Lebron James

Lebron James is a larger than life, bearded basketball superstar. He is widely considered to be the greatest basketball player in the world, and perhaps the best basketball player of all time.

His accomplishments include spots on 14 All-NBA teams and 12 All-NBA first teams, four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, three NBA Finals MVP Awards, and two Olympic gold medals. James is an active supporter of non-profit organizations, including After-School All-Stars, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Children’s Defense Fund. He also has his own charity foundation, the Lebron James Family Foundation.

James is the face of the NBA and his super-stylish lion’s mane beard is part of the image that fans rightfully envy. Lebron James is an extraordinarily agile, strong, loving, bearded lion.

How to Manage Ingrown Whiskers

by Bill Alley, Broadcast Host, Wordsmith and Beard Advocate, updated from 10/2017 Gazette

The joy of facial hair can occasionally have a drawback or two. Top of the list for most irritating is the ingrown whisker. The complication of a thicker strand growing that has difficulty getting through the epidermis often results in deeper irritation or surface infection. Here are the overwhelming contributors.

Shaving continually forces whiskers below the skin surface, especially since razor companies figured out how to aim their sights on creating ‘baby smooth’ results. If you have suffered with ingrown hair on the face, thank your razor and shave cream for the result. To get rid of the problem, stop shaving. This allows hair to grow naturally, and often a great set of whiskers becomes your manly reward. If you have hair that is prone to excessive curls or waves, keeping clear of razors will minimize the situation.

Outdoor exposure will also play a hand in aging and thickening skin. In the sun’s heat your body is slowly searing. Moisturizers, cleansing and time exposure will help keep things in check to ensure your skin’s surface is not morphing into human leather. You don’t have to avoid sun, there are plenty of benefits in moderation; being smart about sun exposure will avoid many potential downfalls.

Excessive fats in your body also clog more than arteries. Under the skin lies the most fatty tissue. Exercise and lots of exertion at work can keep it in check, but if your palate loves the stuff that’s putting on the weight, it’s putting all that mass wherever there is room. Skin expands, and that’s why fat cells are prone to show fastest and largest under your skin’s surface. Stretching will effect density, plus that blocking problem has taken up residence at the very root of your hair with issues ranging from ingrown follicles to hair loss. I discovered this during recovery from long term illness brought on by organ failure and type II Diabetes which added more than 50 pounds water weight; when the water expelled, the stretched skin recovered and lost hair returned.

New to topic: Stimulation of both hair and skin aids in growth and density. Blood flow delivering nutrients needed for good follicle capacity enhances with massage to penetrate better below the skin surface. Your daily habits, including eating, drinking, exercise, sleep along with hair growth patterns, will determine lesser or greater success.

Hair health is an important indicator of overall health.

How to Defeat Whisker Envy

by Bill Alley, Broadcast Host, Wordsmith and Beard Advocate

Okay men, this article has found its place in front of your face for a reason. If you don’t have the killer whiskers with the right texture, density, color and growth before you in the mirror, wrestling with measuring up to other guys who can sprout dense, lush facial hair practically overnight...here is some sound advice.

Photos of men overlaid with massive beards that cover face, chest, gut and beyond will become a fixation to the truly dedicated bearder. However, think about likelihood of such a gent in the predicament of near-assured self-employment or making residual income off Beard & Moustache contest wins, endorsements from Beard products or specialty lines of clothing. Quite possibly the dude with facial growth that extends to his knees—what I refer to as the Tree Beard—has the trade of a philosopher, college student, professor or religious mentor.

So, you’re off the hook if you work for someone at practically anything. Practicality does determine how men adorn their faces when needed. Then there’s style: personal preference which connect with the moustache, goatee, chin-strap, Van Dyke or some other reduced form of full beard that unleashes manhood where it should be while displaying the look that compliments face, body and your manly swagger.

My moustache was respectable at age 14; it’s never seen a razor. That ‘stache did get some help with Pinaud brush-in colorized moustache wax. It was a torment because my skin would dry patch then fall out with the whiskers clinging to the flakes. By 16 I gave up and let it grow normally. The beard was very patchy for many years but the moustached man got plenty of compliments (I am on the right in the photo at age 22). At age 27 the confidence arrived to grow a full beard and learned quickly the benefit of denser areas covering or blending into patchy places. Style and brush techniques with longer whiskers ended the visible patches.

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Reading pleas from guys on beard boards in panic over not having caveman achievement in a week tells me Beard Envy is alive and unwell. With that in mind we are introducing this month the April Bearded Champion who has his own style that carries great attributes. Color and shade, for example, are not ‘all one’; I can relate to that look and for years used Just for Men to fix it. Later in life my natural whisker appearance was embraced; and our Gent this month bears a similar two-tone whisker pattern.

Determination will get you growing; patience will set its sights on a long-term goal; understanding how your facial hair looks, acts and grows will lend wisdom to timing and an achievable result.