Hi everyone. Here's a quick shot of week 9 (maybe 9.5 -- can't remember exactly). Apologies for the poor quality and bad lighting... I'll try and get something better in the future, maybe for the magic week 13.   

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RockSpyder, thanks for your last reply. Yes, whether I'm fully bearded like you or just rocking some stubble, I hope to never have the "scraped pigskin" feel again I was forced to do it once about 8 years ago for a film gig, but that was the last time since high school. As for the full connection from beard to chest, that's unfortunately not something I'm likely to embrace at this point. Purely aesthetics and preference, I guess... plus I know my wife appreciates that I keep my zones separate Maybe it's an acquired taste! In terms of the beard, I'm willing to keep pushing until Christmas at least and see from there. I'm happy thus far, certainly, and have already thought of extending my initial goal to at least a half-yeard. I've checked out Remsio's journeys and gasped in awe and envy... inspiring to say the least! 

My question this week for you beard vets is about the effects of cold weather and dry hair. In this past week, my beard appears to have dried out substantially, which I find strange because just about 3 weeks ago I started adding jojoba oil and beard saver (BlueBeards) to my daily routine and was feeling much smoother and softer. The beard seems to be fine until early afternoon these days, but after that it turns almost crispy to the touch, and by the evening it feels like a bunch of dried-out straw. I have a naturally dry complexion, but I'm wondering if this has something to do with the weather. Where I live, we had a cold snap just this week with dry air and temperatures going below freezing. Can this significantly influence the natural moisture in the beard? My beard about an inch long now (a little longer in some places)--though it's tough to see that as a brush it down quite a bit to keep it tame--so maybe I might be reaching a length that requires a bit more moisture as well. If so, would you recommend I add a mid-day application of oil or beardsaver to help counteract the effects? Can you oil TOO much?

As always, any advice would be great, and you have my thanks in advance

Last Edited By: ZosoBeard Nov 16 14 6:26 AM. Edited 1 times.