Blind Barber, the ultra-cool barbershop during-the-day / speakeasy-at-night hybrid has come out with its own line of high-end shaving and hair care products. All of the items have a smell that dudes can dig and the sleek packaging is reminiscent of an era of when shaving was more of an elaborate event and drinking alcohol was prohibited.
The Manual interviewed Jeff Laub, the brainchild behind the Blind Barber concept.
What does it take to create a line of products?
A lot of research, trial and error, patience, and unwillingness to accept anything less than great. We are perfectionists and wanted to create products that minimized the steps in achieving exceptional results. No stone was left unturned when working on the creation of the products, from the ingredients, the effects of the products to the scent and then of course the packaging that they all come in. We knew it would be important for the product to produce the desired results, have a clean scent and be cool enough to sit out on any guys’ sink or dresser.
How did you decide on what “ingredients” to use for the grooming line?
Once we decided to produce our own line, we wanted to find an interesting angle with both the ingredient list and story behind the products. It was when we were having a discussion about how interesting it would be if we could “bottle up” what we were doing with Blind Barber, meaning, what if we could successfully combine something with the bar and the barber shop product? That is when we dove in to our research and found out that there were a lot of skin and hair benefits within specific ingredients used to make certain spirits or liquors. For example, the Juniper Berry used to make Gin, is also an incredible astringent for the skin.
How did you choose the right packaging and what was the inspiration?
The packaging has a few influences. The colors of the packaging were inspired by certain gin bottles and then we wanted the lines and layout to represent a modern interpretation of old medical bottles.
When and how did the idea came about to release this line?
A few months after opening and using a bunch of different products, we realized that none were providing the results that we were looking for by themselves. I had a friend in the salon world that had gone through the process of creating a women’s line so we reached out to him and got the ball rolling.
Blind Barber Wild Water Mint Gin Shave Crème uses juniper berry (think gin), which acts as an astringent and helps relieve irritated skin. Wild mint cleans, tightens and refines pores and water mint is an antiseptic. Blind Barber Wild Water Mint Gin After Shave & Skin Moisturizer is a 2 in 1 after-shave skin moisturizer. This dual-purpose product is perfect for guys who want both an after-shave and skin moisturizer all in one.
The next sets of products are aimed to maintain the northern part of your head.
Blind Barber 60 Proof Medium Hold Styling Wax achieves a light hold and uses hops (the same hops that flavor beer), which conditions, thickens and adds body to your head of hair. If you’re looking for more control, Blind Barber 90 Proof Strong Hold Matte Finish Pomade offers a stronger hold with a matte finish. Both products are contained in minimalist, amber-colored jars and scented with a hint of Tonka bean.
The Blind Barber grooming products are available at Blind Barber locations and on blindbarber.com.
