JANESVILLE, Wis. — The family behind a Janesville company is trying to widen hair accessory options for men.

The Hair Forge operates out of a basement room in Rock County. Walls are stocked with shelves full of products. It started organically when Max Jarzen and his brother Rider needed to keep their hair back.

“I want to keep my hair out of my face, but these elastics, these normal black elastics and these wire headbands are kind of boring,” Max Jarzen said. “Is there like anything else?”

When they’d look online, they didn’t see many options for men. They also brought in cousin Jeremiah Mansavage. That’s when they created The Hair Forge, which offers hair accessories geared toward men.

They model everything themselves on the website, something they said they’re really proud of, especially because they’re able to represent different hair types, with Mansavage being African-American and Filipino, Max Jarzen being Filipino, and Rider Jarzen being white.

“Lots of different hair types right here,” Max Jarzen said with a big smile. “That was something we thought was really cool, that diversity among us.”

They often have to demonstrate how to use their products. That’s especially true for a hair pick that looks like a sword.

“A lot of people ask, ‘is that a letter opener?’ And then I show them in my hair. They’re like ‘oh, wow,’” Rider Jarzen said.

For many men, it’s their first opportunity to explore style through hair accessories. At in-person pop-ups, it’s opened up lots of conversations.

“They could have short hair with a buzz cut, they could even be bald, but they can be very interested,” Rider Jarzen said.

Their products were recently in the Grammy Awards’ gift bags, given to every performer and presenter. They were given a handful of the most popular products.

“We had a lot of people on our website,” Rider Jarzen said.

The three of them said they want everyone to have the ability to explore their identity through their hair.

“We want to redefine what it means to be masculine,” Mansavage said.