Bearded Situations

BEARDED SITUATIONS

1. JOB INTERVIEWS

I’ve heard 98% of the Forbes 100 list of the world’s richest men are clean-shaven. I’ve also heard a rumor the remaining 2% are their bosses..

However, consider when Carl Icahn was spotted with beard on the front cover of Forbes magazine. If his $24.8 billion dollarnet worth didn’t raise a few eye-browscertainly his beard did.

For the longest time other billionaires and successful business like him have worn beards: Phil Knight, James Simons and Pierre Omidyar just to name a few.

The truth is beards are not anti-establishment in nature. A well-groomedbeard makes you memorable and often at times portrays experience, confidence and ability.

From my own experience, you will more than often be hard-pressed to find employers who discriminate against them.

Some will have established no-beard policies, such as what you’ll find in the food and beverage industry (vs. the IT industry), but by no means does it mean you’re un-hireable. An interviewer should inform you of this policy and offer assistance to any man who wishes to be a part of that workplace.

If you are asked to shave your beard, but have grown an emotional attachment to it, consider if your are falling into job misalignment.
 

2. SUMMER BEARDS

It’s perfectly normal to have beard in the summertime, don’t think of it as only being useful for warming up in the winter. During the hot summer days the beard acts much like a shade to keep your face cool.

Factor in sweat and your beard will be quite comfortable, unless of course you are in a humid climate.

But there’s a little more to this that I would like to tell you about. Here’s an interesting study that may give you some food for thought. It’s a topic well-debated, but the theory comes from dermatologists Valerie Randall and Ebling.

Their discovery proved men’s beards grew 50% to 60% quicker in the summer than in the winter. It makes one question how vital of a role a man’s facial hair has in regulating our body temperature.

When you think of other things like UV protection from the sun harmful rays, a beard acting as a barrier makes sense.
 

2. THE YEARD

If another bearded man mentions the word “Yeard”, here’s what it means: It’s a combination of the word beard and year. Simple enough right? After one full yearof growing out your beard that’s what you get.

But there are two sides of the coin here and the word has often been debated. Some believe it means absolutely no shaving or trimming for a full year. Others think you’re allowed to do some styling around the neckline, check line and Adam’s apple.

No matter what side you agree with.. Now you know exactly what gentlemen are talking about.
 

3. WEDDINGS, GRADUATIONS & FUNERALS

It’s surprising someone would ask you to change your style drastically for a special occasion but it happens. Much like a young man being asked to cut his long hair by his parents, it’s really no different even as an adult.

As a youngster, you could be asked by mom to shave for a funeral or graduation pictures. As an adult your wife could beg you to shave before a wedding. Even if you’re the best man at someone else’s wedding, a bridezilla may be dead set on all the groomsmen shaving before the wedding.

Now, it might seem crazy at first glance but without overacting, understand at this core of this all is one thing: Emotion. Chances are you’ve seen those shows on TV where the bride goes absolutely nuts over every single detail of the wedding. It’s her big day which means she’s going to be dealing with stress, excitement, and anxiety all compounded together.

Take the funeral, a depressing time for everyone. Family members might be dealing with too much grief to handle. Often a request to shave can be expected. You may hear, “it’s what grandpa, or whoever would have wanted”.

Unless your grandfather absolutely hated your beard with a passion, perhaps give it some consideration. On the other hand, if your beard was never mentioned by the person who has passed, it’s safe to ignore this request.

Emotion often makes this seem like it’s a“respectful” deed that must be done. The reality is you should be the one to make the choice here. If you feel it is the right thing, do it. If you don’t, then by all means don’t.

The key is to stand your ground. Don’t spend time arguing when emotions are high; you’ll only worsen the problem at hand here. Be understanding, be a gentleman, and do your best to handle the situation. Remember, just because you refused to shave doesn’t mean you’ll be shunned by the family or have the marriage called off. Once emotions settle down, people more than often more to their sense.
 

4. SHIRT COLLARS

Grow your beard out long enough and you’re bound encounter this problem at some point. All of the sudden your beard will love to work its way inside your shirt collar. It will be incredibly annoying and happen over and over again.

If you don’t go crazy by then, there is one simple and easy solution. Simply button your shirt all the top, up to the very last button. A little weird and uncomfortable, yes, but much better than having to deal with your beard getting caught on the collar.

You can always choose to wear a different shirt, but for most who wear button downs to work, sometimes that isn’t a feasible option.
 

5. BEARD BREAKAGE

Ah beard breakage, it’s unfortunate but it does happen.. So how can you attempt to prevent it?

Start with a good grooming regimen; it goes a long way. Add in a healthy diet and workout at the gym more often for a little added protection. Should you find yourself tugging at your beard with a comb or brush, stop. Try out some new combs or brushes that don’t snag your beard. Be willing to experiment to discover what works the best for your beard.
 

5. SHEDDING

Yes, you’ll shed beard hair much like your dog sheds off his coat. It won’t be as dramatic of course, but understand that this process is quite common. Not to mention, natural too! Your beard, like any other hairs on your body, goes through a lifecycle.

For the dead or broken hairs lying in your beard you’ll want to remove them. It’s easier said than done to be honest. Plan on investing a fair amount of time to clean your beard out.
 

6. EATING AND DRINKING

There’s no doubt about it – our faces are magnets for things like sauce and breadcrumbs. Even without a beard you’re still going to be reaching for the napkin.

With one, the problem as you guessed it, increases tenfold. You now have this massive spider web on your face ready to trap anything you put near it. Toast, soup, cereal, beer – yup, your beard wants to catch it all.

But there are some techniques and ways to help reduce these issues when it comes to drinking and eating with a beard.

Drinking:

When possible use a straw, bottle or coffee mug. If you’re drinking a beer and those options don’t apply, change the angle of your head, lean back a bit, and open your mouth a tad wider.

You’ll want to switch from drinking with the top of your lip to the bottom of your lip as well. It’s awkward and takes awhile to get used to, but it works wonder for preventing your mustache from getting wet.

You can also keep a small handkerchief in your pocket and use as needed. Most can be covertly rested inside your hand. No one around you will notice as you continue to dab your bead dry.

Eating:

Just like drinking it’s a good idea to keep a handkerchief around when you’re grabbing a bite to eat. Only this time, brush towards the sides of your mouth to push away your whiskers. You can also cut back on your mustache wax before you start. The more you use, the harder it will be to clean.

However, the easiest thing you can do that helps cut down on the clean up, is to simply roll your top lip up and your lower lip down before you take a bite. Common sense right? But truth be told, it takes a fair amount of practice to get it just right.

Remember to use your teeth to latch onto your food before your lips make contact. There will be certain foods where this isn’t possible, like a gigantic hamburger or stacked sandwich, so expect to get a little messy. Switch around the angle of the item your eating, and try to ensure that your mustache always goes over it. You don’t want to end up chewing down your mustache by mistake!

If possible, just reach for the fork and knife. Cutting things into bite size pieces will always help. You can do this with bagels, pizza, toast, or anything else you’d like. When it comes to foods like yogurt, ice cream, soups, or a bowl of cereal in the morning you’ll want to insert the spoon into your mouth before closing.

Usually we tend to slurp these things down. Last, but not least, avoid overfilling your spoon in the first place.