Thursday, November 29, 2007

Top 10 Beards of the year

Thanks to my Dad who sent me this link of the winners of the 2007 World Beard and Moustache championships. These guys are masters at growing facial hair, and the bit of commentary at the top of the page is right on, one cannot merely enter this contest on a whim. It takes years and years of preparation.

I've been told by a few people that I should try and grow a handlebar moustache, or grow it out so the surface area of my face doubles, but I think a full month every year is about perfect to quench my thirst for growing facial hair. I'm just satisfied to look at these pictures in amazement.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Facial Hair Accessories

I think even if you can't or don't want to grow facial hair, you should have temporary options to be a proud member of the facial hair club. The classic example of this is the plastic eye glass frames with the nose and the moustache. There are others though.

Here is a link to a woolen cap that gives you a woolen cap beard/moustache. It's very classy, but for $135 it better be. (via BoingBoing)

This however, brings up one of the best parts of No Shave November. Growing a beard or letting your leg hair grow out for the month of November is perfect because the weather is starting to cool down considerably. (Southern hemisphere excluded) If you actually do grow a beard you won't need to buy one, other than for after you shave. However, an argument can be made that this cap is also perfect for keeping your beard and moustache warm, which is important if you want to take good care of your facial hair.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Age and facial hair

I've been a little late on posting anything recently because of traveling, but I'm here and ready to blog.

One thing that always gets me is that people always think I look older with facial, I've heard anywhere from a couple years older up to 10 years older. The great part about this is that many of these people don't even know how old I am in the first place, so I take great joy in asking them how old I look with my facial hair and then without. I've gotten responses that I they think I am a little more than 10 years older than I actually am with my facial hair.

Also, on the rare occasion that I order an adult beverage in a restaurant, I've yet to be carded while sporting my beard. (Except for that one time I was at the restaurant with my less than 21 year old brother who also looks like he could be less than 21, and they carded us both). I enjoy not being carded, because it is kind of a hassle to take out my wallet, and then remove my driver's license, and then give it to them to be inspected, and then reverse the entire process. I am, of course, not condoning underage drinking and trying to cheat the system by using facial hair, but I am saying it may be possible.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Picture Proof of Progress

I promised a mid-month progress picture, so here it is. You may notice that I have done some trimming under the jawline. This is what I explained as my compromise between shaving completely and not shaving at all.

I am quite happy with the speed of growth and fullness of the beard this year. It seems like it gets better every time I do this. Which, in reality, makes me more manly.

IMG_0005

Monday, November 12, 2007

Hair Growth

Hair is a pretty fascinating thing, especially once you look at it closely. It is one of those things that most people know the basics about, but very few people know the finer details. Here is an article that tells you almost everything you wanted to know about hair, it's lifecycle, and how it grows.

I will take a picture of my face on Wednesday or Thursday and post it here so you can see my beard.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Facial Hair in Art

A Josh Spear blog post pointed me to Etsy Shop and artist ashleyg's new drawings incorporating facial hair. I like this simple style of art, but it also got me thinking of other art with facial hair.

Of course there has been much art over the years that have bearded men, but some stand out in my mind. Those include, Portrait of a Bearded Man by da Vinci, The Oarsmens Breakfast by Renoir, Hand with Globe by Escher, and The Last Supper by da Vinci.

Also, which may be applicable to the topic of facial hair, The Mona Lisa by da Vinci. Mona Lisa is completely without facial hair including eyebrows and eyelashes. They have recently done new scans on this famous painting to reveal some hidden background on the art.

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

How do you like it?

Here is a link to a page asking (mainly women) how they prefer a man's face, either clean shaven or facial hairy. If you're a woman, leave a comment letting us know how you prefer a man's face.

The art of trimming

I know I am breaking the rules by trimming my facial hair, but to at least look semi-professional in my job I have decided it is a necessary compromise. So far I have only been trimming the neck, and below the chin line, but I am trying to decide if I want to trim a little bit more. My goal is to keep the general beard/moustache combo in tact, but to give it a little more of a clean look.

Here is a link to Hudson't FTM Resource Guide.

Here is a link to eHow's guide to trimming facial hair.

Here is a link to an ezine article.

Monday, November 05, 2007

Still going strong

I've heard from a lot of people that they are still going strong with No Shave November. I had to bite the bullet this morning and trim my neck, but I still have the full beard. I decided to trim because of work, it is my compromise between not shaving at all for the first month, and looking less than professional to my bosses.

I am planning on taking a picture or two tomorrow because it will be a full week of not shaving (other than the trim). I will post the picture.

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Why can't you braid leg hair?

Stepping away from the normal banter about facial hair, I thought today's topic should be more focused on leg hair.

Here is an article about leg hair and why it won't grow forever.

I would imagine if this wasn't the case, we'd be able to eventually braid our leg hair, but that just doesn't sound very fun.

Friday, November 02, 2007

Inspiration

In case you needed some inspiration for getting through the month, check this blog out. It's dedicated to mustaches of the 19th century. It really makes you wonder why more people don't grow the mustache anymore. This blog has daily posts featuring pictures and descriptions of mustaches from that era. Also check out the glossary of terms.



Linked from boingboing and Presurfer

Thursday, November 01, 2007

A welcome feeling

The fresh November air hit my face like a familiar dream as I left my apartment this morning. Fortunately for my face it is No Shave November again. I am very excited to be letting my facial hair grow like nature intended again, and this month could not have come soon enough as any of my friends could tell you that I was impatiently awaiting the arrival of this day.

I hope you are participating in this yearly ritual too and not just another observer. It is much more exciting (especially if you plan on being a faithful reader of this blog) to both be growing your hair and reading about it.

If you are unfamiliar with the rules, I will briefly outline them here. The name of the event, No Shave November, hopefully describes itself well enough. There should be no shaving for the month of November. As we completely support equal opportunity, there are ways for both men and women to participate. We encourage men to refrain from shaving their faces and women from shaving their legs. If you live in the United States and feel that Thanksgiving is a factor that could stop you from participating, it is acceptable to shave right before or on Thanksgiving to look respectable for family. Otherwise, don't shave until December is upon us.

Stay tuned with this blog throughout the month to find out how I am doing with my facial hair, how my friends are faring as they participate, as well as information on hair, facial hair, and just being hairy.