What’s up, gentlemen?
Brandon here, BroBible’s publisher and bearded dude.
If you’ve read this website over the years, you’re probably familiar with my adventures in facial hair. Last summer I took a razor to my face for the first time in a couple years, mostly out of pandemic boredom *but also* because I wanted to see if I could rock an ’80s wrestler look for a hot second.
Mission accomplished:
Since that fateful day last summer, I let my whiskers grow back in full force. Sasquatch-esque force. Sans a little pruning here and there, I’ve barely touched them over the course of a year, meaning my beard is bushier and more badass than ever.
What can I say? I love having a beard. Might as well not sugar coat it: I think shaving sucks. As a man with *extremely* hairy genes, taking a razor to my face is a chore as annoying as cleaning behind the toilet or dusting the top of your window stills.
The barbers and corporate suits at at big fancy razor companies hate me for this attitude, but hacking my beloved beard off really is one of my least favorite things in the world.
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When you grow your beard out for a full year, you learn a lot about DYI beard care and how to keep it looking great without a lot of hassle.
For starters, high quality beard products made from all-natural ingredients are a must. Live Bearded makes wonderful beard care kits that (A. smell amazing and (B. tame your beastly beard so you can keep it looking (and feeling!) fresh.
Plus, Live Bearded is made by regular guys like you and me that know how to work hard and play hard, not some soulless corporate behemoth that treats second-rate beard products as a line-item for profits.
I’m delighted to shill for them here on my website because I truly believe their products are the best of the best out there.
Without further ado, here’s what I’ve learned in my bearded journey the past year.
Master trimming above your upper lip
It’s important to keep your mustache in check when you’re going for a long beard. A proper self-trim every couple weeks is the way to go. While your beard can stay out of the way of your eating habits, a shaggy mustache collects beer foam, bbq sauce, and salad dressing. If you can keep the part above your lip looking great, the rest of your beard will follow.
It takes minimal effort to keep your beard from turning into a neckbeard
While I deeply encourage throwing your razors away to achieve true Grizzly Adams status, you might want to keep one around for under your neck. A beard can turn into a nasty neck beard without occasionally mowing down the neck hairs that grow below your chin. Just like trimming your mustache, avoiding neckbeard status is literally the bare minimum to keep from looking like Tom Hanks in Castaway.
Beard mail can be just as exciting as birthday presents
Let me tell you what – Live Bearded beard mail days are my favorite days. Once you start applying their premium products on the reg, you’ll need to restock often. And the day it arrives is the absolute best. I put it up there with getting a “just thinking of you” card from your grandma.
For example, I recently bought the Live Bearded Canyon-scented beard kit – which smells like a rustic pine forest – and ripped the package open like a kid on Christmas morning when it arrived.
Topping that enthusiasm? The day Live Bearded’s limited edition 1880 Bourbon Citrus scent came in the mail. I couldn’t wait to slather the stuff on – such a sweet and pleasant aroma, like an Old Fashion cocktail.
Beard mail is truly the best.
Beard wash + beard balm combo is key
Some bearded men think they only need beard oil to take care of their beard.
Wrong!
Beard oil is necessary for keeping the face skin under your beard soft, preventing the dreaded beard itch, but it’s only one part of the process.
You need to wash and condition your beard with a beard wash and conditioner designs specifically for beard hairs – like the ones from Live Bearded. Proper beard hygiene helps prevent beardruff, the stuff that dries out your beard and makes it itchy. Live Bearded Conditioner is loaded with the good stuff to keep your beard soft after shampooing: Coconut Oil, Hemp Seed Oil, Argan Oil, Aloe Vera Leaf Juice, Keratin, Avocado Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil.
Live Bearded Beard Butter is packed with shea butter to hydrate the skin and essential oils like coconut oil, jojoba oil, avocado oil, almond oil, and grape-seed oil to strengthen and soften your hairs.
Always Be Combing.
The ABCs are life. Always be closing, always be combing. Once your beard gets long enough, frequent combing is a must. Those clumps and tangles get annoying, so to straighten it out often with a comb to keep it looking together. Once you get in a habit of it, you’ll start raking your beard out all the time – it feels great!
Comparison is the theft of joy.
The beard doesn’t make the man, the man makes the man. Beards come in all shapes and sizes, styles and colors. Beard envy or frustration with the process can rob you of the joy of rocking a beard. Every beard is rad in its unique in its own way, so don’t let frustration grow over a patch that curls a weird way or a random spot that won’t grow out.
Give out compliments to your fellow bearded brothers
Everyone loves a compliment on their beard every now and then. Doesn’t have to be weird at all – just a part of the brotherhood that comes with beard life. Remember to be gracious when receiving one too.
Keep things exciting by mixing up the scents of your beard products
Variety is the spice of life. Just like mixing up your outfits and meals, mix up your grooming products based on the scents you love.
Being a beardsman is about enjoying the process – the journey is the destination. Discovering what scents you enjoy in your beard products is a big part of the fun.
Live Bearded has some excellent ones, with complex aromas that aren’t radically overwhelming.
- GUNSLINGER: Sweet Tobacco, Cedar
- EXECUTIVE: Leather, Vanilla, Cedar
- LEGEND: Sandalwood, Vanilla
- CANYON: Juniper, Cypress, Fir Needle
- AMERICAN: Cedar, Pine, Vetiver, Bergamot
- WINGMAN: Citrus, Clove, and Vanilla
- STRAIGHT UP: Fragrance-Free
So go forth! Listen to lots of ZZ Top for beard-spiration and have fun embracing your inner grizzly beast.
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The BroBible team writes about products and services that we think you want. Occasionally, we write about items that are a part of one of our affiliate partnerships and we will get a percentage of the revenue from sales.