Title says it, always had jobs with uniform standards or were not tolerant of the scruffy stage.

I got cancer and had to retire, decided not to shave this month. Chemo does weird stuff to your hair in form of color change.
So I’m sporting the old dude starter beard.
It’s salt and pepper which is age appropriate and matches hair on head.
It used to come in all white.

What do I need to know about having and maintaining a beard?

Would like to let my freak flag fly and grow my hair out too but genetics are a bitch and I’m balding.

Think I’d end up looking like Riff Raff from TRHPS.

So hit me with advice and tips please.

When you’re asked if you’re Santa, wink and laugh while holding your belly.

LOL. Not gonna have a Santa beard by Christmas.

Some times it itches
Watch the SO cheeks and other places it leaves a rash sometimes.

get beard oil and use it every other day, helps stop the dryness and itchiness and makes it smell good.

This.  I use the residual oil on
my bald noggin when I'm finished
running it through my beard.

Enjoy!

shampoo and condition a few times a week. Oil, brush and blow dry if you let it get long enough.

I cut about 4" off of mine a few months ago.  It's still about 10" long

I don't grow the craft beer length beard, I wash it with the same stuff I use on what's left of my hair.  Try not to go "oops" with a trimmer.    I've had it for almost 20 years.

I have done the "oops" before. I bought a better trimmer kit with more guards. No more eye balling it.

I got oopsed by a barber.  First time in and i told him to clean it up a little...maning even out the long bits...he scalped me!  Getting back to normal now....two tips as follows

Step 1 - dont shave
Step 2 - if someone else trims it for you...be specific in what you want!

Beard oil.  And maybe beard styling wax.

Oh, and Just For Men of you need it.

To get a beard, stop shaving.  You do not need any thing else.  No beard balm or oil.  That stuff is just a waste of money.  Wash it when you wash your hair.  
This is not rocket science.  Stop shaving.

I tend to get face dandruff under my beard...  I found that using beard oil takes the dandruff away.  It hasn't itched since using beard oil either.

Attached File


Helps me avoid the "homeless veteran" look.  The ladyfriend also says it smells good.

Avoid neckbeard unless you’re going full on lumberjack. Tilt your heard back, put your index and ring finger just above your Adam’s apple. Follow the curve back towards your ear and that should be your shave line. Then put your chin to your chest and you’ll see where it needs to be shaped/blended. Alternatively, you can go to a barber for a trim and pay attention to what they do and copy it.

I use the same shampoo as my head, whether it’s head and shoulders or some fruity stuff of my wife’s or maybe even the dog’s. Okay, not the dogs, but I have used the kids stuff. I’m a bar of soap guy; there’s no “regimen” of scrubs and moisturizers and whatever.

Depending on how much oil you naturally put out, you may or may not want oil or balm. It definitely help reduce the itch, but use sparingly. I use balm, but that’s just to try to tame how my hair grows on my right side...a hurricane pattern. If your balm gets dry/cracked, boil some water and drop the jar in for 5-10 minutes. Take it out, shake a little and then into the freezer. It’s mostly beeswax, so it’ll melt and resolidify when cool.

You’ll find what length works for you based on 1) how it looks and 2) when it stops itching. I can’t do a stubble beard, it’s too itchy and shows my tornado pattern. I can’t do a medium-long beard, it doesn’t come in quite full enough to not look scraggly. So my zone is 12mm-16mm. Know that sometimes a beard needs to get through an ugly stage to grow out to a better look.

Finally, how you dress will alter how your beard looks. Take Keanu Reeves. He has a terrible beard. Spotty and patchy. But it looks okay-ish because he normally dresses well. It does help he’s famous and people recognize him, so they automatically know he’s not homeless.

EDIT: Damn, just saw this was a necro thread. I’m so ashamed. I’m usually so good about paying attention to date stamps.