BigFish - I'm muddling on with my stache, it seems to just grow straight outwards sometimes! I've taken to trimming the very central inch or so that insists on coming straight down/out, but I don't know if being trimmed is what's stopping it from being trainable... With the sides, I run wax in along my top lip to keep them out of my mouth and it works for a while, but I play with it so much that the wax is pretty much gone by 11am. I take a tin with me to work now and reapply if it's getting on my nerves. I don't intend to have big old handlebars, but I was hoping for a swept, rather than vertical trimmed look, more natural and perhaps better for kissing (got to maximise potential). Maybe there'll come a point when I have to go through an annoying stache phase in order to get it how I want. I know what you mean about the fake stache, I did the same, but I got no astonished looks, so I figured I got away with it. not comfortable though.

Soooo... week 8.
I went to the barbers (Avocado - he got me!) for my haircut and to get the sides blended in, and chat inevitably turned to the beard. I was clear that I was growing out and to leave it alone, but I asked him to check I hadn't messed up the neck line as it's an awkward job to do yourself. He had a look and said he could tidy it up for me...
I had taken my specs off by this point, so I couldn't see a thing in his mirror, it was all a big surprise at the end.

He only touched the neckline, but what he's done is blend it in, rather than leave it a carved line, including taking all the length away from the back corner of my jaw - hopefully the pics will show it. He told me was going to blend it a wee bit and that it would grow into a nicer shape in the long term. I had told him I intended growing a proper old fashioined beard, rather than wanting a trendy trim, but I do feel I've now compromised the growing phase and suffered a set back here, particularly regarding the back of the jaw line - it feels like he's made two massive holes at the back of my beard. Can anyone explain why? Some reassurance there would be good. The neckline feels a bit too high now, although it is graded rather than chopped off, so there is still hair there, and in a couple of weeks I hope it will show as lower again. Maybe he's just done what the forum recommends to 13 weekers, but a little early?

Overall though, I'm feeling nice and hairy at the front, although the left side of my bottom lip has more hair than the right, and the gaps below haven't filled in - but I know length will help that. I met a few people I hadn't seen since before Christmas and they were impressed, so the compliments are rolling in which make me very proud and encouraged.

I've plucked out the odd wayward hair, which felt like a betrayal after nurturing them so carefully, but there didn't seem much else I could do (they were grey anyway, serves them right). The sides are starting to feel longer, but not thicker, and now I've had that edge trim I feel I have to be careful which way my cheek hair lies, so I don't over expose the 'blended' (missing) bits at the back. I'm very happy keeping a bit more hair on my head though, definitely a good decision and a new look for me (usually buzzed down to 5mm).

I'm just not sure about the blended neckline....


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Last Edited By: itchyface Feb 26 15 2:43 PM. Edited 2 times.