Anyone growing a beard?

[Marswolf]

About once every couple of years I decide it's time I see how a beard looks on me.

Now...I've had a full beard before. Had one when I was dating my eventual ex-wife.

But, I got a haircut and decided it is now time to see if I still look like a dork with a beard. So the facial hair is growing nicely.

The way this normally works is that I grow the beard for a couple of weeks, decide it looks crappy, and shave it. Right now, I'm into the derelict-look stage. Fortunately, I have the presence to look appropriate regardless of how crappy I look.

So is anyone else growing, or sporting, a beard that makes them look virile as opposed to senile?

[Guest superslacker]

Someday, if I ever get brave enough, I want to grow a Grizzly Adams beard just because I can. Truthfully between the itching and my wife's complaining, I can only keep one for two or three weeks. I've had a goatee for ten years, but now I look like a freak without it. Of course, I look like a freak with it too.

[Guest GUTTERbOY]

Sounds like me. I've grown a beard out a few times, but I'm always annoyed because there are these patches on my cheeks that, for some unknown reason, will only grow sparse hairs with no color... so I end up with a rather odd-shaped pattern in that area.

Even though I know this, I still give it a whirl about once a year. I most recently stopped shaving about three weeks ago now. Usually I only give it about two weeks before I start trying to shape it around those obnoxious bald patches, but this time I've resolved to wait at least a month to make sure they won't succumb to peer pressure or something.

I expect I'll go through my normal progression eventually. I'll accept the fact that the bald spots are a fact of life, and shape the thing around them. Then I'll get tired of carefully shaving select areas of my face, and trim the thing down to a goatee with mustache. Finally, I'll end up with my usual feature, which is just a small chin strip.

But maybe this will be the year it changes!

I friggin hate shaving.

[Guest db99wj]

I hate shaving, my wife hates if I grow a goatee or a beard, and I could grow one in a week, very thick.

[Marswolf]

My problem is those patches that DO grow color. My hair has been going white since I was 24. That was great because it helped hide those white hair scar areas in my head from the shrapnel.

Unfortunately my beard still has a few black areas. Damn DNA! So the task is to either work around it or ignore it. While I like a neat and ordered mind, I'm really not big on worrying about what others think of my "look". If they like it, they can copy it.

My intention is too look distinguished like those college professors - who should probably be extinguished.

[dariks]

I just know I'm gonna get in trouble for this....

but what about this mars?

http://www.touchofgray.com/index.asp

[Marswolf]

I just know I'm gonna get in trouble for this....

but what about this mars?

http://www.touchofgray.com/index.asp

I've been watching those commercials. Fortunately vanity for me has always taken a back seat to actually being able to do stuff these guys suggest that they might be able to do at my age if they have artificial hair color.

[musicman]

I've got a little beard thing goin' on... it's kinda' funny. I have brown hair on my head, blonde hair for my 'stache, and a reddish-brown beard.

I keep it trimmed to about a 4-5 level with a little Remington (not a gun!) groomer machine. I'm thinking of cutting it down to a goatee soon, but I'm kind of afraid. I'm chubby and the beard makes it look like I have bones in this sack-of-fat I call a head. I'm afraid if I cut it down I'll look like a volleyball again!

See what I mean:

This is me about two months ago with our friends' daughter Caileigh

This is back in May, on the beach in Miami

Edited August 6, 2008 by musicman

[Mike.357]

I am not big on beards but I do like a nice Hitler's mustache.

[dariks]

I've had a goatee for about 13 or 14 years now and the only thing that's changed is the amount of grey in it.

To tell the truth, I'm kind of scared to shave it off and see what I look like. The last time I did that was shortly after I got married and the wife told me to grow it back, because she felt like she was molesting a 17 year old. I'm older now so it probably won't be as bad now.

[Marswolf]

I have to admit the the whole public presence vs "the look" thing is hilarious.

In insight, in some cultures (like drug cultures) how you look is important to your relationships to others in the culture. If you are an important person in the culture (like a drug lord) you have to have some facial hair elements and not others. If you are dealing with those folks, your look has to be distinctive but not a mirror. I could tell you more, but then I'd have to kill you.

[jeremiah]

Al Gore grew a beard around 2001. But he shaved it off after the Taliban Government was run out of Afganistan.

[Marswolf]

Ol Al was an idiot with or without a Nobel Award.

[Guest tnmale46]

ive had a beard since 1976

[Metalhead]

I havent shaved in... about two weeks. My wife hates a hairy face, but meh, I wanna see how far it will go. Only problem is, I have demples, and no hair grows here . So I have these nice little circles on my cheeks that are bare... damn genetics! (if demples come from genes....)

[Rightwinger]

When am I not growing a beard is the question here!

[Guest nraforlife]

I've had a beard before. Makes me look like a frickin towel head.

[Guest Todd@CIS]

I can't...still waiting to hit puberty.

[strickj]

Sounds like me. I've grown a beard out a few times, but I'm always annoyed because there are these patches on my cheeks that, for some unknown reason, will only grow sparse hairs with no color... so I end up with a rather odd-shaped pattern in that area.

I friggin hate shaving.

Thats me! My hair seems to grow three different colors of colorless

Iv got really colorless,semi-colorless,and light blond.

If I let it go for more then a couple of days then I start to look like a 12 year old girl with peach fuzz.

[Im Neero]

I just gave up on one. I try every 6 months or so, and I think it actually gets worse with each attempt.

[Guest unreconstructed1]

the last job I had required us to shave due to the fact that we had to be respirator fit tested. as soon as I got laid off I quit shaving. I had a decent goatee going on that I had to shave yet again for the Asbestos abatement and Hazardous waste worker classes that the DOE requires. now I'm about 2 weeks into yet another goatee. I plan on keeping it this time unlesss I take a job that requires respirators again.

[EMTRN]

No beards for patrol.

[robbiev]

I go back and forth from growing a goatee to shaving it off. I can't decide which way I look less goofy.

I'm beginning to lean towards no beard, since the last time I had one, I noticed a couple of gray hairs.

[Luckyforward]

I've had one for 26 years

[TGO David]

I can't remember when I didn't have a beard or goatee of some sort. If I shave it all off, I magically decrease in age (appearance wise) about 10 years. I guess that's a good problem to have but it annoys the **** out of me sometimes.

Right now I've trimmed it back quite a bit because of how hot it's been outside. I'll probably let it grow out a little more once we get past August.

Oh and I'm right there with Musicman on the reddish brown hair in the beard. My facial hair goes from brown to red to white. No gray. What the hell! Seriously, why not a little gray instead of going straight to white? Thankfully the white ones aren't as prevalent so I just pluck the little bastages when I see them.