Recently, Arthur Martins of Brazil wrote, “The reason why I grow my beard is because I really think beards are a gift (otherwise everyone would have one).”  Others have expressed the same idea in feedback to the site over the years.  Yes, a beard is a gift.  Gifts differ, however, so not all men are capable of growing a beard.  Those with the gift of a beard should share it by growing the beard for all to see.

Captain of the team Phil Olsen and three beard team members, including esteemed world champion Burke, who appears in our featured beard section, make an impressive appearance in a promotional video for eBay. Check out the video here:

(defunct link removed)

If it’s not already selected, click on the “PRIDE” episode in the list. They appear at approximately 2:50 into the running time of the video.

Today is the first of November.  The date has become sort of the official start of beard growing season in the northern hemisphere.  If you’ve been thinking of growing a beard, it’s a great time to start.  If you’re a little too shy to go it alone, start a beard-growing contest among friends or co-workers.  It’s the perfect excuse.  At the end of the contest, of course, you can always choose to remain bearded.

For those of you in the southern hemisphere, it’s a good time for you to start growing a beard, too.  There’s no real reason why springtime is less appropriate for starting a new beard than is the fall.

Start growing!

Last night during a brief visit to a major shopping mall, within about fifteen minutes I saw two different full beards with natural cheek and neck lines. In a post last year, I commented on how full beards with both the cheek and neck lines left natural are rarely seen. The perceived social pressure to shape them — at least the neck line — is pretty powerful. It’s so powerful that guys are often so quick to shape them that they do it prematurely and wreck their beard-growing attempts. About the only ones who let the beard go all natural are the homeless. It need not be that way.

Both of the full beards seen at the mall were neat and well-groomed. They looked completely respectable and presentable indeed. The natural cheek and neck lines gave them a distinctive and, well, “natural” look. The men were not scroungy at all. They were well-dressed fathers with young children.

The all-natural look with natural cheek and neck lines may not work for every guy, but guys should not be so afraid to try it. Give it a try and see how it does. When giving it a try, don’t make a half-hearted attempt and give up after a few days. Let it grow out enough to catch up with the rest of the beard. If more guys have the courage to go for the all-natural full beard, the look will gradually gain more acceptance. Go for it.