About Wizard Oil & Wax

Old-world inspiration. Honest ingredients. A little alchemy.

A Wizard's Work Is Never Done

Wizard Oil & Wax began with a mustache, a stubborn streak, and the conviction that I could make something better with my own two hands.

I've always been the sort of fellow who would rather understand how something works than simply buy another one. Whether it's machinery, woodworking, or a peculiar concoction bubbling away in a beaker, there's a certain satisfaction in taking raw materials and turning them into something useful.

Mustache wax proved to be no exception.

After years of wearing a mustache and trying just about every kind of wax, paste, and pomade I could get my hands on, I knew what I liked. I also knew what I didn't.

Some smelled like a candle shop. Others barely held a whisker in place. And a few could hold a mustache through a hurricane, provided you first melted them with a hair dryer.

There were good products among them, certainly. But none struck quite the balance I wanted.

So I decided to make my own.

The Pursuit of a Proper Wax

My requirements were simple enough.

A serious hold. A mustache wax ought to do what its name suggests: hold a mustache. Whether you're sporting a modest sweep or a magnificent handlebar, it should help keep your whiskers where you put them.

No unnecessary fragrance. I've enjoyed a scented wax or two, but having tobacco, vanilla, or bourbon under my nose from dawn until dusk eventually lost its charm. My wife wasn't particularly fond of them either. I wanted a wax that smelled of its ingredients, not a perfumer's imagination.

Workability without a ritual. A strong wax shouldn't require an elaborate heating ceremony every morning. I wanted something I could work between my fingers and apply without much fuss. Cold weather may still call for a little warming, but that ought to be the exception rather than the rule.

Nothing that doesn't belong. No elaborate ingredient list, no additions simply because they sound impressive. Just the materials needed to accomplish the task.

That last requirement led me down a rather interesting rabbit hole.

Three Ingredients. A Fair Bit of Alchemy.

The final recipe contains just three ingredients, each chosen for a purpose.

Beeswax — The Foundation

The backbone of the formula. Beeswax lends structure, firmness, and the body necessary to keep unruly whiskers in formation.

Lanolin — The Binding Medium

Rich, pliable, and wonderfully useful. Lanolin lends workability to the mixture, helping a firm wax spread through the mustache without becoming an unmanageable brick.

Pine Rosin — The Grip

A resin drawn from pine, and the ingredient that gives the formula much of its tenacity. A little goes a long way, and finding the right balance is no small matter.

That's the entire ingredient list.

But three ingredients do not necessarily make for an easy recipe.

There were experiments with other oils, adjustments in proportions, careful observations of temperature, and plenty of batches that taught me exactly what not to do.

As any good alchemist eventually discovers, knowing what goes into a concoction is only half the work. How the ingredients are combined matters just as much.

Heat, timing, proportions, and patience all have their say.

The result is a strong-hold mustache wax made to serve one purpose exceptionally well.

No secret ingredients. No unnecessary embellishments. Just a carefully developed formula and a good deal of stubborn experimentation.

Made by Hand, Here in Iowa

Wizard Oil & Wax is a small, independent business based in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

For a good part of my younger life, I imagined making my home somewhere else. Funny how a little time and perspective can change a man's mind. I've come to appreciate the land, the people, and the particular character of this corner of the Midwest.

It's home, and I'm proud to build something here.

Every batch of Wizard Oil mustache wax is made by me, in small runs, with attention to the materials and the process.

I believe in knowing where things come from, supporting good producers, and sourcing close to home whenever practical. We even keep a few beehives on our farm, though I won't pretend they supply the beeswax for production. Perhaps one day they'll contribute a little more to the enterprise.

For now, my aim is straightforward: find quality ingredients, treat them with respect, and make something worth putting my name on.

The Man Beneath the Hat

Alec, founder of Wizard Oil & Wax, seated in an ice cave wearing a blue jacket and a handlebar mustache.

Now, about this Wizard business.

I've always had one foot in the practical world and the other somewhere considerably stranger.

I love working with my hands, figuring out machinery, building things, and solving the sorts of problems that require a good set of tools and a little ingenuity.

But I've also spent much of my life wandering through mythology, philosophy, history, and the great imaginary worlds of fantasy.

The old alchemists, herbalists, smiths, and wandering sages have always fascinated me. These were figures who sought to understand the world by studying its materials, its mysteries, and the forces that shaped it.

Some were scholars. Some were craftsmen. Some were probably a little mad.

I've always thought they sounded like interesting company.

To me, the Wizard represents something more than a fellow with a pointy hat and a collection of spells. He's a student of the world. A maker, a thinker, an experimenter. Someone who never quite loses his curiosity, no matter how many years he spends acquiring knowledge.

And perhaps most importantly, someone who remembers that life is allowed to be a little fantastic.

I don't believe growing older ought to mean growing out of wonder.

The world is already an extraordinary place. Sometimes all it takes is a willingness to see it that way.

So no, the Wizard isn't merely a mascot dreamed up by a marketing department.

I am the Wizard.

The pointy hat is optional. The curiosity is not.

A Mark of Our Own

If you've noticed the rather unusual skull adorning our tins, there's a story behind that, too.

The Wizard Oil & Wax sigil brings together symbols of craft, alchemy, history, and a healthy appreciation for the mysterious.

The crossed hammer and axe honor the tools of the working trades. The alchemical symbols represent oil and wax, the materials at the heart of the enterprise. And the runic inscription draws from the ancient Lindholm amulet, carrying a little of the mystery and symbolism of the old Northern world into our own.

The whole design is intended as something more personal than a company logo: a symbolic mark of protection, craftsmanship, and the spirit behind the work.

There is considerably more to the story, for those inclined to investigate.

Explore the Sigil →

A Workshop With Room to Grow

Mustache wax is only the first concoction to leave the workbench.

I've long been fascinated by the usefulness of natural materials: waxes, oils, resins, and the remarkable things they can do when properly understood.

The same curiosity that led me to develop mustache wax has me thinking about wood finishes, leather conditioners, protective waxes, and other practical creations.

I don't intend to make products merely to fill a catalog. I'd rather develop things I understand, things I use, and things I believe are worth making.

Some experiments will succeed. Others will undoubtedly become expensive lessons.

That's part of the craft.

See What's Brewing →

Good Company Makes Good Magic

Although I'm the one standing over the beakers, none of this has come together in isolation.

I'm fortunate to have a wonderful wife, good family, and people around me who have encouraged my more ambitious ideas, tolerated my stranger ones, and helped me build a life I'm genuinely grateful for.

Wizard Oil & Wax may be a one-man workshop, but the life behind it is anything but a solitary endeavor.

And to those who choose to support this little enterprise, you're becoming part of that story as well.

From the Wizard’s Workbench to Yours

Whether you found your way here in search of a better mustache wax, an appreciation for honest craftsmanship, or simply because you spotted a skull wearing a wizard hat and felt compelled to investigate, I'm glad you stopped by.

My hope is to build something that lasts: useful products, made with care, carrying a bit of character and a little old-world magic into everyday life.

There's plenty more to learn, plenty more to make, and no shortage of curious things worth exploring.

Until then—

Keep your hands in the work and your mind in the wonders.

— The Wizard