Stay tuned to beards.org for more.

Jared was kind enough to come out on the last day of October for a second photo shoot.  With his powerhouse beard enhanced with two more weeks of growth, we got even more photos as well as a little video.  Here are some preview shots from yesterday’s photo shoot with Jared:

On Sunday, I had the unique opportunity and pleasure to do a beards.org photo shoot with Mike, his lovely wife, and their sweet little puppy.  Mike has been a long-time friend of and cheer leader for beards.org.  It was great to finally meet him.  Here are some preview photos from his photo shoot yesterday.  Watch for Mike’s upcoming beard feature right here on beards.org.

We don’t want to give the impression that Jason’s nothing more than a rough and tough guy who would rather punch you out than look at you.  The photo above shows that he can smile and that he is really a nice guy.  It’s true!  He really is a nice guy!

Jason was kind enough to do a beards.org photo shoot today.  Here are some preview shots.

Stay tuned for more!

Say hello to Jared. He’s the second Jared to do a beards.org photo shoot this week! Check out some preview shots from today’s photo shoot below. Stay tuned for more!

Here are some samples from today’s amazing beards.org photo shoot with Jared.  He has an incredibly fierce power-beard that has to be seen to be believed!

Stay tuned for much more!

August 2011 was the biggest month ever in terms of number of visitors to beards.org.  That was even more remarkable because the northern hemisphere summer months are usually a bit slower.  There is no doubt that the interest in beards is growing.  Let’s hope that more visitors to beards.org results in lots more beards growing everywhere!

Help beards.org add more beards to the world.  Tell all your beard-capable friends and neighbors to go to beards.org and start growing.  Fall in the northern hemisphere traditionally signals a surge in the growth of new beards.  Let’s make this the biggest beard-growing season yet!

I hear from far too many beard growers, especially new beard growers, that they are afraid of the cheek line of their full beards being too high.  So they butcher their beards into unflattering shapes in their misguided attempts to make their beards look more “acceptable”.  Some use the excuse that their beards grow all the way up to their eyes and that they will look like the much-feared “wolf man” should they leave the cheek line natural.  They say that even when there are actually inches (or even more centimeters) between the natural upper cheek line of the beard and their eyes.  The beard-growing-all-the-way-up-to-the-eyes fear is almost always an exaggeration and a misperception, likely based on shaky self-confidence with respect to the new full beard.  In uncommon cases, the beard nearly does grow all the way up to the eyes.  In such a case, the cheek line could be lowered without butchering the beard by not going  too low.  The main point here is not to jump to the conclusion that your beard nearly grows nearly all the way up to your eyes when the reality is that it does not.

Another common rationalization for butchering the beard’s cheek line is that it somehow makes the beard less objectionable to potential naysayers.  Don’t fall into that trap.  You’re growing a beard.  Embrace that fact.  People are going to see it.  You are already stepping out from the norm by growing the beard.  Why not grow your beard to its full potential, which is usually its best look?  That’s a lot better than butchering it down to some unattractive and amateurish shape.  Again, you’re growing a beard.  Do it right!  Don’t ruin the shape of it just because you fear that leaving the cheek line natural is just going too far.  It almost never is.

Another common fear is that the natural cheek line does not look “professional”.  The “professional look” is subject to interpretation.  In general, however, it would likely mean maintaining a neat and tidy appearance by following good grooming habits and practicing good hygiene.  A natural cheek line does not contradict good grooming and hygiene.  There are countless full-bearded professionals who maintain natural cheek lines, yet project a completely professional appearance.  Just keep your beard well-groomed along with everything else.

What if you’ve given the natural cheek line a truly fair chance and you just can’t stick with it?  You feel that you really must give the cheek line some sort of “clean-up” or definition.  Well, if you are convinced that you must, then just take off the minimum amount to smooth out the cheek line and give it a more defined look.  This keeps your beard the closest to its natural shape while giving the cheek line a more precision look.  In other words, you’ve created the best-defined cheek line possible without needlessly butchering the beard.

Fear of the cheek line breeds fear.  Don’t spread it further.  Butchered beards set bad examples.  Great beards inspire.

Don’t be afraid of heights!  Let your full beard’s cheek line go natural with confidence and pride.  And if that’s just not for you, at least define your cheek line by taking the least amount possible away from the natural.

Beards.org is happy to announce that Richard kindly participated in an official beard photo shoot today.  Thank you, Richard!

Here are some preview shots from today’s photo shoot.  Stay tuned for lots more of Richard.