Guys Get Candid About The Real Reason They Have A Beard
"Reddit user finn-burner asked: 'Why do you have a beard?'"
For some guys, their beard is everything.
Some guys keep their beards to hide some things.
Some keep their beards to catch some romance.
Sometimes it's a vice-versa situation, and they shave it off because of the upkeep.
Or... you can look like a mountain man who hasn't seen another human in a decade.
It all depends on the look you're going for.
Redditor finn-burner wanted to hear from all the gents out there with facial hair, so they asked:
"Why do you have a beard?"
My beard has started to come in gray.
So now it is banished.
Fresh faced is all I need.
Beauty Traits
Bollywood Beard GIF by Hrithik RoshanGiphy"Because I want to be 60% ugly instead of 100%."
Vruszz
"Came here to joke that I won't open the door. This is it, tho. My chin rivals that of both Bruce Campbell and the Tick. With a beard, I look like Santa that hit the gym."
Sagemasterba
Who cares...
"I shaved last a bit over a year ago for my brother's wedding, no maintenance since. Yes, it looks like crap but I also don't care anymore."
1101base2
"It's an easy thing to care for. All you need is a good brush (use a boar hair brush, not a cheap plastic one.) and some beard oil. There are other products like wax and balm, but really just a good brush and some oil is all you need for a soft, classy-looking beard. I've been growing for 6 years, nothing but compliments. And when it gets long enough, you can braid it or put it in tons of different styles with twists and braids."
chedd420
Good Habits
"It gives me something to stroke when I'm thinking."
Chairman_Mittens
"I once got to stroke a friend's beard while he stroked mine, it was an experience."
GodOfSugarStrychnine
"The beard is where a man's wisdom is stored. Stroke it to unlock deeper thoughts."
ItsEntsy
"Thanks for making me remember my long-forgotten habit. Now, I'm starting to constantly stroke my beard."
Haruhiro21
Look Away
"I don’t have a strong chin. Plus, it’s starting to get these long white hairs as I age so it makes me feel regal."
DocFreudstein
"My wife hates my chin, says it looks like a butt. In our 12 years together she's probably only seen it clearly for a month or so, I've usually had a goatee or beard. But on our son I guess it's cute, go figure."
handandfoot8099
"I went clean-shaven on our 2nd or 3rd date. She told me to not do that again. Coming up on 4 years of marriage and I'm afraid to see my chin at this point."
NobodyLikesPricks
Oval Features
thumb cooking GIF by Disney PixarGiphy"Because I'm bald and I don't want to look like a thumb."
itamaru
Not Today
Kevin James Eating GIF by TV LandGiphy"I'm lazy."
berael
"Same, definitely. I always said I'd never have a beard... Then I realized I'd have to shave all the time and was like nope, not today razor!"
OldBathBomb
It's Me!
"Because the last time I shaved it all off my friends followed me around shouting 'I'M A REAL BOY' like Pinnochio. For real though, I was told I looked good with it and at this stage, I'd look weird without it."
Cyanide_Revolver
"This. I’m 35. I have a jawline and good skin. If I shave, I get carded at bars. I don’t need to be looking half my age."
SomeOtherOrder
"I tried to grow a goatee when I was 17. My friend said I looked like a 40-year-old Baptist preacher who had 17 kids and lived in a log cabin. 2 years later during COVID-19 I grew a full beard and he gave his seal of approval."
Count-Spatula2023
Angles
"Hides my now round face a bit better."
Creamsickled
I had a beard for the last 10 years and shaved it off recently to find that I now have a double chin. Promptly grew it back."
bicx
"I've never had a chiseled look, but when I see pics of myself in my twenties, my face looked a lot more... angular. I'm not that guy anymore. the beard gives me some definition."
Overall_Sandwich_671
Gandalf
"I grow more hair than Gandalf. If not controlled, it becomes wild. Come COVID, I stopped caring about keeping it perfectly trim. Now it flows, like a beautiful waterfall."
LargeSnorlax
"I tried growing my beard long during the peak of COVID when nobody was going anywhere, and I learned it doesn't grow long, it grows out. Bushy and terrible, not a beautiful waterfall but a mess. Well, at least I know now."
Catsh*t-Dogfart
39
"Because at 18 I spent 4 years in the Marines then got into security when I got out. I'm 39 now and from 18 till about 33 I wasn't allowed by my job to grow one. Then I started working in house security at a hospital and they allowed it. Plus I look way better with a beard lol."
"Even the wife likes it now (she was on the fence when I first grew it out). That being said I have considered shaving it lol. Purely for the fact that I have a 4-year-old with autism and she isn't a fan of the long beard when she gives me a kiss. So the compromise is I keep it pretty short lol."
moshpitmachine
Simplicity
hipster beard GIFGiphy"I have a crazy babyface if I get anywhere close to overweight. My beard is man make-up."
MLaw2008
"It really is that simple for some of us."
28smalls
A little scruff on the right guy can make the perfect '10.'
Scruff isn't for everyone but when it works, it WORKS!
Your Beard May Not Be As Clean As You Think, Study Reveals—Even Compared To Your Dog
Your soup catcher may be catching a whole lot more than just soup. A new study suggests your beard could contain harmful bacteria.
Switzerland's Hirslanden Clinic conducted a study about whether humans could catch diseases from dogs when the two shared the same MRI scanner. Though their results suggest we might need to be more worried for the pooches.
The beards of 18 men and the fur of 30 dogs were swabbed as part of the experiment. All 18 men had high microbial counts, with a few testing positive for dangerous microbes. By contrast, only 23 of the 30 dogs showed similarly high counts.
Speaking scientifically, this technically makes your man's beard way grosser than your dog.
Like I needed another reason to only kiss dogs https://t.co/wRwIYxpYqV— Alex Okrainetz (@Alex Okrainetz) 1555361177.0
A nation gags. https://t.co/E79xqeayAT— Bette Lynch (@Bette Lynch) 1555347585.0
Not surprised as men are gross https://t.co/NZBUqxEtDW— Natalie Lawton (@Natalie Lawton) 1555359281.0
Now, there is some explanation here. For starters, beard hair is curlier and more tangled compared to dog fur. This allows it to trap dirt more easily.
And some of it comes down to personal hygiene. A lot of people have grown beards lately, but not all of them are taking proper care of their whiskers.
Much like the hair on your head, your beard doesn't need to be washed every day. But the fact is, you do still need to wash it, maybe apply some beard oil to keep it healthy. I'm not a beard expert, so I dunno, go Google it. I'm sure you can find a guide.
Alternatively, a razor can ensure you keep your face free of dangerous bacteria.
Guess its time to shave the beard. https://t.co/vTYxi4LAoC— loose change no dollaz (@loose change no dollaz) 1555345089.0
nearly half had bugs that could be hazardous to human health https://t.co/OnI3bpWzGR— Ian Wiggett (@Ian Wiggett) 1555314027.0
Rude. https://t.co/wdJVZHbdnK— Gary Rae (@Gary Rae) 1555335598.0
This news hasn't been received so easily by everyone. Keith Flett, founder of the Beard Liberation Front, disagreed with the findings.
In an interview with The Daily Mail, he said,
"I think it's possible to find all sorts of unpleasant things if you took swabs from people's hair and hands and then tested them."
"I don't believe that beards in themselves are unhygienic."
He also accused stories such as this and a previous one that found human beards sometimes contain traces of fecal matter to be nothing more than pogonophobia, the hatred of beards.
Which honestly seems a little extreme. It's far more likely humans are just gross.
Still, other men seemed express their skepticism at the study as well.
Brought to you by Big Razor... https://t.co/RH8dQZTLWP— JD (@JD) 1555337037.0
One wonders about this news. After the arrest of Assange who now has a Moses beard. Puppeteering public opinion? https://t.co/0F6VyyuItB— W o l f ~ T o t e m 🐾 🌙 (@W o l f ~ T o t e m 🐾 🌙) 1555346498.0
The 5 different kinds of mites in my beard are offended by this! https://t.co/lcyWFHrWXw— Johnny Crunch (@Johnny Crunch) 1555337326.0
enjoy ladies. may the baby face reign supreme 🤞 https://t.co/CcBUOpcsej— Señor (@Señor) 1555359567.0
In the end, there isn't as much to take away from this study as you'd think. It was a very small sample size, and the study was testing for a completely different hypothesis.
You probably don't need to run out and shave, but you might want to look at a proper beard cleaning routine just to be on the safe side.
It's the only way to save face.