The Beard Thread

[Nevermore]

Okay, so I'm not sure how many bearded brothers I have here but let's see! I'm making this thread as a discussion space for all things beard related. Do you have a beard? Cool, let's see it. Do you want to grow a beard? Do it and tell us. Not sure what to do to grow one? Tips can be posted freely here.


There's no real pattern here, just posting about beards. We can talk about favorite products and companies and give recommendations. If you have a favorite reviewer and want to talk about that or give someone a shout-out, do that too!


I don't know the rules about it, but if it's not allowed I can remove it. I do most of my bearded stuff on Instagram, so if you want you can follow me and I'm more than happy to follow anyone back. You don't have to though. I already don't know how I have this many followers as is.


https://www.instagram.com/thatbeardedjones/


I'm looking forward to hearing from the bearded twin owners.

[soundman98]

i'm a lazy beard kinda guy. i shave it when it itches.

[humfrz]

I shave mine off once a week.




humfrz

[soundman98]

I used to have much thicker beards when i was a kid

[Nevermore]

Originally Posted by soundman98

i'm a lazy beard kinda guy. i shave it when it itches.

Noooo... You gotta get through the itchy period and let it grow. It helps if you use bead oil. The oil keeps it soft and helps prevent the itch.

[Dadhawk]

I've had a beard since college except for a period of about 7 years due to an employer dress code (so all told about 30 years), and I've had a mustache since high school (my wife has never seen my upper lip). My 3 sons also all have beards, since it's the in thing now.

[Nevermore]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

I've had a beard since college except for a period of about 7 years due to an employer dress code (so all told about 30 years), and I've had a mustache since high school (my wife has never seen my upper lip). My 3 sons also all have beards, since it's the in thing now.

See, I've seen the argument both ways, that it's a current trend, but also that beards have always been a thing. Usually these arguments are being made by the two sides, non-bearded people tend to think beards are a trend while bearded people say beards have always been cool. I don't know where I stand, but I know I'm not really a fan of it being called a trend.

That aside, in those 30 years have you been using beard products? I know I always see guys bashing the beard companies saying they've never put oil or balm in their beard in x amount of years. And if you do, what are your favorite products/brands? And do you know what your sons use?

[Leonardo]

I graduated from military school; been shaving ever since...

New Mexicio Military Institute - It's in Roswell where my dad also went to school. "Legacy!!!"

My dad shaved when I was a kid, so... Anyway, I am curious.
If you have a beard; did your father have one when you grew up?

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Nevermore

...I don't know where I stand, but I know I'm not really a fan of it being called a trend.

I guess the correct answer is the frequency of bearded men comes and goes with the times but there is always a hard core group. I'm in IT and I also have would be called a "monk's hairline" so beards have always been relatively commonplace in my work teams.

They are more "popular and common" now than they were 10 years ago, but probably the same it was in the 60's and during the "disco era" of the 70's. I think the "epic beard" styles are much more common now then they have ever been. I also know that beards are common enough now that companies that have been "anti-beard" in their dress codes have made changes recently.

Originally Posted by Nevermore

That aside, in those 30 years have you been using beard products? I know I always see guys bashing the beard companies saying they've never put oil or balm in their beard in x amount of years. And if you do, what are your favorite products/brands? And do you know what your sons use?

I've never used anything other than normal shampoo and conditioner. I have been given some products in the past, and tried them, but never really saw any advantage, and most of them I didn't care for the scents (I'm not a big scent guy, don't use cologne or scented antiperspirant). I wouldn't bash the beard companies (hey if there's a market for it good for you) but it's not my thing.

My sons use some products in theirs, but I couldn't tell you what it is (they are all out in the wild now).

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Leonardo

My dad shaved when I was a kid, so... Anyway, I am curious. If you have a beard; did your father have one when you grew up?

No, my Dad shaved every morning like clockwork, as did both of my Grandfathers. They all had hair though...I lost that lottery.

The main reasons I have a beard are two-fold. First my beard is heavy and I hate shaving which I would have to do at least every morning. Two, I don't have much hair but I don't like the way the back of my head looks when shaved, so I keep what hair is willing to stay and I think the beard makes it look more "complete".

[mazeroni]

I have a "beard," but you won't be seeing it. I also don't have an avatar, so maybe after I get that sorted?

The beard isn't particularly manly. It is kept short. I have a beard because when I was in my early 20s people kept asking if I was in high school, but they stopped when I let the beard grow out. I kept the beard out of laziness and just use a trimmer and take it down to the 4 setting every 7-10 days.

The thing I don't like about my beard is that it isn't as full as I would like, so I don't let it get too long. The top of my head got all of the good hair, and the rest of my body is meh. The good news is that I turned adult during the recession when beards were coming into fashion in a big way, so the timing was good too.

[Nevermore]

Originally Posted by Leonardo

I graduated from military school; been shaving ever since...

New Mexicio Military Institute - It's in Roswell where my dad also went to school. "Legacy!!!"

My dad shaved when I was a kid, so... Anyway, I am curious.
If you have a beard; did your father have one when you grew up?

My dad has never had a beard, but he has a mustache that's as old as I am. Per my mom, he's not allowed to shave it. I have a beard because I like the way I look with it and I've always hated shaving.

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

I guess the correct answer is the frequency of bearded men comes and goes with the times but there is always a hard core group. I'm in IT and I also have would be called a "monk's hairline" so beards have always been relatively commonplace in my work teams.

They are more "popular and common" now than they were 10 years ago, but probably the same it was in the 60's and during the "disco era" of the 70's. I think the "epic beard" styles are much more common now then they have ever been. I also know that beards are common enough now that companies that have been "anti-beard" in their dress codes have made changes recently.

I guess that makes sense. The argument is typically that beards have always been around, but you are correct, they come and go. There is a big movement now to get them accepted in the workplace. I'm glad my employer has never told me to shave.

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

I've never used anything other than normal shampoo and conditioner. I have been given some products in the past, and tried them, but never really saw any advantage, and most of them I didn't care for the scents (I'm not a big scent guy, don't use cologne or scented antiperspirant). I wouldn't bash the beard companies (hey if there's a market for it good for you) but it's not my thing.

My sons use some products in theirs, but I couldn't tell you what it is (they are all out in the wild now).

Hey man, if that works for you, nothing wrong with that. My beard is clearly much softer and easier to manage while using the products. It's such a delicate balance that I can tell in less than a day that my beard is dry/brittle without proper maintenance.

Originally Posted by mazeroni

I have a "beard," but you won't be seeing it. I also don't have an avatar, so maybe after I get that sorted?

The beard isn't particularly manly. It is kept short. I have a beard because when I was in my early 20s people kept asking if I was in high school, but they stopped when I let the beard grow out. I kept the beard out of laziness and just use a trimmer and take it down to the 4 setting every 7-10 days.

The thing I don't like about my beard is that it isn't as full as I would like, so I don't let it get too long. The top of my head got all of the good hair, and the rest of my body is meh. The good news is that I turned adult during the recession when beards were coming into fashion in a big way, so the timing was good too.

Man, I have a pretty patchy beard with very low cheek lines (you can see it if you click on my Instagram), but I've decided to rock it as it is. One of the reasons I went with a longer style is because of the patches. I can grow a fairly full beard where there is hair, so I'm compensating for the thin spots with extra growth where it works. Accepting your beard as it is is one of the biggest hurdles.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Nevermore

Hey man, if that works for you, nothing wrong with that. My beard is clearly much softer and easier to manage while using the products. It's such a delicate balance that I can tell in less than a day that my beard is dry/brittle without proper maintenance..

My hair (and beard) is naturally oily, so that helps. It is also almost pure gray now though so it is more "stiff" than it used to be.

[Nevermore]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

My hair (and beard) is naturally oily, so that helps. It is also almost pure gray now though so it is more "stiff" than it used to be.

Well, if you want to give any products a try to see if they help, I can recommend some. Several companies offer scentless oils as well, but I think the pleasing odor is half the point! (Name the movie for internet points).