Brunette partners to create Bee's Knees shaving products
Banocka Brunette shows the Bee's Knees products.
By LORI ANN EDMO
Sho-Ban News
FORT HALL — Banocka Brunette’s interest in a subject many may not have heard of has prompted her to create a couple of products in a community that is primarily dominated by men.
Banocka and her friend Lyndsey (also known as OneSharpSalley on Instagram) created Bee’s Knees shave soap and after shave to help make shaving easier or “luxurious” as her friend Matt Darrington described it.
All three are part of a wet shaving community that exists on social media. Banocka and Lindsey teamed up with Frank from Strike Gold shaving soap to make the shaving soap and it’s available for sale on the Wet Shaving Store website that her friend Frank operates.
Banocka said she got an interest in wet shaving during the pandemic. Initially her interest was fountain pens as she was learning to do calligraphy but her focus switched to wet shaving.
A community of wet shavers exist on the internet through social media sites. First Banocka communicated through YouTube but switched to Instagram because it was easier. She met Lindsey through Instagram.
The two worked on a fragrance to use and came up with ideas to use for a label deciding on a bee.
Bee's Knees products.
She explained to wet shave one needs a shaving brush, shaving soap, a razor with blades and aftershave. One only needs to use about a dime size portion of the shaving soap, you get the brush wet and place it on the soap, then wet the brush again to start building lather. Next use the aftershave. She said some people use alcohol in the aftershave while others use witch hazel that helps soothe the skin and minimize the razor burn.
The reason the wet shaving community primarily consists of men is because they frequently shave. However women also shave their armpits and legs. So the products she and Lindsey created are considered unisex to be used by men and women.
Banocka assisted in promoting Matt Darrington’s Northwest West Shavers 2022 Traditional Shaving Expo October 15 at the Residence Inn in Idaho Falls. There a variety of vendors had a variety of products available, demonstrations and giveaways. One vendor Outlaw Barbershops had a lady onsite doing shaves with a straight razor.
Darrington is owner and operator of Teton Shaves that sells synthetic brushes. He organized the event where the wet shavers meet up. “This is the second event and the intention is to bring a bunch of people together that typically rub shoulders on the internet, forums or Facebook,” he said. “Secondly to educate people on what wet shaving is, why somebody would wet shave, and how to wet shave.” He said the common reaction is people don’t know. There are people who care about such a mundane chore of shaving and create so many products. “It’s taking something that historically is kind of a pain, kind of obnoxious – a chore nobody really wants to do and transforms that into something that is fun, luxurious and affordable.
He said he’s a man of modest means but can have a luxurious experience every morning. He noted he started wet shaving when he attended school at BYU Idaho where they require you to shave every day. “I was having a miserable experience with that,” so he started reaching out to different people including his father who dabbled in it. Matt said his father got him started and he’s been making shaving brushes for three years and has been wet shaving for ten years.
Banocka said it’s an honor to do the soap noting each artisan has their own ways of doing things. It’s her first time creating a product and it all started in a chat room having a conversation with wet shavers.
