I think we need a thread for the manliest of men. Let’s talk about a subject very near and dear to me. Beards.
Not all of us have one. As we have recently learned in a nearby thread, many go without this gift everyday. Some can’t grow a beard, while others wish they could get rid of theirs permanently. Personally, I think of mine as my defining visual characteristic. Having dark brown hair and a fire red beard is slightly uncommon and something I wear with pride. If I were to try to link up with one of you at an event, I would say “Look for the 6’4” white guy with the awesome red beard and a Marvel Comics shirt." It’s a memorable feature and it stands out.
Facial hair comes in hundreds of different combinations of color, style, texture, and meaning. Some may wear their beard for religious reasons, others simply for aesthetics. Some are the opposite and keep a clean shave for various reasons as well. All of this is a part of who you are, so let’s discuss.
Share your stories, your choices, your reasons, your designs, your artistic facial creations, your methods of upkeep, your opinions, whatever you want. Women (Yes we have them here) feel free to share your opinions as well. Let us men know what you like to see on a man’s face and why.
If you post a picture please make sure you put it in a spoiler tag. For those of you who do not know how to do this, see the example below. Just remove the asterisks within the brackets.
[spoiler=Title of Spoiler]Place Image Here[/spoiler]
I treat mine chia pet style…I just let it grow, and then shave it, and then let it grow, then shave it. Right now I’m at the middle of a typical 3 week grow cycle. I’ll pic it another time.
True story 95% of black guys look better with facial hair…
Pretty close to my usual cycle too. Wait until it gets puffy and I’m trying to braid it (3-4 weeks), then trim it down with the electric. I always try to keep the neckbeard and cheeks a close shave though because that shit is itchy and looks bad, usually with a Gillete Fusion Dance ProGlide Power and gel. I never shave it lower than a 2 on my electric shaver. Girlfriend spazzes if it’s too close. Then again she also spazzes if it starts to look like a broom.
I’m trying to find a nice midway point where we can both be happy at the moment. She likes it nice and neat, while I want something more substantial. I experiment all the time, but right now I’m going with a 2 all around for the sideburns, jaw line, and mustache, and not touching the chin. Nice and neat all the way around with a clean razor shave on the neck and cheeks, but a big fireball of hair on my chin. She hasn’t complained yet, let’s see how long I can get it. I’ll post a pick when I’m off work.
Why?
I used to have trouble with razors because I have a sharp point at my adams apple that would get cut all the time. Military taught me quick to get that shit in check though.
I never really have the ingrown hairs or bump issues a lot of people do, but I’m curious what others might be doing to alleviate this problem. Is your barber just doing an electric trim or using a razor? I’ve never had a barber touch my beard. Then again, I always wait until there’s a great clips discount or have a relative cut my hair so I can’t say I’ve been to a real barber.
My hair is very thick and curly, even when compared to most black guys, so I have to get close shave at the barber instead of with the razor at a certain level near above my jawline. If I go past that margin I will break out horribly. My hair instantly curls as it grows and is very dense so I can’t take any chances.
Interesting. I wonder if there is a decent hair growth prevention product for issues like that. I wouldn’t mind trying it on my neck. I get some serious neckbeard growing because my neck is so long. Beard damn near connects to my chest hair if I don’t keep it neat.
At the same time that might conflict with the Rogain I been using for my thinning scalp. Gonna do some research on this.
Black hair is like alien technology to me, and I’ve lived with a black woman for 5 years now. She sent me out for some of her hair products once and I ended up going to like 5 different stores that didn’t have what she used before my friend told me to find a Korean owned place.
If I remember correctly, my friend has some weird exfoliating cream to get rid of the bumps and curls. Don’t remember how it worked, but he’s Irish so I take his word.
My beard is a mix of curly and straight. I keep it trim and cut low; I don’t care for a shaggy beard, as it makes you look like a hipster, or otherwise don’t care about personal hygiene. I usually stick with a goatee, but I’m finding that I look slightly better with a beard.
We also look better bald. Hair or no hair, it’s all good for us. :tup:
That depends on if you got the peanut head or not hahaha.
Rap Thread has discussed razor bumps extensively. There is a process to preventing them. The easiest way for me to prevent them is to simply take a real hot shower, keeping my face moist the whole time to loosen up my skin, then target the problem areas first. Then I make sure to keep the area moist. However, similar to babies…not doing it is te surest way…which is the other reason I don’t shave frequently. Any more than once a week and I have issues.
I didnt want to trim my beard but The Wife likes it when its short. Right now its an inch long, before I trimmed it it was about 6 inches long. I like to brush my beard. Now that my hair is long I like to brush that too. It feels good. Anyhow, I just used my hair clippers (the kind they use in a hair salon) to trim that shit. I use an old toothbrush to brush my mustache down so I can cut it even. I havent actually shaved my face in about 2 years. Shit, I wouldnt even trim my beard if it wasnt for The Wife.
I have no clue why the middle of my goatee is not growing in with the rest of my chin…the sides are thick but the middle has a “bald spot” so to speak…
im not cutting it all off and its only noticeable when your up close to me…
What kind of beard did you wish you had? I’m happy with the William Riker look I’m sporting, but I kinda wish I had the capability to grow a long beard, just to see how I would look with it.
I like the option of being able to grow a beard.
I remember back in high school, I was so envious of guys that had beards (that were in high school.) Seemed like looking like an older guy was such a plus back in high school. Girls always wanted the older looking guys, it seemed, and I was a very young looking guy and was not able to grow much facial hair, except for some slight stubble on my chin and a mustache that didn’t look full at all; just some hair on my upper lip.
The tables have turned, though.
I’m now 28 years old and look relatively young. If I want to look a little bit older, I just grow my beard out, and bam, it makes me look a little bit older and gives me a different look.
HOWEVER, I would like to learn different beard styles. My beard isn’t even an epic beard, it’s more like scruff, I think. I need to learn some styles that I can work with to enhance my beard appearance when I’m rockin’ the beard.
Neckbeard is annoying for me cause it never grows long enough to not itch. Short, irritating hairs that I’m tempted to rub. Causes bumps and even whiteheads to appear.