advising Andy

Andy has grown a lot of beard and is wondering now what to do with it.

Andy's beard!

Andy’s grown his beard fairly long, as seen in the first two views. Then he trimmed it down to the length seen in the third view. He’s thinking about changing up his beard style some more and is looking for some suggestions. If you think you know what beard style would be best for Andy, please comment. (Comments are held in moderation to keep out the automated spam comments. I’ll approve your real comments as soon as I see them. Your patience is appreciated!)

23 thoughts on “advising Andy”

  1. I like the fuller (pre-cut) better.

    I used to get out of the shower and comb my beard out.

    After I got rid of the tangles, I would comb against the grain to fluff it out and then just lightly comb the outer part down. This led to a fuller looking beard. My beard is already thick and full but I like it “maxed out.”

    Aldon

  2. Hmmm i think andy would look good with a shorter style beard. Im thinking an extended Moustache that goes down to the corners of the chin, or a goatee w. moustache. But not too short, take advantage of how delightfully bushy it is. this goatee needs length!

  3. never make the mistake of trimming or cutting your beard it looks great being long and natural

  4. I agree with Don.

    To re-word a Christmas song … “Let it grow, let it grow, let it grow!”

  5. Steve,

    You know what i am going to say. The natural fuller look is awesome on Andy. The trimmed looks is nice as well. But he has such a wonderfully dense beard, it is a shame not to grow it out and show it off. And the short haircut shows off the beard perfectly!

    Any chance we will see a page devoted to this great bearded guy?

    Greg

  6. I think I prefer the fuller bushier look. My girlfriend may not agree; however, you are the one that has to look in the mirror every morning. I think there’s an unashamed, honest quality to a full beard that more manicured looks don’t achieve.

  7. The Don gives good advice, and I say that not only because he could send me to sleep with the fishes; trimming is a dangerous pastime. I was trimming my beard today when the trimming guard flew off, and I slipped, taking a large chunk out of the left side of my beard. I matched it on the other side, to see what it would look like, but only succeeded in looking doubly stupid. There was nothing for it but to take a whole lot more beard off than I intended.

    So now I have a goatee, and while it’s better than no beard, it’s a pale imitation of what I had before I trimmed. I say keep the beard, Andy. Don’t risk it all for some artificial neatness.

  8. Great beard!
    Andy’s beard would go well on a classical statue!
    I think it would also look great as a full beard neatly trimmed but with the moustache kept full, like you see in civil war era photographs.

  9. Wow, that’s one mighty beard!

    I think you should keep it trimmed, but still XL size.

    If you like to change it a bit, I suggest you still keep the full beard, but shape it into a more of wedge shape, and make a big “van dyke” of it

  10. Hmmmmmmm. It is tough to answer that question without knowing Andy. He has the obvious ability to grow a substantial beard that has taken on an identity of its own, but sometimes it is better kept under control so that the beard doesn’t overpower the man. I vote for a much trimmer look.

  11. You have a fantastic beard. Definitely keep as much length as you can. Actually you should grow it more. Maybe under cut a bit for a neckline, I cant tell if you have in the photo, and decide from there after a few months. Id be very hesitant to cut too much. If you do crop it back in the future I would be curious as to how it would look with just the length taken off the bottom but the goat, mustache, cheeks still left just as full.

  12. Steve was talking about the gaps and patches on my beard, and was wondering what he meant by those. I don’t see em but maybe because it’s my first serious take on a full beard. Is this how it’ll look even if it fills in more? or what let me know on this situation duane hope to hear from ya soon.

    Cheers,

    Drew

  13. I think that he should keep it the same! Untrimmed is the best, go all natural. ^_^

    I’ve messed up my beard too many times trying to trim it, so I’m a big fan of going all natural, lol.

  14. I saw a bumpersticker that must have been made by a beard hater.

    It said “If it ain’t broke, fix it till it is.”

    Trimming your beard is like fixing something that ain’t broke.

  15. Thanks for all the kind words from everybody – I’m sorry I haven’t been around to respond to each of them in a more timely manner. Its been a rough spring and summer for me, I had two surgeries this year and missed a bunch of work because of it and have been busy trying to catch up.

    However, after reading all the entries here the consensus seems to be: let it grow, which you will be pleased to find out, is what I have done for the past four months. I haven’t touched it since the last photo, so its filling in again more like the first two photos. The problem I’ve been having is keeping the sides under control – they frizz out and look really unkempt and refuse any kind of training. I’ve been brushing and combing and training the main part of it and its doing ok, but the sides seem to have a mind of their own.

    I work as an engineer for a pretty liberal company so the beard isn’t an issue, but when it gets ratty like this I start to feel I need to get the trimmers out and bushwhack it back again. Does anybody have any suggestions for taming and blending kinky, misbehaving sideburns? I don’t want to cut it if I don’t have to.

  16. Hi Andy, I have the same problem with the sides. Hang in there and let it grow … when it gets long enough the wieght will hold it down … and then you will be glad you held out.

    My sides got so far out there at one time that I could see them with out looking to the side. I kept turning to see who was looking over my shoulder … working at the Post Office, they thought I was “going postal.” Even the supervisors stayed away from me … it was funny.

    Aldon

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