3 Beard Myths Debunked - What to Know About Growing a Beard
Recent years have seen a renaissance in terms of facial hair. Bearing a beard is now a fashion choice as valid as being clean-shaven. In fact, a glorious mane of well-groomed hair on your chin is considered a symbol of pride for many bearded men.
The beard has gotten so popular that an entire industry and culture has sprung up around it. Today, there are tons of products available on the market related to the care and maintenance of beards. Some of these products are legitimately great, while others may be based on false notions about beards in general.
To help you distinguish beard fact from fiction, we are going to go over some of the most common beard myths and give you the real facts to debunk them.
FALSE: Shaving makes a beard grow thicker and faster
Unfortunately, those little whiskers above the corners of your lips that you call a moustache will not grow into a beard no matter how often you shave them.
This myth comes from how hair behaves after it has been cut. For a short while, any hair that has been cut can appear thicker as the cut end of a strand of hair will appear and grow blunt for a short while. Eventually, its ends will return to its pointed shape, ending the illusion of thicker hair.
This is also largely due to coincidence. It is easy enough to think that your thickening facial hair is a product of shaving. In reality, it’s likely just the hormones from puberty going about their natural processes.
FALSE: Some people just don’t have the genes to grow a beard
While many bearded men are able to grow beards as early as their 20s (or even their teens in some cases), there are many people who are just late bloomers when it comes to the growth of their facial hair. Most bearded people actually report that the prime years for beard growth are actually in their 30s and 40s. If you haven’t been able to grow one yet, just wait. It might just need time.
Another thing people don’t know about beards is that even just having an evenly-distributed level of fuzz around your face can take anywhere from three months to a year to develop. Maybe you just haven’t waited long enough for your beautifully bountiful beard to take shape.
FALSE: Beards are unprofessional
There are some professionals who can definitely benefit from a clean-shaven face, such as surgeons, firefighters and so on. However, it is no longer a universal necessity in the workplace to shave your beard.
The decades of ad campaigns purporting that beards are dirty and that the clean-shaven face is the standard for professionalism are now falling apart. There is absolutely no reason that a beard should be unprofessional, provided that it’s clean, evenly trimmed, and well-groomed. It literally has nothing to do with a person’s work ethic.
As such, perceptions surrounding beards have changed. More and more professionals are allowing themselves to grow facial hair every day. With current trends, beards might just surpass the number of clean-shaven faces in the future.
Conclusion
It is important to know the facts about beards and beard care so that you are able to grow and take care of your glorious beard a lot better. As we have mentioned, there is no reason why you should be exempt from the beautiful brotherhood of beardhood. All you might need is time and patience.
If you need some great beard products to groom that magnificent mane of yours, send us at Jericho Australia a message. We have all the resources for all things beards.