Wednesday, March 26, 2014

2013: My Beard Odyssey

This past December I was freshly out of work and decided to make an attempt at a "laid off" beard. My inner Scandinavian coupled with the cold weather and the desire to attempt growing a beard became overwhelming. It was a fun

27 Day Growth
I wish I had possessed the foresight to have taken a weekly photograph as it came in. Alas, dear readers, all I have are pictures of removal.

I am no expert on growing a beard, but during research came across a few tips for those of you who wish to embark on a bearded journey. This site is a great resource.
  1. First, and most important, you must commit. It takes from 20 to 30 days for substantial growth. The desire to shave will be overwhelming from time to time.
  2. It will itch. There is nothing you can do about it.
  3. Do not do any trimming or shaping until you have completed Step 1. It will disrupt your natural growth. 
After 27 days I had to remove the beard for a job interview. Removing it was harder than growing it. I blame my Northern European lineage cocktail of Swedish, German, Irish and Scottish blood. Razor blade stock prices probably jumped that afternoon.

Growing a beard was an enjoyable (yet itchy) experience. It is a shame that Madison Avenue needed to sell razor blades for Gillette around a century ago, in the process removing facial hair from mainstream cultural acceptance. I will make another, longer attempt in the future. Below are the stages of removal. Share your beard story in the comments below.
Babyface Malmo
Goatee
Mustache








1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The beard definitely makes you look more Scandinavian. All you need is a hammer and shield.