Confession Time

You know how there are some things you just want to avoid? Things like getting your taxes done. Putting the top and doors back on the Jeep even though there's frost on the windshield in the morning. Fessing up to dear old dad about what actually happened to those missing sleeping bags (that one took me over 20 years to cop to).

People always ask me, "Jeff, when are you going to make a Beard oil?" By this, they mean a liquid oil rather than a semi-solid Beard balm. I understand why some guys don't favor Bead balms. Some feel they are too heavy, which is why we're currently developing a Beard Grease formula that retains the conditioning qualities with a much lighter feel.

As for why we don't offer Beard oils, I've become quite adept at deflecting and giving a diplomatic non-answer that any political candidate would be proud of. I know Beard oils are a hugely popular product. I know I could make an absolute KILLING if The Beardsmith made Beard oils. So why don't we offer them?? I've been hesitant to express my reasons for not doing so, because I know a lot of guys like them. I'm sure my reasons will alienate some people and probably downright piss some people off. As much as I've tried to avoid answering this question, it's one that needs a genuine answer.

This will be a fairly lengthy read, so I'll outline my reasons, with explanations below. The tl;dr; version of why we don't offer Beard oils:

1. They're a partial solution.
2. I'm just not that high maintenance.
3. My conscience won't let me. 

Liquid Beard Oils Are A Partial Solution 

There are many fantastic carrier oils in a lot of Beard oils. Many companies say they use "the best" oils. Some say the best is jojoba, or argan or hemp or [take your pick]. Even if one particular oil could objectively be called "the best", does that mean that's all your Beard needs? Not really. 

Just as kale is commonly referred to as a super food--in fact, many claim it is THE super duper super food of super foods--even if that is objectively true, the human body needs a balanced variety of lean proteins, carbs and healthy fats in order to maximize health. The all-kale diet isn't going to cut it, no matter how super kale is. 

Most people who make Beard oils understand this notion, which is why most have a combination of carrier oils, which is a good start. But they're limited to liquid carrier oils. That's the rough equivalent of recognizing that the human body needs more than an all-kale diet and responding by adding an array of vegetables to one's plate. No lean proteins, no healthy fats, no whole-grain carbs. Just vegetables. There are many non-liquid ingredients that condition the hair and skin in ways that liquid oils alone can't. Things like coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter and lanolin have deep moisturizing properties that aren't found in liquid oils. A quality balm/conditioner/tamer like Beard Grease that uses a combination of liquid carrier oils and natural solid/semi-solid ingredients is more like adding an array of foods from several different food groups to one's kale diet. 

I'm Just Not That High Maintenance

Virtually all Beard oil instructions recommend you apply the oil in the morning and then again 2-3 times throughout the day. I'm a dude. I have neither the time nor inclination to groom throughout the day. Sure, I want to look (and smell) good, but once I'm out of the shower, I comb my hair, throw on some Beard Grease, and get dressed. At that point, my grooming cares are done for the day. I need a once-and-done, all-day product. If a product recommends I re-apply it several times throughout the day, it's the wrong product for me. Since I approach the world the way I want the world to approach me, trying to sell a product I can't personally get behind would be disingenuous. I know most guys feel the same way I do--they don't want to have to primp and preen throughout the day. 

My Conscience Won't Let Me

I fear this will raise the ire of some people, but if I'm being genuine about the subject, I have to include it because even if this was the sole reason that stood in the way of me making and selling liquid Beard oils, it would be enough to keep me from doing it. I personally can't in good conscience pour a liquid from one bottle into a smaller bottle and charge people for the privilege, let alone charge them $20-$60 per ounce for it. Some will say the various combinations of liquids make it justifiable. For me, it doesn't. Most Beard oil formulas contain between 1 and 4 carrier oils. It may take some experimentation to get a certain combination exactly as one wants it. But for me, that minimal experimentation doesn't justify the premium that's charged for ultimately pouring liquid from big bottles into tiny bottles.

Some may also say that a good Beard balm is no different--after all, you can get most of the ingredients used in all-natural balms at a health food store. This is very true. But when you're combining liquid oils with semi-solid and solid ingredients that react differently under temperature and change properties when they cool, the experimentation needed to get just the right combinations can become fairly extensive. And even after you have a particular formula nailed down, the production process is still much more labor intensive than pouring liquids into containers. It's a bit like coffee. Most people will make their own drip coffee at home. Some delve into buying an espresso machine and making their own drinks at home. For most, the result isn't worth the time and effort to make their own espresso drinks, but it most certainly is worth it to make their own drip coffee. Unfortunately, purchasing a lot of Beard oils is akin to buying drip coffee at a coffeehouse and paying 2-4 times the cost of a quad-shot latte.

Some guys love to experiment and have the time to figure out how to make a great Beard balm. For those guys, I say DO IT! Most guys just want to have a quality product that's easy and reasonably priced. That's why Beard Grease lets me sleep at night. It's been designed specifically for Beard health using a variety of liquid, semi-solid and solid ingredients. It took several months of testing different formulas with Bearded clients to get it just right, and manufacturing it is an actual process (one step of which is all that goes into producing a Beard oil). And it's priced at up to 1/3 the price that people commonly pay for liquid Beard oils.

I know there are many guys who will give a lot of reasons why they like Beard oils. If you like using liquid Beard oils, by all means, keep using them. Every person likes different things. I'm not out to stop people from using what they like. I just needed to finally give an answer to the question of why I don't make and sell liquid Beard oils. If you like and use them, I would suggest that rather than falling prey to a slick marketing campaign without much substance to back it up, you find a reasonably-priced, high-quality Beard oil. Even though it probably makes me a dismal businessman by not capitalizing on a big slice of the market, I can live with that, knowing that I'm not simply being an opportunist at the expense of the way I see the world.

So there you have it. Now you know the real answer. And giving it was only marginally easier than explaining The Great Sleeping Bag Incident of 1986.

Why Yes...Yes It Does

"Doesn't your Beard make you hot in the summer?" As a matter of fact, my Beard makes me hot all year long. So says Wendy at least. As summer approaches in the northern hemisphere, the most-asked question I hear regarding my Beard is whether I'm going to shave it off because of the warmer weather. Some people like to retort with something clever like, "Manliness knows no season" (with which I fully agree). My answer is a blank expression with direct, extended eye contact followed by..."No."

Wendy and me backpacking into Jenny Lake.
Short hair, full Beard...cool as can be.

I can understand why people who have never had a Beard would ask this question. It only makes sense that having all that extra hair on your face would make you overheat, right? It turns out that things aren't always as they seem. It is true that having longer hair on top of your head contributes significantly to the amount of heat retained. But this isn't the case with facial hair. When I had long hair and minimal to no facial hair, summers were nearly unbearable. With shorter hair and a full Beard, I'm much more comfortable even when carrying a 50 pound backpack several miles into a high mountain lake in the hottest part of the season. Why is this?

Some people think it's because the majority of heat loss is via the top of the head. Again, this conventional wisdom is incorrect. Studies show that only between 7-10% of body heat is lost through the head. So what's going on? While I don't have scientific studies with supporting data, I have a couple of ideas why facial hair doesn't significantly contribute to heat retention. First, Beards act as natural shade for the face. Without the direct sun hitting the skin, one naturally feels cooler. But then the question becomes: why isn't this the case for the hair on top of your head? The answer is that facial hair has different qualities than most hair on people's heads. In general, head hair is more dense, and the longer it becomes the more it acts like a blanket. Facial hair is usually more coarse and wavy/curly. Instead of creating a blanket effect, there is more air space between the hairs which allows for better air movement, which allows heat to escape more freely. Additionally, facial hair lies more vertically, so you don't end up with the blanket effect caused by multiple layers lying on top of one another.

The second reason is closely related to the first. As you start to sweat, the Beard traps the moisture. Given the additional air movement, this actually creates a built-in air conditioning effect. Any slight breeze, even the relative wind at walking speed, will help cool you down. I can genuinely say that I'm more comfortable hiking in the mid-day summer sun with a Beard than without one for these reasons.

My most current Jeep. If you don't have
to have one because it's a Jeep, don't get one.

All practical reasons aside, I would keep my Beard during the summer even if it meant I retained more heat. Why? Because...well,  manliness knows no season. Because I'm a Beard guy. It's that simple. It's very similar to owning a Jeep. Jeeps have a terrible ride. They're noisy. They leak. They get atrocious gas mileage. They have no cargo space. They are, for almost every purpose, completely impractical. These facts don't stop me from owning a Jeep. Why? Because Jeeps are badass, and I'm a Jeep guy. It's that simple. When someone asks me if they should get a Jeep, I always tell them if they have to ask, the answer is, "Absolutely not."  Likewise, if someone has to ask whether he should keep his Beard when it gets hot, my answer is the same.

So the answer to the question is, no, my Beard doesn't make me overheat in the summer. And even if it did, I would keep it anyway. For me, it's a bonus that my Beard helps keep me feeling cooler in the summer months, it's not a factor in deciding whether or not to keep it.

Manhood: Beards, Bacon and ???

Beards. They have been a quintessential symbol of masculinity for eons. Since before the Vikings or great philosophers, they've been seen as a sign of strength, wisdom and straight-up in(on?)-your-face manhood.

With the long-held bald faced fad on the decline, many men are choosing to embrace the fact that they naturally grow facial hair. This is a big win for masculinity in the eyes of some. But what about men who don't grow facial hair because of genetic, employment, or personal reasons? Are the cadre of Bearded brethren more manly than they? It depends on what it really means to be a man.

The true measure of a man has nothing to do with the amount of hair on his face, his batting average or how much bacon he puts on his apple pie. It has everything to do with the manner in which he interacts with the world around him.

I'm very fortunate to have in my life a living example of what it means to be a true man: my dad. He has taught me some of the most valuable lessons I could possibly learn, and he hasn't even done it on purpose. He's done it by simply living his life. When faced with a situation I often find myself asking, much more than he will ever realize, "What would my dad do?" And I have a gargantuan bank of memories with which to answer this question. Among many other things, my dad taught me:

• To hold the door for both women and men, even if you have to wait a few seconds because they're still 20 feet away.
• There 's no room for "what-if's" or "if only's" in life. Or as he is fond of saying, in order to highlight the futility of such endeavors, "If we had some ham, we'd have ham and eggs. If we had some eggs."
• Whether you're managing a business or sweeping the floor, do the job as if the world depends on you doing it with excellence. Because it does.
• Always return to the store and pay for that item the cashier forgot to ring up, regardless of how inconvenient it is or how much the item costs.
• How to give a strong yet non-aggressive handshake while looking someone in the eye.
• Do your best to avoid confrontation, but when it's necessary, don't shy away from it. Do it firmly yet gently, in a way that avoids dehumanizing the other person.
• How to talk to a complete stranger as though you've known him your entire life.
• When you give someone your word, the story ends there.
• Doing the right thing is always worth doing simply because it's right.



My Dad, with his first tattoo: our family
crest, which he, my brother and I all
got together.

I didn't learn these things from a book, a pulpit or a Dale Carnegie seminar, and I didn't learn them by listening to someone trying to impart wisdom. I learned them by watching a man live his life in a way that he learned from watching the man before him.

There are many things that can define a man. Beards, bacon, career choice and bench press weight fall so far behind the things that really matter, they become entirely insignificant. Although I do have to say...my dad has had a Beard throughout 90% of his adult life, so maybe there is at least a little something to the Beard...

Choices

 

Seriously...there are a LOT of Beard products on the market today, with more to choose from almost daily. When it comes to any product, trying to decide which one to spend your hard-earned money on seems more difficult than it should be. That $300 pair of headphones seems like a good idea, especially since it's backed by a major celebrity, but is it really the best choice? Not only is the sheer number of options overwhelming, it's often difficult to distinguish a quality product from a successful marketing campaign.

 

It comes down to which brand you trust. Brands build trust in a variety of ways. In the landscape of social media, website reviews and blog posts, a 5-star rating next to a product goes a long way toward making people feel they can trust a brand. But real, lasting trust is developed organically. It is built by quality products that are innovative and unique. When you use them, you don't care about stars or blog posts, you care about how the products perform and the passion behind them.

 

The Beardsmith is distinctly unique in the world of Beard products. We didn't start because we wanted a way to sell products to Bearded guys. We didn't merely find what was popular, copy the product formulas and rely on aggressive marketing strategies to make sales. We started The Beardsmith because we're all about caring for the Beard. Everything about the Beard: growing it, maintaining it, keeping it healthy, grooming it and, in every way, helping it become the best Beard it can be.

 

Everything we do supports that end. When we developed our Beard Grease, we did in-depth research ourselves. We found which oils and other natural ingredients best soften, condition and tame the Beard and support overall Beard health. We worked with Bearded men, gave them test samples, got feedback and reworked the formula until it was exactly what they wanted. We didn't just want to make a product that people would buy. We wanted to make a product that reflects our passion for the Beard, one that is unique, one that is made by our own hands.

 

As we often say: you love your Beard, and so does The Beardsmith. We say it because it's true. We've made it our life. As the offering of available Beard products continues to increase, it becomes more and more difficult to know which brands you can truly trust. What do you base your decision on? The success of a product marketing campaign, or a proven dedication to the thing for which the product is made? We believe the answer is self-evident.

The UrbanLumberHipSexual

People love labels. They make us feel safe. They allow us a convenient way to place others into categories so we feel as though we know what we're dealing with. It's not that surprising, really--it's a built-in survival mechanism. If Grok the cavemen didn't have something in place to help make immediate value judgments, he would have been eaten by something that did. We've come a long way since Grok. Maybe it's time to reconsider the wisdom of holding onto value judgments that are unnecessary and counterproductive in today's world.

It seems there's always a new label to put on guys with Beards. Beatnik. Hippy. Mountain man. Hipster. And the most recent label du jour: Lumbersexual. It's a play on the term "metrosexual" and is used to describe the guy who's jettisoned Ryan Seacrest suits for $300 patched jean and custom-tailored flannel shirts. And a Beard. Labels are a funny thing. They almost never fit as well as we like to think they do. The reason I have such an aversion to labels is because I never come close to fitting the ones people impute to me. I'm amazed at how many people who have known me for a couple decades have slapped down the now-defunct "hipster" label on me, simply because I grew a Beard. It was so comical to me that I decided to show them what Hipster Jeff would actually look like. Before the short hair, I was a 'Hippy".

The Beardsmith™ mission is to provide quality, affordable Beard solutions. But that's only part of the story. We're here to be a part of transforming the way Beards are viewed and accepted at large. To us, Beards aren't a fad or something used to paint a predefined picture of someone. Having a Beard is simply a grooming choice. It's a natural part of being a human male. In modern history, having a Beard has often been seen as a counter-culture indicator. In today's world, where CEO's wear jeans and sport visible tattoos, this just isn't the case anymore. Trying to attach labels to a man simply because he has a Beard is one of the last holdouts of the counter-culture value judgement. And The Beardsmith™ is here to help it find the door. And yes, we're going to give it a swift kick in the ass on its way out.

Do you have a Beard? Good. Guess what we're going to call you. A guy with a Beard. Anything beyond that is to support a labeling response that is outdated and provides no value to anything. Are you actually a beatnick, hippy, mountain man, hipster or lumbersexual? Go ahead and be one, we don't care what you call yourself. We just care about you and your Beard. So get out there and grow it. We'll call that good enough. It's the only way to get to the point where others stop trying to categorize us simply because we refuse to have an unnaturally bald face. Fortunately for us, dropping labels probably isn't going to result in us becoming breakfast.

Seinfeld Beard Syndrome

One of the classic episodes of Seinfeld is when Jerry decides to have a threesome. He gets everything set up, he's on the brink of going through with it, and at the last minute he backs out. Why? Because he doesn't want to be "that guy". He says if he goes through with it, then he'll have to grow a pencil mustache, wear a robe around the house all day, keep massage oils on the bedside table, and he just doesn't want to go there.

Many men have a similar feeling about growing a Beard. If I grow a Beard, the sentiment goes, I'll have to spend time and energy maintaining it, I'll have to groom it, put oils in it, I'll have to wear flannel shirts...it all seems like more hassle than a lot of guys want to deal with. It's true, having a Beard does come with some inherent maintenance. Unless, that is, you're OK being like I was several years ago when I grew a Beard and spent zero time maintaining it. The reaction from my mother, who hadn't seen me in some time, made me rethink my effort. "You look like a cross between Charles Manson and the Geico Caveman" wasn't quite what I was shooting for.

The truth is, properly maintaining a Beard doesn't need to take any more time, energy or effort than maintaining a bald face. The daily ritual of shaving usually takes more time than the daily maintenance needed for a Beard. To have a healthy Beard, you don't need to--and shouldn't--spend the time to shampoo it every day. Doing so strips it of vital oils and nutrients that are integral to its health. After showering, it takes me less than a minute to apply my Beardsmith Beard Grease™ and groom it to standards that elicit cat calls of "Dude, wicked Beard!". Because the Beard Grease provides all-day hold, I don't need to worry about it the rest of the day. It stays tamed and in shape as it's being conditioned throughout the day. And for those extreme low-maintenance mornings when you want to roll out of bed, throw on a hat and go about your day--Beard Grease is a one-minute, all-day solution to bed Beard.

Of course, growing a great Beard goes beyond the daily maintenance. You need to trim up the strays and line out the cheeks and neck. This indeed can be a bit of a hassle, especially if you want to make sure it looks right. When I do it myself, most times I think I've done quite a fabulous job at setting the lines and shaping the Beard. Most times I am embarrassingly wrong. Even with a mirror, it's more difficult than one would expect to get the full picture and perspective needed to do a clean, symmetrical job. I have a funny thing I like to do to small kids (under about age 6)--I tell them if they turn their head fast enough they can see their ears. Every time I try to clean up my own beard, I feel like the 4-year-old making attempt after attempt to catch the slightest glimpse of his ears. That's where your Beard's best friend, The Beardsmith, comes in. Wendy is a pure craftsman when it comes to keeping your Beard trimmed and shaped. Her passion for the Beard, her knowledge and her skills ensure that it's done right. And you get to pawn the task off to someone else.

You don't have to be "that guy" in order to have a well-maintained, healthy Beard. With surprisingly little care and effort (along with the right product and Beard professional), you can grow a full face of man hair without having your mother compare you to a prehistoric serial killer. And the flannel shirt is optional.

The Beard Solution - Lining It Out

 

How not to line out your Beard

Every guy that sits in my barber chair for a Beardsmithing is either a veteran beardsman, seasonal beardsman or a newbie to bearding.  Every one of them is looking to me for a beard solution, so I thought it would be fun to make a weekly post about some of the issues bearded guys face and offer some great tips!
 

The most common question is this, "Where should my neck line begin or end?" A lot of guys are kinda clueless about what the heck to do with the neck line. No one wants a crazy looking neck beard. Most men shave the neck line way up to the chin area or way above the Adams apple because they want to avoid looking unkepmt. (Yes, that's the correct term, not unkept, Google it!). That is totally fine if your beard isn't protruding past your chin, but it also produces a wispy looking beard with alot of maintenance. The beard won't look full and rich and those wispy hairs end up breaking off. Then, you are left with a scraggly beard. At the other end of the spectrum, some guys just don't give a shit and let the neck beard grow. Well, we all know what that produces.

 

So, here is the solution. If you have a few months growth and it's growing past the chin, past the jaw line, look at your beard straight on in the mirror. First, stroke it a little because you have earned this magnificence and yes, you should be proud. Second, look at where the length of the beard at the chin falls to your neck line. Is it right above the Adams apple? Then, only shave the neck to that point. Same with the jaw line. Your goal is to let your beard fill into fullness. Let the beard grow underneath your chin and let it meet up with the hair on your face. Keep it lined out on the sides and under the chin area below the Adams apple and angle up the sides to the jaw line. Basically, only shave what you can see beyond the Beard. Once it grows past the Adams apple - you shouldn't have to shave the neck anymore. Throw that razor away!!! Sounds simple right? It's not as simple as it sounds, especially if you are new to the concept, so that's where I come in. If you need help setting your line, just make an appointment for a Beardsmithing with me.
 

If you've just now realized you've been shaving way too high and need to let it go in order to let it fill in, you know it's going to be a bit of a process. So, I would suggest getting some Beardsmith Beard Grease, massage a light amount into the new growth area to combat any itching and to help fortify those new hairs for superior beard growth. We developed the Beard Grease as a solution for guys who need a product to condition, sooth, and make the beard look and feel amazing.

If you have any questions, ask away. Next week, Mustache Solutions!!!