This post is sponsored by Tiege Hanley. Go check out their stuff and use the code “Masculine5” for $5 off your first order.

Skin care is one of those topics we, as men, would prefer to never even think about, let alone discuss. Even saying words like “lotion” and “eye cream” makes us uncomfortable (me included).

This is largely because we’ve been conditioned to believe that caring for one’s skin – especially the face – is solely in the realm of women and metrosexuals.

But today, I want to make a case for why a simple, private, inexpensive skin care regimen is something every man will benefit from.

Watch the YouTube Video: Why Men Should Care About Skin Care

Watch the YouTube Video: Why Men Should Care About Skin Care

Our Typical Approach

To illustrate the relationship most men have with our skin, I want to tell you a story.

An old farmer and his new farm hand spent an entire day at a dealership purchasing a new truck. The old one the farmer had been using for decades had gotten to the point where it needed to be replaced.

They test drove multiple vehicle, finalized the paper work, and headed back to the farm in the early evening.

As is typical on a farm, there was still work that needed to be done that evening. So the farmer and his farm hand promptly started loading wooden palettes into the bed of the new truck.

The farmer immediately set to work and, within a matter of a few minutes, the top of the bed was covered in scratches and scrapes. Each new dent and divot made the farm hand cringe.

Eventually he decided to voice his concerns. He turned to the farmer and said,

“How can you do this to your brand new truck?! It was so clean and new, and you’ve already started to ruin its appeal!”

The grizzled old farmer didn’t say a word. After a moment’s pause he picked up a shovel and proceeded to beat the passenger side of the vehicle half a dozen times.

Each strike of the shovel created dents and scratches that would never buff out.

Finally, the farmer turned to his farm hand and said,

“Now it’s not new anymore. This truck’s job isn’t to look nice, it’s to move equipment and help around the farm.”

It’s a good story and one I’ve heard often to illustrate the importance of function over form.

However, there’s one problem with the story.

It starts off with the farmer purchasing a new truck.

An Alternate Universe

Let’s imagine a universe in which each person is assigned a new car at birth.

For me, it would be a ’65 Mustang

But, there’s one catch.

That vehicle is the only one I’ll ever be able to own. No matter what happens, I’ll never be able to replace it. Maintain and repair? Sure – but never fully replace.

How much more do you think I would care for that car than what I currently own?

How much better would I be about regular maintenance, washes, detailing, and element protection?

Well that’s how it is with your face. What you’re born with is what you have for the rest of your life. So you need to take care of it.

It’s pretty easy to tell the difference between a vintage vehicle that has been taken care of – driven a lot – but taken care of, vs one that was just pulled off of the scrap heap.

The distinction doesn’t lie with the original condition of the parts, the standards each one was held to as it was created, or the materials used.

The difference between the two is found in how well they’re taken care of.

Drastic Changes

Now, just because I’m in favor of taking care of my skin, doesn’t mean I want to take it as far as we see body-dysmorphic metrosexuals or aging men in Hollywood.

Doing so is a conflation of a man’s aesthetic value. Rather than trying to appear younger (like women do), men are better off trying to appear ageless and accomplished.

There is a huge spectrum between the man who looks like his face has been attacked with a cheese grater, and the ultra-fake, hyper-feminine divas who go under the knife or plug their faces with botox.

Keep it Simple

Once you’ve decided you want to take proper care of your skin, it can become complicated, time-consuming, and super expensive. But it doesn’t have to be.

The best way to do so is a simple morning routine that comes as part of your daily shower and morning prep, and then a quick regimen to help you wind down your evening.

From my perspective, the best brand to help accomplish this is Tiege Hanley

Siege is relatively new on the men’s skincare scene, and they’re going to do for the industry what brands like Dollar Shave Club and other subscriptions services have done for other aspects of men’s grooming.

They offer three different versions of a monthly box. And each one can be compared to a level of care you’d give your one-and-only car.

Level 1 – Basic wash and vacuum. Keeps things clean and dirt free and requires the least investment – both in time and finances.

Level 2 – Wash and vacuum, plus a wax and leather conditioning. This is where things shift from reactive to proactive. There’s a bit more added to the mix to keep things looking like they’re actually taken care of.

Level 3 – Detailing. This allows you to embrace the age and aesthetics that come from no longer being a brand new vehicle, while maintaining the integrity, appearance, and appeal as if that car had just come out of the factory.

Not only does Tiege have a great price on their own, but I have a discount for you guys.

Just type in the coupon code “Masculine5” at checkout to save $5 off your first order.

Conclusion

Just because you decide to start taking care of your face doesn’t mean you need to make a big deal out of it. It doesn’t have to be a part of your regular discussion with friends, you don’t need to invest as much time or money as the women in your life, nor do you have to constantly or consistently think about it.

Pick yourself up a box, use it for 30 days, and see how much better you both look and feel. It’s pretty easy to get converted at that point.

I get asked quite a bit what my grooming routine is. Maybe I’ll walk you through it all one of these days, but I believe the key to great grooming is getting the right gear.

I could scrub my body with a stick and water, but it wouldn’t do the job nearly as well as the right soap.

Well I teamed up with the guys over at Dapper & Done to put together a little giveaway for you guys.

The bundle contains four essential items that I use on the daily.

• Beardbrand Tree Ranger Beard Oil
• Brickell Invigorating Mint Body Wash
• Brooklyn Grooming Handmade Mustache-Beard Comb
• Kale Naturals Daily Face Lotion

These total in at $92 – so nothing to shake a stick at.

How to Enter

To enter the giveaway, just go here and submit your full name and email address.

You can enter the giveaway starting from today (January 20, 2016) until 11:59 PM PST on January 29, 2016. (For all of the official rules of the giveaway, please go here.)

The winner of the giveaway will be notified on January 30, 2016.

Note: to be eligible to win the giveaway, you must be a resident of the US or Canada.

One more thing…

Everyone who enters the giveaway will receive a free gift!

If you join the giveaway, you’ll receive free access to the “Doorstep Dapperness Bundle” of discounts & special offers from up-and-coming, Doorstep Dapperness brands, such as Threadlab, SprezzaBox, Tie Society, Sock Club, Wet Shave Club, and more.

You going to win?!

Enter the giveaway here.

If you haven’t been following John’s excellent series on Masculine Grooming here on the site, you’re really missing out. He does a great job of breaking down the importance of having a solid grooming routine in a way that I hope has become expected with the other content of the site – mainly by giving us a little bit of history, psychology, and how-to all thrown in together.

Part of dialing in a grooming practice is using proper tools. While that does include the heavy hitters like razors and trips to the barber, it also consists of a daily dose of lotions, oils, and powders. It’s funny, I struggled typing out that last sentence because every iteration I came up with sounded soft, girly, and a bit dainty. If you feel that way at all about the necessity of grooming, seriously go read John’s series before getting deeper into this post.

After digging through John’s posts I realized my daily ritual was seriously lacking. I (like most of the civilized world) was already in the habit of daily showers, teeth brushing, and other minimal cleaning efforts, but I was not one to use lotions, powders, or oils. In fact, other than a beard oil and some pomade, I wasn’t using much beyond the typical shampoo, conditioner, and body soap.

A few months back I was introduced to one of the founders of a site called Grooming Lounge. After a few emails and a quick phone call, we agreed on their sending me a few products in exchange for a review. They were big fans of the beard and so beard care products are what they sent.

One of the cool things about Grooming Lounge is the mix of other brand’s products along with their own. The package they originally sent me consisted entirely of other brand’s offerings. In it were a shampoo, conditioner, and lotion from Blue Beard, a scruff and goatee softener from Soft Goat, and a jar of beard oil from Beard Brand.

In full disclosure, I have not used the Soft Goat product. The other products have kept my beard soft enough and I wear it long enough, that I haven’t seen the need to yet.

Everything else has been great though. Some will argue that using beard specific shampoos and conditioners is unnecessary. However, after learning how different beard hair is from both head and body hair, along with how different the skin on a man’s face is from that on the rest of his body, it makes sense that beard care should require different products. What I’ve found is that the use of these items has kept my beard cleaner, softer, easier to maintain, and a whole lot less itchy.

After about six weeks of using the contents of the first package, I had the opportunity to meet both founders of Grooming Lounge at StyleCon in Atlanta. While we were there they followed up on how I was liking what they sent, and they gave me a few more goodies to try out. This time around though, everything they gave me was a product that they’ve developed and produced under their own brand.

Unlike the beard-specific items from before, this kit consists mostly of shave and skin care. Maintaining the full disclosure, I haven’t yet used their “Shavior” razor burn treatment oil. Mostly it’s because I use a single-blade safety razor and haven’t experienced razor burn in years.

The rest of their lineup has made its way nicely into my daily and weekly routine though. The two products I now use daily are the Mug Moisturizer and Super Powder. The former is a lotion that helps keep dry areas softer and more flexible, while the latter is a body powder which keeps moist areas dryer and more breathable.

While I do keep a beard and have done so for nearly ten years now, I – for the most part – insist on keeping it crisp and sharp. For me this means a weekly shave every Sunday. I do a quick clean up on both my neck and cheeks, along with using a beard trimmer to make sure everything is nice and organized. In the past, I’ve been happy to use drug-store products as both shave cream and after shave, but Grooming Lounge has helped me make the transition to using higher quality goods.

I’ll admit that the first time I used their shave lineup I was a bit skeptical. I thought using a a pre-shave oil was superfluous, a non-lathering cream was inferior, and a more expensive after shave was unnecessary. I was wrong on all three counts. The closeness of my shaves is better than it’s ever been. My already minimal skin irritation is almost completely eradicated, and the balance between sharp and cool of a higher-grade after shave keeps my pores closed and feels great. All of these products have an incredible, masculine smell to them that makes the process more enjoyable as well.

While the pre-shave oil and after shave are now a part of my weekly routine, I’ve decided to keep their shaving cream as part of my travel and dopp kit. The reason’s for this are three-fold. First, the difference in the quality of my shave between using Grooming Lounge’s shaving cream vs my current was minimal. Secondly, having a non-lather shaving cream is significantly easier for travel. It doesn’t require a brush or mug and helps me keep things light. Third, I genuinely enjoy the weekly routine of using a mug and brush to create a heavy lather for my shaving. It’s cathartic and not something I want to give up when the results are just as good.

As Grooming Lounge continues to expand their offerings, both in the other brands they carry and the products they create themselves, I’m excited to see them continue with the same level of quality they’ve demonstrated thus far.

So you read yesterday’s post and decided a beard isn’t for you. Great. Here’s how to get the best result when shaving.

There are two distinct methods to shaving: Dry Shaving & Wet Shaving, with each of these having sub-methods that I’ll detail below.

Dry Shaving:

1. Electric Razors were first patented in 1928 and were designed for dry skin only. Many recent electric razors have been designed to allow for wet/dry use, which also allows them to be cleaned using running water or an included cleaning machine, reducing cleaning effort. Some patience is necessary when starting to use a razor of this type, as the skin usually takes some time to adjust to the way that the electric razor lifts and cuts the hairs. They also require the hair to be extremely short already as anything longer than 5 o’clock shadow can cause the blades to jam or tug on the hair causing an uncomfortable shave.

2. Depilatories are razorless creams/powders/gels that use chemicals to break the disulfide bonds in the keratin and allow it to be scraped off the skin at the surface. As the epidermis is also rich in keratin, the skin may become irritated and sensitive if the preparation is left on for too long. Regular use of chemical depilatories may result in hair root neutralization for a longer period of time than usual. They’re akin to a mild chemical peel so they are not for those with sensitive skin but can be used effectively with extremely curly facial hair.

Wet Shaving

1. Conventional Straight Razors were first patented by an English manufacturing company in 1680 and haven’t changed much since their inception. The most difficult of shaves, yet the most satisfying (if I do say so myself), the straight razor requires a high initial investment in not only the razor, but a strop and hone and other materials making it out of the realm of impulse purchases. The grind & depth of the hollow, point profile, blade length, blade width, scale, and pivot mechanism are all important factors in choosing a razor; as are the choices of strop materials, hone types, grits and cleaning methods. A good razor can go upwards of $200, strops from $90 to $300, and hones from $50 to $150. This doesn’t include the steep learning curve associated with straight razors, as they can be extremely dangerous in inexperienced hands.

Disposable straight razors are a unique modern invention as they utilize the principles of straight razor shaving but eliminate the aftercare as once the blade becomes dull, a new one can be quickly changed out.

2. Safety razors came to popularity after King C. Gillette introduced the disposable razor blade in 1901 and gave men a way to shave at home that didn’t threaten them with death and dismemberment the way straight razors have been known to do. The predecessor to the cartridge razor of today, the safety razor’s design simplifies the 30° angle necessary to shave hair correctly and because of the single blade design, they don’t have to deal with clogging issues as much as modern razors.

Disposable safety razors are a thing too! BiC invented them in 1974

3. Cartridge Razors followed quickly behind safety razors as manufacturers moved away from steel and into plastics. Gillette introduced the twin blade Trac II razor in 1975, the triple blade Mach 3 in 1998, the four blade Quattro, five blade Fusion and six blade Dorco in the two decades after. All of them function on the same basic principle of  “Hysteresis” which is that the first blade in the model serves to “lift” (pull) the hair out further from the follicle opening in the skin and the blades there after shave the hair so close that it actually retracts underneath the surface of the skin providing a very smooth shave. This however can lead to skin irritation as each pass of the razor is multiplied by the number of blades i.e. one pass of a fusion blade is like 5 passes with a single safety razor. Also the issue of cutting the hair so it retracts below the skin’s surface can lead to a condition called pseudofolliculitis barbae or colloquially known as razor bumps wherein the skin grows over the follicle opening causing ingrown hairs.

The “razor and blades” business model, the sale of dependent goods for different prices – one good is sold at a discount, while the second dependent good is sold at a considerably higher price – actually comes from King C. Gillette’s initial marketing campaign of the safety razor. Videogame companies use this same business model today.

You’ve undoubtedly skipped ahead looking for the part where I talk about getting a better shave, so I’ll save your scrolling thumbs and explain how to get your best shave.

SHAVING – THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW PATH

Preparation or Pre-shave.

As my mentor told me, so shall I reveal to you: “A face well prepared is half-shaven to start”. This is the step that most guys will skimp on because it is the least given attention to by shaving companies. Blade innovations are paramount to them, but no amount of blades or their sharpness will ever cover for an improperly prepared face.

1. Wash your face to start with and if you’re shaving more than 3 weeks growth I suggest using clippers/trimmers to bring it down to a manageable level. You can also shave in the shower if one has a fogless mirror or right after. If not, make yourself a few hot towels and apply them to your face making sure to remove them as soon as they start to get warm. Others will say to leave it on for at least 2 minutes or more, but that doesn’t matter if your towel isn’t hot. The heat is important for several reasons:

a. The heat relaxes the skin, and muscles making your face more pliable allowing it to stretch easier to both manipulate the blade over, and to allow the blade a certain leniency with “skipping” which is where the blade applied to the face with too much pressure, and the skin behind it not being held in place, literally “jumps” over small sections of skin possibly cutting when it lands. Pliable skin can skip without too much fear of injury so if you’re bad at shaving, your hand isn’t quite so steady or your grip fails you, it won’t always spell disaster for your face.

b. When applied to hair, water breaks the hydrogen bonds present in the keratin cells and softens it. Pretty much it is like the Imperio Curse for your hair; it becomes completely malleable while it is wet. Hot water doubly so. Broken hydrogen bonds turn stiff-as-copper-wire hair into something a razor can easily slice through, reducing tugging and pulling that would otherwise plague a razor on dry skin.

2. Apply shaving oil. This has less to do with the interaction between the razor and the hair as it is for the razor and the skin. Applying an oil first helps to re-establish a moisture barrier on the skin’s surface so that as you begin to shave the razor has a micron-thin lipid layer that it will remove before it will begin to remove micron-thin layers of epidermal cells.

3. Lather it up. Lather’s functions are actually a little more complex than one might think. At first glance it’s to create a smooth surface for the razor to pass over, but traditional lather has its roots in soaps. Lather, due to its pH, actually attracts the dirt and gunk (dead skin cells, club hairs, sweat, food particles, air pollution entities etc..) buildup on your face and bonds with it so that as one shaves the lather cleans the face. Lather also serves to maintain a microclimate of heat and water against your skin, so that while one side of the face is being shaved, the other half isn’t drying out and the hairs aren’t reforming hydrogen bonds. Shaving is a race against the clock and lather dramatically extends that time. You can use your hand to lather up but the best lathering method is with a brush. The greatest benefit from shave brush use to lift facial hair and surround the follicle with hot water and lather. Applying shaving cream by hand mats hair or raises it unevenly and can’t get close enough to the skin to have the same effect. The microclimate created by hand lathering can lead to pockets of un-lathered dry skin.

The modern badger brush can be traced back to France during the 1750’s where it was known as a blaireau. Brushes come in 3 different qualities, with a handful of delineations beyond that.

• Horsehair makes up the cheapest of the cheap shaving brushes. It is very coarse and does not retain water very well making lathering difficult with shaving soaps.
• Boar hair is relatively inexpensive but can be made high quality. Though coarse, repeated use causes the hair in higher-end brushes to split resulting in a brush that is very soft but has considerable backbone. The boar’s hair is also water absorbent and needs to be soaked in water before use to be fully effective. This has its drawbacks though if the brush is not left to dry completely it can become mildew infested and ruin the brush permanently.
• Badger hair is touted as the supreme brush component, and is rightly so for a number of reasons. The lowest quality badger brush is still leaps above even the best-made boar brush. Badger hair specifically because of its water retention qualities. Badger hair has no official standard grading scale for quality but industry wide there are basic classifications for badger hair that are as follows:
  • “Pure” Badger hair (or just Badger) comes from the underbelly of the badger, around 60% of its fur. The coarsest of the badger due to its thickness, the ends of the brush are often trimmed to a shape resulting in stiff, rough ends
  • “Best” Badger hair is made with finer and more pliable hairs and allows for a better lather, though the quality between a pure and best is often negligible and the handle and bristle knot size being the biggest difference of the two.
  • “Super” badger hair is the finest 20%-25% of Best hair and usually due to its coloration will often resemble the higher-grade silvertip.
  • “Silver Tip” hair is pulled from the neck area of the badger and is the most expensive and rare type of brush hair. Its vastly superior water retention qualities and un-paralleled softness make this the ultimate shaving brush. Like driving a Rolls Royce over your face.
  • “Extra Silver Tip” brushes only exist in the highest echelons of the shaving world and are almost exclusively custom made by hand and run easily $1,000+.

Time to shave

You’re all lathered up, blade in hand, now what? Well by this point, you’ve already examined the growth patterns on your face right? No? Well you should have. Knowing your growth patterns is key because the first time around with the razor you’re going to shave with the grain. If you’re trying a new style of razor it is important to only go one direction at first so you can both get a feel for your new tool and so you can see how your face responds to it as well. If you’re fighting your face with removing hair going with the grain, you can save yourself a lot of hassle and skip against the grain because it will only be a painful disappointment.

Use your free hand and with three fingers, gently hold your skin in place as you shave away from your hand with the growth. Take care not to pull your skin too far out of place as this is the same “Hysteresis” technique whereby the hair is uprooted from the follicle further than normal causing it to be shaved so close it will retreat under the skin when you remove your hand from your face. Let the weight of the blade do the work as pushing the blade into your skin will always be something you regret. As for stroke length, I will tell you what my mentor told me: “As long as you dare. The first stroke shaves the hair, each stroke after that just irritates the skin”. It’s not about long or short, it is the fewer the better. The elasticity of your skin will tell you how long you can comfortably make each stroke, and for myself each stroke is about as long as my index finger. Beyond that the blade is too far away from my opposing hand and the skin will bunch, skip, and I will often end up with a nick. Each face is different so there is no right way to shave it. When I teach straight razor self-shaving classes at my shop I have to cater my lesson to the clients unique facial structure. Once you’ve shaved your whole face with the grain you can decide to re-lather (and I suggest using a hot towel as well) and go cross-grain as a second pass and even lather up a third time and go against the grain. Again, go for least number of strokes with minimal pressure to reduce the chance for irritation.

Post Shave or The Home Stretch

Come on! You’ve stuck with me this far, just a little bit longer. So you’ve shaven with, cross or against the grain (or all three for truly svelte skin) and now its time to finish things off. If you have any nicks or cuts, an alum block rubbed allover the face, or nick powder applied with a Q-tip will help close things off. Anything larger than a paper cut and you might need to apply pressure and treat it like you would any wound, even making the trip to the hospital if you really get yourself good. Assuming you got off scot-free the first step is to very gently wipe any remaining lather. Don’t rub anything against your face as your razor has revealed a fresh new layer of skin cells and it’s in a very fragile state right now. Rinse your skin with cold water, as this will begin the process of closing your pores and tightening your skin. Apply an alcohol free aftershave, or toner, as its job of rebalancing your skins’ pH in preparation for a moisturizer is vital. Apply your aftershave balm or moisturizer (either or, they’re most likely the same thing – make sure it is oil free) last. I like to go one extra step and apply a cold towel to my face after the moisturizer as a way to really help lock it in. Optionally you can apply a light coating of talc or barber’s powder to eliminate any remaining moisture on your face so you don’t look like you just got a shave. Clean your razor, replace your blade if necessary, rinse your brush well and let it hang to dry (or place it sideways on a towel if you don’t have a brush stand) and you’re all done.

That about covers hair care on your face, I left some things out purposefully as they weren’t fitting here but they’ll be in the companion piece to this one. As always, I’m just a barber, not a doctor so if you have serious issues go see someone with a degree and get their opinion. Try new things, experiment, read reviews, get samples and honestly do it for you. Shaving should be a ritual that you enjoy. Not a miserable experience you have to do because of some employee handbook rule or girlfriend stipulation. Take pride in your equipment, your skill and make it your own. Be intentional about your shave and it will be an enjoyable experience akin to one at the barbershop. During a scene in Skyfall, British actress and femme fatale Naomie Harris gives 007, played by Daniel Craig, a close shave using a cutthroat razor, whispering in his ear “sometimes the old ways are the best” as she performs the shave. Online retailers around the world saw increases in sales of razors up 50% to as much as 400% just because of that scene. Shaving is a unique phenomenon to men as barbers were held in such high regard in the past and certain esteem has been appointed to shaving with a brush and razor over the due course of time that it is an awe inspiring skill to have in ones repertoire. I hope you’ve learned a little bit and the next time you shave you are able to look at it through new eyes and can have a personal and enlightening experience in the few moments you have to yourself before you have to plug back into the Matrix.

As per the title, Hair Care is the subject of today’s lesson but it is such a massive area to cover, that in order for me to touch on every topic I want to within it, I’m going to break this section down into two sister articles. We’ll be covering all things facial hair in these first two pieces and everything related to scalp hair in subsequent posts.

So to begin.

As I am sure all of you readers (those not living under rocks at the bottom of the ocean on a distant planet) have noticed over the last few years, Barbering is back with a vengeance, reviving the men’s grooming/shaving industries and subsequently setting in motion the supermassive tidal wave of the Beard & Moustache culture seen everywhere. This sensational upsurge has been [mostly] a positive movement as men everywhere are rediscovering traditions held by their fore-fathers, styles long thought dead, practices all-but-forgotten and much more, but with popularity comes imitation and every Tom, Dick, and Harry have written an op-ed piece on “how to get the best shave”.

Instead of rehashing the same tired nonsense about “the perfect shave”, I will endeavor to explain how a man’s hair works, and what methods of shaving work for what and whom, and then let you make your own decisions.

The average beard contains between 7,000 to 15,000 hairs, as much as the average woman’s legs and underarms combined, and a man will spend about 33 days of his life just removing facial hair. The average beard hair has the same tensile strength of copper wire of the same diameter. From there, hair breaks down into three parts:

Medulla – the innermost shaft of the hair that provides structure, is often missing in lighter colored hair due to a genetic flaw

Cortex – the inner “gooey” mass to the hair where melanin (pigment or in layman’s terms your hair color) is stored alongside moisture.

Cuticle – The outer translucent layer of the hair, keratin cells grow in a similar fashion to overlapping scales and serve to protect the hair by retaining moisture.

Beard and body hair is also known as Androgenic hair, one of the three types of hair alongside Head Hair and Vellus Hair (the peach fuzz everybody has covering their body). It’s called Androgenic hair specifically because it related to the level of androgens (male hormones) in the individual. Due to a normally higher level of androgen, men tend to have more androgenic hair than women. Hair also grows in three different phases:

Anagen Phase – The active growth phase of hair follicles during which the root of the hair is dividing rapidly, adding to the hair shaft. During this phase the hair grows about 1 cm every 28 days. Scalp hair stays in this active phase of growth for 2–7 years while Body hair stays in this active phase for only a few months, which is why it (comparatively) does not grow as long as head hair. The phase length is also determined by one’s genetics which means your body has a pre-determined terminal length to their hair i.e. head hair/body hair will only grow to a certain length before it stops and enters the…

Catagen Phase – a short transitional period for the hair where it becomes fully keratinized, is considered “dead” and converts to a “club” hair which in layman’s terms refers to a hair no longer attached to the internal base shaft that supplies blood and new cells for growth. Once this process is complete the hair enters the….

Telogen Phase – The resting phase for the hair. Basically it is a dead “club” hair that stays on your head until it eventually falls out. Fifty to one-hundred “club” hairs are shed daily from a normal scalp, though in cases of extreme stress on the body as much as 70% of the hair can enter the telogen phase and fall out prematurely.

At any given time up to 90% of the hair follicles are in the anagen phase while, 1–2% in catagen and10–14% are in telogen.

So you’ve got this incredibly dense forest of constantly growing hair on your face, what do you do with it? For one you can grow it and begin cultivating a beard/moustache. If you’ve never had one, it’s a great test of manhood to grow out a beard and see its potential. Beards can completely alter the perception of a man’s image by other people and can accentuate other features of his face while simultaneously hiding flaws.

Growing a Beard:

Step 1. Be Patient.

When you first start growing, the most important thing you can do is practice self-restraint by ignoring the urge to trim or shave for at least 4-6 weeks. That way you can get a complete picture of where your hair grows fastest, and where your beard doesn’t quite fill in. This will help with the final product, as you’ll be able to match your beard to your face shape and make your beard, and you, look better.

Step 2. Keep it clean.

This is especially important during the first few months of growth as dead skin, food particles, and telogen phase hair can become trapped against the skin exacerbating itchiness. Scrubbing weekly with a beard specific cleanser (you can’t use your everyday shampoo) and patting it dry with a towel is important. Overzealous toweling can lead to frizz and split ends.

Step 3. Learn to train your beard.

The glands at the opening of the hair produce a fatty secretion that lubricates the cuticle. Its complex structure slides as the hair swells and is covered with a single molecular layer of lipid that makes the hair repel water and keeps the cuticle soft, shiny and healthy. That single layer of water-repellent fatty oil can be worn away easily with dry outside temperatures, air pollution, excess touching and much more. Without it, split ends and premature breakage can occur and the beard as a whole can become tough and unruly. To combat that, daily applications of beard oil will condition the hairs promoting softness and manageability. A daily rubdown with a wooden beard comb or animal hair beard brush can actually help [re]distribute your natural oils as well as beard oils, training your hair to grow in desired directions.

Step 4. Healthy Body = Healthy Beard

You can’t build a house without bricks, and the same applies to facial hair. Your beard is made from protein and fat, but it’s also heavily reliant on Vitamins B5, B3, and B9. That means lean meats, nuts, egg yolks, milk, and plenty of leafy greens. There is a direct correlation between the quality of your diet and the quality of your beard. Avoid junk food (especially sweets) as they can wreak havoc on your beard hair and the skin underneath it. Eat a steak, or a chicken, or a fish, or some peanut butter (go organic as store bought stuff usually has added sugar)…anything with ample protein. Your beard, and the hormones that grow it will benefit from healthy amounts of high quality protein. Hair is basically spent protein. Don’t skimp on fat, either. Just choose healthy fats. Specifically, eat food high in Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s have long been associated with hair and skin growth and its condition, and studies have shown them to be critically important to most functions within the body. Beard growth occurs with repair, and your body does the most repairs during rest, especially during sleep. Plus, testosterone (male hormones, androgenic hair, remember?) production is highest in men during the morning hours in the final sleep cycle. So focus on two sleep points: 1) Getting enough sleep (quantity), and 2) getting good sleep (quality).

It’s no coincidence that old men who take naps every day have the longest beards: better sleep habits = better beard habits.

“But I shave for work!”

“My wife likes me clean shaven!”

“I can’t grow a beard!”

I can hear the cries now. Don’t worry my good fellows; shaving doesn’t make you any less masculine than growing a beard. Barber’s can actually be huge hypocrites in this way, in that we always tout the awesomeness of growing a beard but we’re heavily versed in the ways of the straight razor shave. Whether your daily routine involves a badger brush and a razor, or beard oil and a wooden comb they’re both equally awesome. We’ll cover how to properly approach shaving in the next article.