Beards

[Xezmer]

Does anyone else want one as bad as me but cannot choose between shaving and growing? It's killing me! I know that personally, even though my face is premature, I can have a pretty good looking "beard" in a months time that will be the talk of my graduating class and i'm seriously considering it!

But this shaving supplies is kiiiilllliiinnggg meeee. I love shaving but I love the thought of a beard. Sadly, shaving wins me over by just a tid because of this board and I can't get myself to put down my metal and badger!

Help! Thoughts?

 

[Beardo]

What kind of beard are you considering? Even if you were to have a full beard, you would still need to shave, if nothing else, your neck.

I have had a rather large goat for some time, and it hasn't deprived me of the pleasure of shaving one bit. Sure, I don't get to shave my chin and lower lip, but that's the price I have to pay to have a righteous beard.

Hypothetically, if you were to grow a full beard, I'm assuming you would want to keep it neat and kept, even if you let it grow long. This would require shaving everything about an inch below the jaw line and around your adams apple. Most consider those to be the most challenging parts to shave, and for me the most enjoyable as a consequence. So, you would still get to shave, and since you would have less to shave, you could even try slowing it down and doing your best to get that part of your face extra smooth.

And if you weren't going with full beard, then you'd have even more to shave - the mustache if you were going old dutch, everything except the upper lip and center of the lower lip and chin if you were growing an imperial, or the upper lip and chin if you were growing mutton chops. So, there'll always be bits of your face in need of shaving, and you may find having to sculpt your beard and shave around it an added and rewarded challenge. It has been for me.

Well, that's my two cents, at any rate.

 

[GDCarrington]

I grew a full beard one winter while I lived in Central Texas. I quickly realized with the high heat and humidity that comes in late spring and early summer that is was something that I desired to do once and then never again. I have thick facial hair and the beard would get very wet with sweat during the hot humid days and begin to itch. I know many men down here that grow a beard during deer hunting season only and shave by the end of February. After my experimentation I know why. I know you are in San Antonio so you may experience the same thing.

Good fortune in what ever you decide.

 

[talibeard]

Why don't you try out a beard? Curiousity cured and if you don't like it you can take it off in minutes. The only hard thing may be all the comments you might get from your schoolmates while growing one; a (long) holiday period can take care of that.

 

[rhmills]

I have to keep shaving. If I try growing one, it comes in all patchy, no matter how good the last shave was.

 

[Xezmer]

What kind of beard are you considering? Even if you were to have a full beard, you would still need to shave, if nothing else, your neck.

I have had a rather large goat for some time, and it hasn't deprived me of the pleasure of shaving one bit. Sure, I don't get to shave my chin and lower lip, but that's the price I have to pay to have a righteous beard.

Hypothetically, if you were to grow a full beard, I'm assuming you would want to keep it neat and kept, even if you let it grow long. This would require shaving everything about an inch below the jaw line and around your adams apple. Most consider those to be the most challenging parts to shave, and for me the most enjoyable as a consequence. So, you would still get to shave, and since you would have less to shave, you could even try slowing it down and doing your best to get that part of your face extra smooth.

And if you weren't going with full beard, then you'd have even more to shave - the mustache if you were going old dutch, everything except the upper lip and center of the lower lip and chin if you were growing an imperial, or the upper lip and chin if you were growing mutton chops. So, there'll always be bits of your face in need of shaving, and you may find having to sculpt your beard and shave around it an added and rewarded challenge. It has been for me.

Well, that's my two cents, at any rate.

That's too much work with little result I would imagine. I shave because my whole face is smooth and gets to get hit my lather, and the blade hits all of my face and I get to rub the AS in all my face. It would feel too odd just working around the neck area. Even at that, I would probably leave the neck area if I decided to let it grow because unless i'm keeping a beard to look neat, I have no reason for it. I'm only a student. I want a nice, untouched, full face and neck beard. Of course this is subject to change as i've never allowed myself to full grow my facial hair so there's a chance I don't like it.

I grew a full beard one winter while I lived in Central Texas. I quickly realized with the high heat and humidity that comes in late spring and early summer that is was something that I desired to do once and then never again. I have thick facial hair and the beard would get very wet with sweat during the hot humid days and begin to itch. I know many men down here that grow a beard during deer hunting season only and shave by the end of February. After my experimentation I know why. I know you are in San Antonio so you may experience the same thing.

Good fortune in what ever you decide.

That's an excellent point. I don't know that I would want it all year at that, or that with school that i'd even be out enough to sweat.

Why don't you try out a beard? Curiousity cured and if you don't like it you can take it off in minutes. The only hard thing may be all the comments you might get from your schoolmates while growing one; a (long) holiday period can take care of that.

At the magnet school i'm at, you're looked up to for even holding the ability to grow sideburns

I have to keep shaving. If I try growing one, it comes in all patchy, no matter how good the last shave was.

I'm fortunate enough to have my hair grow like the picture below. It doesn't fill the triangles on either side of the mustache and sideburns, but that's okay. If I let it grow for a month, it would probably be about 50-60% of what this guy has. The only "patch" I have is directly under my chin, in between my neck, but unless I was looking straight up or you were under me, you've never see this.

My fastest growing areas are my sideburns, chin, and neck. My soul patch area and mustache are medium.

Did I mention No-Shave November? Though it's my birthday month and i'd fancy treating myself to a luxurious 16th birthday shave, i'm going to join my brother and his college mates in "No Shave November" where basically.. you don't shave all of november AKA man month, though i'm sure many of you have heard of this. I really just wanted to start tomorrow-Monday. Just put my razor down for a month and see where I stand. If I don't like it, my razor is there. If not, I must resist the urge, and by the end of november, i'll shape my sideburns (which I messed up horridly with my trimmer) to grow back, because that too I was constantly shaving, and hopefully the chin "bush" I like to keep, which by the way I also just shaved off about an hour ago after my shower.

 

[DE Shaver]

I'm not a beard person and never have been. Every time I try grow one, it drives my crazy after a week or so. I know perseverance is key but it seems I have little patiences for facial hair. However, I do find the beards suit some people quite well.

 

[beemerscreemer]

I have had facial hair goat, beard etc for 40 years. I had a relatively small goat that I was happy with but someone at church decided all the guys should grow a full beard to encourage a friend who was stationed in Afghanistan.. The photo of all the guys was taken and I told my wife I was going back to the goat. She asked me to keep the full beard. Since starting WS I have been shrinking the beard and have asked if my wife really wanted the beard over the goat. She said " I could do what I wanted but she really liked the beard". After 32 years I knew what that really meant so the beard stays for now. I think she likes more of my face covered up!
I still have plenty to shave. But white lather and a white beard make seeing the boundaries tough.

Gene

 

[kg4ghn]

It doesn't fill the triangles on either side of the mustache and sideburns, but that's okay. The only "patch" I have is directly under my chin,

This exactly describes my facial hair.

I rock a van dyke (goatee with connected mustache) because I have had it since I was like 18 and because SWMBO says she will kill me if I ever get rid of it. She likes "manly men" and likes having it rub against her face when I kiss her.

 

[Niles]

I say you should try the full beard and see how you like it. But, I'm biased as I have a beard.

 

[Hank21]

Rabbi Xezmer.

 

[Buck Melanoma]

I've had a beard for over twenty years and love it. Itching is a very, very temporary thing and only requires a small amount of patience on your part.

I have lived in hot and humid places and been just fine. I don't know why so many men find it hard to have one as it is the easiest and most comfortable choice for me (but YMMV, of course).

Shaving the neck, alone, is plenty (and I have managed to acquire an awfully large number of razors to play with too).

 

[jansob]

Only one way to find out...try it! I had a full beard (no shaving) but eventually found it to be hot and off-putting to some. I now shave checks and neck...takes abou the same time for me as shaving the whole face...got to hit the edges but don't have to shave the chin or jawline.

 

[luvmysuper]

"Choose wisely grasshopper"
.
.

 

[Niles]

There's also this cool look from Daniel Craig.

 

[luvmysuper]

"Choose wisely grasshopper"
.
.

 

[Go West Young Man]

I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of beards on high-school kids, it usually looks a little bit pretentious and faux-emo.

 

[life2short1971]

Go for the goat. Best of both worlds.

 

[DSW]

Go for the goat. Best of both worlds.

Thank god I know the context for this suggestion.

The worst that can happen is you don't like the beard, and so you shave it off. What I enjoyed was shaving it off iteratively to get several different facial hairstyles on the way, with pictures of each. If you like on the way, you can keep the new one.

 

[life2short1971]

That is funny isn't it. I think theres a thread for things taken out of context isn't there? lol