You see them portrayed everywhere as class, sophistication, brawn, manliness, leadership, wisdom, and dominance. You see it in television and movies, professional and casual settings, and even amongst your peers. The hero and the villain, the aristocrat and the gentleman, the laid-back uncle who lives and breathes Cubans and a 25-year-old bottle of scotch. As men, we strive to be the manliest versions of ourselves, our own heroes in our own stories. We write our own narrative when it comes to the choices we make in life and the way we shape our appearance dictates our lives in so many ways. So how do we show that we are “the man with the plan?” How do you make an appearance that is your own unique look? Over the next few posts, I will share industry secrets on how you make your version the best version and it all starts with the man in the mirror.

     We all have our signature look. Clean shaven, a good shadow on a structured jawline, a moustache, or a well-groomed and maintained beard. How do I know what is well-groomed and maintained? Well, if you are wanting to know what the best length and shape of your mane is, I hope I can answer your questions. We will cover the art of shaving later. 

     As mentioned at the beginning, a beard portrays so many things in our minds but why should you grow a beard in the first place? Well for starters, it’s the ultimate symbol for masculinity and power. You are a man, so show it! Beards are great at hiding odd shaped and dull jawlines all while making you look older, more distinguished, and in many cases, more attractive. A beard can also help keep your face warm and guard against wind and helps keep dust and germs from entering your nose and mouth. You may or may not like having a beard on your face and that is perfectly okay but growing a beard requires patience as it does not grow overnight. The best way to see if you will like having a beard is to not shave for six weeks. By this time, you should have grown enough hair past the stubble phase to determine if you will be liking your beard or reaching for a razor. One thing to be aware of is your facial hair is not the same as the hair on your head and can grow splotchy. This is perfectly okay as you will grow your beard out and cover up those patches of skin over time. 

     So, you decided to keep growing your beard, but your chin and jaw may have become very itchy and even painful. What happens is as your beard hair grows, your skin dries out and much like your scalp, if left unattended for a period of time, can get flaky. This is where beard oil is utilized as it moisturizes the skin under your beard and helps it grow better. Once you get a little more length on it after growing for a couple months, beard butter is better used to help maintain moisture and condition your beard to make it softer and less scraggly. We don’t want to go for the caveman look (unless you are into that sort of thing). When using beard products, it helps to use these daily for the best results. Find your favorite brand and follow the directions on the label.

     Beard growth is also based on your genetics. Some men can grow a full healthy beard in just a few short months while others my struggle to get past the beginning stages. Some may even just not be able to grow a beard. While there are no tried-and-true ways to make your genes change to allow your body to grow a beard, there are some things you can do to try and help the process. It all starts with good body health. Your beard can be a direct reflection of your health in total, so it is important to maintain your health. Part of that good health can be from making sure you’re getting the proper vitamins and nutrients and keeping yourself stress free. There are also products on the market today that stimulate hair growth and can speed up the process of growing your facial hair. Exercising is a great thing to do because it improves blood flow as well as massaging your face. Increased blood flow means increased growth. It is also important to exfoliate and use face scrubs to keep dead skin away. A clean face stimulates tiny hairs to start growing. Lastly, keep hydrated. This seems like a pretty simple statement but there are a lot of men out there that are not hydrating as well as they should be. This is not just for beard health but for your health in general. 

     Beard maintenance is an important key as well to growing a luscious beard. This means regular maintenance and trimming. Yes, you heard that right, part of growing is trimming. Trimming gets rid of fly-aways and dead ends that just don’t grow right anymore. Trimming is also how a beardsman shapes his beard into what the iconic beards look like. If you do not feel comfortable trimming your own beard, you can head down to your local barber and get a good trim and tidy up. If you do want to try it yourself, get yourself a good pair of clippers and scissors. Adding on to the maintenance, you also want a beard brush and beard comb to help with prepping your beard daily and as mentioned, beard products. You can head over to Furry Hippie Beard Company to get the products you need and as a bonus, they just smell awesome. 

     Now, you have the basics of understanding the beard essentials and knowledge that you can grow a full, healthy beard very easy. Just remember that growing a beard is a time-consuming process and can take a couple months before you really start to see the results you want. Continue following the series to learn more about beard care and how to care for yourself as a man. In the next post we will talk more in depth about maintaining your beard and address common problems and solutions that you can do to keep your beard as great as it can be.