Beards have been going through something of a resurgence over the last few years, with an ever-growing number of men trying their hand at growing their own sets of face fungus. However, many of them are trying to do so without knowing anything about what they are getting themselves into, what having a beard means and what they will have to go through if they want to have a beard of their dreams. Here are 5 things you should know about beards before you even contemplate acquiring one.
Growing and Maintaining a Beard Is a Lot of Work
Bearded men are often perceived as being lazy people – too lazy for daily shaving, thus simply allowing their facial hair to grow. In reality, this stereotype is far from being true, as growing, grooming, maintaining and sculpting a beard to meet one’s requirements is no mean feat and probably requires much greater amount of attention, effort and expense than a clean-shaven look. So if your motive for growing a beard is laziness, you will probably be better off with your daily date with a razor.
You Will Need to Moisturize it Daily
In most cases, you cannot simply let your beard grow, even if you don’t mind looking like a hobo. An unkempt beard quickly turns into a veritable nightmare both for you and those around you. Itch, dry skin, irritation, dandruff, acne are just a few problems you are going to encounter. If you want your beard to look good and be healthy, you will have to find a suitable moisturizer for it – you may find an overview of the best beard oils at Beard Bro and decide if you want to go to such expenses.
Some People Cannot Grow a Beard
A dedication to grow a beard isn’t always enough to do so. There are men who physiologically cannot grow a beard – at the very most they get long stubble, and sometimes not even that. The reasons to it lie in their genetic makeup, and there is nothing one can do about it – it is just how they are. Doctors strongly warn against attempts to trying medical treatment, as one may land with many unpleasant side effects like scar-inducing acne, balding and liver failure. Speaking about balding, eternally baby-faced men have at least one solace: they are much more likely to retain hair on their head than their bearded brethren.
You Will Have to Go through an Itchy Phase
The first few weeks of growing a beard constitute an extremely unpleasant itchy phase – the majority of aspiring beard-growers usually abandon their ambitions somewhere during this period. The itch is indeed highly unpleasant – but it would be wrong to assume that it is going to last forever. If you manage to power through it, your skin is going to get used to the new conditions – and it can be further alleviated by liberal application of moisturizers and proper grooming.
Not All Beards Suit All People
What may look awesome on a friend of yours isn’t guaranteed to suit you. If you don’t want to have to shave your hard-earned beard because your experimentation turned it into something unfit for human consumption, make sure to consult an experienced barber. He will know what to recommend taking into account your face shape, skin tone and type of hair.
Growing a beard is a much more complicated process than many people believe. Do you have what it takes to do it and keep maintaining your beard for months to come? If yes – well then, why not try it out?
_____
The role of men is changing in the 21st century. Want to keep up? Get the best stories from The Good Men Project delivered straight to your inbox, here.
Photo credit: Getty Images
It’s funny how mad people got when I like you posted about genetics playing a major role in beard growth, I guess people don’t want the truth! – https://www.beardoilbalm.net/beard-stop-growing/
Great tips to follow !
thanks man .
Well,you pointed out a very good fact in your article that a particular beard style does not seem good on every face.
generally,people tend to follow other celebrities/co-mates and style their beard hoping to look good as they look in it.
But a dog tail would only suit on a dog and not on a cat.
i recently came across this article http://belezza.co/7-sexy-beard-styles-can-get-love-quickly/ which highlights the trending beard styles nowadays !
Cheers!
Good article. I will say the itchy scratchy phase can be solved by using the right beard oil. Use it on day one, not once you have 3″ of beard growth.
You want to look for a beard oil that has more that 2 ingredients. Even thought the scent is the first thing that may attract you to an oil, it is the carrier oils that actually do the work for you. A good carrier oil will prevent redness, itchiness, inflammation, it will also hydrate your face and hair, trapping in the moisture. Not all beard oils are created equal.
Lotta good tips here. The itchy phase, yeah, that comes with the territory. I’ve shaved my beard two or three times for various reasons, and grown it back right away. The itchy phase can be different – winter (here in Maine) is the worst. I prefer to grow it before turkey day. Maybe in other parts of the world it doesn’t matter as much.