It’s your face, you might as well grow something to be proud of.
There are a few different opinions about bears and…well, the habit of many people is to say exactly what they feel. To be honest, a lot of opinions about beards being dirty, filthy, and an overall nuisance is the kind of negativity that a lot of us can do without, right? Beards are clean and healthy so long as one takes care of them and makes it a necessity to brush them, comb them, and style them in whatever way you want. One of the only criticisms to give about a beard is that when it’s scruff that sits on your face in patches…then it’s not a beard. One day it might be a beard, but until it covers your chin or your cheeks from ear to ear, hopefully with a full and glorious ‘stache across your upper lip, it’s not a beard.
Is that too honest? Is it too blunt maybe? Well get used to it sunshine, especially since growing a beard isn’t for everyone. But when you can, when you let that hair go side to side, coast to coast? Then comes the REALLY important part, and that’s keeping it clean and neat so that you can pick up the chicks, right? Okay, so your comfort is important too, but one thing I can tell you as a fellow beard enthusiast is that paying attention to that part of your face is that you NEED to do the upkeep, since if you don’t then you’re going to find out very quickly what it’s like to eat your hair and rip each strand from your face follicle by follicle. It hurts…trust me on this.
Paying attention to beard trends is up to you since that’s kind of an extra and much like anything else it’s included in the why’s, the do’s, and the don’ts of beard care, but it’s not quite as important until you’ve got the hang of keeping things trimmed and cared for. The habit of good grooming is what’s going to make the difference when trying to look like a smooth operator versus a nappy, grungy bum that has to eat hair and whatever else is in it whenever they open their mouth. You want a good beard trend to start with? CLEAN, that’s the best and most basic trend that you should be focusing on since it’s the one that’s going to act as your base when it comes to keeping your face fuzz. If you can reach up and pull a light snack from your beard, well, then you’re not doing it right. If you can pull a full meal from the confines of your beard then you, sir, have failed.
Let’s get into it, shall we?
Women do love beards, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Sure, some women love the smooth cheeks of a man that shaves regularly or couldn’t grow a beard if his life depended on it, but there are plenty of women that love a nice, CLEAN beard to rub their cheeks against. If your beard is a little scratchy there are ways around that, since between the oils, gels, conditioners, and various other treatments that are out there to use on your facial flair, yes, I said flair, you can keep your beard stiff and wiry and capable of puncturing an eyeball, or you can keep it as soft as a comforter. Granted, a lot of women are going to prefer the latter, since rubbing up against a beard that can flay the skin from their cheeks isn’t all that appealing. So clean and soft is definitely a trend since even the manliest men that can flex their facial muscles and grow a beard know very well that a woman who loves to rub up against their face (it’s not weird, you’re weird if you think it’s weird) without fear of losing the first few layers of skin in the process.
BRUSH your damned beard, and comb it out regularly.
Those of us that have been sporting facial hair for a while know this, so I’ll be speaking to the newbies. Once you grow a face full of hair, no one expects you to stop eating, but the truth is that occasionally, something will get into your beard and mustache, and unless you have a truly amazing and patient spouse, no one will comb that crap out for you. Just imagine eating a piece of pie with whipped cream on top (get your mind out of the gutter, mine needs to float by), you’re going to get something in your facial hair unless you’re some trained acrobat when it comes to placing a morsel of food in your mouth while bypassing the hair that surrounds it. Like it or not, some stuff will accumulate, and even if you get to it right then, it’s very likely that there might be a few crumbs hiding out beneath the surface. Trust me, brush and comb your beard DAILY.
Long, or short? That depends on you.
Well, it doesn’t depend all on you if you happen to have a partner that loves your beard. But at the end of the day, it is attached to your face, so you get the final decision, no matter what anyone says. But a short beard has advantages that a long beard doesn’t since there’s no need to find ways to keep a short beard out of your food, or from getting caught on things occasionally. Indeed, those with longer beards might already know the tricks of how to get around this issue, and good on them if they do since long beards look rather cool on the right people. But shorter beards are easier to maintain and don’t require quite as much work. Hey, it’s a matter of personal taste and how much time you’re willing to spend on your facial hair, and we’re not going to make judgments whichever way a person wants to go with it.
To bush or not to bush?
Some guys can’t help it, their beards simply grow out and don’t show any sign of weakening or thinning until something catastrophic happens that negates their ability to grow their facial hair in this manner. Then again, some guys couldn’t grow a full beard if they used every product on the market and shaved daily to stimulate their hair follicles. Some guys can grow a beard, and some can’t. But much like a long beard, a bushy beard means more maintenance and a lot more time spent trying to keep it clean. It’s not that much of a hardship to be fair, and bushy beards do tend to look a lot more impressive, but if a guy has a strong enough jawline they can rock a shorter, trimmed beard and be just as stylish. This all boils down to what you feel is right for your face and what is going to fit best into your lifestyle. A full beard does look rather cool and even a little intimidating, but it’s a lot to live up to at times.
A beard has its advantages with women.
I’m sure some of this is going to sound a little offensive to some folks that don’t know how to take a joke or simply look away when they feel their SJW-sense tingling, but really…I don’t care. There’s something very erotic and capable of making many men shudder if a woman runs her fingers through their beard in a certain way. And if a woman rubs her own cheeks against your soft, well-cared-for manmade hair mask, oh yeah, that’s the stuff. There are other ways that a beard comes in handy during an intimate encounter, and yes, from personal experience, I can attest that this is true. No, I won’t go into details, since I’m enough of a gentleman to keep some secrets, but if your mind is already going in the direction it was intended then maybe, guys, you’ll think about what it might be like. Women do like beards, no matter what might be said. For all the studies and research that state that women like clean-shaven men, there are just as many studies that say the opposite…which is why I don’t always go by the studies and instead decide to go case by case.
There is something manly about a man that can grow and maintain a beard, as like it or not, it’s kind of a rite of passage that has turned on the fairer sex for a long time now, and if people don’t want to admit to it, fine, they don’t have to. But trying to convince anyone that women don’t like a beard on a man is the type of negativity you don’t need in your life at this time. If your woman enjoys rubbing up against your bear-like cheeks, then rumble approvingly and be satisfied that she likes you the way you are.
How you fashion your beard is up to you, but whatever you do, own it.
Some men just let their beards grow out and don’t bother to do anything with them but comb them, keep them clean, and perhaps shape them just enough to their liking to look professional and clean-cut. But some guys like to style their beards in one way or another, and that’s okay. Some like to put stuff in their beards and mustaches, and again, that’s okay. I wouldn’t bother telling a Viking from back in the day that his metal beads look stupid. For one, he’d likely take offense in a big way, and second, it would be dumb to say since the right look is whatever you decide it is. When it comes to your beard, it’s done your way, and to hell with whatever others say. So long as you keep it clean and combed, you can easily disregard what anyone else says. Hell, I’ve seen a comedian with swirls and patterns trimmed into his beard, and it was strange to be certain, but also kind of cool.
It’s your beard, do with it what you want. But for the love of bearded men everywhere, keep the damned thing clean.
WTR? (Why’s That Radass?)
We’re here to cover the weird and cool things that come to our attention from time to time, and beard trends definitely fall into that category. For all our bearded followers, grow that big, beautiful bush and be proud of it. Keep it clean and keep it up my brothers!
