Mudhouse Coffee has been in Springfield since 1998. They are owned locally, and the coffee is roasted right here in Springfield. They support a number of businesses around town by creating their own unique blends – including ours. You can pick up a 1 pound bag of Mudhouse’s Just For Him Blend here at the shop or online. We drink it every day.

We started carrying ceramic shaving bowls and scuttles by Shawn Summers last year, and they always sell out fast. Shawn recently started making beautiful shaving brushes as well. Each piece is one-of-a-kind. Every time he brings in a new batch, I have to resist taking them all home myself…

Beard Oil is extremely popular at the shop. We carry 5 local brands: Mo Beards, Back Woods Barber, Brass Knuckle, Whistling Dick’s, and Bear Doyle. Each one uses different ingredients, and there’s a variety of scents from which to choose – earthy, citrus-y, woodsy, even pipe tobacco. We have sample bottles here at the shop so customers can smell and try each one before buying.

Mustache Wax is another popular item here. Stiff Upper Lip by Rock-a-Billy Rub is a brand we’ve been proud to carry for years.

We recently starting carrying mustache wax by Mo Beards and Back Woods Barber. They’ve gone over well in the short time we’ve had them, thanks to their local fan bases.

Pomade has made a comeback in a big way. Our local brands include Back Woods Barber, Rock-a-Billy Rub, and Bear Doyle.

Here at the shop you’ll also find Steampunk Hats by Clockwork Leather Co.; walking sticks and cedar jewelry boxes by Creation Carvings; knives by James River Knife Works; leather travel checkers sets; pens; coffee mugs; tobacco pipes; and even cigars. There are probably more that I’ve forgotten!

One last thing – If you are a local customer you have the option of ordering online and picking up in-store. If you are not local, we charge a flat rate of $6.60 for shipping. As always, contact us if you have questions – 417-886-8380 or sales@justforhim.com.

Disclaimer:  I do not have a beard.  I am a girl.  One is not dependent on the other, but in my case both statements are true.

Follow-up Disclaimer:  Because of my status as female, everything I say is true (unless I specifically note that it’s a lie) for a given value of “true.”  But on my honor, I’ll try not to fabricate wild tales about beard oil.

BEARD OIL:  WHAT IS ITS PURPOSE?

The hair on your face and the hair on your head need extra moisture.  Without it hair becomes brittle causing split ends and ultimately breakage.  Dryness also causes frizziness, which leads to death (lie #1) and, well, a frizzy beard.  Hard to expound on that one.

Wild Man Beard Conditioner

Why would you need to add moisture to your hair?  Every time you lather up in the shower you’re washing away your body’s natural oils.  So you can either stop washing your beard, or make sure it’s getting enough moisture.  I’m all for laughing in the face of societal norms, but I believe most of you are with me when I say: NOT WASHING YOUR BEARD IS A POOR CHOICE.

Beard oils are also great at moisturizing the skin beneath your beard, preventing itchy-face and flakes.  There are other benefits to your skin as well, which I’ll come back to later.  

WHAT’S IN IT?

Ingredient labels for beard oils will all pretty much read the same:  One or more carrier oil to act as a base, one or more essential oil to provide fragrance, and probably Vitamin E.

The carrier oils used in beard oil are all intensely moisturizing, especially for hair.  You’ll probably see hempseed oil, almond oil, jojoba, sunflower seed oil, grapeseed oil, argan, and so on.  Obviously, if you have allergies be extra vigilant.  Please don’t die for the sake of a shiny beard.

If you find one with jojoba oil as its main ingredient, expect it to be a little pricier.  The properties of jojoba mimic and blend extremely well with your natural hair and face oils, making it an ideal carrier.  But dang, it’s expensive!

In addition to the moisturizing properties of carrier oils, most of them combat clogged pores.  Unclogged pores equal strong hair follicles!  Some oils even “stimulate circulation” (in quotation marks because I have no idea how).  And yes, good circulation means faster hair growth.

Essential oils are mainly used for scent, although they can carry physically beneficial properties as well.  For instance, lavender oil can stimulate circulation and is frequently used to combat acne.

In a more abstract way, essential oils may aid you mentally.  Citrus scents are said to help with mental clarity, and might make you feel happier.  Lavender oil can make you feel relaxed.  Peppermint and Basil help dispel headaches.  You get the picture.

MO Beards

Vitamin E is very good for both your skin and hair.  However, in beard oil, it serves a grander purpose:  As a natural preservative, Vitamin E extends the shelf life of your product.  The last thing you want is a shiny new bottle of beard oil that’s rancid within a few weeks.  Luckily, Vitamin E is also found in many of the common carrier oils such as jojoba.

WILL IT MAKE MY BEARD GROW FASTER/FULLER?

This is a question I hear frequently, and the answer is, “Sort of, in an indirect way.”  Beard oil is not a hair growth agent that will grow your beard like it’s Rogaine.  That would be ridiculous.

BUT, using beard oil on a regular basis will make your skin and hair healthier.  And that will most likely make your beard grow faster, stronger, and thicker.

OTHER TIDBITS

If you’re having a hard time working the beard oil completely through your beard, consider using a brush.  A boar bristle brush in particular is recommended.  The stiff bristles easily work through thick facial hair, helping to distribute any added oil.

If you don’t want to use beard oil, you can use a brush by itself.  It will pull the natural oils from your face and hair through your beard.

Proraso of Italy

HOW TO USE IT

After you get out of the shower, dry your beard thoroughly and apply oil.  Doing this after showering ensures you’re locking in as much moisture as possible.

You don’t need to use very much – you’ll figure out what works for you, but on average most of my customers put about a dime-sized amount in the palm of their hand.  Rub it in!

Any questions?

Bowler on left, derby on right.

According to the world wide web, the only difference is where you live.  While the hat shape remains identical, the British refer to them as bowlers, and Americans call them derbies.  Typical, right?

Now to confuse matters…  We’ve always carried Scala brand derbies here at the shop.  Scala just introduced a new bowler shape, which I of course had to order out of curiosity.  Side by side, the bowler has a much lower and slightly rounder crown than the derby.  They are otherwise identical.

The fancy new bowler hat.

Why, Scala, whyyyyyy?  Because you can?  Hat companies can be so cruel.  So does anyone have thoughts on bowlers vs. derbies?  Is it all in the name, or do you think there’s a physical difference?

W.D.’s Beard Oil is made right here in Springfield, MO, the epicenter for all things awesome.  More or less.

Proraso has been making shaving products for well over half a century.  They have a very strong following, although it is a bit hard to find their products on store shelves (at least in our neck of the woods.)

While most wet shavers prefer using soaps or dense creams to create a nice lather, Proraso offers a shaving foam for those days when you just don’t have as much time.  The foam itself is nice and thick, and you really can’t beat Proraso’s fresh scents.

The tube cream is made for lathering with a brush.  Here’s a YouTube review for your enjoyment, focusing mainly on the lather.

Proraso also makes a hard soap.  Here’s a video review of that.

And finally, here’s a nice little video from Proraso!

What is it?  Shave Oil (or Pre-Shave Oil) is composed of various oils and vitamins that are beneficial to skin.  The idea behind it is simple:  You are adding a protective barrier between your skin and the blade of your razor.  The oils will also help your skin retain moisture.

Why should you use it?  It really does help, especially if you suffer from razor burn and dry skin.  For some it is a crucial step in their shave routine.

How do you use it?  Massage a few drops on your skin, where you intend to shave.  At this point it turns into a “Choose Your Own Adventure” story:  You can either proceed with shaving cream like normal, lathering it on atop the oil; or, you can use the oil as your shaving medium.  Make sense?  It depends on how thickly you wish to apply the oil, and the coarseness of your facial hair.

Oh, I almost forgot to answer the most important question!  Using Shave Oil will not turn you into Magneto (my favorite super villain.)  I’m so sorry.

Unscented Shave Oil

http://sharpologist.com/:  For reviews of brushes, razors, and soaps; how-to videos; shopping and more.

http://badgerandblade.com :  This site is huge.  Make sure to check out their ShaveWiki page, as well as the forum.

http://thecloseshave.com :  Scads of reviews to be found here, as well as a nice online shop.

http://shaving101.com : Again, lots of reviews on this site.  You’ll also find a Q & A section that would be super-helpful for newbies.

Check them out!  We’re always happy to answer your questions, too.

Let’s establish what a brush ought to do for you:  Create a really nice lather.  Generally speaking, a brush with more absorbent hair will produce a thicker, more consistent lather.  However, the nicer the brush hair, the more it will cost you.  For many men, the cheaper, stiffer brushes work well enough.

The following types of brushes are listed in order of, well, “niceness” (low to high):  synthetic, boar bristle, horse hair, pure badger, best badger, super badger, and silver tip badger.

Synthetic brushes are usually made with nylon bristles.  They provide a medium stiffness, and are much cheaper than any other type of brush.  Use a synthetic bristle brush if you have a fondness for little critters, or are allergic to said little critters.  I actually do not have any synthetic brushes in the shop right now, so I have no picture.

Col. Ichabod Conk boar bristle brush, $16.95

Boar bristle brushes are a step up from synthetic.  Boar will be slightly pricier than synthetic, but not much.  They are stiffer than badger, and won’t hold as much water.  This isn’t always a bad thing — Some men prefer using a stiffer bristle.

Col. Conk pure badger brush, $27.95

Now we are entering the land of badgers.  I hope you brought proper weaponry.

Pure badger brushes are the most common (and cheapest) variety.  Here’s why:  The hair used in pure badger brushes covers quite a bit of the badger’s body, so it’s not hard to come by.  Also, the tip of the bristle is trimmed, causing it to be a bit more prickly than higher grades of badger.

Pure badger brush, Col. Conk, $82.95

Notice how the two pure badger brushes I have pictured look nothing alike, and are priced very differently?  Pure badger bristle ranges in color from dark tan to black, and is sometimes bleached.  So don’t assume you can always identify a badger brush by looks alone.  This second brush is much more expensive because the handle is marble.

Col. Conk best badger brush, $52.95

Best badger is a step up from pure badger in price, softness, and water retention.  However, it’s not the “best,” which leads me to believe it was named thusly by a sad little badger with a badger complex.  He probably thought he was an otter.  Moving on…

Super Badger!  This badger had more psychological issues than our old buddy Best Badger.  Right.  Super badger is, unsurprisingly, even nicer than best badger.  The hairs are smaller, making them less scratchy and stiff.  Adding to the softness is the fact that super badger hairs are not trimmed, allowing the tips to taper down naturally.  You can expect to see a dark band through the middle, with a white tip.  If you have sensitive skin, you might need to use a super badger brush (or better.)  There are no super badgers in stock at the moment, so no fancy picture.  Instead, use your imagination to envision your idea of what a super badger ought to look like.

Merkur silvertip badger brush, $124.95

Ready for the nicest of the nice?  Say hello to the silver tip badger brush.  Hair for these brushes is found only in the neck area of a badger.  It is never dyed.  Each hair is sorted for softness and coloring.  Each hair, people!  That’s why you can expect to pay well over $100 for one of these.

You will not find a softer, more absorbent hair than silver tip badger.  It’s up to you whether or not it’s worth the price.

I saved the best for last:  Horse hair.  Why is horse hair the best?  Because it has a fun and exciting back story.  Before I get to the exciting part, let’s deal with the boring stuff.  Horse hair is humane because you don’t have to kill the horse to cut off a bit of its mane or tail.  But don’t rule that option out.  I don’t like horses.

As far as quality is concerned, horse hair falls between boar bristle and pure badger.  It’s fairly stiff, costs around $20-$30, and has decent water retention for a nice lather.  Good stuff.

Vie-Long horse hair, $19.95

The Tale of the Horse’s Tail of Horrors:

During WWI, troops were supplied with shaving kits. Due to some rather loosey-goosey health codes in the brush factories, quite a few horse hair brushes were sent out containing strains of Anthrax.  So imagine what happens when you lather Anthrax all over your face, and then take a blade to it.  Bad things happen.  Such as death.

As you can probably guess, the aftermath of this was heightened health standards for manufacturers, and a drastic decline in horse hair sales.  One thing I find odd, though, is that it’s still really hard to find a horse hair brush.  Are people still freaked out by it?  Is there still some lingering stigma?

Here’s another thought:  Maybe the horses were trying to kill us.

Let’s start with the first problem I have with the standard definition:  the part about fedoras being soft felt hats.  Don’t get me wrong – if you came into the shop and asked for a classic fedora, I would certainly lead you to the wide brim, soft fur felt varieties first.  But then I would make sure you saw the wool felt, leather, fake leather, straw, and cloth fedoras as well.

Then there’s the part about the crown having a lengthwise crease.  If by lengthwise, they mean the crease more or less runs from back to front, then I’m on board.  But don’t think that means fedoras must have a straight center crease.  In recent years, many pre-shaped hats sport a teardrop or diamond crown.  Styles change with the times, folks.

Fedoras can have any size brim, from ultra wide to quite small (sometimes referred to as a stingy brim.)  The brim can be worn down in the front for a classic look, or popped up all around for a modern take.  If you are going for a formal look, you should probably stick with a wider brim.  If you want to rock your fedora with a pair of jeans, grab a narrow brim.

While we’re at it, let’s discuss crown height.  Sure, there are certain guidelines you can follow – Some say the crown height should be the same as the distance from your eyes to your chin.  I say, styles change and everyone has different taste.  You’ll only wear your hat if you feel confident in it, so choose what’s good for you.

To determine what looks right on you, I recommend the highly complex and tedious act of trying on the hat in front of a mirror.  Shocking, I know.  Take Mr. Sinatra’s advice, and play around with the tilt of your fedora.  Take the feather out if you want.  It’s your damn hat, so wear it however you wish.

Tie clips (or tie bars) are simple.  These should be clipped across the tie, attaching the tie to the shirt.  There are a few guidelines you should follow:

• The clip ought to reside between the 3rd and 4th buttons down, or roughly mid-chest.  Remember that your clip is serving a purpose, here – to keep your tie from flopping around.  If the clip is too high, it is useless.
• Avoid wearing a tie clip that is wider than your tie.  For those of you who wear skinny ties, try to find a small clip.  This is purely a style issue, and no one is going to laugh in your face if you happen to don a too-wide clip.  At least, that won’t be the reason they are laughing.

To wear a tie chain, slip your tie through the middle, allowing the chain to hang in the front.  Then loop the round metal part over your shirt button.  Like tie clips, you’ll want to hook these right around mid-chest or a little lower.

One tip for buying tie chains:  Make sure the hook will loop over your button and stay there.  It’s best to buy these in person so you can try it out.  If you’re ordering online, I would suggest taking the time to read buyer reviews.

Tie pins, or tie tacks, have a long, boring history that we will not delve into here.  To use one, simply pin it where you want it, then slip that bar through a button hole.  Be very careful with the placement, because these will leave a hole.  Before you punch a hole in your fancy silk tie, try wearing it on a cheaper tie to see if you like it.

Again, these should reside mid-chest.

If you go out hunting for any of these items, you might be surprised by how hard they are to find.  Don’t expect to find many (if any at all) at your nearest department store, or even suit shops.  Do keep an eye out for them at antique malls.

Of course, I should add that we carry clips, pins, and chains here at Just For Him.  I mean, we rock.