Hi all,
I'm so happy to have stumbled upon this forum and read through so many of your beard journeys. What a community!
I'm here because I'm thinking of growing my beard out for the first time. I've had facial hair of some sort for most of my adult life, but never a real beard. I'm looking for your feedback to see if I have what it takes, and maybe for some advice. First, here's a bit about me.
-I have actually shaved (wet, razor, clean) maybe ~5 times in my life. From the first time I wet shaved, I couldn't STAND the feeling of a smooth face. For whatever reason, it gives me the heebie jeebies. Ever since I can remember, I've kept a bit of scruff.
-I usually keep about a 2-week beard. I shave the cheekline and the neckline, and trim the rest with short clippers. This has been my routine for more than a decade.
-I have really, really curly facial hair. My moustache curles in on itself, and the cheeks get really unwieldy nad "springy" if I grow beyond my 2-week comfort zone.
-My chest hair and beard fully connect. If I don't shave the neck, there's full connection. In fact, my neck is my strongest growing area!
So, I'm thinking of actually growing it out for the first time. Besides the fact I don't like a clean-shaved face, I'm sick of trimming every week or two. I'd like to let it go, but I'm wondering if I have the genetics to rock a beard that looks decent. I'm also struggling with a couple of things when it comes to going longer that I'm hoping all of you experts might be able to help me with. So, here are the questions:
1) Neckline: I have a "familiar" neckline that I trim to for my regular short beard/scruff, but I'm wondering if I need to extend this lower if I'm going to grow out a longer beard. Am I too high?
2) Moustache: Seems to grow faster than the rest, and it curles in on itself, which can be quite annoying. Should I be trimming the moustache to keep it in line with the length of the rest, or letting it go alltogether?
3) SPLIT ENDS! I've noticed that most (maybe all??) of my beard hairs have severely split ends... sometimes splitting 4 or 5 ways. When I stroke my beard, these stick out to me and I often "pluck" rather than "stroke" my short beard (a bad habit, I know). How can I combat this? I've tried conditioning, but doesn't seem to help. Bearddruff is also a problem.
Thanks so much in advance for any input/advice! The following pics (front, right, left) are of me right now, at would I would approximate as 4 weeks of growth. Do you think I have what it takes to go big?? I hope to keep this up to date as I continue my journey.
I'm so happy to have stumbled upon this forum and read through so many of your beard journeys. What a community!
I'm here because I'm thinking of growing my beard out for the first time. I've had facial hair of some sort for most of my adult life, but never a real beard. I'm looking for your feedback to see if I have what it takes, and maybe for some advice. First, here's a bit about me.
-I have actually shaved (wet, razor, clean) maybe ~5 times in my life. From the first time I wet shaved, I couldn't STAND the feeling of a smooth face. For whatever reason, it gives me the heebie jeebies. Ever since I can remember, I've kept a bit of scruff.
-I usually keep about a 2-week beard. I shave the cheekline and the neckline, and trim the rest with short clippers. This has been my routine for more than a decade.
-I have really, really curly facial hair. My moustache curles in on itself, and the cheeks get really unwieldy nad "springy" if I grow beyond my 2-week comfort zone.
-My chest hair and beard fully connect. If I don't shave the neck, there's full connection. In fact, my neck is my strongest growing area!
So, I'm thinking of actually growing it out for the first time. Besides the fact I don't like a clean-shaved face, I'm sick of trimming every week or two. I'd like to let it go, but I'm wondering if I have the genetics to rock a beard that looks decent. I'm also struggling with a couple of things when it comes to going longer that I'm hoping all of you experts might be able to help me with. So, here are the questions:
1) Neckline: I have a "familiar" neckline that I trim to for my regular short beard/scruff, but I'm wondering if I need to extend this lower if I'm going to grow out a longer beard. Am I too high?
2) Moustache: Seems to grow faster than the rest, and it curles in on itself, which can be quite annoying. Should I be trimming the moustache to keep it in line with the length of the rest, or letting it go alltogether?
3) SPLIT ENDS! I've noticed that most (maybe all??) of my beard hairs have severely split ends... sometimes splitting 4 or 5 ways. When I stroke my beard, these stick out to me and I often "pluck" rather than "stroke" my short beard (a bad habit, I know). How can I combat this? I've tried conditioning, but doesn't seem to help. Bearddruff is also a problem.
Thanks so much in advance for any input/advice! The following pics (front, right, left) are of me right now, at would I would approximate as 4 weeks of growth. Do you think I have what it takes to go big?? I hope to keep this up to date as I continue my journey.
