A barbershop that started mixing its own
Forge & Fade makes beard, shave, hair and skin care in small batches behind a working barbershop in East Austin.
We opened in 2014 with two second-hand hydraulic chairs, a pressed-tin ceiling we found under the drop tiles, and a shelf of imported products we did not much like. The pomades left a film on every comb; the beard oils smelled like a department store. Our first batch of beard oil was mixed on a hot plate in the back room, poured into amber bottles bought by the case, and given to regulars to try at home.
Every product since has followed the same route. A formula is mixed on the steel bench in the back, used by our six barbers on paying customers for two weeks, and changed until they reach for it without thinking. Only then does it get a stamped label. We use plant oils and butters - jojoba, argan, shea, beeswax, bentonite clay - and we leave out the silicones, mineral oil and synthetic musk that make a product feel good for an hour and dry for a day.
We would rather you never threw a tin away. The refill club sends fresh fills in paper pouches at 15% off, and anything that arrives damaged or simply does not suit your skin can be swapped. The tools - razors, brushes, combs - carry a lifetime guarantee on the metalwork, because a razor should outlast the man who buys it.
- First chair on East Cesar Chavez
- 2014First chair on East Cesar Chavez
- Chairs testing every batch
- 6Chairs testing every batch
- Tins refilled, not thrown out
- 41kTins refilled, not thrown out
A short history
2014
Two chairs
The barbershop opens on East Cesar Chavez with two second-hand chairs.
2016
No. 7 Beard Oil
The seventh attempt at a beard oil becomes the first product we sell.
2020
The steel bench
Mixing moves into the back room full time; the shop grows to six chairs.
2023
Refill club
Tins and bottles start coming back for refills instead of the bin.
What we hold to
Chair-tested
Two weeks on real customers in our own shop before any batch goes on sale.
Plant oils, no fillers
Jojoba, argan, shea and beeswax. No silicones, no mineral oil, no synthetic musks.
Refill, don’t rebuy
Tins and bottles come back for refilling at 15% off. Packaging made to last years.
What customers say
“Switched to the heavyweight razor and the bay rum soap last winter. First time in fifteen years my neck hasn’t looked like a crime scene by Wednesday.”
“The fibre clay holds through a ten-hour shift on a job site and still washes out with plain water. I have stopped buying anything else.”
“Bought the kit as a gift for my dad. He now drives across town to get his beard trimmed at their shop.”
Word from the chair
One letter a month: new batches before they sell out, refill reminders you can switch off, and one honest grooming tip from the barbers.