What do the Loch Ness monster, yeti, and beard have in common? There are countless myths about them! A lot of educated guesses and hypotheticals have been turned into facts about facial hair, and we are here to dispel them. From how long it takes them to grow and whether or not they make your face feel warmer, here are ten of the biggest beard myths out there today; it’s surprising how many things we believe about facial hair!
A full beard is a good beard
Many (if not most) gentlemen do not have a full beard but still pull off the facial hair look. Whether it’s a five o’clock shadow or a thin beard, every beard style is unique to the man who owns it. Embrace your look and be yourself! There are also plenty of celebrities that look great without a full beard, including Ryan Gosling, Johnny Depp, and Shia LaBeouf.
Beards are inherently itchy
Even though many people think the beard is the root of itchiness, it isn’t. Dry skin is actually the true cause. Keeping the hair groomed and moisturized daily with a high quality beard oil is the key to keeping it itch-free.
Having facial hair doesn’t help you land a job
There’s a misconception that facial hair will hurt your chances of getting a job. But the truth is it isn’t unattractive or unwelcome in the workplace. In fact, it can be argued that a beard can actually help you land a job, because you might stick out. Beards distinguish you from the competition and when a manager is interviewing future employees, being remembered easily improves your chances of being hired.
Shaving makes your beard grow back thicker
This is actually something I believed before looking into this. I always heard it from older men growing up and just believed it, but there’s no evidence to back it up. What shaving does do is create the illusion that the beard is regrowing more densely because the hairs are closer to the same length.
All parts of your beard grow at the same rate
Take a look at the hair on your body. The hair on your head grows at a different rate from the hair on your arms. So why do we think all facial hair grows at the same rate? For most bearded men, hair on the cheeks often grows slower than hair on the chin. Give yourself enough time for sparser areas to catch up to the denser ones.
Beards are unappealing to women
Beauty standards are subjective to all people. So even though your unique beard style may be unattractive to a few women, there are plenty who find beards attractive and masculine.
Beards grow indefinitely
This myth surprised me too. I figured that a beard would just keep on growing like the hair on your head. Much to my dismay, it turns out that beard hair has a pre-determined terminal length. The average length a man can grow his beard out to is 2 years, but it varies. With proper exercise and diet, the terminal length can be increased slowly over time – but don’t expect any miracles!
Beards make you feel hotter in the summer
Despite what you may think, beards have the opposite effect. They can actually cool your face down in hot weather because your face sweats more and keeps it cool. It also shades your face which keeps you cool.
If I don’t have a full beard by 20, I will never have one
Even though puberty is the time men grow hair all over their body, it turns out that males continue to get more facial hair after it ends. It depends on each guy, but hair can actually continue developing until the 30s and 40s.
Full beards should take a week to grow
We all seem to know that one guy who has to shave every day or else he looks like a caveman. But the time it takes for your beard to depends on you. It actually takes most guys about 2 to 3 months to fully develop their beard.
Beards are a fascinating and mysterious thing. If you have more questions about beards, we have answers to help you out. 18 | 8 Barbershop San Diego is a great place to get a straight shave and trim your beard. You can even color your beard here!
If you want to keep your beard as fresh as possible, come to the people who know the most about beards. 18 | 8 offers straight shaves, executive haircuts, and customized services for you. Call (858) 914-5418 or make an appointment here.