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Beard growing pains

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Beard growing pains

Post by watchpalooza »

I tend to grow a beard each year in winter, with varying degrees of longevity each time (from a month to the full year). It typically starts with a decision to allow the lazy stubble from Turkey Day to stay, and then a commitment to the short beard with a bit of shaping. By Christmas its a pretty full affair. In the past I had messed with it too much in the early stages to try to keep it looking „clean“ for work, and then shaved it off in frustration. Once I learned not to over-manicure or undercut the neck line, I found I could competently grow quite a shrubbery and keep it until the itchiness and odd curling started to bug...not to mention keeping food out of it. Successive years have led to better results with proper care (moisturizing, training, etc). Now I have a whole new need for shelf space to store the beard comb, oil, etc during the clean-shaven parts of the year.

It has been an odd journey for sure, but kind of fun. Anyone else here have beard-sperience?
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Re: Beard growing pains

Post by AndroidIsAwesome »

I "can" grow a beard but it isn't quite as full looking as I'd like, although I am still young so maybe that's a factor. But because of work policies I have to be clean shaven so I usually just hack away at my face with a straight blade lol. I should probably moisturize or take better care but my skin seems to stand up fine against every blade in the world. I swear I could take a samurai sword to the face and not even bleed.
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Re: Beard growing pains

Post by watchpalooza »

Yeah, I went through the same sort of thing...also keeping clean-cut for work. Different in Germany for sure...also becoming more acceptable for some professions. Nothing beats a straight razor shave...nice touch and takes some skill not to come out all Freddie Krruegered.
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Re: Beard growing pains

Post by Bbrou33 »

Since moving to NYC I tend to do the same in winter months and let it get think and grow more. Beard shampoos, conditioners, and oils help out so much in keeping the doing moisterized and not as itchy.
I need to clean mine up a bit tight now because I look homeless. But living in NYC with a million odd balls, the "hipster"/ "homeless" look is cool

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Re: Beard growing pains

Post by vta_watch »

I've had a beard for the last 20 years or so. Maybe I'm lucky, but it never bothered me when it was growing out (itchiness, etc.). Shaved it off once 10 or 12 years ago, and Mrs. Larand promptly ordered me to grow it back. I've never gotten into the whole beard obsession thing with oils and special combs and so forth, I just treat it like the hair on top of my head—shampoo and trim as needed, and brush it with the same brush I use for my hair. Works for me.

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Re: Beard growing pains

Post by peskydonut »

I work in software, an industry notoriously liberal when it comes to dress code.

Used to shave about twice a week, which had me clean shaven for a couple of days and scruffy for the rest. For the last 2yrs I've been growing a beard. First year I didn't trim it all, no neck line, not even the whiskers. Eating was a nightmare. At the 12mo mark I had it trimmed professionally and have been doing so every couple of months. I have to say, getting the stache trimmed was a game changer. Now my beard is about 6-7" depending on where you measure from.

For maintenance the first year I went all out...beard oil, balm, mustache wax, beard wash/conditioner, even hair dryer. As time went on, I got frustrated at having a 15min beard tax on my mornings. Now I have a more condensed routine: beard soap & conditioner twice a week and beard oil plus a go with the Wet Shine brush after each shower.
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Re: Beard growing pains

Post by TheJohnP »

larand wrote: Sun Dec 15, 2019 9:35 am I've had a beard for the last 20 years or so. Maybe I'm lucky, but it never bothered me when it was growing out (itchiness, etc.). Shaved it off once 10 or 12 years ago, and Mrs. Larand promptly ordered me to grow it back. I've never gotten into the whole beard obsession thing with oils and special combs and so forth, I just treat it like the hair on top of my head—shampoo and trim as needed, and brush it with the same brush I use for my hair. Works for me.

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Almost the same for me.
Have had a beard regularly for about 12 years.
Once I started dating and then married the woman who became my wife, she laid down the law that I can't shave my beard off.
Trimmed it fairly short on occassion, but pretty beard-y on the regular.

I've been gifted beard kits before and tried the conditioner and such.
But find face soap and shampoo work well enough.
Then I trim it around the same time as I get a haircut.
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Re: Beard growing pains

Post by MAAHHH THE FRENCH! »

My face grows thick and lush like the desert scrub, which goes well with my delicate pencil wrists. Now that I think about it, maybe I'm just a really ugly girl.
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Re: Beard growing pains

Post by MoT »

I usually start growing a visage vest around October and keep it until April/May. I generally keep the cheeks and neck clean but let the rest go wild. I'm one of those blessed (cursed?) with a fairly fast growing face sweater, by the end of the term I'm looking like a prospector lost in time.

I'm glad I didn't inherit my grandfather's beard genes though, if he wanted to be clean-shaven (and he was for as long as I knew him) he had to shave twice a day.
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Re: Beard growing pains

Post by Bbrou33 »

I cleaned mine up yesterday. Trimmed everything slightly all around. Too the scissors to some of the wild mustache hairs. Then cleaned the cheeks and neck line up.
My beard grows very soft hairs. It's only problem the first few days then soft like a pillow.
Honestly, if the lady of the apartment didn't hate my mustache, I'd only rock that. But this is about as thick as she let's me go with the beard. Though I'm slowly going to let it keep growing until she notices.

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Re: Beard growing pains

Post by Split-Time »

Interesting topic and I have enjoyed the comments. I have had a beard since 2006. It has never been “long” but it has never been really short. Maybe when we got married it was a little shorter. It has never itched or bothered me. I wash it with shampoo or body wash and can’t tell a difference. Maybe I’m just low maintenance.

It’s going gray and makes me look older. That isn’t always a bad thing, but it’s getting close to half way there. I talk about shaving it but my wife says no. I should also point out that I don’t have much of a chin, so beards have been sort of a family trick for making up for that, which is why I grew one in the first place.

Wish I had some advice!
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Re: Beard growing pains

Post by yinzburgher »

Bbrou33 wrote: Mon Dec 16, 2019 6:29 am I cleaned mine up yesterday. Trimmed everything slightly all around. Too the scissors to some of the wild mustache hairs. Then cleaned the cheeks and neck line up.
My beard grows very soft hairs. It's only problem the first few days then soft like a pillow.
Honestly, if the lady of the apartment didn't hate my mustache, I'd only rock that. But this is about as thick as she let's me go with the beard. Though I'm slowly going to let it keep growing until she notices.

Pics because this thread needs it.



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Re: Beard growing pains

Post by Bbrou33 »

yinzburgher wrote:
Bbrou33 wrote: Mon Dec 16, 2019 6:29 am I cleaned mine up yesterday. Trimmed everything slightly all around. Too the scissors to some of the wild mustache hairs. Then cleaned the cheeks and neck line up.
My beard grows very soft hairs. It's only problem the first few days then soft like a pillow.
Honestly, if the lady of the apartment didn't hate my mustache, I'd only rock that. But this is about as thick as she let's me go with the beard. Though I'm slowly going to let it keep growing until she notices.

Pics because this thread needs it.



ImageImage

Let's be Instagram friends @bbrou33
If I were you I would save the Wario hat just for special occasions but rock that muzzy every damn day. It's a good look for you. [emoji106]
Couldn't agree more!
But the master of the house has a different opinion. And well... You know
But it's ok. She'll be gone for 2 weeks in January, so you know what that means!



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Re: Beard growing pains

Post by MoT »

Bbrou33 wrote: Tue Dec 17, 2019 6:46 am
yinzburgher wrote:
Bbrou33 wrote: Mon Dec 16, 2019 6:29 am I cleaned mine up yesterday. Trimmed everything slightly all around. Too the scissors to some of the wild mustache hairs. Then cleaned the cheeks and neck line up.
My beard grows very soft hairs. It's only problem the first few days then soft like a pillow.
Honestly, if the lady of the apartment didn't hate my mustache, I'd only rock that. But this is about as thick as she let's me go with the beard. Though I'm slowly going to let it keep growing until she notices.

Pics because this thread needs it.



ImageImage

Let's be Instagram friends @bbrou33
If I were you I would save the Wario hat just for special occasions but rock that muzzy every damn day. It's a good look for you. [emoji106]
Couldn't agree more!
But the master of the house has a different opinion. And well... You know
But it's ok. She'll be gone for 2 weeks in January, so you know what that means!

Stacked up pizza boxes/take out containers and not doing a single bit of cleaning up until an hour before she comes home? :D
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Re: Beard growing pains

Post by MoT »

Messed up while trimming today, so out came the hedge clippers.

Benefit of being clean shaven?

1. I no longer taste my food/drink hours after consuming it.

2. I look 10 years younger.
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