Michael H.

Bearded since: 1996. I am an experimental beard grower.

Comments:
In college, starting in 1996, I sported a Van Dyke about 50 % of the time, but the couple of times I tried to grow a beard it came out poorly.

In February 2009, several guys in my department at work decided to have a Month of Man. We all grew the best beards we could, and on the last day of the month we all came in with various bizarre styles. That attempt, my beard was a little better, but not great.

January 2011 I decided to give it another shot. By the end of January, it had came in well, and by the end of February it was awesome. Of course, since my facial hair is often in flux, I shaved it off in the beginning of March. Sadly, I missed it soon after, and grew another beard starting around the middle of June. The picture attached is from the end of August.

How do I feel about my beard? I love the fact that I can actually grow an impressive beard. It is interesting that I have a very distinct color change at the top of my sideburns from brown to red. My wife prefers me clean shaven, so the beard will continue to come and go.

With this most recent shave-off, I decided to try out as many styles as possible. These are all included in a public photo album on Facebook.