Perpetual Ruminations

Bearded

I decided to try growing out my beard again. I have let it grow out a few times over the years, but never very long and never with much success. Of course, years back, I was working in a sawmill, not the best environment for growing out facial hair. One problem is all the machinery, the other is the sawdust. Now, however, I work as a security guard at a home improvement center yard, so it's nice to have the face insulated with a beard, and it's not nearly as dangerous or dirty.

I have worn a short goatee for quite a few years now, and last fall decided to grow a full beard for the winter. Just like in the past, it was wild and gnarly, made my face itch, and had me looking like I just returned from the wilderness. Okay, maybe not that bad, I did keep it trimmed since it was so unruly.

This year I decided to try it again, but did some research on taming the wild-man look. I already had my goatee when I stopped shaving, so that part is a bit longer, the rest is about two weeks growth now, and beginning to bush out a bit while the mustache is now just over the top lip; a good start if I can get it tamed and trained.

I found a nice cleaner for my face and beard that doesn't dry it out and have started using a nice, light, woodsy scented beard oil. It seems to be helping to keep the hair softer and more subtle, and with a nice boar bristle brush, it's starting to lay better. I also purchased some beard balm to tame the wilder areas and the mustache. It matches the scent of the beard oil and has beeswax in it, so it holds pretty well.

I don't care for the feel of waxing my mustache, but the beard balm is much lighter and more comfortable. Neither product really leave my face feeling greasy, they are light and seem to absorb into the skin and hair nicely.

So far, so good, but I have a long way to go yet.  The problem in the past, especially for my mustache, is letting it get long enough to train. Usually, by the time it reaches the current length, I'm irritated by the hair over my lip and end up trimming it back. The beard balm is helping to keep it brushed to the sides, but it's still kind of irritating. Even so, I think if I hang in there for another week or two, I will be able to manage it much better and get it to stay in place better.

The other problem area is my neck. The face hair grows downward so it's easy to manage except for the curliness. But, the hair on my neck grows outward, towards the side of my neck, which results in it getting very bushy. Again, I usually end up trimming it back or just shaving my neck, but this time I'm going to stick it out a while longer and see if the beard oil and balm will help manage it. Of course, once it's long enough, it won't be a problem -- I hope.

Of course, in time I will have to trim up some, but it's my understanding the  best way to go is to just let it grow out for a while, then once it's established, trim it to the shape I want. That's another area I've done wrong in the past.

We'll see how it goes for another month, then reassess the situation and go from there. I want a nice, full, and well shaped beard and mustache. Once we reach that point, it will just be keeping it there and not going all out until I look like a hillbilly just down from the mountain.