# What are your beard growing experiences? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 18, 2014, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-beard-growing-experiences/705000 "2014-11-18T21:08:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-beard-growing-experiences/705000/41 "2014-11-19T21:47:53Z")
I did a face plant in a bicycle wreck back in my college days and let my beard grow out since I couldn’t properly shave around the numerous sutures. I’ve had a full beard since then. ---
**Author:** ![Recusant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@Recusant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Recusant)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-beard-growing-experiences/705000/42 "2014-11-19T22:07:42Z")
Oh, another note about beards: no matter how careful you are, they make eating cotton candy a sticky mess. Still worth it, though. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-beard-growing-experiences/705000/43 "2014-11-19T22:48:11Z")
> [@Recusant](#): > > Oh, another note about beards: no matter how careful you are, they make eating cotton candy a sticky mess. > > Still worth it, though. And then there’s [THIS](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l_w7U__41g)! ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-beard-growing-experiences/705000/44 "2014-11-19T23:10:44Z")
Growing mine out for Movember/Decembeard , and the itchiness fades after a week or three, IME. The wife swore she couldn’t stand me with facial hair but did a turnabout after everything grew in, now she likes my “bad boy” look as she calls it. Now if only I could convince her I need a motorcycle to look really badass… ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-beard-growing-experiences/705000/45 "2014-11-20T00:26:42Z")
I haven’t shaved my upper lip in 41 years. The chin-fur has come and gone over the years. I’ve run a full beard several times but have been rocking a van dyke since I started shaving my head back in 2001. I generally keep it fairly close-cropped, running an electric trimmer over it (#4 setting) every week. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-beard-growing-experiences/705000/46 "2014-11-20T00:36:42Z")
I didn’t like it at first. But then it grew on me. Thanks folks. I’ll be here all evening. Be sure to tip your server. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-beard-growing-experiences/705000/47 "2014-11-20T03:02:40Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > OMG, I did that once with a Just For Men product. I guess I’m more brown than black, but I just grabbed the black off the shelf. I applied and waited the suggested time, but I still looked grey. So I waited. And waited. > > When I finally said screw it, and rinsed, I looked like a cartoon character. That’s what I use. Same thing happened to me last time I dyed. I looked like Bluto. Fortunately, the truism that the difference between a bad haircut and a good one is two weeks also applies to bad dye jobs; the gray has grown in, and lightened it back to something that looks like it belongs on a human face. ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-beard-growing-experiences/705000/48 "2014-11-20T06:31:04Z")
> [@Recusant](#): > > Oh, another note about beards: no matter how careful you are, they make eating cotton candy a sticky mess. > > Still worth it, though. But if you emit some water from your mouth, like if you’re taking a pill or laughing, the beard catches it so your shirt doesn’t get wet. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-beard-growing-experiences/705000/49 "2014-11-20T15:20:27Z")
I have only shaved my moustache once in my life. It still took me well into my 20’s to get a decent growth. Prior to this month, I have never gone longer than a week without shaving the rest of my face. One week of growth was always enough to show that I just didn’t have the chops for a beard (see what I did there?). Two weeks ago I had some surgery which necessitated a week off work and another week working from home. I didn’t shave during the entire 2 weeks and it is beginning to look like, at age 51, I just might be able to fill in enough to make it worthwhile - although it is as much grey as dark. Anyway, the wife thought I should let it go a bit longer and see what happens. A grand experiment, it is! ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-beard-growing-experiences/705000/50 "2014-11-20T16:06:46Z")
My facial hair grows pretty slowly so it’s been ages since I was tempted since it means a long time looking like a hobo with mange. On winter, years ago, I spent the winter working a job where no one cared so I went without shaving. My hair is charitably “dirty blonde” but my beard looked reddish. Last time I went two weeks without shaving, I noticed that my proto-beard was about 50% silver. I feel like I’m wearing someone else’s face in comparison to my head-hair color. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-beard-growing-experiences/705000/51 "2014-11-20T16:12:20Z")
I always hated shaving and, frankly, even using balms I got horrible shaver burn. So I ended up letting it grow until it got itchy and then using an electric trimmer to get it down to stubble. Rinse/repeat. Then about three years ago, just as it was time to trim, I damaged my shoulder so I couldn’t actually shave and was on pretty strong painkillers. The drugs made me not feel the itching and I cam out the other side with a beard. So I kept it. It has been about four years now. I’ve met only one woman who has told me that I should shave it off, many others have basically ordered me to never shave again. So I guess I’m a bearded guy forever now. I don’t put anything in it beyond washing it when I wash my hair. I tidy it up when I cut my hair (I clip my hair pretty short every couple of weeks or so) and that’s about it. I’m toying with growing it out a bit for winter though. Just for the hell of it. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-beard-growing-experiences/705000/52 "2014-11-20T16:15:57Z")
Grew my first beard in my mid-20’s. It was blaze orange (my hair is mostly brown). Had to wait until my early 30’s to grow a more reasonable beard, have had one since. Always was a cacophony of colors, very much lighter than the hair on top of my head. Now it’s almost pure white, although up top I only have a bit of silver in the temples. Only time I’ve shaved it in the last 20 years was when I had to (such as for the Armored gig), and I’ve always hated not having it. Has become a part of who I am and how I see myself. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-beard-growing-experiences/705000/53 "2014-11-20T16:42:59Z")
A friend of mine with Irish, Swedish and Native American ancestry said he tried to grow a mustache once. It grew in red, white and black and he said it looked like he got slapped across the face with a calico cat. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-beard-growing-experiences/705000/54 "2014-11-20T19:04:07Z")
I’ve tried growing a beard, and I can’t pull it off. There’s a patch between my chin and neck, almost directly under(?) behind(?) my chin, where hair steadfastly refuses to grow. I wear a goatee, since the empty patch isn’t as obvious as it would be with a full-on beard. ---
**Author:** ![48Willys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/db5fbb/32.png) [@48Willys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/48Willys)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-beard-growing-experiences/705000/55 "2014-11-20T22:14:02Z")
I hate shaving! I have had a full beard for most of my adult life. It comes in full & fast. I quit shaving the day I graduated from High school. After five years, I got tired of my beard & hair being long. The beard was belly button long and the hair was below my belt. The final straw was the time I was working on a semi’s drive shaft & my hair got caught up in the wheels on the creeper I was rolling under the truck on. I had to get off of the creeper & crawl out pulling the creeper with the ensnared wheels behind me. I cut the offending hair off at the wheels. I then removed the wheels to pull out the hair that was jamming them. I went to a barber at lunch time. The barber was middle aged, had a flat top, and sported an anchor on his arm. I told him to make me look like a USMC recruit. He grinned real big, slammed me into his chair, snapped a bib on me, and actually sang the Marine Corpse hymn while he did the deed. I felt easily five pounds lighter. He refused any payment, as he had not had so much fun in years! He told me I could have free haircuts as long as I wanted the buzz job. I kept the beard off for six months. These days, I get a trim job when I get a haircut. About three times a year, I go to a barber & get a buzz job, with a short beard & no mustache. I look like a Mennonite Marine. In this way my hair & beard switch between long & unruly to very short & neat. Some folks say the short hair is more intimidating then the long hair. I do not know, nor care, about that, I like the next to zero maintenance. A little trim every month or so works out just right. So just to be clear, I hate shaving, & I have only shaved for about eight months out of the last 40 years. That was about five months too long. Oh, and my lovely bride likes the beard. So I win all around on this one. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-beard-growing-experiences/705000/57 "2019-07-11T03:57:52Z")
> [@rutruth](#): > > Well, my beard is not growing fast, it takes about 8 weeks to fully cover without any patches. If I have time to take care of it, it will be better after 10 weeks. I have seen some reports that the growth of the beard will go through five stages. According to the different growth of the beard at each stage, different cares will be carried out in a timely manner, and it will become easier to [grow the beard](https://www.gearhunder.com/how-to-grow-your-beard/). The premise is that you have enough time and energy. Before someone jumps in about “beards growing after death” and other zombie comment ----- welcome! I still keep a full face of hair as this picture from this week shows. > **[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/CFAMcKnightRoad/photos/a.2258772004171996/2258773067505223/?type=3&theater)** > > Chick-fil-A McKnight Road, Pittsburgh. 4,110 likes · 44 talking about this · 1,852 were here. We didn’t invent the chicken, just the chicken sandwich. but then again my full face has only seen daylight a couple times since Nixon was president. The last time was early in this century and I ended up in handcuffs on my living-room sofa until the police were certain I wasn’t a person breaking in as the neighbor had reported. But I can go from bare skin to what you see here in about 3 months; mine grows fast and looks fairly good after the first week. Now – length. Back in the carefree days of my youth I could run a full ZZ-Top beard with no issue and did; tucking it behind my belt-buckle on the bike. But these days say another two to four inches and I start to max out. Its just gotten too brittle with age to go well down into my chest. I’m OK with it though - at my age Santa is more a target look than insane hermit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-beard-growing-experiences/705000.md?page=2)