Beards and more beards

**BoldHighlander** · 8th January 11, 05:58 PM

I guess I'm fortunate....my wife prefers me with facial hair (in one form or another), as do I

**Piper** · 8th January 11, 06:59 PM

Here I am in "winter pelage". Come tomorrow morning it'll be about 4" shorter, and with more gray (and still a bit of red)

**MacFett** · 8th January 11, 09:41 PM

I too am one of those that can't grow a full beard. My father could go hunting for the week and come back looking like Grizzy Adams, me I went almost 2 months and it wasn't much more than most people's 5 o'clock shadow.

**Captain_Cogle** · 8th January 11, 10:26 PM

My wife prefers me with facial hair of some sort and I prefer it myself. I have been able to grow a full beard since I was 16 but alas, for the last 3 years I have had to keep my face clean shaven for the sake of my hobbies. Facial hair in any form other than a very thin well kept mustache is completely historically inaccurate for the 18th century, it is equally wrong for a soldier in WW2. I reenact various eras from the English Civil War through WW2 but the ones I enjoy the most being Scottish Jacobite 1745, 7 Years War, WW1 and WW2 it is simply unacceptable for my standard of authenticity.

**Mike_Oettle** · 10th January 11, 01:35 AM

Woodsman wrote: “A perfect wife would have to be one that likes both beards AND kilts.”

I couldn’t agree more. I have always felt sorry for my grandfather, who sported a rather grand moustache until his wife gave him an ultimatum (when my father was about six years old). He remained cleanshaven for the rest of his days, and I well remember my grandmother’s ruthlessness when she gave him his weekly haircut. She not only kept his scalp hair short (unlike me he had a full head of hair), but she would track down every stray nose and ear hair, and hack his eyebrows down, too. (But for this, the brows would have been magnificent!)

EldarKinSlayer wrote that at the age of 49 he still can’t grow sideburns.
I would say he should be grateful that what he does have in the way of a beard is still red and vigorous in its growth.
The way you grow your facial hair has a lot to do with what you got out of the genetic lottery.
There are many South African men of Khoisan ancestry who are able to grow no more than a moustache and a goatee (sometimes very straggly at that).
Many Orientals also have little in the way of facial hair.
I was myself not initially blessed with a spectacular beard. I had muttonchop whiskers, a goatee, a moustache and a tuft on my lower lip, but for much of my 20s there were marked gaps between the muttonchops and the growth on my chin.
In the long run the gaps filled out.
However, my son complains that he cannot grow a moustache because all that grows is a pencil stripe on his top lip.
I sincerely feel sorry for the guys who feel obliged to scrape their facial hair off every morning, and I must confess to a measure of intolerance for those who seem unable to make up their minds as to whether they want a beard or not.
But in the long run it is a matter of what you feel comfortable with (and what your wife will tolerate).
Regards,
Mike

**Cynthia** · 10th January 11, 09:54 AM

I not only prefer my hubby with longer hair to show off his gorgeous dark curls (and so does he... although I'm sure he'll have to cut it shorter when the freelance work dries up and he has to go back to job hunting for an office job *sighs*), but we both also prefer him with a beard and mustache. He looks weird without at least stubble.

We'll be doing 18th century costuming with a private group, and I know he'll look a bit off with the facial hair, but he's doing it as a favor for me so I'm definitely not going to force him to shave unless he wants to. He really doesn't want to shave unless a job makes him.

Also, he has a pituitary tumor, and letting his beard and 'stache grow is one of the ways he's found to keep an eye on hormone levels.

**Bugbear** · 10th January 11, 10:12 AM

Originally Posted by Cynthia

I not only prefer my hubby with longer hair to show off his gorgeous dark curls (and so does he... although I'm sure he'll have to cut it shorter when the freelance work dries up and he has to go back to job hunting for an office job *sighs*), but we both also prefer him with a beard and mustache. He looks weird without at least stubble.

We'll be doing 18th century costuming with a private group, and I know he'll look a bit off with the facial hair, but he's doing it as a favor for me so I'm definitely not going to force him to shave unless he wants to. He really doesn't want to shave unless a job makes him.

Also, he has a pituitary tumor, and letting his beard and 'stache grow is one of the ways he's found to keep an eye on hormone levels.

Good luck with the costuming, hope you have fun, Cynthia.

**Mike_Oettle** · 10th January 11, 01:54 PM

Bugbear wrote: “Good luck with the costuming, hope you have fun, Cynthia.”

I second that. And we will have to see the pictures!
Regards,
Mike

**Whidbey78** · 10th January 11, 02:11 PM

Those are some pretty cool pics on the calendar, but most of those are too much maintenance for me. I either keep it shaved or just let it go until I can't stand it anymore...and I'm in one of my "letting it go" phases. Considering that the price of razors went up again I might let it go until I look like this guy.