Gentlemen with beards

[Spoons]

All of my life, I've been clean-shaven. Neither a mustache nor a beard has been on my face. But I've always had (fairly) long hair.

Recently, I've taken to doing a little bit of work as a movie extra. And not so long ago, I got a call from an extras casting company, basically saying, "We love your long hair--you're perfect for a extra background part in an upcoming production.* But can you grow a beard? We need men with long hair and beards."

Of course, I replied that I could grow one, and I did. And I got the part, and I was an extra in the production. I'm not sure how I feel about the beard though--it's taking some getting used to, and the fact that the lower half of it is coming in gray doesn't make me feel any younger. But my wife loves how it looks, and is urging me to keep it. And I grudgingly have to admit, when I wear my favourite hat, I don't look too bad with a beard.

So I've decided to keep it for a while, but never having had one, I'm unsure how to care for it. Can any Doper gentlemen who have a beard help? Specifically, I'd like to know:

-- How to keep it clean? So far, I wash it like I wash my face, and when I shower, I try to make sure it gets soap/shampoo. Is this the right thing to do?

-- How should I trim it? My wife had a good laugh the other day when we were out, and a took a long pull of my Guinness. I got a beer mustache in my real one! How does one avoid this problem, other than drinking beer very, very carefully?

-- Normally, I don't often visit a barber. But I would if he or she can help manage the growth. Would this be a good idea, just to keep it neat?

Thanks in advance for any advice you gentlemen (or ladies who have anything to contribute) can provide.

*Please don't ask which one. We've all been instructed not to talk about the production until it is released, which should be sometime in mid-2005.

[minor7flat5]

My wife always wanted me to grow a beard, but I didn't like the idea of appearing like a bum at work for two weeks. In a month-long trip to Rio in 1997, I started the beard and have never looked back.

I just shampoo it like my hair, though I find that I need anti-dandruff shampoo to keep it from itching too much.

I spent years using one of those cordless beard trimmers that was always uncharged when I needed it and it didn't really do a nice job of it. One fine day I purchased a standard plug-in barber's hair clipper and it has served me very well.
I would recommend buying a regular corded hair trimmer, with all of the necessary attachments (e.g. 1/2", 5/8", etc.)

Every time you go to the barber, have him/her trim your beard. They do a much nicer job of it and the beard looks well trimmed and comported for a week or so. This tends to be a nice checkpointing process where any grave errors in home trimming are corrected.
Don't forget to consider the extra service when you tip.

[Uncle Dragon]

I have had a beard since December 17, 1980 (I was up late studing for an exam and suddenly had a need to see what my chin looked like, so I shaved my beard off. I began regrowing it immediately).

As far as washing goes, I wash my face, which includes my beard, a couple times a day, depending on how active I've been. I keep mine relatively short, about a quarter inch in length, so there's really not a lot to take care of.

I use a hair trimmer to keep it neat, cutting it about once a week, because otherwise it starts to get scruffy looking. A beard should always be kept trimmed, otherwise you just look sloppy.

As far as the beer foam goes, I keep my mustache fairly short also, so that doesn't really cause me any problems.

[Bumbazine]

I've worn a beard for almost 30 years, but I keep it pretty short, and I use a little beard trimmer that looks like a little barber-type clipper.

I'd recommend against a rechargable type, as all of those I've tried tend to get real wimpy after a while. Also look for a removable, and adjustable, cutter guard that's fairly stout. I tend to break them.

I can't really recommend any particular brand or model as all that I have had over the years have had short comings of one sort or another. I had a Panasonic that I liked once, it was quite powerful and effective, but the switch wore out pretty quickly, and when I took it apart to see if I could fix it I found out that it was pretty cheaply put together. I have a Jheri Reddig (sp?) rechargable one now that is positively anemic unless I plug it in, and not a lot better plugged in. Also I broke the little attachment arms off the cutter guard pretty quickly. I think it's time to go shopping again.

I just shampoo my beard when I do my hair, no fuss. But I only shampoo my hair a couple of times a week unless I've gotten it dirty doing something.

Most barbers will trim up your beard nicely for an extra charge. My wife likes to do it so I let her. Saves me $10.00.

Oh and my advice is to trim your moustache even with the top of your upper lip. Big droopy moustaches may look impressive, but they aren't worth the hassle, IMHO.

[foxymoron]

I suggest you brush it daily (with a boar-bristle brush, not wire) to slough off the dead skin under your beard. If you don't, when you scratch your chin all the dead skin will start 'snowing' on you, and that's gross.

[Askance]

I've had mine for about 25 years. I always keep it quite short so the issue of brushing it doesn't arise. Like the others here I just wash it when I wash my hair - every day in my case - and with the same stuff.

I use a beard/moustache trimmer once a week, it's a Braun and just uses two standard AA cells (useful when travelling, but I have considered buying a mains-powered one for normal use for the extra power).

With the comb-thing off I carefully trim the mo to keep it level with the top of my upper lip when smiling broadly (that way you never get it in your beer). With it on and set to the shortest setting I trim the whole beard, going against the grain and pressing fairly hard to get the closest cut (except for the mo which looks silly if it's too short, there I go with the grain and don't press too hard) so it ends up maybe 3-5mm long (not short enough to look like stubble, IOW). Even if I skip a week, it doesn't get long enough to look scruffy.

I also shave my neck once a week afterwards. The whole process takes maybe 10-15 minutes.

[DMark]

Ditto on the beard trimmers, although I sprang for a cordless and have had no problems.

Regarding that little bit of grey. I have a single grey spot on the left side. I dye it.
Yep. I admit it.

You get the mens beard/moustache stuff at any supermarket. Ignore instructions.
First of all, get it two shades lighter than your actual hair color. Then, on the little tray, you put a tiny drop - about the size of a dime, of each - the color agent and the color. Mix with the brush, apply and then go about your business for 10 minutes (even though it says five minutes). Then shampoo it off. Looks great and as long as you don't do that gawdawful black, and keep it light, it will make the grey disappear. Lasts about two weeks before another touch up. And at that rate, using just a dab, the box will last you a year!

If my beard ever goes completely grey, I will stop - but as long as it is just that one annoying spot, I will keep doing it.

But keep trimming it. Very important. Looks better and unless you are doing stunt doubles for ZZ Top, long beards only work at Christmas if you want some part time work at the mall.

[Matroshka]

From the ladies' point of view may I suggest: use some conditioner when you shampoo it to keep it soft. Your wife will appreciate it!

[Noone Special]

I use a standard razor on workdays to keep my cheeks and neck clean of stubble. I let it go stubbly over the weekend. So it's not really a full beard, really more of a strip down from each ear towards the mouth and chin area (plus a short mustache).

I trim the beard itself once a week, Sunday morning (start of week for me; think Monday morning if you're in a civilized part of the world ;)) - since I only have to shorten it, not clip straight to the skin for shape, I'm perfectly happy with a rechargeable, relatively el-cheapo trimmer...

And I might just have to consider the idea about covering that grey spot... great idea! (but do the stores carry any Carrot-Orange dyes for men?)

Dani

[Scissorjack]

Short goatee {NOT a soul patch!} and sideburns here. Going grey, but I figure it looks distinguished. Or homeless. I don't use a trimmer; in my experience they're either too short or ineffective. Try a blunt razor {sharp ones tend to take too much off} and no cream - just wet the beard well, and a few times over lightly with the razor gives you control over the length while keeping it nice and even. And yeah, wash it daily.

[Typo Negative]

I am shaved bald. I used to wear a goatee, but now I have gone with the full beard. It's a little unusual with a shaved head, but that's kinda the point. (I may have been influenced by the "goatee being the new mullet" thread)

I like it. It's not really any extra work to keep clean, though it's a little extra work to dry. I keep it short and trimmed.

And, AND, I have given up on trying to hide my gray hairs.

[Scissorjack]

I am shaved bald. I used to wear a goatee, but now I have gone with the full beard. It's a little unusual with a shaved head, but that's kinda the point. (I may have been influenced by the "goatee being the new mullet" thread)

Where is this thread of which you speak? I wish to heap coals of fire upon it.

[hlanelee]

If you eat BBQ chicken make sure you are at a place where you can wash your face. :D

[Typo Negative]

Where is this thread of which you speak? I wish to heap coals of fire upon it.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=276731&highlight=mullet

Enjoy!

[RealityChuck]

Full beard (not one of those wimpy two-days's growth ones, but not long, either). My wife wanted me to grow it -- it's much less scratchy than if I shave (my face is like sandpaper an hour after I shave).

Just washing my face seems good enough. Sometimes I'll use a little shampoo and conditioner, but it doesn't make all that much difference.

I use an electric trimmer to keep it neat. Does a nice job. A barber could also do it -- it's up to you.

My beard is gray with a few black highlights, but then, so is my hair. I actually like the way I look with gray hair.

[Anaamika]

I have no input, but my Chinese boyfriend tried to keep a beard once, just out of curiosity.

He ended up looking just like Fu Manchu. Hee hee!Of course I didn't tell him right away.

[Max Torque]

I had a beard for years, but trimmed down to a goatee about a year ago on the advice of my girlfriend (now wife). Here's what I can tell you:

Get an electric trimmer, cordless is fine, doesn't have to be too fancy. With a full beard, you can get away with trimming only once or twice a week. The goatee needs to be kept short and neat, so I'm up to three times a week.

When I had the beard, I would trim and "clean up" (use a blade to shave and shape on my cheeks and neck) twice a week. More than that would just irritate my skin. But I did treat the beard like it was hair, which meant shampooing when I showered to keep it clean.

The mustache is tricky; you just have to find a style that works for you. Mine looks best if I trim it level to the top of my upper lip. Yours may curl out better than mine, or you may need wax or some other product to make it look right. Toy with it.

There are products out there that are designed to treat your facial skin under your beard without clumping up or looking nasty in your hair. I've never found them necessary, but you may like them.

Having a barber give you a shave and a beard trim is a real treat, but I can't afford to do it too often. Indulge yourself once in a while, but it can be an expensive habit.

[Uvula Donor]

I have had a beard all of my adult life - since it first started growing in, when I was in high school.

I keep it trimmed with a sharp pair of barber's scissors and a comb. I tried electric beard trimmers, but I found them to be a hassle, what with replacing batteries or just replacing the trimmers because they got dull and started pulling the hair.

I wash my beard every time I wash my face - no shampoo or anything, just a mild castille soap or Ivory or whatever is by the sink.

As for the gray hairs...yeah, I got 'em and I look like an old geezer, between the gray in my beard and all the gray at the temples and sideburns. But I long ago stopped giving a damn whether I have gray hair or not.

[Medea's Child]

*slightly breathless*

Beards are hot. That's my final say on the matter.

[Sean Factotum]

I also have a battery operated Braun. Works fine, because I only use it a couple times a week for slight trimming.
I keep the moustache even with the top of my lip.
I shampoo it about as often as I do my hair, and I use conditioner.
I let the grey hair come in, but notice that they seem to grow faster than the darker ones. So sometimes I'll trim them individually.

About the only people who didn't like the beard were my parents. Everyone else thinks I look better with it.

And after awhile, you'll get over being meticulous about trimming it and such. You'll notice that it really doesn't take as much work as you're putting into it right now, when it's new, to maintain it. It's just something you think you have to do.

[mrklutz]

When you first get a trimmer, start with one of the longer lengths. As with any haircut, you can always go back and take more off if it suits you. You can't go back and put more on. I use one of the AA-powered trimmers once or twice a week and find that it suits me well. I use the #4 setting on the Braun. Experiment to see what length looks right on your face. The same setting on my moustache, followed by a quick trim even with my lip-line, keeps it out of my food and drink quite nicely (except for BBQ - heh).

As others have said, use it without the guard on your neck, followed by a shave a couple times a week. Like many, my skin gets irritated if I do it more often than that.

Some guys use soap, but your wife will appreciate it if you use shampoo and conditioner.

[Bippy the Beardless]

Beard (bear) trimmers are the way to go for sure, get one with an adjustable length setting. I have a rechargeable, but keep it charging all the time, as otherwise it might not last an entire trimming session.
Bippy (the currently not so) Beardless

[Chefguy]

Looks like I'm the only scissors-user here. I comb it out to a Gabby Hayes look, then hack away with the scissors until it's to a length I want and all the stray scragglies are gone, then comb it back down.

[Krokodil]

I just shaved mine off, like I do about twice a year every year. I have a grungy nighttime job and don't mind looking unshaven for two weeks to grow it back.

The biggest broblem is dandruff. Keep it short and use a dandruff shampoo and you'll be fine.

[Sami41]

*slightly breathless*

Beards are hot. That's my final say on the matter.

I second that.

[Ukulele Ike]

Having a barber give you a shave and a beard trim is a real treat, but I can't afford to do it too often.
Really? The barber four blocks down -- whose joint looks like you've suddenly stepped into 1934 -- evens and shapes my beard once a month or so for three to five dollars, depending on how he feels about me at the moment.

I tip him a buck and trim the moustache (to keep it out of my mouth) in between visits with a pair of hair-cutting scissors.

Bearded friends have also suggested getting the electric trimmer, but I like seeing my barber.

[quiltguy154]

I've had a beard for over 30 years, which stops AT my chinline. My barber Pete[god bless 'im] trims it down to a fare-thee-well every time I get a haircut, about every 5-6 weeks. Initially it's so short that I can't even get a grip on the whiskers. I just wash it with face soap[I like the cocoa butter type] and I know when I'm getting close to a trim, because it then makes lots of lather[enough to shave with] My eyebrows, however, are another matter-every 2 weeks without fail, or I feel like I've walked through a cobweb.

[Sunspace]

I have no advice to contribute to this thread, but I'm just trying to imagine Spoons in a beard. And a hat. I'm getting a kind of a desert rat vibe. :)

(Spoons and I used to work together. Until about a year and a half ago, when encroaching baldness nixed it, I had long straight hair similar to his. One day by accident we dressed similarly. We tied our hair back identically and went up to a co-worker and freaked him out by greeting him in unison. :)

Somewhere in my computer there is a picture of me in the beard I had for three months at college in 1992. I don't remember doing anything unusuall to care for it, just soap and water when I washed my face, but I am far from any sort of beard expert.

I had long hair then too, but I eliminated the beard when people started to call me 'Jesus'. Somehow I don't think Spoons will have this problem--his hair is lighter in colour than mine. )

[SolGrundy]

The biggest broblem is dandruff. Keep it short and use a dandruff shampoo and you'll be fine.
Yep, that's the unspoken scourge, two words that disturbed the hell out of me when I first started growing mine out -- "beard dandruff." The concept had never even occurred to me, and then I got all paranoid. Since then I've used Head & Shoulders as Head & Face & Chest & Nether-regions. (Can never be too careful).

I bought a Remington "Precision" beard trimmer about two years ago at Target for around $20, and it's been a pretty good investment. I don't have a ton of hair to work with, granted, but at least for me, it works fine. It's battery-operated, so I put a couple of rechargeables in it and it lasts for at least a few months, trimming it about twice a week. It's got a little clipper for the mustache, but I usually just use the beard part instead.

Eventually, I'm going to have to follow DMark's advice about dyeing it, but I'm putting that off until I start to get comments on it.

(And for the record, I totally agree with Medea's Child. For other men, that is. Mine is for convenience only.)

[flickster]

Have had a beard for 30 years. It's grayed over the years but I just accept that as another change in life. As for trimming, I've always let my barber take care of that when I get my haircut.

Have been searching for a good barber since moving to Houston and am happy to report that I found one yesterday. I was in his chair for 45 minutes and was extremely pleased with the results. He even pulled out one of those power massagers at the end. I haven't seen one of those in over 20 years. Felt great. (for those that might not know what I'm talking about, it is a vibrating device the barber slips on his hand then rubs over your scalp, neck and shoulders).

[Askance]

I use a beard/moustache trimmer once a week, it's a Braun and just uses two standard AA cells

Just checked, it's a Phillips not a Braun.

And on the greying thing: at 48 I'm getting a little grey at the temples and salt-and-pepper through the beard. Lemme tell ya for nothing: women love it! Don't even consider dying, it invariably looks dreadful. Every man I know that dyes thinks it's a big secret and only he knows, but actually people are laughing behind their hands.

[DMark]

Just checked, it's a Phillips not a Braun.

And on the greying thing: at 48 I'm getting a little grey at the temples and salt-and-pepper through the beard. Lemme tell ya for nothing: women love it! Don't even consider dying, it invariably looks dreadful. Every man I know that dyes thinks it's a big secret and only he knows, but actually people are laughing behind their hands.

Again...if you do that horrible black stuff, yes - it looks really stupid. But if you go the two shades lighter (light brown or even medium blonde) it will wash away the grey but not be overpowering and fake looking. Plus, you don't do ALL of it...just a small area. If you need to do your entire beard, well - then just leave it grey. But for people like me who have just one small patch of grey - it looks dumb if I don't do anything. And my SO didn't even notice I was doing it for years until he happened across the box one day and asked whose it was.

But if you have a neat grey temple thing going that matches the beard, stick with it. I was talking more for the people with those odd splotches that don't look as good.

[Barbarian]

Really? The barber four blocks down -- whose joint looks like you've suddenly stepped into 1934 -- evens and shapes my beard once a month or so for three to five dollars, depending on how he feels about me at the moment.

Spill the name-- over here in Manhattan the only place I've found that'll trim a beard is Chelsea barbers, and they want close to three times that amount. .

Of course, they'll also give you a straight razor shave for $30, but I do that myself at the moment. ;)

[Anaamika]

*slightly breathless*

Beards are hot. That's my final say on the matter.

Yeah, until you try to kiss the guy. Yuck.

[Padeye]

I tried a few other beard trimmers but the only one that wasn't a piece of shit is my Wahl rechargable. The battery will lose it's capacity after a while but with the Wahl it's user replacable though you may have to go to an electronics parts place or battery shop to get a sub-C NiCd cell. I can always find them at hobby shops that specialize in model airplanes. The adjustable guard slides on, is pretty sturdy and it does an excellent job.

Be proud to be a graybeard, you've earned it.