Beard farming thread

[Matt]

You must have mistakenly omitted the Zappa.

[Oaktavia]

@Filthy I know my man

@Matt I can't pull that off…weak chin!

[mclaincausey]

Just a few years ago, growing a beard took time, was unbearably scratchy along the way, and came in patchy enough not to be worth it.

Now it seems like it takes about a week. I've never tried for length but maybe now's the time to try a Civil War-era growth, assuming the wife would allow it.

Hmm…. strokes beard

[Oaktavia]

After regretting a big 8" trim last summer, my beard is starting to grow back. It's turning white on one side too which I am stoked about. Some folks don't line white hair but I love it.

How are you all doing with your beards? Let's see some photos!

[gouki74]

@Oaktavia mine's not too long but gently waiting for my beard to go white as i prefer it to be salt and pepper

[WhiskeySandwich]

@Oaktavia dude I hear you. I always go back and forth between wanting it long vs short. This is about as long as I’ve had it (about a year ago). When it’s long I want less trouble, and when it’s short, I miss it. Now I try to keep it about in line with a crew neck tee. I only use my Sanguine scissors, never a buzzer. I’ve always had a beard since I could grow one, except for 6 years in the military. I hated shaving and swore I’d never do it again.

[WhiskeySandwich]

And since I mentioned the military, here’s a shot when I first enlisted, about 15 years before that last pic. One of the only pics I have beardless.

[goosehd]

@WhiskeySandwich Thank you for your service!

[WhiskeySandwich]

@goosehd it was my pleasure, and also my headache lol. You saying that just made me realize I couldn’t have picked a more douchey time to mention my service, seeing as it’s Veterans Day weekend. ‍️

[Oaktavia]

@WhiskeySandwich hell yeah that's a solid amout of growth. Mustache looks great too. Mine was about at that length as well. I am trying to grow it even longer this time.

This is how long I had mine.

[Oaktavia]

@WhiskeySandwich you've got a solid jawline dawg

[WhiskeySandwich]

@Oaktavia hell yeah, I’m bringing it back for the winter. I think I’m going to cycle for the seasons. Just shorten when it gets hot. I dig the gray too. What’s your wash habit? I don’t really shampoo, just mostly rinse daily and apply a home brew of oils I’ve considered trying to market. Shits so expensive, I’d much rather do my own.

[WhiskeySandwich]

@Oaktavia lol thanks man, the jaw is the reason for much pressure from the ladies to shave it. My wife loves a strong beard tho luckily. Btw, yours looks great long. I’m psyched to see the comeback!

[WhiskeySandwich]

@Oaktavia oh I forgot to mention: that length above was just about my “terminal length”. If I got much longer it starts getting thin and scraggly with splits and such. I’m going to try for this again this winter and hopefully my healthier lifestyle since (the virus we don’t speak of) goblin mode allows for stronger growth this time around.

[Oaktavia]

@WhiskeySandwich I use beard shampoo and conditioner. I prefer beard butter over oil because the oil usually gets in my head hair too (greasy). The butter is more for the skin under the beard to keep it hydrated after washing. Otherwise it gets horribly itchy and dry for me with pretty sensitive skin.

[WhiskeySandwich]

@Oaktavia I get you. The only product I’ve bought and liked was Honest Amish. The oil I make though is very light though because I had the same problem with greasiness. Being bald, I don’t have any hair to absorb oils so you can see how that would be an issue - Shiny dome and yellow shirts.

[flannel slut]

@WhiskeySandwich thank goodness the wife is not on this forum for multiple reasons

[mclaincausey]

Update on my evolution to a Civil War general

My maintenance routine is using the same shampoo and conditioner I use on my hair (Aēsop) and the same tonic I use on my face (Paracas Desert Serum). My friend makes this brand and markets it towards recovering from outdoor pursuits in dry climes, but I find it useful as a morning moisturizer and beard oil and it smells and performs great. I rub some of that in my hair so I don’t have the concern Oaktavia mentioned with oil. With long hair I would though because it would look oily.

The tonic and a comb or brush help get the wild wiry beard hairs organized at least a little.

In the past, I’ve had ingrown hairs and other underlying skin issues make me harvest beards and go clean shaven, but the current routine seems to mitigate those issues.

[Oaktavia]

@mclaincausey said in Beard farming thread:

Update on my evolution to a Civil War general

Yes! I love the greys, it looks sick! Mine is starting to turn color from red/brown to white. I asked a group of students earlier in the school year if my beard was red or white and they all said a resounding, "white!" I personally think a white/greying beard looks super awesome. I never understood why some dudes loathe it. Plus, the greys/whites are usually thicker and make the beard itself more robust and full.

the current routine seems to mitigate those issues.

That is awesome to hear. I have been told this by a lot of men when talking about beards. Something always causes them to shave it, even if they wanted to keep it growing. I recently went to (finally) a dermatologist for the first time. I was having issues with my face skin being scaley, red and incessantly dry. The doctor prescribed me some antifungal shampoo (gross!) for dermatitis (yuck!) and it worked like a charm. Not only are my cheeks less red, the skin under my beard is much, much less dry and I need to use far fewer beard products. They last much longer and I have less buildup of the product too, which is a plus. Also, on a side note, one of my coworkers knows the dude behind Mountaineer Brand and gave me a case of beard butter stuff without labels (defects). So I have I would guess a 10 year supply of the stuff.

Do you plan to keep up the growth? I am at ~18 months with my current beard. My last one was ~29 months so I'm getting there. I want to see how long I can get mine.

[mclaincausey]

@Oaktavia thanks!

I’m not much of a planner haha. As such, I have no plans to shave it. We will see what happens. I kinda want to grow my hair out again but it takes so long and looks so bad and is so frustrating to deal with at intermediate lengths.

Based on looking at photos I think I’m at about 7 months with this beard.