Wahl’s New Men’s Grooming Line is Some of the Best Stuff I’ve Ever Used

When it comes to hair trimmers and beard clippers, Wahl may be one of the first names that come to mind. That’s probably not the case when it comes to other men’s grooming products, but maybe it should be.

The company recently released a new line of men’s grooming products that includes a ton of great items for skin, face, body, and (of course) beards. I’ve been using several of these for the last several weeks to get a feel for how good they are and how they compare to similar products, and I have to say: I’m a believer. These are some of the finest grooming products I’ve ever used.

Before we get into the details, however, let’s take a closer look at the grooming products offered by the company. There are a variety of items here:

• Body Wash
• Shampoo
• Body and Face Bar
• Body Lotion
• Beard Wash
• Beard Balm
• Beard Oil
• Beard Softener
• Shave Gel
• Shave Cream
• After Shave
• Hair Pomade

I’ve been using the Body and Face Bar, Beard Wash, and Beard Oil consistently for the last several weeks, with the Beard Softener throw in occasionally to soften up the old facial hair. And while I didn’t go into this with high hopes, I’m now a believer in what Wahl has going on here, because these are some fine products.

If you’ve ever seen me, then you may know a little something about my aesthetic: I’m a head shaver with a beard. I’ve spent the last 15+ years refining my grooming practices, especially when it comes to my head and beard. The razor, blades, and shaving cream I use hasn’t changed in a very, very long time. No matter how many products I’ve tried, I haven’t found anything better than a Headblade with Gillette Sensor Excel blades paired with HeadSlick.

When it comes to other products, however, I’m all about experimenting and trying new things. Beard oils, balms, and other beard care products (including aftershaves) are always high on my list of things to check out, along with new body washes. I’ve been using the same NIVEA for Men stuff for years because most soaps—especially bar soaps—dry my skin out.

It’s also worth mentioning that Wahl includes the full list of ingredients on this new line of men’s grooming products. This is fantastic for folks with allergies, as it makes it easy to figure out if there could be a potential reaction to anything in the product. It’s not often we find a company so forthcoming with what’s in their stuff, so this is very cool.

With that, I want to start with the Body and Face Bar that I’ve been using for weeks (yeah, the same bar).

Body and Face Bar: Maybe the Best Brick of Soap on This Planet

I wanted to start with this product because it may have been the one that impressed me the most. I’ve tried a lot of body soaps in my 37 years on this planet, and I’ve never found a bar that I like. No matter how “moisturizing” it is, it always leaves my skin feeling dry and itchy. I’m not a fan.

Despite this, I was interested to see how the Wahl Body and Face Bar performed. And man, let me tell you, this is the best bar of soap I’ve ever used. Right out the gate, I was taken aback at the sheer size of the block—it’s a big-ass bar of soap. Some may even say it’s man-sized. It’s relatively pricey at $14 per bar, but given its size I expected it to last a good while. I’ve been using the same bar for roughly six weeks, and it’s still going strong—there’s probably a couple of weeks left. It’s huge.

Not only that, but it’s multi-use. It can be used on body, face, hair, and even as a shaving lather. It tested with all of those things (well, my beard since I don’t have any hair) and it worked exceptionally well. While I’ve seen many bars of soap claim to good for all types of wash and shaving, they rarely (if ever) work well for the latter. Again the exception to the rule, the Wahl Face and Body Bar delivered a cream-like shave. It wasn’t as smooth on my head and Headslick (which will eternally be the best shaving cream on the market), but it would work in a pinch or if I was traveling and wanted to pack light.

Finally, let’s talk about the scent. It has a very strong, pleasant, and generally masculine smell. It isn’t overbearing by any means, but it’s a very aromatic soap. It also leaves just enough of a scent behind that you’ll smell great out of the shower.

Beard Wash: A Buttery-Smooth Wash That Left My Beard Feeling Amazing

While you can use the Body and Face Bar as a beard/hair wash as well, there’s no substituting a good beard wash. I tend to use beard washes on my head and face as well, which is precisely what I did with the Wahl Beard Wash ($17.99). Out of the tube, it has a very interesting and almost unique feel—it’s “silky” if that makes any sense. It’s thick but super smooth. It also creates a nice lather, but since it’s sulfate-free, it doesn’t create a super foamy lather. The fact that it’s sulfate-free also means it won’t dry out your beard.

The balance of natural oils makes for a delightful smelling wash, and the lack of parabens means it doesn’t add any garbage to your beard. Overall, the composition makes for one of the nicest beard washes I’ve used in some time. The tube is six ounces, and I’ve been using about a nickel-sized spot for my beard, face, and head. I started off using more—probably too much—so as a result, the tube has lasted about six weeks or so. It’s almost empty now.

Beard Oil: My New Favorite Beard Oil

I’m not a huge fan of beard oils. My skin can be naturally pretty oily, and I’ve found most beard oils to make my beard feel “heavy” and dirty—especially when it’s longer. What’s worse (to me, at least) is that with the extra weight and oil, my beard tends to curl, which I can’t stand. Still, I was so impressed with the other Wahl stuff, so I wanted to give the oil a shot too. I’m glad I did.

It may sound bizarre, but the Wahl Beard Oil is the least oily oil I’ve ever used. It feels very similar to other beard oils in your hands, but once in the beard, it absorbs quickly and easily without leaving that gross “heavy” feeling.

Now, that said, if your beard generally runs dry and you like a thicker oil, the Wahl stuff may not work as well for you (though I’d still suggest giving it a shot). But it has been better for me than anything else I’ve used since it’s “lighter.” And, just like the Beard Wash, it’s paraben and sulfate-free. It also uses the same proprietary blend of natural oils, so the Wash and Oil compliment each other well. It also smells great!

Beard Softener: The Icing on the Cake

Between the Beard Wash and Beard Oil, you can get a pretty dang soft beard. But if you’re looking for that extra step you soften up your man scruff, Wahl’s Beard Softener is the way to go. It’s essentially a leave-in conditioner for your beard, and it does a great job of softening it up without leaving behind any residue or heaviness.

You may think that softeners like this are only suitable for longer beards, but that’s far from true. My beard is currently in a transitional phase—I shaved it to the Hollywoodian style (sans mustache) for a few weeks, then got tired of shaving the cheek line, so decide to grow it back in. As a result, the bottom part of my beard is a length where I would normally wear it, but the top is still stubble. As that stubble grows in, it starts to get itchy—that’s where beard softener really helps.

The softener works as a deep conditioner not just for your beard hair, but also for your skin. These things combined leave you with a soft beard and moisturized skin beneath. Like I said earlier, you can get a similar result from using Wahl’s Beard Wash and Beard Oil, but the softener takes things to another level–you can also use it alongside the oil if you’d like, though I generally prefer it by itself.

Also, like the Oil, it uses the same blend of oils found in the Wash, so it works very well together. And like everything else in the line, it smells great.

Conclusion: This is a Great System

Like many other men’s grooming lines (or grooming lines in general?), Wahl’s new stuff is all made to work together. The scents are similar, and the oil blends are the same, so they compliment each other nicely. If you’ve been on the hunt for a new line of men’s care stuff to check out, I highly recommend this new line— as the headline says, it’s some of the best stuff I’ve ever used. There are several more products available in this line that I didn’t get a chance to try, but if they’re anything like the products highlighted here, I suspect they’re equally as impressive.

Well done, Wahl.