Grave Before Shave Beard Balm Review

You know a brand is serious about its product when the brand is as unique as ‘Grave Before Shave’. These guys have managed to catch everyone’s attention and for all the right reasons.

Let me start this review of the Grave Before Shave beard balm with the creativity this company has.

GBS already has a legion of loyal followers online. Its cult status helps it ship fantastic products that are minimalistic and completely unique.

Fisticuffs LLC, the owner of the GBS brand, can afford to take a few risks and try something new, considering how willing loyal fans are to experiment.

They’ve tried their hand at making beard oils in a special bottle, beard combs, and even artistic stickers over the three years they’ve been around.

The company launched in 2013 and decided to source all the ingredients locally from shops and distributors in the Southern California area. The team then combines the ingredients by hand in a local factory and the finished product is shipped out all over the country.

The company focuses a lot on the packaging.

There’s a lot of artwork, all of which is done by Charlie Halstead (a.k.a Lunchbarf). His signature style is apparent on everything the company sells, from beard oils to t-shirts.

It’s also all over the company’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram streams, where they have more than 25k followers.

The deadly ghouls and gravestone illustrations are sure to catch your eye, but it’s the quality of the ingredients that’ll have you sticking around.

The GBS Beard Balm contains coconut oil, shea butter, beeswax, pure apricot oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil and a healthy dose of vitamin E. Besides the various essential oils you’d expect from such a product, the GBS Beard Balm also contains two ingredients that caught my attention – tea tree oil and aloe vera.

The tea tree oil is notable because that’s what the balm smells like.

I like the pleasant smell of tea tree, but I’m sure there’re some beardsmen who prefer a completely fragrance-free beard product.

I can’t deny the scent is strong and lasts for hours, so if tea tree isn’t your thing, you should probably give this a miss.

The other interesting ingredient here is aloe vera. I have an aloe vera plant at home and I learnt from my mother how to extract the gel and use it as a homemade remedy.

I consider this wonder gel for hair and skin. It’s helpful against dandruff, hair loss, and oily skin. It’s got a remarkable effect on beard itch and dryness. I can understand why the guys at GBS decided to include it in the beard balm. Clever move.

The Grave Before Shave beard balm comes in two sizes – 2-ounces and 4-ounces, with the 4 oz being a great deal. Compared to other beard balms the Grave Before Shave is priced almost similarly, but the quality of the product more than makes up for it.

A tiny 2-ounce tin can last much longer than generic beard balm, mainly because you need to use less balm every time you use it. A small amount goes a long way.

Performance

I’ve used three great beard oils from the Grave Before Shave and I can really tell that they put a lot of love in what they’re producing. This beard balm was no different.

I tried it out myself and the first thing that struck me was the refreshing and distinctive scent that erupts the minute you open the tin.

As I mentioned before, I like my beard oils and balms to smell great. It goes a long way towards improving my mood and the overall experience of grooming yourself.

The smell isn’t particularly strong after you leave it in for a few hours, but I can see why someone who hates natural scents would be bothered by it.

Anyway, I scratched out a little beard balm, which felt like chapstick.

The texture is pretty common for beard balms. I read the instructions and I was sure a little pea-sized bit of balm was enough for my medium-sized beard. Turns out even that was little much.

I rubbed it together between my palms and worked it through my beard hair with my fingers. But when I noticed the beard looked a little greasy, I had to use a beard brush to even it out.

Instantly my beard felt a lot softer. The unruly hair was all easily tamed and combed down. It really does a great job of making your beard feel soft and nicely conditioned.

I love the way that combination of coconut oil and aloe vera feels against my skin.

Usually, my beard is itchy, especially if it’s hot outside and I’ve been sweating. But this balm had a pleasant cooling effect that made the itch go away.

After a few hours, my beard stopped looking overly shiny and settled into a more natural, healthy look. The fragrance was all but gone in about an hour and the style remained in place for most of the evening.

I would say if you used a tiny amount of the beard balm, expect the gloss to last half an hour, scent to last one hour and the style to last half a day.

Parting Thoughts

The Grave Before Shave is surely among the top beard balms you can use at the moment. If you’re growing a beard for some time now, you’ll highly appreciate it.

It’s difficult for a lot of guys to fork out more than 10 bucks for a 2 oz can of beard balm. I get that.

But when you consider how little of this balm you’ll need on a daily basis, I think the GBS balm is value for money.

A small amount goes a long way and the beard is nourished with all these fantastic ingredients.

Now, you’re either a fan of the graphic artwork that comes with the packaging or you’re not. Either way, the product inside is exceptionally good and worth your money.

The folks at GBS put a lot of care into the beard products and each time you rub some balm into your beard you’ll be reminded of that. Your hair will stay in place longer, look better and stay healthier than ever before.