Member Article

Young entrepreneurs launch North East beard care startup

Entrepreneurial young duo Thom and Laura Langlands have launched a new beard care business in Darlington, Heavy Metal Gentleman (HMG), exporting their products as far wide as Poland.

The pair, who produce homemade, luxury beard care products, believe they’ve identified a gap in the local market for men’s grooming products, growing what was initially an idea into a business.

Laura, 25, said: “It is a very exciting time for us. Not only to be recognised throughout the UK, but also Europe, because we’ve only been trading for a few months.

“Thom is an avid beardsman and with my understanding of hair and skin care, creating products quickly became a passion of ours, which we believe shows through our products.”

HMG was born from a shared love and interest in heavy metal and homemade skin care. Thom, 30, and Laura, decided to start working from their home in Darlington and believe this is one of the main reasons behind their business’ success.

“By brewing the oils and creating the balms ourselves, then hand-sticking a label on to every single product in our kitchen, we are able to pay a great amount of care and attention to what we produce and then go on to sell, “ said Laura.

“There’s no doubt a lot of blood, sweat and tears goes into everything we make but at least we know it’s 100% homemade.

“We use purely natural ingredients, including six of the best carrier oils, to make the base of our bespoke, handmade oils and wouldn’t work any other way.”

Thom and Laura believe HMG products are suitable for everyone and see this as another reason for why the business has taken off so well.

Thom said: “The great thing about our products is they’re for anyone, from the career beadsman to Mr clean shaven.

“By using carrier oils, we can ensure our products contain the necessary vitamins and antioxidants for hydrating and revitalising the skin and hair, and they are also great for anyone to use who has sensitive and problematic skin.

“We see the Heavy Metal Gentleman brand as sophisticated and our products are made with quality in mind. This is why we believe everybody who wishes to take care of their skin and hair, should be using our oils.”

With 20 years of experience in retail and sales between them, the couple are continually developing new ideas and recently sealed two important deals - with Darlington’s Maison Royale and Mr. Hutton’s barbers and bar – who will now stock the HMG range.

Future plans have also been put into place to develop a wider range of beard care and accessories – but the couple are not content with just supplying to Europe.

Laura said: “We both love what we do and we have had lots of fun with the products, from their concept to their creation, which drives us to keep creating new ideas.

“With our ever growing passion and excitement keeping our company interesting, innovative and continuously expanding, I definitely believe we can go global.”

In the hope of attaining this worldwide recognition, Heavy Metal Gentlemen has launched a Kickstarter campaign which aims to help the company find financial support to aid in its development and growth.