Types of Beards - Grow The Right Style For You

November is slowly ending and your beard should be growing like crazy. Now what? What kind of beard should you shape it into? Puzzled about where to start? Find the style that suits you.  Here are some beard styles that you may want to follow.

Anchor
A chin beard that is grown long into a point and styled with an accompanying mustache to resemble the shape of a ship's anchor.

Anchor Beard worn by Zac Efron

Balbo
A wide chin beard that covers the chin as well as a small area beyond it, accompanied by a separated mustache.

Balbo Beard worn by Johnny Depp

Chin Curtain

A longer beard grown only along the lower portion of the face, covering the chin and following the jawline.

Chin Curtain worn by Abraham Lincoln

Circle Beard

Facial hair consisting of a chin beard and mustache connected by hair along the sides of one's mouth, thus forming a circle. Also called a "door knocker." Sometimes referred to as a "goatee," though technically the goatee refers only to hair growing on the chin area, not the mustache.

 Circle Beard worn by Kanye West

Full Beard

A beard characterized by coverage on all areas of the face: upper lip, chin, sides, and sideburns. A full beard can have either a styled or integrated mustache, and can be clipped close or grown long. There are many possible variations of the full beard.

Full Beard as seen on Duck Dynasty

Garibaldi

A wide, full beard with a rounded bottom and integrated mustache.

 

 Garbardi Beard worn by Rick Ross

Goatee

A beard formed by hair grown only on the chin area.

Goatee worn by P. Diddy 

Hollywoodian

A beard with integrated mustache that is worn on the lower part of the chin and jaw area, without connecting sideburns.

Hollywoodian Beard worn by Leonardo DiCaprio  

Soul Patch

A small tuft of hair under the lower lip. Also called a "royale" or a "flavor saver."

Soul Patch Beard worn by Mario Vanpeebles

Spade

A large, long beard, connected by sideburns, without a mustache. Also called a "Shenandoah."

Spade Beard worn by Freeway

Van Dyck

A goatee accompanied by a mustache; usually the two are not connected.

Van Dyck Beard worn by Colonel Sanders



Whats your favorite beard style??

Happy Growing,

Kisses!

November is National Beard Month

It's cold outside so I expect to see more grizzly faces this season.  

November is National Beard [Growing] Month.  Join the challenge!  Okay, so you may initial start off with a sloppy look, but hang in there. You'll get over it.  You'll be grateful for your patience at the end in exchange for a bunch of beard 4 weeks later! 

I asked my BF to join the challenge. Stay tuned to see the transformation.  Photo taken 11.05.12

Start here:

• Schedule your plan to coincide with your vacation to stay away from friends, family and coworkers.  This can get ugly.  If you must, keep your beard tapered once a week.

• Give your face a final clean shave to remove trapped dirt and make way for succeeding hair to grow evenly.

Want to grow a beard even faster? Try these!

• Eucalyptus Oil - It stimulates blood flow around the hair follicle to promote hair growth.

• Rogaine - (don't laugh) Even without FDA approval, many people used the “hair stimulant” property of the anti-hypertensive drug to induce hair growth. Be cautious when trying any drugs that aren't FDA approved for facial hair. If these products are consumed too much over time or rubbed in extra amounts, they can cause serious damage to the skin. It even induces severe side effects like a lapse in your blood pressure.  So be careful in choosing a product to grow a beard. 

• VitaBeard - Specially formulated to aid beard growth, this dietary supplement which contains B-complex, Silica, MSM and other vitamins, is not only reported to promote facial hair growth but also alleviate the "itchy beard syndrome".

• Biotin - This should sound familiar if you're a naturalista reading this.  Taking one capsule daily can increase metabolic reaction to strengthen hair root.

Will you join the challenge?

Happy Growing!

Skin Care Tips For Men With Beards

Taking care of your skin is vital during the growth period of your beard.  Oily skin, dry skin and everything in between… we all have one or the other, and it changes from season to season.

Depending on the weather conditions, your facial skin is TTG [trained to go] to protect itself.  Your face reacts differently when exposed to different elements.  In dryer climates your skin may feel a bit drier, stiffer and tighter [we'll blame that on the these colder, darker months], where in more humid climates the opposite reaction may be more common.  So how do you care for your skin underneath if there is a beard in the way?  Many of you think that there’s no need since it’s covered by hair, right? Wrong! This skin is just as important as the rest of your face. Here’s how you should be taking care of it this season.

• Exfoliating is very important. It rids the face of dead skin cells while allowing the younger skin cells to reach the surface. This helps to keep the skin looking and feeling young and healthy!
• For bearded men with normal to oily skin, it is even more important to make sure that a facial exfoliation regimen is implemented at least once a week. That's it - just once a week.  A careful focus on the bearded area will help to remove dead skin and oils that can build-up and create skin irritation and cause "the scratchy beard syndrome" and for others, acne.
• For the guys with the challenge of dry skin, exfoliation is still important. Also, make sure that your beard is not only shampooed but conditioned. This is very important for health of the beard, and the skin underneath.  Shampoo and condition your beard every 2-3 days.
• For all skin types, implementing a moisturizer will help to balance the skin of the oily beard and provide relief with an extra boost of moisture for the drier bearded gentleman. If you fall off the wagon during this dry season, it will take 10-14 days to add moisture back to your skin. 

Growing a beard can be an easy way to freshen up your look this season.  Keep it fresh. Until next time....stay tuned for more tips on how to care for your beard.

Give Your Face A Rest - Grow A Beard

Let the fall season begin! Fall is definitely my favorite time of the year.  Not only I do I love the wardrobe shift, there’s something about a beard complimenting a man’s scarf and pea coat.  It totally works.

 Tom Ford Autumn-Winter 2012/2013 Campaign 

Growing a beard this season won’t be such a pain because you get the chance to give up the woes of shaving on a daily basis.  Giving your face a rest has its advantages on your skin too.  Growing a beard gives your skin the chance to start over.  Many men struggle with ingrown hairs, razor bumps and burns.  By the time spring comes back around, you will restore your skin back to its natural state. 

Before you commit to growing your beard…oops, I know commitment is a scary word. Its okay, you just have to pick up a few products and stick to a regimen.  Treat your facial hair the same as you would the hair on your head.

Follow these steps:

• Use shampoos and conditioners on your beard 2-3 times a week
• Exfoliate once a week
• Use Tea Tree Oil for ingrown hairs

Easy enough, right?

For those of you who struggle with growing your beard, you can always invest in a Beardo.

 UFC Fighter Tyson Griffin wearing his Beardo. Photo courtesy of Beardo.

Read more about beard care here.

Happy Growing!

Kisses!