Blog - The Copper Hat

Posted on November 4, 2015 by Bradj

I Voted Giveaway

UPDATE: This giveaway was won by Instagram user in.a.london.fog! We are very grateful to everyone who participated in the giveaway and, more importantly, to everyone in Canada who got out there to vote!

The Canadian federal election is fast approaching and we think it’s important to express your right to vote! Together with several other small, local businesses we’d like to do what we can to encourage you to cast your vote on Monday, October 19. Enter to win this awesome gift pack of goodies from local businesses by posting a photo of you at your polling station on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #IVotedGiveaway . You can also email the photo here. The morning after the election, we’ll draw for the winning voter! Remember, voting does make a difference!

The items in this gift pack were kindly donated from awesome local artists and businesses:

–Handcrafted Sterling Silver Earrings | Tonic Jewelry
–Handcrafted Horween Leather Wallet | Labyrinth Leathercraft
–Shaving Brush and All-natural Shave Soap | The Copper Hat
–Reclaimed Leather Pouch, Key Fob & Card Case | RadJuli Custom Designs (not pictured)
–$20 Gift Certificate | Pure Lovin’ Chocolate
–$20 Gift Certificate | La Tana Bakery
–2 x Free Luxury Drinks | Hey Happy Coffee
–Deluxe Granola | Singing Bowl Granola (not pictured)
–Handcrafted Pine Treasure Box with Lid | The Copper Hat Woodworking

Over $250 worth of goodies!

Shaving choices that are environmentally friendly, economical and great for the skin!

in the upper courtyard of Market Square, Victoria

A concentrated selection of what the West Coast Maker community has to offer. Innovative, outside the box and always handmade by real people.

in Market Square, just off the upper courtyard, Victoria

Unique, handmade leather bags and accessories made using primarily reclaimed and upcycled materials and a big heart!

check Facebook or instagram for upcoming shows

Extremely beautiful and high quality leather goods handcrafted using the best quality leather and finishing products.

check FB for upcoming shows and markets

Delectable confections handcrafted using organic, Fair Trade, high quality, and natural ingredients.

in the lower courtyard of Fan Tan Alley (Pandora Ave), Victoria

Freshly baked Italian specialties

in the lower courtyard of Fan Tan Alley (Pandora Ave), Victoria

Brewing coffees that we love.

at #122 – 560 Johsnon Street, Victoria

Granola handmade with organic, non-GMO oats, oils, fruit, honey and other Canadian ingredients.

check website & Facebook for upcoming markets

If you are an artist or business who would like to contribute to this giveaway, please drop us a line!

Posted on January 29, 2015 by Bradj

Recycle your razor blades

A major benefit to wet shaving is that your greatly decrease your environmental impact. Plastic cartridges and disposable razors are impossible to recycle unless you disassemble them first (that means somehow pulling out the sharp blades – fun!). Think about how often you shave, and then how often everyone else shaves and then how much waste that can collectively create. Shaving is one of the most wasteful practices we take part in on a day-to-day basis so by using recyclable safety razor blades, we can dramatically decrease the amount of garbage that makes it to the landfill.

You know that your double or single edge razor blades are recyclable, but do you know exactly how to recycle them? Most razor blades are made out of stainless steel, meaning they can be melted down and used for new projects. Specialty metal recyclers can take your blades, you just need to find out who those businesses are in your area.

If you live here in Victoria or can make it to our store on Johnson Street, bring your blades in to us and toss them in our blade collection jug. When the jug is full we’ll use the blades for a really cool project (it’s a secret for now but we’ll post more details as the jug fills up).

If you don’t live in Victoria and have recycled your blades at a different facility, feel free to post in the comment section so that others in your area can give it a try.

Recycle your razor blades

Posted on November 9, 2014 by Bradj

Mental Health is Men’s Health

Here at The Copper Hat we talk a lot about shaving, but we like to talk about a lot of other things, too.

This month, we’re talking about mental health, and we’d love for you to join us. Both of us (Kate & Brad) are proponents of the de-stigmatization of mental health issues. Right now we’re giving away a complete shave set to raise awareness about mental health issues, especially among men, through both the Movember Foundation and Partners for Mental Health Canada.

Each November, the Movember Foundation changes the face of men’s health by encouraging men to grow out their moustaches and wear them loud and proud, prompting conversations about men’s health. Participants also raise funds for men’s health initiatives including those fighting prostate and testicular cancer. Last year, Movember added mental health to their list of supporting causes and we were very happy to see it there. Mental illness is a HUGE concern among men, and while we support increased mental health services for everyone, we recognize that it is especially difficult for guys to discuss mental illness.

Partners for Mental Health is a national charity aimed at improving mental health in Canada by mobilizing and engaging Canadians to drive fundamental changes. Their current campaign is called “Right By You” and is focused on raising awareness about the lack of mental health services available to young people in Canada. Through this campaign you can learn more about mental health issues, tell your own story, generate important conversations and pledge your support for increased mental health services, including a National Suicide Prevention Fund.

Where do I come in?

Do you agree that mental health, including men’s mental health, is an important issue and cause? If you do, connect with one of these awesome organizations and put your name in our draw for a complete wet shaving set. For the month of November, ahem, Movember, show us your support for either the Movember Foundation and/or Partners for Mental Health and we’ll put your name in a draw for this awesome wet shaving set to be drawn on November 30, 2014.

How does it work?

There are 3 ways to enter in to this giveaway:

1.) If you’re growing out your ‘stache and are raising funds through the Movember Foundation, email us the link to your Movember Fundraising profile page.

2.) If you’re not growing out your own Mo, but have donated to another person’s Movember fundraising efforts, email us a confirmation of your donation (or send us a screen shot of your donation confirmation)

3.) If you’d like to help make positive change to mental health services in Canada, you can use the Partners for
Mental Health online tool to send a letter to your MP and help convince the government to create a National Suicide Prevention Fund. You can either forward your confirmation email to us or send us a screen shot of your form.

Over the month of November we’ll compile a list of everyone who shows us their support for these important mental health initiatives. On November 30, 2014, we’ll put all of the names in a hat and randomly select someone to win the shave set. If you have any questions about entering this draw, please feel free to drop us a line.

Thank you for joining us in supporting Movember and Partners for Mental Health, and in turn promoting increased mental health services for everyone!

-Brad & Kate

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Bradj

Your Custom Brush

One of a Kind & Hand Crafted

You’re going to keep your shaving brush for a very, very long time; it should be perfect for you.

Working with The Copper Hat’s owner and artist, Brad, to create your own custom shaving brush is easy and probably a lot less expensive than you would think. The process of creating your own custom brush involves selecting a handle material type, brush hair type, and a general size and shape of the overall brush. Brad crafts shaving brushes from a wide variety of materials both new and reclaimed and is constantly striving to develop new crafting techniques.

How cool would it be to give your Dad a shaving brush turned from a branch of the tree he built your treehouse in? What about framing timbers from a 100 year old hotel or antique acrylic insulating rod? Please contact us if you are interested in a beautifully unique, custom shaving brush.

Engraving

Engraving design for brush turned from Douglas Fir framing timber saved from the Boulder Hotel in Vancouver

Engraving your brush with a custom logo or design is a great way to personalize it even further. We are happy to design custom graphics for you, or you may submit your own and the graphic will be laser engraved into the bottom of the brush handle. Engraving is an additional cost.

Brush Restoration Services

Restored Antique Shaving Brush

Brad also restores antique shaving brushes, removing the worn out bristles, setting new bristles, and cleaning and polishing the handles. We often have vintage restores for sale and also offer restoration services for your own shaving brush. Since all brushes are in different conditions, before providing restoration services, Brad will take a look at your brush and and give you a quote based on the work you’d like done. Please contact us for more details.

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Bradj

Valentine’s Day Shave Sets

February 14th… ugh. We hate to do it, but we’re hopping on the commercial band wagon and embracing Valentine’s Day this year. What could be more sexy and loving than giving your sweetie the gift of smooth, non-irritated, happy skin? Our shave sets are completely customisable and we are more than happy to personally help you create the best shave set for your needs. Just stop by our store or try filling out our custom shave set building form to get started. We also have a wide variety of our most popular pre-built shave sets listed on the website.

And, just so we’re all on the same page, wet shaving and Copper Hat shave sets are awesome for anyone who shaves; men, women, Valentines and non-Valentines. If you or someone you know is sick of the current shaving routine, come check us out; we’re happy to help and will give you 14% off any shave set you build until February 14, 2014!

Also, on Saturday, February 15th, our 3 Fan Tan Alley courtyard will become the studio of Photographer and Tintypist Ken Miner. Ken with be using his 112 year old camera to shoot 1860’s tintype portraits of you (or you and your sweetie) on a first come – first served basis starting at 10:00am. This event will also give you a chance to check out the creations of our lovely friend and neighbour, Radjuli Custom Designs, as well as pursue some fantastic shaving gear. Please check out and share the event listing for more information.

Brad & Kate

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Bradj

Thank You!

Thank you to all of you who participated in our contest and campaign focused on raising awareness of men’s and mental health issues with the Movember Foundation and the Partners for Mental Health “Right By You” Campaign! We believe that making these health topics better known is very important and we appreciate that you do too! Congrats to the lucky winner of one of our complete cigar box shave sets! He’s received the set and should be showing off the results soon!

Brad & Kate

Posted on November 23, 2013 by Bradj

Holiday Markets for 2013

We are excited to be setting up at a variety of awesome holiday markets this November and December! Please read on to check out the different events and store closures.

We’ll be set up at the PNE Forum in Vancouver for Make It from Dec 28 – Nov 1. This enormous show features talented makers from all across Canada and is sure to be a really great time!

On Dec 6 and 7 we’ll be set up at the one and only Owl Designer Fair at the Fernwood Community Centre in Victoria. This show features local artists from Victoria and is a blast every year!

We agree that Downtown is a wonderful place to be! We’ll have a table at the Victoria Open Air Market Holiday Pop Up Market in Centennial Square on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from December 13 to 22, weather permitting. This market will run along side the DVBA’s famous ferris wheel!

With all of these sweet events comes a bit of upheaval in our store hours. We will be closed on:

Thursday, Nov 28
Friday, Nov 29
Sat, Nov 30
Sun, Dec 1
Friday, Dec 6 (open until 3pm)
Saturday, Dec 7

Our website is always open and we will do our absolute best to get back to you if you place an order or contact us through the website during these times.

Posted on November 1, 2013 by Bradj

We Support Mental Health Initiatives

Here at The Copper Hat we talk a lot about shaving, but we like to talk about a lot of other things, too.

This month, we’re talking about mental health, and we’d love for you to join us. Both of us (Kate & Brad) are proponents of the de-stigmatization of mental health issues. Right now we’re working to raise awareness about mental health issues, especially among men, through both the Movember Foundation and the Partners for Mental Health “Right By You” campaign.

Each November, the Movember Foundation changes the face of men’s health by encouraging men to grow out their moustaches and wear them loud and proud, prompting conversations about men’s health. Participants, AKA Mo Bros, also raise funds for men’s health initiatives including those fighting prostate and testicular cancer. This year, Movember has added mental health to their list of supporting causes and we are very happy to see it there. Mental illness is a HUGE concern among men, and while we support increased mental health services for everyone, we recognize that it is especially difficult for guys to discuss mental illness.

Right By You is the current campaign of Partners for Mental Health and is focused on raising awareness about the lack of mental health services available to young people in Canada. Through this campaign you can learn more about mental health issues, tell your own story, generate important conversations and sign a petition in support of increased mental health services.

Where do I come in?

Do you agree that mental health, including men’s mental health, is an important issue and cause? If you do, connect with one of these awesome organizations and put your name in our draw for a complete cigar box wet shaving set. For the month of November, ahem, Movember, show us your support for either the Movember Foundation and/or the Right By You campaign and we’ll put your name in a draw for this awesome cigar box wet shaving set to be drawn on November 30, 2013.

How does it work?

Just send us an email with a link to your “Mo Space” Movember Fundraising profile page stating that you’ve raised $40 or more for the cause OR

If you’re not a Mo Bro this year, but have donated to a Mo Bro, just email us a confirmation of your donation of any amount or a screen shot showing your donation OR

If you choose to sign the Right By You petition, just send us a screen shot of the “Thank You” webpage that appears at the end.

We’ll compile a list of everyone who contacts us and shows us their support for these important mental health initiatives. On November 30, 2013, we’ll put all of the names in a hat and randomly select someone to win the shave set. If you have any questions about entering this draw, please feel free to drop us a line.

Thank you for joining us in supporting Movember & the Right By You campaign, and in turn promoting increased mental health services for everyone!

-Brad & Kate

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Bradj

Project Connect

The Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness is hosting Project Connect, a project collecting donations to create care packs for Victorians experiencing homelessness and extreme poverty. To support this important project, we are collecting donations in our store until this Saturday, Oct. 19 at 2:00pm that we will then drop off at Project Connect. 50% of every Copper Hat Shave Soap purchased on line or in the store this week will go to Project Connect. Please see the poster below for a list of other donations. Thanks everyone!

http://victoriahomelessness.ca/get-involved/project-connect/

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Bradj

About Us!

The Copper Hat is a husband and wife endeavor situated in Victoria on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. We created The Copper Hat because of our own frustration that came from shaving with typical drug store supplies.

THE BEGINNING:

We each struggled with extreme skin types, one oily and one sensitive and dry. We were overwhelmed by the increasing cost of multi-blade cartridge razors and the terror cheaper razors reigned on our skin. When Brad started a job that required him to be clean shaven every day, he took matters into his own hands. He tracked down his first vintage double-edged razor and a shaving brush and, for the next several months, his most common saying to Kate was “feel how smooth my face is!” After observing Brad’s excitement, Kate began wet shaving and could also never go back to the drug store habit.

We started The Copper Hat because we know that we are not the only people who are tired of spending too much money on large blade cartridges that will just be thrown away. Although recent technology has brought us 5 blade razors, vibrating blades, and razors with built-in shave foam, the finesse of this personal care routine seems to have been lost in the fast-paced chaos of our daily lives. We craft and stock high quality brushes, razors, blades, soaps, and other shaving supplies so that you can enjoy a personalized shave that is suited to your hair and skin type.

THE JOURNEY:

We started out selling Brad’s handcrafted shaving brushes and a handful of antique safety and straight razors on our simple website. Brad’s first “commercial” wood shop consisted of all of his tools on a rolling cart that he would wheel down the hallway out of our apartment building when he turned brushes. Later we got more impressive and built a little wood shop into our bedroom closet! Over the years Brad’s work shop has moved around, but it is currently housed in a very unique space in Rock Bay Square, in between a honey dispensary and 2 craft breweries! Soon we began sharing our passion for wet shaving at local craft fairs and seasonal markets in Victoria, Vancouver and Edmonton. We LOVE craft shows and markets, but also wanted a space from which to sell our wares all year round. Our first permanent retail space was approximately 25 square feet and shared with Brad’s wood shop. In the summer of 2013 we moved into our first official store front, a less than 100 square foot shop in Fan Tan Alley, Victoria. We spent a roller coaster of a year in that space and then moved into a 300 square foot space in nearby Market Square, just off of Johnson Street. We are currently open 7 days a week in our brick-and-mortar store and also ship all of our website orders from here.

We feel incredibly lucky to have met so many wonderful, supportive and interesting people on The Copper Hat path. Whether you are a customer, fellow vendor or small-business owner, market coordinator, family member, friend or someone else who has cheered us on along the way, THANK YOU, we truly couldn’t have gotten The Copper Hat to this point without you! We are passionate about grassroots economies and encourage you to support small, local businesses whenever possible. We adore this Coast and natural environments everywhere and are so happy that through The Copper Hat we can provide people sustainable shaving practices while working within our small business community.

Thank you so much for stopping by – Happy Shaving!

Kate & Brad