new thread
Hi everyone,
I had thought about it a while, but some of your responses to my recent 33 month update below have persuaded me to take the big plunge, I'm going to try growing some facial hair (other than a moustache) for the first time in my entire life. I don't have any idea how it will look, so there is no guarantee it will stay lol!
After 2 days, I can already see the beginnings, I think I have fast growing facial hair. I do have a question for the old pros here. I know some guys don't trim, but I suspect I will want just a short, possibly fairly wide beard, if it works, so trimming will be necessary. I was wondering what you guys trim with? Are there special beard trimmers out there. For shaving, I have always used an electric shaver (don't laugh!), but I don't know how it handles beard hair of any length. I have never used a manual razor, too paranoid about cutting my skin, I guess!
Any tips would be appreciated, thanks.
David
Hi David,
looking at your avatar, I'd think a beard will probably look quite good on you. Just let's try. You can use a garden-variety electric beard trimmer if you want to keep it short.
Good luck!
Hans-Uwe
Thanks Hans, this is certainly a new journey! I don't know if you saw my latest update, hair's now longer than my avatar, I may have the avatar changed. (The beard may help to hide the long neck!)
All the best,
David
Hi again, Hans,
I don't know if you saw my 33 month update below (you may have missed it, or chose not to comment) but I did include a couple of pictures of myself with short hair, I would really value your opinion on whether I did look better with short hair, my co-worker tells me I looked better with it, but I like it better long. Part of the reason I am hoping to grow a beard is mainly due to my long neck, Bill indicated that a wide, short beard would probably help to disguise my long neck.
Thanks,
David
if you want to hide your long neck how about a
big/long beard? a big beard does go good with long hair
Wahl 9906-717 Groomsman Cordless/Battery Operated Beard and Mustache Trimmer
Hi David, I think a beard or maybe a goatee would look good
on you, here is what I use to trim, I chose this brand "Wahl"
because it has very good reviews. It is battery operated, but they last a long time.
Later,
Chris
Thanks, Chris, for the suggestion. I had a walk to my Wal-mart this AM and had a look around. I did see several brands (didn't buy any yet), and I did see a couple of them by "Wahl" (both battery operated and rechargeable), as well as some others by other brands,(Conair, Remington, etc). The Wahl seemed pretty reasonable, around $20 or so. I'll let the beard grow long enough to need a trim, then buy one of these. I'm still trying to decide what beard shape is best for my face, I've already had a couple of different ideas from the guys here. It's going to be interesting to see what my co-workers say, lol!
All the best,
David
Hey David, The Wahl brand is pretty good, made in Germany I think and they make good products. I am unable to grow a full beard due to lack of hair on the sides so I had to choose a goatee. If you find that the sides don't fill it try a goatee.
Later,
Chris
I am envisioning you with a beard...and I like what I see. Good luck, and I'm glad your facial hair grows quickly.
Post some pictures when it gets longer!
Mouse
Thanks Mouse, I guess I'll be posting "beard updates" lol!
All the best,
David
Add some Cool Sunglasses and a Turtleneck sweater and you will be stylin', my Friend !!
Go For It !!
Must get a copy of whatever software you took to do THAT, LOL!
David
Hi David,
you could try Adobe Photoshop, but if you don't want to spend the money, buy some older version of eg Paint Shop Pro, they put older versions on some CD's and DVD's that are included in computer magazines, that way, you'd get that legally AND practically for free. Use a special spam-type e-mail account for the required registration (you may have to do that to get the activation code of the program).
Alternatively, get the free software "GTK" first, and after installing these "runtime routines", you install "Gimp". Both packages are open source and free, and extremely powerful. It takes some time to get used to all the things these programs can do.
All the best!
Hans-Uwe
I totally agree with Clipper! H.-U.
Thanks for the tips, Hans-Uwe. Have you had a chance to see my 33 month update below, I don't know if you missed it? I value your opinion very highly, you appear to be one of the "gurus" here. If you have any tips for making my hair look better, please let me know, I am open to constructive criticism!
Thanks, and all the best,
David
Hi David,
you do put a lot of trust in me, so I'll try to address your question. I did see your update. I tend to drop quite a few remarks, but often, my time is limited, so, my not having commented does not mean anything bad at all.
Of course, it goes without saying that you look better with longer hair, and it is perfectly o.k. to wear it down the way you do wear it. Even "conservative" "style consultants" or "makeover specialists" (they have a baaaad reputation) should clearly recommend long hair to someone with your physique, or at least point out that option. Clearly, long hair helps to harmonize the proportions of your body (you mentioned that your neck seems to be somewhat longer than average), and so will a beard.
As to style, you could try a parting line in the middle and see how that looks, I'd think some experimentation would be good.
I also think that right now, wearing your hair down may be better than tying it into a pony tail, but that may be different as soon as there is a significant beard.
Generally, you can check all this out in a relaxed way. We have this saying in German, "Einen schönen Mann kann nichts entstellen" (Nothing can disfigure a handsome man), and you look good enough to be relaxed about your looks, whether your neck is long or short. Really, there is no reason for being apprehensive about your hair in any way.
Hope that helps,
Hans-Uwe
Thanks Hans-Uwe,
I do appreciate the feedback and frank remarks. I guess I was a little mistaken when I noticed you had commented on most of the other updates and not mine, perhaps I was being overly sensitive, I had honestly thought there was a problem with my hair that I was not seeing, hence my seeking your advice, that I admire deeply.
I appreciate the suggestion about parting down the middle. I have always had a natural side part, and since my hair is thinning to some degree (from MPB), a centre part only tends to emphasize the thinning, as at least one of the other members here who has a side part had earlier mentioned regarding his own hair. In fact, I have tried a centre part, and it was not altogether successful, I may try one if the hair gets longer or gains some unexpected thickness. Also, I hope the beard helps.
I do tend to wear my hair loose most of the time, except for activities that require restraint, e.g. golfing.
Thanks again, all the best,
David
Hello David,
i think a beard will look cool on you !
i tryed some time ago to let my beard grow but it look im too young to have one , it's not dense enough and dont look good (but i will try again later :p )
let us see how it's growing !
Bye
Angel
I'd say go for it, I think it will look great! New challenges are always good. Best of luck!
-Mihnea
...with a beard, it may be posible to wear your hair down instead of in a ponytail (as I suggested wearing in the other post).
Good Luck.
1) Let it all grow for at least a month to see what you are going to have - in terms of thickness, coverage, and color.
2) Decide what type of beard you want, then shave around the neck and cheek area to define the edges. Some guys do not have to do this, but they are rare. At a month, you may like this length; it's easily maintained with a certain trimmer guard.
3) A cordless beard trimmer with different guards works well, and these are relatively inexpensive. ($20-$30 US)
4) It will itch since you are not accustomed to having hair on your face. The itching may begin after the first week or later. Beard hair is tough, you can scratch without worrying about damaging the hair shafts.
5) Shampoo and condition your beard to keep it from itching. Soap like you customarily wash your face with will dry out the skin underneath and could cause flaking. If you grow your beard longer, of course comb it to keep it neat just like your hair.
6) I used to trim about one a month to keep a certain length, but I have not since October.
In my humble opinion, any guy that can grow facial hair looks better with it! ;-)>>>>>
And a link with tons of photos if you can't decide what style you like. Click on galleries; there are 47 of them with hundreds of pictures each!!!
Thanks, Bragi, for the tips and a little insight to what to expect for the journey ahead.
All the best,
David
Hi David, yeah I say go for (well I would wouldn't I).
I uses a beard trimmer that can reduce overall length/bushiness and an edge that will sculpt if thats your thing. I always keep the neck shaved because a) it itches, and b) it gets caught in my bicycle helmet strap and raincoat zip!! I ride every day and maybe 200 miles per week so this is important to me!!
Kind regards, Dave
Thumbs up! All men should grow a beard at some point in their life. :)