It has been since last Wednesday morning that I shaved, and I just wanted to try it out to see how it looks. I'm 38 and have tried a few times, but always shaved it for some reason (never went past a week and a half), I have had a goatee for about 10 years, so I can keep it trimmed. One good thing, it will cut my getting ready time in the morning by about 2-3 minutes. Anyone have good or bad experiences with them?
Younger than you, but I've gotten about a week and half into a beard as well before someone makes a comment that leads me to shave it. I want to grow it out personally, but the growing phase looks like you are lazy or something and that hurts in my profession. One of these days...
You're a year younger than me, have any unexpected gray hairs showed up yet? That was a very unpleasant surprise last time I tried to grow a beard....
In my goatee, I have a few gray ones. I will probably have a few in my beard as well. I haven't had any comments yet.
If you keep a 7-10 day neat and trimmed beard, I think it looks professional, as long as you keep the neck area clean. Plus, keeping it neat and trimmed daily takes just as long (if not longer) than shaving every day.
i'm a professional and have a beard. granted, other people (like you, apparently, but I'm sure others), may think that I don't look professional. but i've been down the super professional, fancy power suit, kick ass attitude route, and it's not me, and it's not everyone, and i've concluded that it generally has little impact on overall success in life. there are likely specific careers where this may not be the case, but in general i believe it. i do think the initial growing out phase does lead to the just-woke-up look, too, though. and i do think the grizzly adams look actually can be damaging to career progression. but just a regular old beard, no problem. i think the longest i've gone is a month and a half. but i've been with beard for 50% of the last few years. generally i keep it the clean neck, 7 days trim discussed on here. i don't find that it takes nearly as long to maintain that as to completely shave daily (just add up the minutes), which is an added benefit. if i was a writer or hermit or super rich unemployed guy, i'd definitely go the grizzly adams route just to try it out once.
facial hair is not permitted at all in my office, but you better believe that haven't shaved once since i started my vacation last tuesday granted i pretty much look like a hobo (especially since my "beard" takes forever to get full), but it's worth not shaving for a few weeks
How long does it take you guys to grow a short beard that you can trim with, say a "3" setting on your beard trimmer?
I disagree in part. On some guys, a neatly trimmed beard can look professional. I tried a beard, it did not look professional, so I shaved it. It depends on the person.
I never shave on Fridays or the weekends and anytime I get extra days off I avoid shaving. The best is Christmas/New Years time. We only worked two days so I shaved on Saturday before the week of Christmas and didn't shave again until this morning. Freedom!!!!!!! If I could, I would definitely grow it full out and be free.
As soon as I graduated from high school, I grew a beard. I've always hated shaving, so it was just a matter of time for me. Just make sure you keep it groomed and trimmed. I've told everyone the beard is a permanent fixture. When my wife and I started dating, I told her the beard was part of the package deal. Fortunately, she likes the facial hair. I wouldn't even shave when the costume dept. at Austin Lyric Opera asked me to. With the exception of an unfortunate clipper incident back in 1996 (which resulted in an unintended goatee for awhile), I've had had my beard for 17 years with zero complaint.
Grizzly man beards may not look the most professional, but neater beards certainly do. There was this famous European explorer who came to America back in the 1700's and he remarked something to the effect of..."all these American men, they look like women with their smooth faces." It was recently proven in a study that women prefer guys with light facial hair.
I try because my beard is so freaking thick but the itching always gets me. It always feels so freaking good when I shave. The longest I have made it is about 1.5 weeks. I think if you can make 3 weeks you are good.
<embed src="http://www.soundboard.com/sb/player.swf?bgcolor=0x99CC00&xml=http://www.soundboard.com/playlist/S25vY2tlZF91cF9CZWFyZF9Kb2tlMTU1MzI_Zba7bpv_2fEeo.xml&textcolor=0xFFFFFF&photo=http://www.soundboard.com/memberphoto/169815532169891.gif&skin=Skin1&user=knocked_up_beard_joke" width="350" height="375" quality="high" wmode="transparent" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" menu="false" allowscriptaccess="always" name="mp3player"/> I have a constant goatee but a "mesh" patchy beard every now and then when I just don't want to shave. I don't shave regularly. Please post pics of your progress, sir.
If you let it go a few weeks it gets long enough to not itch. I grow one most winters. Sometimes I shave it if the itching gets to me. Sometimes I keep it until the weather warms up. I'm surprised at how many people care about how professional it looks.