Joshua J. Karickhoff

Bearded since: 2011. I am a dedicated, permanent beard grower.

Comments:
I first began growing facial hair at the age of fifteen. Though, of course it came in light at the time, I always had a great appreciation for facial hair; especially a thick full-beard. Throughout the years as my facial hair developed, I grew, maintained, and learned how to sculpt/trim many different styles, and also experimented with dyes/etc. as I front an established and decently well-known touring band. So my profession encouraged my experimentation with unique facial hair. After attempting a few full-beards through the years before I was manly enough to take a real one on, I ended up doing away with them. However, in late July of 2011 (at the age of twenty), I looked myself in the mirror and after seeing the thick whiskers of only a few days of no shaving- with no patches or light spots to be seen, I decided I was now man enough to commit myself to the journey of becoming a real beardsman. At that point, I began growing the thick, long, full-faced beard that I sport today...

How do I feel about my beard? I'm very proud of my beard and the journey it has taken me on throughout the past two years. In the area of the country that I live in; while there are many who admire a great beard, there aren't a lot of beardsmen, and there can definitely be some discouraging folks at times. However, my commitment to my beard is strong, and I surround myself in my personal life with other beardsmen/people who appreciate facial hair. As a matter of fact, my beard was crowned second place in the Erie Country Max and Erma's annual beard competition in November of 2012; covered by the local and regional news channels and papers. My band Sacred 13, who has toured the country alongside icons as big as Alice Cooper and Bad Company, is known for our unique style of "Beard Metal" as my cousin and bassist Gus Ward also has a thick, long, and glorious beard. Fans in the region have even began referring to our band as the "ZZ Top of Metal". I'm incredibly happy with the notoriety and positive vibes my beard has acquired over the past two years, and at the end of the day, public thoughts aside, I myself am proud to be a beardsman. Thank you for including me on your site with all the amazing beards featured here! Here's to keeping great facial hair alive and classy!