An East Lothian dad's recovery from a broken back inspired a unique business idea that is now celebrating ten years of providing beard oil to those who love the outdoor lifestyle.
John Jackson started his company, which is based in East Lothian, in 2012. John, a former graphic designer launched the business after a mountain bike accident in Fort William, when he broke his back whilst training for a six-hour endurance race.
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As part of his recovery, John experienced various sports rehab therapies, which helped to get him back on track, resulting in joining a sports massage course at The Haven in Musselburgh to learn how to make his own massage oils.
He first started making hair oil for his wife, then after trying it on his beard, he found a gap in the market for beard oil and became the first Scottish beard care brand.
The company currently sells over 7,000 products annually, with natural oils like Californian cedarwood, hempseed from Netherlands and Moroccan argan oil to customers around the globe, including New Zealand, USA, Australia and Iceland.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live John explained: "I’d been racing for a few years, mountain biking, downhill and endurance. Then, in 2011, there was a six-hour endurance race at Fort William. It was to see how many times you could do the World Cup track in six hours.
"Two weeks prior to that, I was training, went over the handlebars, hit a big rock and broke C7 and T1 in my back and, yeah, I was in hospital, I didn’t need to get surgery or anything, it was stable fractures so I had to wear a neck brace for a while.
"But I had been training a year for this race, so I asked the doctor when I was getting discharged when can I get back on a bike and they said you are talking like six months. I was like f**k I’ve got a race in two weeks."
The dad went ahead with the race, preparing by taking lots of painkillers.
He said: "I ended up racing two weeks later anyway which was very stupid like but, hey, I wanted to do it. So yeah, dosed myself up on painkillers and kinesio tape on my back, held it in place.
"The whole plan was just go and do one lap, see how I feel after that, if it was ok, do another lap. Obviously the adrenaline kicked in and I ended up finishing the race, I think I finished 31st out of 120 or something. I done 14 laps of the track and then I took six months off the bike, well four or five months off the bike to let it heal.
"It was very stupid to be honest because if I had crashed I probably wouldn’t be walking at this point but hey ho, if I never done it, I wouldn’t be where I am now with Braw Beard Oils so, y’know, it kinda worked out."
Luckily the adventurer survived the race with no falls, and while recovering in rehab found a new passion.
He said: "Then I guess, through rehab I learned massage therapy and how to make my own oils, my own massage oils. I knew at the time my girlfriend was using hair oil for split ends and keeping it moisturised and what not.
"It took a bit trial and error, I dunno, six or eight months it took, to get it right and then I started taking it in my kitbag everywhere I went.
"Every time I was out racing my hair was drying out with the weather. I’d just apply some beard oil at the end of the race and it was all good. it was working, it was keeping the irritation away, the redness away."
Solving this personal problem turned into a genius business idea and now Braw Beard is celebrating their ten year anniversary and business is thriving.
John said: "So that’s how the beard oil came about, that’s how Braw Beard came about anyway. Then I started to give it to friends who raced mountain bikes and family and friends who had beards.
"It was getting good feedback, so, that’s when I started making it into a product and got it safety assessed and insurance and stuff, then built a website and put it on the market ready to sell."
On the milestone anniversary John, said: “It’s great to reach this fantastic tenth anniversary milestone, which came from an idea after my back injury and is now a well-known brand in the beard care industry, despite having no experience running a business when I first started out in 2012.
“To be working with so many fantastic ambassadors over the years who have helped raise awareness of the business, including professional fighters and athletes, actors, bike racers, skateboard professionals, models, pro wrestlers, is such an incredible accolade.
“There’s been so many highlights which wouldn’t have been possible without the help of my mentors, family and friends, including getting the logo on Jamie Coward’s crash helmet within the upcoming Isle of Man TT Playstation 4/Xbox/PC video game, being invited to speak on live TV and also being asked to marry a couple of customers in Oregon, USA – it’s definitely been a whirlwind!"
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He added: "Thanks to the great community we have around us we’ve been able to evolve, adapt and drive the business forward despite covid and difficult personal situations, including losing family members then my wife and I having a baby at the beginning of the Covid pandemic.
“We are really looking forward to the next 10 years and developing even more products, working with more partners and charities, and also strengthening and building the ‘The Brawtherhood’ community, which is constantly growing and something I feel very proud of.”
New products to mark the tenth anniversary include a limited edition commemorative pack featuring the first three Braw Beard oils with the original artwork designed by John when the company was founded and a special standalone anniversary beard oil made with eucalyptus, cedarwood and bergamot.
You can find out more about Braw Beard Oils and John's story here.
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