The Fashion For Men – To beard or not to beard, that is the question! A stylish beard never goes out of fashion. If you can pull one off without looking weird, why not. Sure, there are still grooming things you have to focus on, such as putting in beard balm, but having a beard is definitely less labor intensive if done right.
That is so not true!
The following are a few bogus facts and opinions about beards. They were just made up by uninformed people, or maybe guys who could never grow a nice beard and felt jealous of the ones that could.
The Myths
1. If you shave, your hair will grow back thicker
You might like to believe that all that effort of removing the hair from your face is not in vain and that it somehow helps your hair to become more robust, but unfortunately that’s not true. Your hair grows out of hair follicles under your skin. You’re only dealing with the hair once they reach the surface.
The thickness of your hair is determined by your genetics. It mainly depends on the levels of male hormones in your body. Your beard also grows much slower than the hair on your head.
2. Beards itch all the time
If you don’t keep your beard well-maintained and hydrated, the amount of itching might increase. But beards don’t itch all the time. Invest in a good beard oil or balm and you will hardly notice your face is covered in hair. Some men might fall into the habit of often stroking their beards, but that’s more out of a sense of pride than itchiness.
3. Beards make your face sweaty
You might associate a beard with winter and clean-shaven with summer, but a beard offers you a bit of skin protection from harmful UV rays. Plus the evaporation power of the hair actually makes your face remain cooler. Strangely, it’s been noted that hair grows faster in the summer. So if you hate shaving and want to grow a beard, summer is a good time to put your razor away.
4. Women find beards unattractive
Very untrue! Women like beards, scientific studies have proven this. But interestingly enough, most women rather prefer just a little bit of stubble than a full beard. A full beard can be quite intimidating, where strategically trimmed stubble pumps up the sex appeal of a man big time.
Men with beards are perceived to be more mature, attractive and desirable than a clean-shaven face. So, there you have it, scientific evidence that you don’t have to shave every day. Just don’t go overboard and turn into a version of Tom Hanks in Cast Away.
5. Beards aren’t office-friendly
Maybe back in the day a lot of companies frowned upon the bushy look, but nowadays most corporations won’t deny you a job if you pitch for the interview with a bit of stubble on your chin. As long as you pick a beard style that compliments your face.
The only reason why you might not be hired because of your beard, is if it really creates a bad first impression. Your personal grooming will indirectly reflect on your demeanor, so an unkempt beard might make you seem like a disorderly person in general.
6. You should dye your beard if you’re getting older
Apparently in India it’s quite common for the men to dye their gray hair. But they don’t dye their beards. The salt and pepper look of a mature beard is very desirable. It shows that the man has seniority as well as wisdom.
Now this combo is irresistible to most women. The average woman would actually find it quite a strange habit if she figures out you’re dying your beard. Just face the fact that you’re growing older and embrace the new season of your life.
7. Beards look best when they are full
Some men are forced to stick with the clean-shaven look because of patchy growth. But there are ways around this problem, opt for a jawline beard or see if a goatee will suite your face shape. There are other tricks to fix the patchiness as well. These include changing your diet and better sleep habits.
8. Beards are dirty
Yes, if you eat like a slob and don’t check to see if anything got stuck in your beard. Otherwise, no, they are not. Your beard acts like a filter to keep away pollen and dust from your sensitive facial skin. Imagine back in the day the caveman going out for a hunt, sleeping outdoors for days. A nice bushy beard was great protection against the harsh elements.
You do need to create a good beard grooming routine to make sure your beard remains in tiptop shape. Letting it grow wild does not make you look manlier, it just makes you look lazy.
Weird Stuff You Didn’t Know About Beards
A few random facts you can tell people who keep asking you “why do you have a beard? Isn’t it itchy all the time?”
1. Beard hair grows in three phases
It gets longer during the first, matures during the second and start falling out in the third. The length of each phase varies from man to man. Some men can just naturally grow longer beards.
2. Beards and baldness are created by the same chemical
Indeed very ironic. Dihydrotestosterone is the chemical that causes a man’s facial hair to grow thicker than a woman’s, but in the wrong quantities it can also be responsible for baldness.
3. Some people are afraid of beards
It’s called pogonophobia. Who knows why, but some people are really freaked out by beards. Maybe they watched Cast Away home alone or something.
4. The average beard grows about half an inch each month
This rate is linked to your genetics. Luckily there are natural ways to help your beard grow a bit quicker. As you get older, the hair follicles will get thinner.
5. Your beard grows faster when you are not having sex
Maybe it’s your beard’s attempt to make you appear sexier…
6. You can trap beer in your beard
If you drink a regular amount of beer each week, after a year you would have trapped about a pint and a half of beer in your mustache.
7. Someone was very bored and counted beard hair
The average man has about 30 000 hairs on their face. And if you never shaved, your beard would grow to about 27.5 feet.
8. A beard can help you win a staring contest
True story, it makes you 63% more likely to win.
To Beard or Not To Beard
Shaving is a necessity of the male life, but it does seem like very good news that you don’t have to do it every day to be seen as a respectable man and that you actually don’t carry around nasty germs on your face.
Do you like growing a beard? Or do you prefer the clean-shaven look?
Biography
This article was contributed by Andries Johannes from manomics.com/beards. Manomics is a men’s lifestyle blog, which covers topics such as grooming, health and fitness.
