VANITY AFRO: May 2020

This month I am excited to be featuring a top-notch black owned men’s grooming and beard company, Aaron Wallace. Trustworthy company, great product and friendly team!
If you tired of using your girlfriend or wife's product, and is looking for the best in men beard, skin and hair care, bon ben voilá, look no further!

1. Aaron Wallace is a great company name. What is the backstory behind it?

We initially launched as Shear & Shine Grooming but after getting a £100k investment decided that with the new direction, a new name was needed. We went back and forth for months trying to find a name that we felt was right. After spending countless long but fun days brainstorming with the team in various London meeting rooms, we suddenly all reached the same ‘aha’ moment.

We had to be called (by) Aaron Wallace!

Why? Aaron Wallace is not just one of the founders, he is the embodiment of the very black men we want to champion. He grew up in South London and faced many of the same issues mirrored by our customers. He came up against many of the same challenges and sought to overcome many of the same obstacles. This mission is personal not just to him, but to all of us on the team. Therefore, the brand name had to be a direct reflection of the journey: past, present and future.

2. It would be great to see Aaron Wallace in a supermarket or local pharmacy as I don't think I’ve ever seen black male grooming products in there? What are your thoughts on this?

You are absolutely right! There are not many, if any black male grooming products readily available on shop shelves and we are determined to change that. If you look at black women, who, for the most part, can walk into a local Boots or Superdrug shop and find well known black hair brands like Cantu, Shea Moisture and ORS, which is fantastic. However, this is not the case when it comes to black men. There are already limited options available to them when it comes to products that will help them take better care of their hair and skin. This is made even more challenging by accessibility; they have to search harder to find those products. Why should they not be able to walk into their local supermarket or pharmacy and be able to find products that work for their hair and skin types?

Therefore, we are actively approaching retailers to make that happen.

3. You use black seed oil and mango butter which are great natural ingredients and perfect for Afro hair. Do you ever test on animals or have alternative non-animal methods to test the safety of your products?

Absolutely not! We do not and will never test on animals. We use ethical methods to test the safety of our products and we do so in a controlled environment with formulation and lab experts who have the experience and the means to ensure we meet all the regulatory standards.

4. What are your Beard Collection's key ingredients and scent profile?

Our key ingredients are Mango Butter and Black Seed Oil. You will find this in all our products. The scent is a unique one developed specifically for our brand. This process was incredibly fun. We wanted something unique to us, something that would set our products apart and we worked with our brand ambassadors, formulation expert and the entire AW team to play around with different smells.

5. What's a good moisturiser for men and when should they apply it?

Ours! I am not just saying this with bias but because it is true. We especially sourced ingredients that are good for Afro haired men to help reduce dryness which is the leading cause of breakages. Adding to that, we made the conscious decision of using a water base for our products so that much needed hydration is reintroduced to the hair, black hair requires a lot of hydration to keep it healthy. Moisturising daily is ideal, whether you choose to do so in the morning or in the evening is entirely up to everyone. As long as you remain consistent.

6. Any tips to black men for managing hair and beard during lockdown?

Do not drop the ball on your hair and beard care. Make sure you continue to wash and condition at least 1x per week, ideally 2x per week, and make sure you moisturise daily. The barbershops may be shut but this is no excuse to stop taking care of your hair and beards. In fact, this can offer a welcome break to focus on getting your hair and beard nice and healthy. Manage your stress levels and mental well-being too, as this all impacts your hair and beards too, make sure you are eating healthy, exercising and finding ways to relax.

7. How important is it for guys to take pride in their appearance and overall presentation?

I would say especially important. Taking pride in your appearance and overall presentation also helps with confidence. When you look your best, you feel your best and all of this will radiate to the outside world. People gravitate towards those who are confident and who take good care of themselves.

9. Should a man’s approach to grooming change as he gets older?

Only slightly. In the main you will still want to ensure a consistent care routine is adopted but the manner in which you take care of your hair and beard may change as you may decide to rock a bald head for example, which requires a different approach vs. someone will a full head of hair. Grey hair tends to be dryer and tougher and as such will need even more moisture so you will want to increase the frequency with which you moisturise your hair.

10. For those who are looking for great Father’s Day gift ideas; do you have a beard grooming kit available?

Our 3-step- system is extremely popular and it makes for the perfect gift for Father’s Day, as it contains all the essentials needed for proper hair and beard care. In it you will find our Hydrating Hair & Beard Shampoo, our Mango Butter + Black Seed Conditioner and our Hair & Beard Moisturiser with Mango Butter + Blackseed Oil.

11. If you could be featured in a magazine, which one would it be and why?

We are always happy when magazines choose to feature our brand. Publications like yours are the reason why people find out about our brand. We recently got into GQ which was great as it is the pinnacle of men's style/fashion magazine. It is hard to pick one because as I said, any feature is always great.

12. What makes Aaron Wallace different from other black owned men’s grooming retailers?

Our products are natural and free from toxic ingredients. We are not just black owned; we are also dedicated to developing products specifically for black men. We are awfully specific and very intentional about our mission to help black men take better care of their hair and skin.

13. What's the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

Never give up on what you are genuinely passionate about, the rest will fall into place.