Refinery Beard and Shave Oil review
Refinery started life as a barber shop in the heart of Mayfair, London, and now have a very successful range of men’s skincare products. I’ve picked their beard and shave oil and put it to the test.
Supporting the skin during and after shaving, the Refinery shave oil absorbs into the skin and helps ensure a close shave. Infusing the skin with vitamins and anti-oxidants it keeps the skin healthy, hydrating it with jojoba, rosehip and borage oils for a soft and smooth finish. It further supports the skin with anti-bacterial petitgrain, patchouli and geranium oils. My previous beard care product review failed to impress; is this any better?
I would consider Refinery products to be high-end, luxury product and they have a price to match. Shopping around, you can find this beard oil online for around £25-30. You get 30ml for your hard-earned cash and it comes packaged in a rather stylish glass bottle inside a box. I’m a big fan of their branding – less is often more – and their brand is bold, just like the product.
First thing you’ll notice is the aroma. It smells divine and I can easily pick out rosehip and patchouli fragrances which goes to reinforce that is does contain these ingredients, among many others.
It’s a multi-purpose product, Refinery say the oil is the perfect solution for every day beard and skin wellbeing. Anti-bacterial essential oils protect the skin when shaving and keep the beard clean and healthy, borage and jojoba oil condition the skin and hair. Rosehip seed oil and patchouli promote elasticity and help strengthen dry and damaged skin or beard hair. All bold claims from such a small bottle; how does it perform?
I have a moderate length beard, certainly long enough to test a product like this. After vigorously shaking the bottle to get some product into the palm of my hand and applying to my beard I felt an almost immediate improvement to its look and feel. A few drops was all it took to give good coverage showing that this will last a long time, even with daily use. It made my beard feel softer and easier to style. It also made it look more defined in a way, another plus.
The instructions say you can use it to shave too, as per the name. I haven’t tried this so can’t comment on it’s effectiveness there. They also say it can be used as a post-shave treatment by massaging a few drops over the face. I don’t know how many people would suit an oil as a moisturiser and it’s also not something I’ve tried.
So, what’s the verdict? I’m a fan. Premium price aside, this is a very accomplished luxury product that ticks all the boxes. It will last a long time and it works. While I wouldn’t use it post-shave, the areas of my face it did touch weren’t left greasy, it softened my beard all day long and it smells so so good. Big thumbs up from TGH on this one – keep up the good work!
