Take a look at their products and see what we mean → russellsshaveclub.com/
#7 WiDEYE
The last recommendation we have for you in terms of sustainable and natural men’s natural grooming products is WiDEYE – another brand that carry the full gambit of products for hair, skin, health, and everything else you might need in your grooming routine.
What’s great about WiDEYE is that their website is well divided into specific categories so it’s incredibly easy to find what you need. → wideye.co.uk
What are the best online stores to buy sustainable and natural Men’s Grooming & Personal Care products?
We’ve shown you our choice of the best natural, eco-friendly and health-friendly men’s grooming products – all of which you can buy direct from. But if you’d like to shop around, and mix and match products from these, or other brands, this list of online stockists of sustainable and natural products will allow you to do just that.
#1 Planet Organic
A 100% natural product-based store that includes not only skin and hair products, but also many healthy and organic foods. As we know, no grooming product can make up for a bad diet – so cover all your wellbeing needs in one shop. planetorganic.com
#2 Rainbow Life
Rainbow life offers various candles for aromatherapy, essential oils, and different organic products for your body, and also for your workspace. They’re full of interesting ideas you might not have thought of so it’s interesting to browse for inspiration. rainbowlife.co.uk
#3 Green People
Green People is an online store that offers basically anything you might think of when considering wellbeing.
From hair and skin products to sunscreens for different parts of the body. They’re an all-gender store but they have a section specifically for men’s grooming so it’s easy to find what you’re looking for. greenpeople.co.uk
#4 The Healthy Living Store
Us men like it when things are straight to the point. And this is a lifestyle store that has four sections: “Eat, Move, Mind, and Sleep”.
As you might expect, each section has products to enhance these different areas of your life, including various foods, yoga mats, bathing products, workout equipment, sleeping oils, and more. thehealthylivingstore.co
#5 The Natural Collection
Last but not least, the Natural Collection have everything from clothing to home & garden devices and accessories. But you’re here for sustainable grooming products and they also have plenty of those too. naturalcollection.com
Additional resources
And that’s it, our selection of the best natural and sustainable men’s grooming products around.
If you found this helpful, you may also be interested in the following:
33 gifts for Men working on their Mental, Physical & Spiritual Health
15 places to shop for sustainable gifts (UK & Europe)
14 US based online stores to shop for sustainable gifts
The Ultimate Guide to Ethical and Sustainable Shoes
