Finally, some products that Nick can review for all the lovely men in my life!
Wise Men’s Care is a Montreal indie brand that creates simple, natural men’s care products. Their ingredients are naturally sourced from varying parts of Canada, in recyclable and reusable packaging.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’m all about local and natural brands, so I figured Wise Men’s Care is the perfect product line for Nick to try out! For those of you who don’t know Nick, he has very dark, thick hair that grows very fast. He is literally the perfect guinea pig *evil smirk*
We were sent the following for review purposes:
Sample of the
Note: Although these products are PR items, we are not paid at all to review them and we our providing our honest opinion.
Birch Bark Daily Shampoo in Minimalist Pouch
475ml, $34 CAD
White Birch Bark extract is a sustainable botanical extract found in the Canadian Boreal forest and renowned for its high levels of vitamin C and antioxidants. Less foamy and artificial than most competitors, the unique array of essential oils found in this shampoo offer both aromatherapy and an exceptional cleansing experience. You will also enjoy active ingredients known to help encourage healthy and revitalized hair.
Other key ingredients include eucalyptus extract, keratin; cedarwood, clary sage, rosemary and geranium leaf essential oils.
This shampoo smells SO good! It’s a nice spicy smell that men would usually have in a cologne or body spray. The scent is noticeable when you use the shampoo but I don’t think it’s long-lasting in your hair (I followed up with a conditioner so it could be why).
At first it’s confusing as to why you get a pouch of shampoo, and it’s a tad awkward to use in the shower. But it’s actually supposed to be used to refill the reusable glass bottle that you can purchase from Wise Men’s Care as well. They have a 3.4 fl oz/100ml glass bottle that you can use while on the go, or you can just put it in one of your own reusable bottles.
The shampoo doesn’t lather much, as expected from a natural product without foaming agents. It cleansed and softened my hair nicely, although I don’t think it’s that friendly with colour-treated hair, and I personally need something that has a focus with helping my scalp (years of flying and bleaching lead to a pretty bad scalp and dry hair). Needless to say I’ll leave the rest for Nick to enjoy!
Ingredients
Eucalyptus Globulus (Eucalyptus) Leaf Extract, Aqua/Water/Eau, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Potassium Cocoate, Decyl Glucoside, Citric Acid, Betula Papyrifera (Paper Birch) Bark Extract, Salvia sclarea (Clary Sage) Oil, Cedrus Atlantica (Cedarwood Atlantica) Oil, Rosmarinus officinalis ct verbenone (Rosemary ct Verbenone) Oil, Juniperus communis L. (Juniper Leaf/Branch) Oil, Pelargonium graveolens (Geranium Leaf) Oil, Eucalyptus radiate (Narrow Leaf Eucalyptus) Oil, Keratin Amino Acids, Glycerin, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Glycol Distearate, Laureth-4, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol.
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Glacial Clay Pomade in Reusable Glass Bottle
60ml, $32 CAD
Medium to strong hold with matte finish
This pomade is made with hand-picked organic glacial marine clay from northern British Columbia, an ingredient renowned for its abundance of beneficial minerals. Great for any hair type, it features a medium yet natural hold with a matte finish and a fresh and earthy scent from north-western Canada. Unlike most styling products, the ingredients of this Glacial Clay pomade can help to promote healthy hair by moisturizing, nourishing and protecting throughout the day.
Other key ingredients include shea & cacao butter, coconut oil; sandalwood, clary sage and vetiver grass essential oils.
Upon opening this jar, the product is rather… Stiff. You have to really dig in there to scoop out some product. Once you melt it down it still looks like it’s slightly grainy, and ends up showing in your hair, so you need to take time to work it in and you can’t spread it nicely on your hands. Afterwards it applies easily and holds shape nicely, but if you have long, thick hair like Nick, you’ll have to try to dig in more than once. Also, most products wash out easily in the shower; some products like wax and this pomade require you to shampoo it out in order for your hair to feel product free. This is also another product that smells really good! It’s very fresh, a suitable scent for something “glacial.” I noticed Nick’s hair barely looked like it had product in it and it’s usually the front of his hair that is stubborn with holding shape. I thought the matte finish looked really nice and natural.
Ingredients
Kaolin, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Propanediol, PVP, Sea Stilt (Gacial Bay Marine Clay), Stearic Acid, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Glycerin, Santalum Spicatum (Sandalwood) Oil, Laurus Nobilis (Laurel Leaf) Oil, Salvia sclarea (Clary Sage) Oil, Cedrus Atlantica (Cedarwood Atlantica) Oil, Vetiveria zizanoides (Vetiver) Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol.
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Red Maple Cream Pomade
Sample: 0.169 fl oz/5ml
Strong hold light-shine finish
Red Maple Bark extract is a sustainable botanical extract from the Canadian Boreal Forest and is known for its collagen and elastin-boosting properties. Great for any hair type, this pomade offers a medium to strong hold with a light-shine finish and a woodsy, herbal scent reminiscent of the vast Canadian wilderness. Unlike most styling products, the ingredients of this Red Maple Bark cream pomade can help to promote healthy hair by moisturizing, nourishing and protecting throughout the day.
Other key ingredients include shea & cacao butter, coconut oil, birch sap, bees wax; laurel leaf, tobacco, clary sage and balsam fir essential oils.
God damn, this one also has that amazing spicy smell that I like! Nick prefers this one because the texture is a lot easier to work with than the Glacial Clay Pomade, and a lot easier to wash off your hands! Once he squeezed some product out of the sample he said it hardens really quickly, so if you have longer hair you don’t have enough time to style and put it in place. I definitely noticed Nick’s hair looked a tad shinier and like it was styled with product, but not super waxy-looking. Now that he’s home and I’m taking a second look, it doesn’t even look like there’s product in his hair.
Ingredients
Aqua/Water/Eau, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Cera Alba (Beeswax), PVP, Stearic Acid, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Glycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Acer Rubrum (Red Maple) Bark Extract, Cedrus Atlantica (Cedarwood Atlantica) Oil, Rosmarinus officinalis ct verbenone (Rosemary ct Verbenone) Oil, Salvia sclarea (Clary Sage) Oil, Vetiveria zizanoides (Vetiver) Oil, Nicotiana tabacum (Tobacco Absolute) Oil, Abies Balsamea (Balsam Fir) Oil, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Betula Alba (Silver Birch) Juice, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate.
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Final Thoughts
These Wise Men’s Care products have quite a high price point for little amount of product. It could be that a minimal amount is needed, and natural products only last so long. Nick’s hair is quite thick, so he requires more product to hold it. The cost could also be due to the glass packaging, but this is where the brands effort into recycling and re-usability of their products are noticed.
After you finish a pomade, you can just repurchase a refill at a lower cost ($24 CAD) and wash your jar in the dish washer without worry. You have to be more careful having glass products in your bathroom in general, especially since my products take up all the shelves and are prone to being knocked over. The pomade jar is definitely a standout on Nick’s side of the shelf (and in a safe place), and he’s already excited to use it for one of his own future concoctions.
In terms of health benefits for hair, Nick hasn’t used the products long enough to determine that, but we’ve noticed that the products don’t smell artificial, give him a nice natural look, have been fairly easy to wash out, and have not damaged his hair. When I hug him, I sniff him out because the scent is subtle but still lasting in his hair :3
Overall, Wise Men’s Care is a pretty safe and great smelling brand. If you’re looking for a new grooming line to have in your bathroom or as a gift for your significant other, the products all do what they say they do, with a minimal amount needed, and with re-usability in mind.
How did you like this boyfriend review? Like I said, Nick has the perfect guinea pig hair for these types of product reviews! Should we add in some shaving inspo? He can grow a pretty mean beard (and by mean I mean, sometimes it hurts to kiss him with the scruffiness) and he has been around the block with razors.
Check out Wise Men’s Care and their Essentials Bundle if you’re interested in getting a fresh set of grooming products:
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this Boyfriend Review.
xo, M