5 Super Common myths about beards

There are plenty of reasons to try growing a beard — first and foremost being that it can look pretty awesome. But there are some popular preconceived notions around facial hair that tend to persist even in this day and age. In a video by one of my favorite bearded persons, YouTuber Greg Berzinsky (which you should definitely follow!) lists the five most common reasons not to grow a beard that he hears from men, and debunks each of them.

The scratching?!

Number uno, the scratching. Quite common complaint of men who are trying to grow a beard: itchiness. When you’re clean-shaven, you become accustomed to washing your face regularly and vigorously, however many guys who are growing out their facial hair won’t wash this area as much. Here it really helps to buy a few beard oils. Contrary to common belief, beard oil isn’t really for your beard, but for your skin underneath your beard. Since the skin at the bottom of the beard doesn’t produce the necessary oils like our normal hair follicles does.

“Some of it has to do with the hairs pushing through the skin, some of it has to do with what you’re doing in terms of cleanliness on your face,” explains Berzinsky. “It’s important when your beard is coming in, in those early weeks, that you keep your beard clean. You must make sure that you’re washing out all the soap, shampoo, beard wash, conditioner if you have an itch in your beard. Making sure you don’t have a residue on your skin will help to alleviate itch.”

Just hang in there!

Here’s a typical version of how I use to see beards. I’m so impatient! You need to give the beard time. If you’ve ever tried No Shave November or aka Movember, then you’ve probably hit the 30-day mark of growing your beard, and not liked it = Shaved it off. However this is the mid-territory where you actually should keep on going. You need to give it another 30 days! At the end of this period you should learn how to comb it, and maybe even straighten it.

What about my job?

Another frequently reason is that men don’t think they can have a beard in the job that they do. For instance in sectors like food service and medicine. But lets be honest here. How many baristas have you seen without a beard? However some jobs actually have policies for beards, like firefighters (you don’t want fire in your beard guys…) and military personnel etc.

There also may be some concern about looking unkempt or even unprofessional in a workplace. Especially when you’re growing it out. I would recommend growing it out at the beginning of a vacation period. However do not forget to keep the beard as well kept as you can.

If needed I can put up a video of my beard routine, if that help anyone out. Let me know in the comments!

Beards are often perceived as a sign of maturity or even masculinity, especially when it’s starting to go silver. However this can make you look a little older than you’d like. This could be one of the reasons men around 40 do not want to grown a beard.

I’m in my early 30’s and I actually have quite a lot of silver hairs starting to show. And to be honest, I love it! I really don’t feel that it makes me look that much older.

I also feel that it actually enhances my face structure. It have 100% eliminated my double-chin! 😉

The last and final reason is that you think too much about what people think about you. You have to be happy about being yourself. If it makes you happy, you should grow a beard regardless of what people say!

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Greg’s video: here