Some facial hair since 1972 - by that I mean at least a mustache, so that's 44 years, if I can still do arithmetic in my head. . . (or, technically, is this doing arithmetic on my head?)
Someone remarked the other day that they can't remember me without a beard. I don't have a "long" beard. It's more of a shorter, well-lined beard. I had to look back into my iPhone camera roll and I deemed it to be 3 years going strong.
I started shaving when I was 10. No, I'm not joking. So I was clean shaven only a few years of my life outside high school. My time in the Army really killed shaving for me since I had to shave 5 times a day just to stay in Army Regs. That was before I knew what I know now about shaving. So this 'stash and goatee is like 4 months old.
Grew the mustache when I was 19 (1983-84). The beard followed 2 years later. Except for a couple of months period around age 25, when I shaved it all off to prove to my wife, then girlfriend, that I looked like I was 12 without it, I've had it ever since. I'm soon to be 52.
Lost a bet with myself... I said if we ever found a beard hair in food or on a plate I'd shave. Damnit! Found one tonight after talking with one of the brewers who also has a long beard of similar color. The culprit was just sitting there in an edge of a serving tray.
Superba Razor, Art of Shaving Lavender Soap (tallow formula), Vulfix 374s... figured someone would ask. :-(
Beard was nine months in with four or five good trims. Was still shaving my neck and blending I. The sideburns. I might shave once or twice more then go back to a short beard. I look too much like my brothers otherwise.
My mustache and goatee were about 33 years old when I shaved them off a couple weeks before I discovered safety razors. The mess that was my face after shaving them off after all that time is why I am now using safety razors.