Letting One’s Hair Down with Wild Willies

Headquarters: Alpharetta, GA
Established: 2015
Hero Products: Beard Boost Serum and 2-n-1 Beard Straightener 2.0 

Steve Capitani, president of men’s grooming company Wild Willies, remembers buying into the idea that facial hair wasn’t welcome in the boardroom, echoed by 1990s-era jingles like Gillette’s “The Best a Man Can Get.”

Today, one of the joys he gets from leading an indie grooming brand is the embracement of facial hair and his role educating consumers about beard upkeep.

“We’re glad it’s more acceptable for men to be thinking about that kind of stuff,” Capitani told Happi. “Back when I was growing up, you would never consider yourself going to a job interview with a beard or scruff. Now, it’s part of everyday life.”

Kerry Sebree and Christopher Wilson, co-founders of Wild Willies, began their direct-to-consumer business in 2015 with beard-softening products like oils and butters to tame coarse facial hair. Their business boomed; after just one year on the market, Walmart came calling.

Today, Wild Willies is available in 20 retailers, according to Capitani.

From Formulas to Tools & Topicals

The brand’s best-selling products include Wild Willies Beard Oil, billed as a “badass beard elixir” formulated with 10 natural vitamins and organic essential oils that condition and treat each follicle down to the root. Likewise, its Beard Butter Balm is made with 13 natural ingredients and organic essential oils to reduce irritation and prevent beard dandruff, flaky skin and itchiness.

For consumers who dream of a fuller beard, Wild Willies offers a Beard Boost Serum. Infused with caffeine and biotin to encourage follicle growth, it can be paired with the brand’s Beard Growth Gummies, an ingestible supplement.

Wild Willies also sells face wash exfoliators, beard shampoos and a 2-n-1 Beard Straightener tool that uses ionic technology to ensure men have a dapper look that lasts all day.

High Profile Partnerships

Wild Willies recently became the official men’s grooming partner of the NIL House—a daily sports show. With this partnership, executives say the brand is looking forward to educating Gen Z- and Gen Alpha-aged boys and young men about proper grooming and the products that can help them achieve their most confident self.

Wild Willies has a sponsorship with Tough Mudder, which it used to promote its expansion into personal cleansers. The brand launched its new Rugged Clean Body Bar last month.

Further category expansion is also on the horizon, but Capitani kept details close to his vest. 

While Capitani said Wild Willie’s founders would be open to entertaining acquisition conversations, Sebree and Wilson have built a strong indie business that has found success in a competitive marketplace.

“They kept true to the brand and the product, and the results speak for themselves,” he said.