The Butter Reviews
It’s time to face the music…..for By Odin’s Beard Crafts that is!! That’s right, I’m back with The Butter Reviews – By Odin’s Black Magic Butter Review to be precise!
Who are By Odin’s Beard Crafts?
Fabio is the brains behind By Odin’s Beard Craft and has been since 2018. That isn’t when he launched the business in the UK, but, it is when he started making products for himself and his friends in Portugal. Fabio was born in Portugal but lived in Venezuela for 14 years before heading back to his homeland.
He has been an MMA fighter and coach for 6 years and was also in a Metal Band! He moved to the UK around 3 years ago and started to buy beard products. It was at that point he realised his oils had been pretty close in quality so he set about to make By Odin’s a reality.
Another brand born during lockdown, By Odin’s uses more carrier oils than any UK brand that I have used, with 10 overall! More on that later. Fabio has big plans to expand his company and hopefully leave his job to work on By Odin’s full time. Let’s hope he can see out his vision as his plans sound very exciting!
Let’s move on with By Odin’s Black Magic Butter Review.
The Review
Before I start with all the technical stuff, let me explain something. I will not be scoring the butters, at least not yet. I want to delve into them, give my opinion and then move on to the next one. There will be different sections to the oil reviews but the main points will be the same.
Once I’ve tried and reviewed all the butters that I have I will then rate them as per usual. Then and only then, can I declare which butter is the best on the market.
Scent
Warning!! This scent is not for use during bed time. A lot of butters market themselves as night time butter, to be used while you sleep. Not this one though and it is clear as to why from the moment you open the jar. Although it is mentioned on the website “If used at night before sleep, it helps to lock all the goodies in the hair and skin while you sleep. Double plus!” It really isn’t suitable due to the strength of it! That is only my humble opinion though.
You are hit with a strong woodsy smell which comes from the Cedarwood, Vetiver and Cardamom mixed together. The Cardamom brings a spicy undercurrent to the proceedings giving it a more masculine fragrance.
These scents do die down and you get a hint of the Bergamot bringing a sweet but sharp scent to the fore. There is no stopping the musky, earthy fragrance though and it keeps giving more throughout the day.
Durability
This is not quite an all day butter, but it did hold its own. I was putting this in at around 8am and it was with me until about 4pm. That is a healthy 8 hours and it only really started to die down around the 5 hour mark.
I found the scent longevity never really altered no matter what I was doing which gave it a really good consistency. After about 2 hours it did calm down a little bit and became really pleasant which carried it through until the end. After 8 or maybe a little more I couldn’t make it out which was
Consistency
This is a different butter to After Dark by Beardolution, you can check that review here. It’s more of a poured butter but it has Beeswax added in which gives it a different texture entirely. Using only one butter with the wax gives it more of a soft balm feel, only it melts in your hands quicker. I imagine it would give a very light hold to a shorter beard but it did nothing for mine.
It soaked into the beard a bit slower but it did cover everything well. There was a slight residue left on my beard which is okay, but it meant I had to pay attention and not touch my beard. The only issue I had was it did leave my hands with a slightly greasy feel and had to wash them a couple of times before the residue had gone.
It was still very light on my beard and wasn’t too heavy even with the Beeswax added in. I don’t know the exact measurement but I can only guess that it is a small amount of Beeswax anyway.
Benefits
This is where the butter really excels and gives your beard some amazing nourishment. With 10 carriers it can be extremely difficult to blend them in the right way but Fabio has done an excellent job here.
I could feel the effects after a couple of days and my beard felt healthier and softer than it had before. I have used a lot of oils but this butter made my beard feel as if it was brand new. It lasted longer than the scent duration by about 2 hours which is very strong, keeping my mane well nourished and keeping away the dry itch that comes.
This really pushed the boundaries in terms of the way products are made in the UK. With CPSR regulations in force I can only imagine the amount of tinkering Fabio had to do to get this right. But, I’m glad he did as the effort is well worth it.
He uses Shea Butter and Beeswax as well as Vitamin E oil in the blend.
The carrier oils used are….
Jojoba
Jojoba oil is derived from the seeds of the jojoba shrub, a perennial native to the North American deserts. The oil of the jojoba seed is extracted by cold-pressing, a process that helps maintain the rich nutritional value of the oil. The oil has plenty of antioxidants including vitamins A and E.
These help to stop or reduce itchiness of the skin. This is particularly helpful in the early stages of beard growth. It is also great for your beard hair as the oil molecules are similar to sebum. It can also help to make your hair stronger which is very helpful when you brush or comb your beard a lot.
Castor
Castor oil is rich in ricinoleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid. This really helps to mousturise and hydrate the skin under your beard which can be difficult to do, especially with a big beard. It can also help to reduce acne which can appear when you first start to grow your beard.
The main benefit for your beard is in helping to reduce beardruff. This is when your skin gets itchy and flaky, similar to dandruff. Castor oil will also lubricate the hair shaft which helps make it stronger and less susceptible to breakage.
Sweet Almond
This is another oil that is great for both your skin and hair. Almond oil can help soothe and improve acne, especially good for when you first start growing a beard. It also treats dry skin which you can get under your beard if you don’t use the right products. There is plenty of vitamin E in this oil which is good for protecting and even repairing your skin from sun damage. For your hair, there is plenty of B-7 or Biotin which is great for keeping your whiskers strong and healthy.
Argan Oil
Argan oil is known to be beneficial to your skin and can help to moisturise your skin and hair. Hailing from the Argan Tree, which is endemic to Morocco, it is also used as a dip for bread etc. It is often used in face creams due to its potential to reduce wrinkles.
Avocado Oil
This is a great carrier oil for your skin. It claims to hydrate and moisturise as well as calm itchy skin. It doesn’t appear to have any benefits for you hair though but there are other carriers that do that. Avocado isn’t as widely used as the other 5 oils in the set which is a good thing.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil can protect your hair from damage by reducing protein loss. Its main benefits are for the skin. It has a natural SPF of around 7 which can help protect against UV rays. Obviously it wouldn’t be enough on its own but it’s a start. Coconut oil is also effective in treating eczema and other skin conditions as well.
Rosehip Oil
Another oil that is very good for your skin, rosehip is taken from the seeds of the rose bush. It’s a natural mousturiser due to the fatty acids and high water content. Apparently it can help treat wrinkles as well, maybe it can help with the old turtle-neck!
Rosehip is extremely popular within the beauty world and it certainly nourished my skin.
Hemp Seed
This oil helps to moderate oil production by moisturising your skin without clogging the pores. It can help to reduce acne and is used as an anti-inflammatory.
Apricot Oil
Apricot oil is great for your skin, helping to reduce inflammation and moisturising your skin underneath the beard. It also helps to protect the skin from UV rays which is great for those that love the sun!. The oil cleanses your skin and pores leaving them feeling rejuvenated. Apricot oil also benefits your hair by moisturising and stimulating the production of sebum. This helps to lower the amount of beardruff and keeps the hairs healthy.
Sunflower Oil
Another one that is good for your skin due to it being highly absorbent. This means it will penetrate your pores and leave them unclogged. It is useful for those who have Eczema or Acne. It is also good for your hair as it contains oleic acid, which can prevent hair breakage.
Originality
Well, yeah! It’s another Viking themed beard brand and there are a lot of those going around!! The logo is a sidebeard drawing of a Viking wearing a helmet with the company name below that. It 
isn’t hugely original in and of itself, however, Fabio has put a slightly different spin on things.
Focusing more on the runes and magic of the era rather than good old Viking names that brands use is a good start. He has been into the whole Viking thing for around 15 years which is a lot longer than most people!
I do like the colouring with a black background and gold writing etc. It doesn’t really stand out for me but it isn’t terrible. His oil bottles do stand out more than the butter jars with the wooden dropper top but we aren’t talking about the oils here!!
Labelling
The labelling does let the brand down on this occasion but I know that Fabio is going to be updating all of his labels in the near future.
There are certain things that must be included on the label, the packaging box or a card that comes with the product. This is part of the EU legislature for cosmetic products and is a legal requirement. I know we are no longer part of the EU but the UK will continue to use this law until they have time to rewrite them. The essential things that must be on the label are as follows…
- The name and address of the company or responsible person and the country of origin (if imported into the EU).
- The net content by weight or volume if more than 5 grams or 5 ml.
- Date of minimum durability if less than 30 months. Longer lasting products should have an indication of how long they will last once opened plus any info on storage conditions.
- Any precautionary information such as instructions for use or allergens.
- Batch Number or reference.
- The function of the product if it is unclear from its appearance.
- A list of ingredients under the word ‘ingredients’ in descending order of weight when they are added. Not necessary if less than 1%. The names of the ingredients should use the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients. For example; Jojoba oil should be listed as Simmondsia Chinensis. The reason for this is because these names don’t change between languages whereas the common names can be different depending on where in the world you are.
By Odin’s Labels
There are no batch numbers on the jars and there isn’t a net content by weight either. This can cause problems from a legal perspective. There is no date of minimum durability and there isn’t a name or address of the company.
The ingredients are listed by the common name rather than by the INCI names and it doesn’t list any allergens. There is a warning regarding nut allergies which is good but they do fall down in a lot of areas here.
As I mentioned before, the labels will all be updated and I look forward to seeing them all present and correct when they are ready.
Conclusion.
I really like this butter, from the smell through to the benefits it gives your beard. I enjoyed the fact that the scent was more manly than Lavender as I am not a fan of smelling like my Gran! (You might have got that from my last review!!)
The consistency and longevity of the scent and the length of time it kept my beard nourished is something that will be hard to beat. My biggest problem is the labelling and the fact it only comes in a 30ml jar. I believe that is going to change as well which is great news.
Overall this is an excellent product but is it a true butter? In my eyes, yes. There is a small amount of Beeswax but the effect is definitely one of a butter. I would use this butter again and seeing as I’m nearly out I might just put an order in soon!!
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Thanks for reading By Odin’s Black Magic Butter review and I’ll see you back here next week for Big Phat Beards Lunar Solace. Have you used By Odin’s? What is your thoughts on them? What is your favourite butter? Let me know in the comments.
Take care and keep growing
Tony
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