Category Archives: growing a beard

beards, growing a beard

don’t fear the beard when it is your own

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Steven, bearded adventurer

Many of the beard-growing mistakes that I see again and again may often be blamed on some extent to fear, anxiety, and a lack of confidence.  Don’t fear the full beard when it’s yours.  If you’re going to grow a full beard, go all in.  Otherwise, why bother?  You’re growing a full beard, for crying out loud.  Show the world that you aren’t afraid to do it right.

For so many men, growing a beard is such a huge stretch out of their comfort zones that they are afraid to embrace the experience fully.  They timidly grow out a full beard — and deserve commendation for that — but then stunt its growth or mutilate its shape out of some sort of fear that they’re going too far.  For some, letting the beard grow in fully will surely make them look just like ZZ Top or Rip Van Winkle.  We surely can’t have that now, can we?  Except, of course, letting a beard grow out a little beyond the stubble stage is hardly the equivalent of a ZZ Top beard.

Some of the most common beard-growing mistakes for a full beard are:

These errors do not plague new beard growers exclusively.  Plenty of veteran beard growers commit these mistakes all the time, too.  Let’s take a look at each one.

Cheek line

What’s the fear?  “If I don’t keep this cheek line down way low, I’ll look just like a wolf man.”

What’s the result? All too often, the result is a butchered beard that looks stifled and unnatural.

What to do?  Look at it this way.  Give your natural cheek line a fair chance.  And don’t be afraid to do so.  Some fear that their natural cheek line reaches all the way up to their eyes.  Usually, this is an exaggerated perception.  If your natural cheek line really is too high and you really do look exactly like a wolf man, then go ahead and lower the cheek line.  But don’t go too far.  If your natural cheek line is not truly that of a wolf man, but is a bit ragged and you’d prefer a neater line, go ahead and define a straighter cheek line.  Just take off what’s needed to define a neater line.  Don’t go too far!

Neck line

What’s the fear? “I’d better define the neck line way up high, otherwise this beard would be too big.  Besides, I’ve seen plenty of other guys with neck lines up high and they must know what they are doing.”

What’s the result?  A neck line that’s too high makes a full beard look truncated, unnatural, unflattering, and even “clown-like”.

What to do?  Think about this.  The idea of growing a full beard is to grow the full beard.  Why should the underside of the chin be clean shaven?  Some even have defined the neck line to be above the jaw.  That’s not a full beard.  It’s a full beard with the bottom part missing.  Don’t do this!  Instead, follow the guidelines for designing a neck line for your full beard.

Not permitted to fully grow

What’s the fear? “My beard is already an eighth of an inch (3.175 mm) long.  People will think that I’m ZZ Top!  This has gone too far.  I’d better trim it down.”

What’s the result?  Fear of letting your beard fully grow out results in essentially a stubble beard, or  maybe just slightly beyond the stubble stage.  That is pretty much just an extended unshaven look.  To see what your beard really looks like, let it keep growing.  If you look with an objective eye, rather than having a knee-jerk reaction based on lack of confidence, you can tell when it’s approaching the length limit for what you consider to be acceptable for your situation.  Even then, you might be safe in going longer.  The point is that too many are growing about an eighth of an inch (3.175 mm) and thinking that they’ve grown a real beard.  Well, keep growing and you’ll eventually see what a real beard can be.

What if I really want a low cheek line, high neck line, stubble beard?

If that’s what you really want, go for it.  Just make sure that it is what you really want and it’s not your fears calling the shots.

I am afraid that a fully-grown real beard with proper cheek and neck lines is too extreme and would not look professional.

A properly cultivated and well-groomed beard can always give a professional look. It can even enhance one’s professional appearance.  Just do it right.  Be prepared for uninformed comments.  That is, be prepared to brush them aside.  People feel compelled to comment and usually just say something without thinking.  Don’t worry about that.  Keep growing.  Grow a proper full beard.  Don’t give into your fears and grow a butchered, stunted beard.  Which one looks better and more professional?  You decide.

Steven, bearded adventurer
Steven, bearded adventurer
Steven, bearded adventurer
Steven, bearded adventurer
Steven, bearded adventurer

growing a beard

you have to WANT the beard

2 Comments

Christopher

All too often I hear of guys who start growing a beard, get well on their way, and then suddenly get cold feet and shave it off in a moment of insecurity.  Many report that they’ve gone through this routine multiple times.  Why?

To avoid this unfortunate fate for the budding new beard, simply commit to sticking with the beard-growing process.  Set a target date that gives your new beard growth a decent chance to grow in and for you to become accustomed to it.  And make a commitment not to shave it under any circumstance (barring some extreme unexpected situation) before that date.

You have to WANT the beard.  You have to want it enough to commit to growing it properly.  Otherwise, you may be vulnerable to a temporary loss of confidence, then chicken out and shave it off.  Don’t let it happen again!

beard contests, growing a beard

beard-growing in Scotland for charity

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charity beard-growers from Ayr, Scotland

A group of intrepid first-time beard growers set out in November to grow for charity.  Click on the photo above for the story and comments on the experience from some of the beard growers.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year 2010 to all!

beards, growing a beard

Grow a beard, a REAL beard.

10 Comments

I frequently hear from new beard growers who are intimidated about letting their new beards grow much beyond the stubble stage.  Fear not.  Carry on.  Let it grow.  Too often, they express fear that a beard growing longer than stubble will be too long!  These fears are unfounded. With a new beard, your self-perception is altered.  The thought of going beyond stubble may terrify you, with visions of presenting a monster beard.  A monster beard — or simply one that you feel is too big or too long — requires going far beyond stubble.  Ease up.  Don’t worry.  Don’t stop growing.

Rich

If you’re growing a new beard, don’t stop before you’re done.  Don’t stunt your new beard.  Let it grow beyond the stubble without fear.  Let it grow out, fill in, and blossom.  Give it a fair chance.

A beard beyond stubble length is more of a real beard.  If the stubble beard is what you really want, then keep it at that length.  But if you’re growing a new beard, don’t be afraid to go beyond stubble.  Otherwise, you deprive yourself and others of seeing your fully-grown beard in all its glory.

So how long should you let your new beard grow?  You don’t have to let it grow to the size of Rich’s beard pictured above.  But you should get closer to his length than clinging to the stubble range.  See how you like the way your beard shapes up after passing the stubble stage.   You may be pleasantly surprised.  Rich’s beard, above, clearly demonstrates that a fully-grown beard can appear neat and well-groomed.

Keep growing!

beards, growing a beard

the importance of hanging in there

26 Comments

A site visitor wrote in with encouraging words that underscore the value of not abandoning all hope. His essay is quoted here, with permission, in its entirety:

I would like to offer encouragement to all fair-haired guys who have lost faith in their capabilities for beard growing when they compare themselves to their dark friends with steel wool whiskers who have a visible beard after 3 or 4 days of not shaving.

I have light brown hair but nature saw it fit to give me a white blond mustache and mouche and light brown sideburns with a slight reddish cast to them (Scottish ancestors I guess). I never tried to grow a beard for more than 3 or so weeks as it always looked like one of those attempts which one forces in high school — patchy, multicolored, and feeble, with bits missing between the goatee and the sideburns. It also seemed to grow extremely slowly (when compared to other people).

After not shaving on an extended vacation the year I turned 35, I was freed of the self-judgement and self-consciousness which usually put paid to my attempts in the past and I hung in there for more than a month. My beard underwent a dramatic transformation after 6 weeks, when all of a sudden it filled in and out and looked like a Beard!

When I shaved it off after a couple of months (a mistake which I set about rectifying as soon as I had done it), my boss’ comment to me was: “why did you shave, the beard made you look ‘power'”!

Since I have grown it back, I have been getting nothing but good feedback from people (male and female) and it has done wonders for my confidence in my appearance.

So to all of you mouse-brown, blond, or ginger guys out there, give it at least 6 — 8 weeks. Hang in there and let it grow, you will be surprised with the results.