Emancipation of the Beard

Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States, served from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Lincoln became leader of the newly-founded Republican Party and led the United States through its bloody Civil War—its greatest moral and political crisis. In doing so, he preserved the Union and abolished slavery. He is widely regarded by historians and by the public as one of the greatest US presidents.

The Vikings: The Lore and Legend of Scandinavia

by Bill Alley, Broadcast Host, Producer & Beard Advocate

This is the first in a year-long series devoted to the ethnicity and culture of the Beard. Through this series the Beardsley Gazette will feature Beards from the 12 global regions that have defined manhood, and include a feature podcast produced for Radio Beardsley that mirrors each month's highlighted culture. Starting the series for January is the the Viking Beard.

While many admire the strength, virility and folklore the Viking motif carries, there are a lot of misnomers attached to the Beards of the Norse, most dominant of the five nations (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden) which comprise Scandinavia. Much of the lore and legend begins with their beliefs, which prior to the year 1000 were placed in mysticism and pantheism. Odin was a central character to the hardiest of men, those who sailed and ruled the seas as guardsmen, fighters and conquerers. They were given a special name, Berzerk—one who will be given the fight of the fiercest of madman (to the point of being crazed), sworn to the servitude and protection of Odin himself. The Berzerk actually translates as one who wears a bear shirt, the typical clothing formed from bearskin.

In reality, Viking refers to marauders; most others were businessmen and tradesmen of caliber to whom the term was misleading. Their flair for fine tooling and woodcraft gave them reputation as the world’s foremost boat builders in their time, and their exploits took them throughout Europe, parts of North Africa, and westward to Iceland and the eastern shores of Canada and New England. In fact, just a few miles from my ancestral home in Bristol, Rhode Island is a small inlet on the northeast side of town on Mount Hope Bay called The Narrows. It is there remnants of a Viking village once rested which was dated back to about 1000AD.

Two Kings—Olaf I and Olaf II—were the leaders for Norway and much of Scandinavia to turn from pagan tradition to Christianity. It would not change much of their typical habits, including their wearing of facial hair in the fashion of longer moustaches and chin beards with hairy longer fringes; their appearance, which was clean by custom (bathing weekly) and kitted well with finer clothes (seen as those who are “well to do”). Though this portrayal of Olaf dying in battle is not the most glorious, one can instantly see the style of beard which historians say were typical on Scandinavian men, along with the appearance which suggested a very civilized culture. Quite atypical of the Viking conquerer being rag-tag and savage!

So, in large measure, groups like Science Nordic who promote the historic life of Scandinavians clash greatly with the modern-day swashbuckling of what movies and television produce. Scholars admit that the Norse and others in this region are fond of inferring that kind of brute force deep inside, but the Viking as an ethnicity is patently false. Their culture, however, still has significant throwback to ritual, celebration and tribute which round out the understanding of Scandinavia’s contributions to civilization, and for this treatise, its fine tuned bearded heritage.

For more information, follow these links.

Discovery Channel The Vikings: Who Were They?

Christian conversion

Historic evidence

Continued traditions of old

Safe Trimming
by Bill Alley, Broadcast Host, Producer & Beard Advocate

Nothing could be more embarrassing than finding your handsome beard disfigured. Facial hair embodies your unique visage, and when the time arrives to apply maintenance for a formal affair, removal of rogue hair and split ends, or a “new look.” careful planning with deliberate understanding of how your hair grows will allow you to admire your outcome.

The first two rules of trimming are:

1. Always cut less than you intend. It's much easier to apply a bit more cutting than figure out what to do with the glaring goof-up.

2. Trim from the bottom up. This helps determine what whiskers will need evening above the chin line and make your effort easier to balance the job.

Should rule number one be too late to remedy you don’t necessarily have to shave everything. Some men think this is the best way to get an even re-grow; in fact, hair doesn’t always grow the same length or pattern and you will be having to deal with the “itch factor” in the first few weeks once more. It is also shocking, especially to beard lovers, pets and children. Best plan would be to even out the facial hair to match the mistake. If you took poor aim at your neckline, you can do a leveling undercut and allow your goatee and moustache to remain bushier and prominent (a very fetching look and quite popular now). It will leave the hair on the sideburns, cheeks and neck shorter with nice longer bristles on the chin and lip. Growing a thicker and more uniform beard from here will draw less attention when the hair catches up to the rest of your whiskers.

If you employ the trim numbering series on your clippers (a method I never quite got the hang of) and realize you cropped off too much, some salvation can be managed by layering. The problem will be the need to initially grow your facial hair three to six full months in order to understand the concept. Once there you can get a handle on settings that will allow part of your face to sport shorter whiskers and other sections which will have a striking and longer cut. Have an image in mind rather than experiment randomly.

How to Have a Beard That’s Not a Total Mess

by Jennifer Barger. This article appears in the December 2016 issue of Washingtonian.

Last winter, House speaker Paul Ryan showed up at work sporting a short set of whiskers he dubbed “a hunting beard.” It made him one of the first big-name Washington pols to wear a beard in more than a century. The last US President to rock a full beard was Benjamin Harrison (1889–93), though William Howard Taft had a Captain Crunch–like handlebar mustache in the early 20th century.

Ryan shaved soon after. But elsewhere around Washington, guys seem to be growing beards with more frequency—and more variety—than anytime since the Gilded Age. And not just scenesters hanging out at DC Brau.

“There’s a huge demographic of thirty- and fortysomethings wearing beards, but they work in places like law offices and the government,” says Melanie St. Clair, co-owner of Arlington’s new Hendricks Barbershop. “The new wave of facial hair ties into the old-school way men are presenting themselves. They wear bow ties, they dress up, and beards seem to complement that.” But, she adds, these men want beards tailored and neat.

Whiskers have benefits: Not shaving means fewer ingrown hairs and less time getting ready in the morning. Some people love a guy with facial hair. Plus lots of men like the way beards make them look and feel. “My beard hides what I consider my baby face,” says Mike Friedman, the chef at DC eateries All-Purpose Pizzeria and Red Hen. “My beard basically makes me look less fat.”

Still, there’s a woolly area between dapperly hirsute and Charles Manson furry. Here’s how to grow and care for a beard.

Before You Show It

There’s a period in beard growth—maybe 10 to 12 days after you step away from the Gillette—that careens between Miami Vice five-o’clock shadow and Al Gore’s post-2000-election unkempt face lawn. Launching a beard takes patience.

“When you start growing a beard, you have to give it time to get to an even fullness,” says Paul Willis, a barber at Hendricks. “A lot of men have patchy growth for a few months.”

Most guys need to leave their whiskers alone for the first ten days or so to get an idea of the beard’s eventual shape and length. Then they can trim it—or have it professionally tended—three to four weeks in. “I enjoy the drama of the growing-out process,” says Max Kuller, wine director for the restaurants Estadio and Proof. “It’s satisfying when it finally gets so long I can thoughtfully stroke it.”

The Dreaded Itch

Besides looking a little Unabomber-esque during the first days and weeks of beardiness, guys also usually experience itching.

“The new hairs curl around and create discomfort,” says Michael Gilman, founder of the Grooming Lounge, a local chain that specializes in men’s beauty products and salon services. “Follicles grow every which way, tickling skin and creating that scratchy feeling, especially in the neck. This is when men most commonly call it quits.”

Experts recommend using beard oils (more on these later) to moisturize skin and minimize discomfort. A few drops of oil make hair softer and less likely to feel prickly. A facial scrub can also reduce flaky skin and irritation.

The Shape of Beards to Come

A few weeks in, men have decisions to make. Some can’t grow very impressive full fringes (i.e., the neck-beard syndrome seen in so many late-19th-century family photos). Others get a bushy-enough effect that they have to start thinking about trimming.

“The shape of your beard depends on a lot of things—how conservative or creative your office is, how much hair you can grow,” says Willis. “In general, you want to keep the sides long and lean and the bottom fuller and clean.” However you trim it, the idea is to make your face appear as oval as possible. Leave at least an inch or so of beard wrapping your chin—it’ll ensure that you don’t look too large-jawed or out of proportion.

Office politics and genetics aside, what length a guy grows his beard is simply a matter of preference. “I don’t trim my beard at all,” says Peter Huestis, a well-groomed National Gallery of Art specialist currently showing off ten inches of slightly curly, gray facial hair. The effect? Hip elder in a Dutch Old Masters painting. “People stop me on the street and compliment me,” he says. “Yes, I’ve occasionally been mistaken for Santa.”

The Cut

Whether you choose a full-on Brooklyn lumberjack or a sleek George Clooney, trimming and taming facial hair is key to avoiding a wild mountain-man vibe. How often you trim it depends on growth, but you’ll generally want to tackle your beard once a week. Many guys schedule a monthly barber appointment to keep things shapely. If you DIY, that generally means using an electric beard trimmer with a guard, the better to keep you from taking chunks out of your whiskers.

“I trim a few flyaways from my face every day,” says facial-hair fan Bryan Ewsichek, a government graphic designer who currently sports a two-inch full beard. “Then I’ll take a small pair of barber’s scissors to finish up. ”

The mustache adjacent to your whiskers also needs manscaping, usually more frequently than a beard and using a closer setting on the trimmer. Most barbers say solo mustaches aren’t very popular now.

Not Shaven But Clean

Some men shampoo their whiskers when they wash their hair in the shower; others do it at the sink before grooming their face. “There’s this misconception—especially when people see bearded men working in a restaurant—that beards aren’t clean,” says Friedman. “That couldn’t be further from the truth. No one is hiding a Chihuahua or birds in there.” Some shampoos are formulated for beards, but regular shampoo also works.

Conditioner can soften beard hair, usually coarser than scalp hair. It also cuts down on flaky skin. “Trust me,” says Huestis, “beard dandruff is a thing, and it’s not a good look.”

Grooming Tips

Much like your coif, a beard benefits from grooming products to keep hair in place. “I prefer a nice beard oil to pat all the craziness down,” says Ian Palmiero, the bearded owner of Takoma Park’s Scissor & Comb salon. Oils incorporate a range of ingredients such as jojoba oil and citrus. Simply smooth in a few drops after shampooing.

Beard balms offer a firmer hold, especially helpful if you’ve got lots of flyaways or curlier hair. “It’s what will really keep things in place and well groomed,” says Willis. “Pomades are great unless you want your beard to flap in the wind.”

Yes, There Are Challenges

Having a beard doesn’t alter your life that much, unless Mumford & Sons offers you backup string-bass position. But there are some cautions to bear in mind.

“The longer your beard gets, the more you have to think about food,” says Huestis, who recommends keeping a napkin and nonjudgmental dining companions handy. Says Willis: “Straws are your friend. And you’ll usually be drinking beer from a bottle.”

Longer whiskers can get caught on zippers and under backpack straps. Still, most guys find facial hair to be a positive addition to their lives. “It keeps me warm in the winter,” says Palmiero, “and my wife says she’d leave me if I shaved it.”