UF alumnus invents beard brush

UF alumnus Jordan Alva, with his long, scraggly beard, searched for a decade to find something worthy of his facial hair.

But he gave up and made his own.

Combining a brush and natural products, the 33-year-old created his latest invention: a beeswax-based beard brush.

For the lifelong inventor, the creation came naturally.

“I guess it’s sort of second nature,” Alva said. “It’s sort of the way I process my surroundings.”

After graduating from UF with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and a master’s degree in science and entrepreneurship, Alva began finding his way around the world of entrepreneurship. One of his previous inventions involved making a foldable skateboard, he said.

Alva said he’s raising money to advertise his beard-balm brushes on Indiegogo, a website for entrepreneurs where people can donate money to fund products and possibly receive samples of the products. He’s also speaking to retail companies to sell his invention.

The yellow brushes comb through hair and have a handle made of beeswax blends that include plant-based butters, like shea and coconut, and oils like castor and argan, Alva said. Each balm serves a different purpose.

“Tree Beard” consists of peppermint and rosemary, which stimulates hair growth. “Paul Bunyan,” made with lavender and pine, is designed to soothe irritated skin. And his third blend, “Ann,” has no concentrated oils so people with allergies and sensitive skin can use it.

Adam Carbonell, of Ormond Beach, Florida, said he received the “Tree Beard” brush as a gift last Christmas. He’s used it every day since.

“The list of ingredients isn’t three pages long,” the 30-year-old bartender said. “That’s a huge plus. You know what you’re putting on your face.”

It can be applied to wet, dry or damp hair, Alva said. Women have used it to soften their hair, and bald people can use it to hydrate their scalps.

Ted Astleford, director of UF’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center’s Experiential Learning Programs, said he remembers when Alva volunteered for a yearlong UF program in which students created and developed a business.

“Just the fact that he volunteered tells me he was an exceptional student,” Astleford said.

He said Alva recently gifted him one of his brushes. Although he doesn’t have a beard himself, Astleford thinks the brush is innovative.

“It’s an old product but done in a better way,” he said. “It’s eye-catching. I wish I had a beard so I could use it.”

@taveljimena

jtavel@alligator.org

Jordan Alva's beard balm brushes are neither slippery nor greasy. The brushes have a top layer of balm pines that serve as comb for the hair, and a lower layer made completely out of beeswax that serves as a handle.