Yes, you read the title correctly.
I stumbled into a conversation one day about how my guy friends take care of their beards and I couldn’t help myself but keep asking questions. Before receiving a crash course in beards, I didn’t realize how much thought can go into shaping facial hair and when it’s time to shave it all off.
Thanks to my wonderful friends, Connor Mead and MU juniors Jack Underwood and Austin Krohn, I’ve learned quite a bit and need to share all the hairy details.
Products
When all three boys need beard products, Target is the place to go. They all agreed that the products are reasonably priced and there’s a good selection of products.
I learned that the way women take care of their hair is essentially the men’s equivalent to taking care of their beards. There’s beard conditioner, shampoo, and many products to shape beards.
While Krohn uses a beard brush because his facial hair is thicker, Mead and Underwood use beard combs. After I cracked a joke about having a comb exclusively for beards, Underwood set the record straight.
“It’s literally the same comb I use for my hair. You don’t need multiple combs,” Underwood said.
Perhaps the most memorable part of the conversation was finding out that Krohn uses a leave-in beard conditioner the same way that I use a leave-in conditioner in my hair.
Shaping
If you ever want to hear men have an intense conversation, ask them to compare how they shape their beards. I didn’t realize how tedious of a process it could be and that at least for these three boys, they don’t really know what they’re doing.
“You kind of just guess and hope for the best. There have been a lot of times where I’ve tried something new and then instantly regretted it,” Krohn said.
Underwood shared with me that there is something called the “Hand Rule,” where you are supposed to take your hand, make an L with your fingers and then hold it up to your jawline and it creates a guide to follow when trimming and shaping your beard.
Although this does sound like a reliable method for beard shaping, Krohn said he doesn’t use that method and has made too many mistakes in the past.
Personal Preference
When it comes to the dreaded decision to finally shave the entire beard off or go for a drastic change, the boys had mixed feelings.
Underwood likes to occasionally shave everything off but keep the mustache, while Krohn just recently shaved his entire face because he didn’t like the way his hair was growing in. Mead even recently trimmed his beard too short and instantly hated how he looked.
Something they can all agree on is that the way they shape their facial hair usually just depends on how they’re feeling and if they’re willing to take risks. Underwood didn’t seem as attached to his beard the way the other two boys were and Mead said he wouldn’t shave it off anytime soon.
“I like the way my facial hair shapes my face and I don’t think it would look good if I was cleanshaven right now,” he said.
The shaving industry
We ended our beard conversation with a discussion on how women’s shaving products aren’t as effective and are sold at a higher price point.
“It just doesn’t make sense that something is pink and they increase the price,” Krohn said.
I would have to agree with the boys that the women’s shaving products aren’t as effective and buying men’s products is definitely the way to go. Men’s razors give a closer shave and it’s harder to cut yourself compared to when you’re using women’s razors.
Before diving down the rabbit hole of facial hair, I genuinely thought that most men just let their beards grow and didn’t keep up with maintenance. Throughout our conversations, my friends shared horror stories and triumphs while learning to take care of their beards and I genuinely learned so much. My friends blew my beard expectations out of the water and I’m very proud of them for taking genuine care with their facial hair.