Today is the first day and I
know all of us are excited, and maybe some are even a little nervous! Patience
and persistence are going to be you main weapons here (and what better
qualities make a man??). To kick start this event with the right mindset,
I’m going to go over a few example beards to show you what to expect, and
give you a little advice to help you plan. I've ruined a few beards
before, and on this timeline I don’t want you making the same
mistakes.
Let’s start with a famous beard here, and some advice to
take from it: Aragorn – Ranger of the North, Heir of Isildur, King of Arnor and
Gondor, etc…
In “fellowship of the ring”, Aragorn has what is the borderline between a beard and stubble. This is what to expect after about 4 or 5 weeks, and this is where the majority of guys look in the mirror and say “I can’t grow a beard…” and shave it off, like a man going to the gym for the first time and being disappointed he couldn't immediately bench 200 lbs like he assumed he could. I’m willing to bet this is the case with 9 out of 10 men. We've all done this at one point, and just given up. Let’s look closely at his facial hair here – it’s patchy. Watch the movie. A large piece of his cheeks appears empty, and his chin looks pretty much bald. But it looks good, right?? Trust me, YOU NOTICE these things more than anyone else. What’s important is not to shave the parts that appear “weak” or “bald” to you. YOU WILL NEED THEM.
Let’s move to exhibit B and see what happens when you stick with it…
In “fellowship of the ring”, Aragorn has what is the borderline between a beard and stubble. This is what to expect after about 4 or 5 weeks, and this is where the majority of guys look in the mirror and say “I can’t grow a beard…” and shave it off, like a man going to the gym for the first time and being disappointed he couldn't immediately bench 200 lbs like he assumed he could. I’m willing to bet this is the case with 9 out of 10 men. We've all done this at one point, and just given up. Let’s look closely at his facial hair here – it’s patchy. Watch the movie. A large piece of his cheeks appears empty, and his chin looks pretty much bald. But it looks good, right?? Trust me, YOU NOTICE these things more than anyone else. What’s important is not to shave the parts that appear “weak” or “bald” to you. YOU WILL NEED THEM.
Let’s move to exhibit B and see what happens when you stick with it…
Here’s a beard you can achieve
probably around the beginning of month 3 or maybe mid-late month 2.
As you see, he’s grown right through and over that bald spot on his chin and the patchiness of his mustache. Sure, his cheeks are pretty bare but it looks great. He’s trimmed to suit the beard that he grows – the cheeks are cut short and taper to his goatee area. His mustache is very long, the top hairs grow down to his lip where everything is then trimmed away, and his “soul patch” and chin hair is also quite long – probably twice the length of the rest of his beard then trimmed under the chin to give it shape. We can’t all do this exactly, but I think Viggo Mortenson and Aragorn are both pretty great examples of what proper patience and grooming strategy can do for you.
A couple beards ago, I shaved the top of my cheeks to “clean it up” a bit while it was growing, and I ended up shaving hair that is VERY CRUCIAL for growing over the bald spots on my chin. It was a beard-ending disaster.
TLDR: Don’t shave for at least 4 weeks unless maybe it’s VERY high on the cheeks and obvious, or maybe below the adams apple.
As you see, he’s grown right through and over that bald spot on his chin and the patchiness of his mustache. Sure, his cheeks are pretty bare but it looks great. He’s trimmed to suit the beard that he grows – the cheeks are cut short and taper to his goatee area. His mustache is very long, the top hairs grow down to his lip where everything is then trimmed away, and his “soul patch” and chin hair is also quite long – probably twice the length of the rest of his beard then trimmed under the chin to give it shape. We can’t all do this exactly, but I think Viggo Mortenson and Aragorn are both pretty great examples of what proper patience and grooming strategy can do for you.
A couple beards ago, I shaved the top of my cheeks to “clean it up” a bit while it was growing, and I ended up shaving hair that is VERY CRUCIAL for growing over the bald spots on my chin. It was a beard-ending disaster.
TLDR: Don’t shave for at least 4 weeks unless maybe it’s VERY high on the cheeks and obvious, or maybe below the adams apple.
Speaking of adams apple and
early shaving mistakes, this is VERY IMPORTANT. It’s regarding your neck
line, and how crucial it is not to cut this away.
http://www.beards.org/neck.php
Here’s a quick picture of where a lot of men make the mistake of cutting their beards – doing so leaves that flap of skin under the red line bare and can make your face look flabby or rooster-like. You can also never have a “full beard” with that neck-line.
http://www.beards.org/neck.php
Here’s a quick picture of where a lot of men make the mistake of cutting their beards – doing so leaves that flap of skin under the red line bare and can make your face look flabby or rooster-like. You can also never have a “full beard” with that neck-line.
Now a couple pieces of advice and we’re done! – print out a beard you really like, and hang it in your cube for motivation. It sounds silly but can really make a difference in getting you through some of those “bad beard days”.
Here’s a couple of my favorites that I keep in the back of my head:
Jojoba oil, which you can go pick up at I think world market or trader joe’s, is smooth on the skin and should help soften and perhaps straighten your beard while it grows. It will also help in case you get itching. Shampoo and conditioning will also be very important (!) but maybe not for a few weeks. You can get biotin pills in the supermarket, which will help your hair come in thicker and fuller.
That’s all for now! Mentally
prepare, get pumped, and DON’T SHAVE OR EVEN TRIM YET!
No comments:
Post a Comment