How to

Grow a

Beard

A Complete Guide
Ian Pickering

Copyright 2014 by Ian Pickering

All rights reserved. This book or any

portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in
any manner whatsoever
without the express written
permission of the publisher
except for the use of brief quotations
in a book review.
Printed in the United States of
America
First Printing, 2014


To my wife and kids, that
make life worth living, to
all of the people that have
helped me build my business
and never stop learning, and
to all of the guys out there
trying to grow an awesome
beard.
You have all been a bigger
part of this than I could ever
hope to be.

Live The Beard

BeardMountain.com

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Welcome To Your Beard..........................1

Chapter 2: A Bearded History ..................................5
Chapter 3: The Birth of a Beard ................................11
Chapter 4: The Anatomy of A Beard ........................20
Chapter 5: Caring For Your Beard ...........................29
Chapter 6: Trimming .................................................41
Chapter 7: Social Issues .............................................53
Chapter 8: Get A Better Beard, Naturally.................64
Chapter 9: Reference Section ....................................75
Appendix: Facial Hair Styles ....................................82

Chapter 1
Welcome to Your Beard

I wrote this book for one reason: to share all of the stuff I have learned
on my way to growing an awesome beard and make it easier for you
to grow one yourself.
I have poured a ton of time and energy into learning about what it
takes to grow a great beard over the last decade or so, and this book
is a compilation of all of that, distilled into one text.
Most guys think:
1. Growing a beard is easy and just happens
2. You can either grow a beard or you cant

While there is some truth to these 2 assumptions, it is not as black

and white as these two assumptions presume.
Yes, growing hair out of your face is in fact a very simple process, but
it would be a mistake to think that this is all it takes to grow a great
beard for the majority of guys.
This is what makes the second point a half-truth as well - many guys
that can grow a great beard lack the knowledge to do so because they
do not have the Epic Beard Gene - as I like to call it.
I speak from experience here.
I was truly convinced that I lacked the ability to grow a beard. I
would get started, be unhappy with results, and eventually start over.
I still cringe when I see some of the pictures.
2

Anyways, I have put countless hours into finding the techniques and
strategies that can help any guy grow a better beard, and almost every
guy grow a great beard.
This book is the best of that knowledge.

Some Things to Keep In Mind

Growing a beard is a profound life experience, and in my opinion
something that should become a lifestyle for any man with a desire
to grow one.
There are many reasons that this is true (many of which will come
up throughout this book), but one of the main ones is that it is a
personal journey.
I wanted to mention this up front, because it will be important for you
to recognize this text for what it is - a practical guide and a resource.
This book is not a cookie cutter better beard machine. There is no
such thing.
This book is a collection of knowledge, but it is up to you to apply that
knowledge - and at the same time find out for yourself how it applies
to you.
I have told guys struggling with their beards over and over again that
one of their main issues is that they are trying to make their beard
something (or like someone) that it is not.
The KEY to a great beard is finding ways to maximize the beard you
3

have.
This book will give you a whole arsenal of ways to do just that. But it
is up to you to make them your own.
So lets get started on the path to bearded glory!

Chapter 2
A Bearded History

So, you have decided to begin the lifelong journey of growing a beard.
You are joining the ranks of some of the greatest men in history.
Lets start from the beginning.
Literally.
The history of the beard is as long as the history of man, and just as
turbulent. The first men had beards, of course, as the implements
(and desire) for removal hadnt even been invented yet nor had the
means to create them. Some flint razors have been found that
possibly date back as far as 100,000 BCE, but it is doubtful that these
would have ever been used to actually shave. Besides being extremely
crude and most likely very painful to use, there was really no practical
reason to shave.
Some scientists believe that the beard developed in men as a method
of sexual selection for human beings. It is hypothesized that men
with beards are seen as more attractive by females, and possibly more
dominant. In prehistoric times, this would have given you pretty
significant street cred.
Beard growth is also somewhat proportional to health, so a great
beard would signal a potential mate that you were in fact a healthy,
virile man worthy of her favor.
The march of history continued on, and civilization began to take
shape - based in great deal around agriculture. This created some of
the first known civilizations in history.
Egypt was one of these most ancient societies, and it was here that
the beard was a hallmark of royalty. Even the women of Egypts royal
6

lineage used to don a metal beard called a postiche.

Not far from Egypt, in the kingdom of ancient Mesopotamia, the
beard was held in very high regard as well. Men would oil and style
their beards in a variety of ways, and use hot tongs to create the tight
ringlets commonly seen in statues from this period. The beard was
also a big part of the culture in ancient Greece, where it was viewed
as a sign of virility - and the lack of a beard as feminine. One of the
greatest philosophers, Socrates, was also known as The Bearded
Master, an homage to the respect given by the Greeks to both
philosophy and the beard. The Spartans, some of the most legendary
bad-asses in history, used to shave a mans beard as punishment for
being a coward.
Ancient India was also a place where the beard sign of honor and
wisdom - so much so that many crimes were punished by the public
removal of the beard, and it was customary to use the beard as a
pledge for the repayment of a debt.
The beard was pretty highly regarded in most cultures and
civilizations of the ancient world, and is mentioned many times in
some of the oldest and most significant texts in the history of man. In
fact, Orthodox Jews do not trim their beards because doing so is
explicitly forbidden in the Torah. Most of the men in the Bible had a
beard, including Aaron (who had a tremendous beard), Moses, King
David, and even Jesus.
It really wasnt until Alexander the Great that the beard was ever
found to be unfavorable. Alexander the Great was one of the first to
require his men to shave their beards, believing that a beard could
potentially be grabbed and used as a handle. The opponent would
then use the free hand to kill the bearded soldier.
7

It was pretty much at this point that not having a beard even became
a thing. Dont get me wrong, shaving has been around for a very long
time, but it wasnt common.
The first culture to really go non-bearded was the Roman Empire,
who, around 299 BC, saw shaving as a way to make themselves
distinctly non-Greek. The trend caught on pretty quickly, and
shaving became a customary part of Roman culture. As shaving
became more and more a part of Roman culture, the beard began to
be seen as a sign of being on the fringes of society.
To the north, facial hair remained common among the different
tribes and cultures. The Germanic tribes of the day were quite fond
of facial hair, and saw it as a sign of manhood, and the Gaelic, Irish,
and Scottish tribes saw it as dishonorable to be without a beard.
In the Middle East, the rise of Islam around 630 CE also brought
with it the injunction on all Muslim men able to grow a beard to do
so as part of the fulfilment of religious obligation. The beard is seen
as a natural differentiator between man and woman, and a part of
the male anatomy that beatifies, gives respectability, and adorns a
man. As Islamic culture spread across the Middle East, Africa, and
parts of Asia and Europe, so too did the association of the beard with
the higher ideals of man.
The Knights of the middle ages were known for their beards, and the
beard was seen as a sign of nobility and honor. One knight worth
mention here is sixteenth-century German knight Andreas Eberhard
Rauber Von Talberg, who wore his formidable beard down to the
ground, back up to his waist and once around like a belt. Amazing.
8

It was during this time that Christianity also began a long love hate
relationship with the beard. The beard was associated with sexuality
by some, and a decree by the Catholic Church was issued that all
Clergy must be without a beard as a sign of celibacy The beard has
however been a part of the Eastern Orthodox Christianity since its
beginnings. There has been much disagreement throughout church
history on the legitimacy of wearing a beard, and this debate has
continued for both the layman and Clergy.
The Renaissance, between the 14th and 17th centuries CE, transformed
the ancient world in many ways - and brought with it a Beardaissance
of sorts. It was during this time that the beard truly came into a new
era, one where the old style of beard was respected, and new styles of
beards began to appear. This trend again associated the beard with
high scholarship and honor, with some of the most notable men of the
day sporting massive beards.
It is also worth noting that the religion of Sikhism came into being
around this time as well. One of its tenets for Sikh men is the keeping
of a full, untrimmed beard as one of the five obligations enjoined upon
all Sikh men.
Towards the end of the 17th century, the popularity of the beard
dipped again. In Russia, the czar Peter the Great actually enacted
a tax on beards to encourage men of the country to shave - as was
the norm in European nations at the time. The idea was to make the
men of the country emulate the men in the more modern European
countries to make his own country appear more modern. There were
even special tokens issued to show that you had paid your beard tax.
This trend continued until the middle of the 19th century, when
there was a very dramatic shift in the popularity of the beard. Many
9

leading statesmen and historical personages of the day had a beard,

and many more facial hair of some kind. The trend even reached the
White House - where only a handful of Presidents between Abraham
Lincoln and Woodrow Wilson (1860 - 1902) that did not have facial
hair.
Since the 20th century, the beard has become much more of a personal
choice for men - excluding a few major trends. For the most part,
beards are accepted in this way - but there are many cases where
beards are prohibited from certain careers and vocations. Most
of these are based on safety - like an airline pilot that may require
an oxygen mask. The beard is viewed very differently around the
world when it comes to military service, where it is generally either
completely prohibited by grooming standards or considered a part of
the military uniform.
As you can see, the beard has held a rich place in the history of
man. No other adornment has carried such a high honor, or dastardly
connotation throughout history as the beard.

10

Chapter 3
The Birth of a Beard

11

In order for you to understand the practical application of a lot of the

material I have covered in this book, the best place for us to start is in
the beginning of a beard - the beardception, if you will.
If you have been growing your beard for quite some time, feel free to
jump ahead to the next chapter - but be warned, there is good stuff
ahead for guys at any stage of growing their beard. Skip at your own
risk.
In this chapter, I want to cover the first year of growing a beard which is where the great majority of guys find themselves.
A ton of issues that guys run into in this time are totally normal
and just part of the process, but a lack of knowing this has brought a
great many beards to an early end. Reading and understanding this
information will help you overcome many of these challenges with
little or no difficulty. In fact, a big part of pushing through many of
the most common issues is really just realizing that they are totally
normal.
Again, this information is going to vary from guy to guy but should
be pretty accurate for most guys. Some guys have thick, amazing
growth that looks great pretty much from day one - and other guys
will struggle for months. There are even, unfortunately, guys that
actually cannot grow a beard - but these guys are an extremely small
group.

The Lifecycle of a Beard, 0 Through 1 Year:

0-6 weeks: The Beard Hazing
So, when you decide to start growing a beard, you are going to look
12

cool for about one week.

My first suggestion to you is to not say anything about your intention
to grow a beard. You will most likely feel pretty good about it at this
stage because you are pumped to grow a beard and the stubbly look
works pretty good for most guys.
You will quickly move from this into the hazing.
The hazing is about a month or so of your beard looking its absolute
worst. Actually, it really doesnt look like a beard at all.
From about week two until about week 6 you look like you have just
given up on life altogether. The growth will be fairly patchy, uneven,
and may even happen in oddball directions.
You pretty much just look like you have tried to glue a bunch of pubes
to your face.
This stage is also usually quite uncomfortable as well. You will have
the most itchiness at this stage, especially if you have been consistently
clean-shaven for a long time. This irritation can come from the hair
follicles dragging along the inside of the pore as it continues to grow
out.
Depending on your circumstances, this can also be challenging in
terms of social acceptance. Coworkers, family, and friends will all
have opinions about your bearded ambitions, and while you are
sporting the crappiest beard your face is capable of producing most of
these comments will not be positive.
The thing to keep in mind at this stage is that it is just temporary. I
13

call it the hazing for a reason - its like life is yelling in your face,
YOU THINK YOURE READY FOR A BEARD SUCKA? I DONT
THINK YOU CAN HANDLE THE BEARD!!
And all you can do is say, Thank you sir, may I have another.
It sucks, but it is part of the journey, and in the end it is something
that tempers you as a man as well.
So, grin and bare it.
At this stage, I would also suggest using some kind of beard oil as
well. Beard oil will help with dryness and itchiness, and will also
promote healthy beard growth. Starting as early on as possible is the
best strategy.
I cover beard oils in much more depth in chapter 5 on beard care.
The final point I will cover on the hazing stage is that you should
avoid any kind of trimming if possible. Your beard needs to fill in
naturally during this stage so that you can really understand your
growth patterns, cheek, and neck lines. Trimming at this stage can
skew your perception of these things.
So, to summarize - let it go, grin and bare this stage, get some beard
oil and hang in there.

6-12 weeks: The Beginning

If you have made past the hazing stage, congratulations. That is
where most dudes fail, and you, my friend have succeeded.
14

Attaboy.
After 6 weeks, you move into the stage that I call the beginning - I
feel like it is actually where you begin having a beard. At this point,
you are committed - and are most likely showing a good amount of
growth for your efforts. Nothing spectacular - maybe an inch in most
cases - but still enough to believe that what you have is actually a
beard and not a lack of shaving.
At this point you can define your cheek and neck lines, which I cover
in depth in chapter 6 on trimming. Be sure to approach trimming
with a healthy dose of apprehension at this stage. It is extremely easy
to obliterate your fledgling beard with a little over trimming. Avoid
trimming length at this stage as you have very little of it at this point.
Length is generally not where the neatness of the beard is found
anyways - but we will get to that later.
You will probably also start getting into brushing or combing your
beard regularly within this phase. Most guys swear by the Boar Bristle
brushes, but I recommend experimenting with a variety of combs and
brushes. While the itchiness will probably have subsided for the most
part by now, brushes and combs help keep it at a minimum by also
exfoliating the dead skin from your face.
Again, beard oil helps tremendously with both beard dandruff - or
beardruff - and dry, itchy skin. Brushing and combing does help
train your beard to grow the way you want it to also, but over time
the weight of the hair will also naturally help your beard grow in a
more uniform direction.
You may still see some odd ball stuff like patchy areas or uneven
15

growth. These things will become less and less over time, but can still
be a bit conspicuous at this stage. Keep pushing through. One thing
to really keep in mind from here on out is that most of the minute
details you notice in your beard are practically invisible to just about
everybody but you. Things like different colors, a lack of symmetry,
and stray hairs, are totally normal across almost every beard - with a
few very, very fortunate exceptions. A lot of guys look to balm at this
stage to help shape the beard. This to me is a much better option than
trimming.
The reason that you see other beards as looking better than yours is
that you are just looking at yours much more closely. Kind of a grass
is greener thing.
Dont get caught up in beard envy - it never works out well.

12-24 Weeks: The Filling In Continues

This is where your beard really begins coming into its own. You will
have a much more noticeable amount of growth, and will now be able
to begin using trimming methods (if you choose to) to compliment
your beard and really begin to make it something great.
Your growth will also really start to normalize in terms of direction
at this point. You will probably have several inches of growth by
now, which is one of the most effective ways to get the hairs trained
to grow in a way that compliments the beard. If you dont have this
much length yet, dont sweat it. There is nothing wrong. It will just
take a little longer.
While we are on the topic of length, it is worth noting that around
this point you may run into areas of your beard where different parts
16

begin growing into one another - most often this is found in the area
under your jaw and in front of your neck. This is actually a positive
thing, as it lends itself to a fuller look, but it can create areas where
the beard gets almost a seam in it.
These seams can be carefully trimmed to give the beard a more
uniform look, but again I cannot stress enough that trimming should
be approached from a minimalist perspective. As a rule, trim about
half as much as you think you should, and come back in 24 hours to
decide if you want to do more.

24-36 Weeks: The Dream Becomes Reality

Once you get to the six to nine month range, you should be very
comfortable with where your beard is. You will pretty much never be
satisfied, but you will at least be pretty content.
You will, however, begin to experience several beard guy
problems. Stuff like eating nachos, sleeping on your beard, and many
other things that you never think about suddenly become paramount
in your quest for bearded knowledge.
There are way too many of these to cover here, so I have created a
section of the book at the end for tips on how to handle a bunch of
these. It can definitely be a challenge to get a good answer on some
of these random things that come up - and sometimes there really
isnt an answer and you just have to give it your best (like with eating
nachos).
From this point onward in your beard growth, a common thing a lot
of guys experience is a feeling that growth has stalled. This doesnt
really happen - though growth doesnt always stay consistent - but it
17

really just becomes more difficult to see the growth that is happening.
A half an inch is a lot more noticeable when your beard is 1 inch long
than it is when your beard is 9 inches long.
Some guys mistakenly think that trimming will promote growth. What
this does is merely make growth more obvious. If you trim your beard
to a uniform length, it will be noticeable when it begins to move away
from that length.
There are many things you can do to promote beard growth naturally,
but you really dont need to worry about your beard not growing. It
can slow down if you arent taking care of yourself, but it wont just
stop because you ran out of beard or something.

36 weeks-1 year
At this point, you are becoming a veteran beardsmith. You have
ascended to a level of beardedness that most only dream about and
few actually reach.
You have overcome the obstacles that have tried to stop you.
You have weathered the storm of opinions of people with no basis of
forming one.
You have felt your beard move from a strong wind.
You have probably had some random person tell you they like your
beard.
You live the beard.
18

There isnt much that comes along from here on out you havent seen
before. Maybe zipping your beard up in a jacket, or finding some lost
object in there - but otherwise you are moving towards the bearded
sage.
Well done sir, well done indeed.

The Yeard
The yeard is the growth of a beard for one year - no trimming of the
beard allowed; trimming of the mustache is acceptable if necessary.
The yeard can be described as the pinnacle of bearded glory. Many
seek to attain the glory of the yeard, yet few can reach its summit.
There are a lot of issues that come along with the yeard - most of
which will be covered in the chapter on Social Issues later in the book.
The yeard just blows too many minds.
So there you have it, a brief overview of what a year of growing a
beard can look like.
Your main takeaways here should be:

Get a good beard oil early on

Trim if necessary but not in excess

Dont worry about naysayers

Having a beard is about making what you have great,

not making it something its not
19

Chapter 4
The Anatomy of a Beard

20

Now that you have an idea of what your bearded life will look like we
can start getting into the nitty-gritty nuts and bolts stuff.
Understanding the composition of a beard is a great way to understand
your own beard. Each of the different areas I have broken the beard
down into in this chapter are components of every beard, but will be
different in every beard.
In each of these areas, you will see variation in the type, color, and
growth patterns of the hair. This is true for different guys, but also
often true on a single beard as well. You can have straight hair in
some areas, thicker hair in some, different colors - the possibilities
are endless.
Just keep in mind - the whole idea is to embrace what you have and
make it awesome.
Also, there is a whole chapter coming on trimming - so dont sweat
the lack of details on technique. One thing at a time my friend.

The Beard
First, lets talk about the beard itself as a complete entity.
Your beard, and all other beards for that matter, are a patch of
androgenic hair as opposed to the terminal hair found on your
head. Androgenic hair growth is driven by levels of androgen found
in the body, which is a hormone - testosterone is an androgen.
Androgen is pretty much the stuff that makes your body express being
a male - body hair, facial hair, less body fat, and more muscle mass.
21

Androgens influence the follicles of the beard from the beginning around puberty for most guys. At this point it stimulates the vellus
follicles, which are tiny almost invisible hairs like the ones on your
forehead (yes, your forehead) and through chemical processes
transforms the hairs into androgenic hairs.
These hairs have a shorter life cycle than your terminal (head) hairs months rather than years. This is why you think your beard is falling
out every time you brush it.
Now, in terms of structure your beard is determined by
genetics. This also relates to hormone levels - but the point I am
making here is that your beard is the way it is. You cant take or do
anything to fundamentally change the beard that you have because it
is an expression of your genes - in the same way that your face is. It
is as unique as your fingerprint.
The only influence that you do have over your beard from a genetic
standpoint is that you can do a variety of things to encourage the
optimal expression of the genes that you do have. Think of it like
your body - you cant change your genetic heritage, but you can do
things like eat right and work out and it will express the best of your
genetics.
Your beard is the same way, and I cover some things that you can do
to get the most out of your genes in Chapter 8.
Obviously, this is a basic view of your beard - but we arent here to
learn about biochemistry. And if we were, Id be the last guy you
would want to be teaching you.
So now that we have a fundamental understanding of the beard as a
22

whole, lets break the beard into its respective sections and go over
each individually.

The Mustache
The mustache can make your beard even more glorious, or it can be
the bane of your existence. I really dont think that there is any other
aspect of growing a beard that has such a wide range of opinions as
the mustache.
Even the yeard allows for the
trimming of the mustache.
The mustache itself is almost like
a separate miniature beard in that
it is pretty much its own separate
entity. The types of mustaches
and ways that they grow are just
about as varied as the opinions on
them.
Part of what makes the mustache
interesting is the fact that it is such
a small area of hair, and has such
a large amount of different angles that the hair grows in at. Now add
length into the equation, and you have so many variables at work that
it can be overwhelming.
There is also a ton of variation when it comes to the footprint of the
mustache as well. This would be a great point to mention that it is
extremely common for the mustache to not connect to the beard
- totally normal. This will usually be covered anyways once the
23

mustache grows a bit, and can even fill in over time.

You could pretty much write a whole book on the mustache alone and that is not why we are here. I will, however, cover a little bit on
how to make it happen for you.
I personally believe in what I call the minimum viable mustache,
which is the idea that there is a certain amount of mustache required
to give a beard a good balanced look. Of course, there are a few guys
that totally shave the stache and have a great looking beard - but these
guys are really the exception.
To achieve a decent look with a mustache, you will need to either trim
it to the desired length if you choose to keep it short, or be prepared to
train the growth with a wax and multiple daily brushings/combings.
Using wax in the mustache and combing the mustache outward from
the center will generally train the mustache to grow in this way after
a period of about six weeks.

Sideburns
The area of the beard directly under the
ears down to the jaw is generally known
as the sideburns. This area is usually one
of the strongest areas of the beard in most
guys, along with the chin and jawline,
and usually defines itself pretty clearly
by the thickness of growth relative to
surrounding areas.
The sideburns are an area where trimming
24

can produce the biggest difference in appearance. You also have

more of a margin for error with the sideburns because the sideburns
are generally an area of denser growth.

Cheeks
The cheeks can be a tricky area for most
guys for two reasons:
1. Growth on the cheeks is generally
thinner than the rest of the beard.
2. The cheek line - the top edge of
the beard running between the
sideburn and mustache - can
be challenging for guys to trim
correctly.

The trick with the cheeks is to pretty much just leave them alone. Of
course, if you are trimming, you are going to cut a cheek line - but that
is about as much as I would recommend. You will find that with time
you can actually have the cheek appear a lot thicker if the surrounding
areas are trimmed back a bit.
That is, of course, if you feel your growth is lacking on the cheek.

Jaw
The area along the jawline is a bit peculiar as it and the chin are lines
along which the entire plane of the beard shifts ninety degrees at the
edge of the face and then back again at the neck. This is the area that
gives your beard depth, and aside from the curvature of the face, is
25

the only area of the beard that has

its own direction. The jaw area
is peculiar in this respect. The
beard on the jaw also grows into
the beard on the neck.
This is what creates the actual
volume of the beard below the jaw
- the two areas growing into each
other have almost a compounding
effect.
Growth along the jaw area is also
fairly thick and full, with the
exception of a small gap in many cases. This particular patch is very
common to see early on, and gets many guys worried about not being
able to grow a beard because of this hole.
Good news - this particular spot is the one that will almost always fill
in with time.

Chin
The chin is the king of the beard - the beard of the beard, if you will.
The chin is generally the area of greatest growth and thickness, and
consequently it is the most commonly bearded area.
The chin will also have its own growth pattern, and will even have
straighter hairs than other areas as well in many cases.
One thing to keep in mind is the depth of the chin. It can be challenging
26

to truly grasp the 3D nature of the

chin, especially since we are seeing
it in a single mirror the majority
of the time. There are many areas
of the chin beside the front; the
most commonly overlooked being
the area between the chin and
neck. What happens in there can
determine how the entire chin area
looks, and it can be very difficult to
see.

Neck
The neck is like the weird uncle of
the beard family.
Most guys struggle with the neck
line for the same reason they
struggle with the cheek line - they
trim to aggressively in an attempt
to get a sharp line, and usually trim
too much.
Early on in the life of a beard - for
the first four to six months - the neck
line is where the majority of looking
crappy/unkempt comes from, most
especially in the area below the
27

sideburns. Cleaning theses lines up can be the single most effective

way to ease negative feelings towards a fledgling beard coming at you
from a boss, spouse, friend, or anyone else that doesnt realize your
beard is none of their business.
Some rare guys go for the full on neck beard. It is hard to truly put
into words the feeling of seeing such a man in the wild. It creates this
strange paradox within the mind - seeing a man with a shaved face
surrounded by a billowing neck beard.
Its like seeing a centaur or something.
It is a combination of all of these areas that make up every beard. Each
of these areas can be entirely different, and different from each other
within the same beard in terms of hair type, color, and growth pattern.
They will, for the most part, come together fairly well. There will
however, always be certain areas of your beard that you will view as
your weak spots.
The best strategy is to understand your own beard, your strengths,
and your weaknesses - and work to maximize your strengths.
Dont expend too much energy in trying to cover what you see as
weak points in your beard. Most guys get way more focused on small
details that in reality are not noticed by anyone but himself.

28

Chapter 5
Caring For Your Beard

29

Id say that, keeping true to the parreto principle, about 80% of

guys require some type of grooming to keep a beard. I will admit
wholeheartedly that the unquestionably awesome 20% of guys that
can grow an incredible beard with very little attention paid to it
exists, but even these guys generally have some kind of regimen when
it comes to caring for their beard.
Wherever you fall on this spectrum, the following chapter is designed
to give you the tools to address the care and feeding of your beard,
and just give you a good foundation of knowledge to build on.
And for Gods sake, dont read this and try to do it all.
Some information may conflict with other listed here; these will be
talking about two different issues for the same aspect of the beard like trimming a straight beard vs a curly one or something. Pay close
attention to what may apply to you, and understand that anything
here is open to experimentation and improvement.

Beard oil
There are many products out there for beard care, and none of
them are as effective as beard oil in promoting the health of your
beard. Guys have been putting oil in their beards for thousands of
years. There is a reason - it is great.
The most basic thing to understand about beard oil is that it is
essentially meant to mimic the oils your skin naturally produces,
which is called Sebum. The closer that the beard oil is to this, the
less irritating the beard oil is for you and the more positive the effect
the oil will have. That being said, there are two main components of
most beard oils: Carrier Oils and Essential Oils.
30

Carrier oils make up the majority of the beard oil, and some beard
oils are only carrier oils - which is fine. These oils are the closest in
composition to the oils produced by your skin, and do some great
stuff for your skin and hair.
Some great carrier oils for beard oil include:

Jojoba (the only oil that truly mimics sebum)

Grapeseed

Sweet Almond

Argan or Moroccan

Castor

Coconut

Olive

There are definitely more oils that could be listed here, but these cover
the majority used in beard oils.
Essential Oils are oils that are used in much smaller amounts for
different effects or scents. There are so many different essential oils
that I am not even going to get into this, but put simply these oils are
used for everything from strengthening hair follicles to acting as an
astringent. These are also where you get your smells from.
What it does
In general, beard oil can help with most of the normal problems
31

associated with growing a beard, like:

Dry skin

Itchy face

Patchy growth*

Ingrown hairs

Beardruff

And more

I was really fortunate to have this explained to me by a veritable

beard wizard and pretty much the most knowledgeable guy ever on
the subject of facial hair, and he broke it down like this:
Look at it this way, the natural state of the beard
and face is to have a protective coating of oil that is
produced in the skin. But because we find many of
the characteristics that go along with this natural oil
unattractive - great home for odor producing bacteria,
a magnet for dirt and dead skin cells- we wash our
beards and face regularly. The natural oil production
is more than enough to protect just skin even from
regular washing, but the beard is a sponge, it literally
wicks the oil away from the skin; unfortunately, our
faces dont produce as much of this oil as our scalps
do. So now we are left with both dry beard beds (the
skin under the beard) and beard hairs. The best way to
prevent this wicking action is to introduce oil on to the
beard hair - a wet towel doesnt absorb as much water
as a dry one does. Oiling makes for healthy skin and
32

beard hair because it replenishes that protective barrier

to abrasion and evaporation that we take away through
washing.
While beard oil has a boatload of benefits in terms of the health of your
beard, it also does a lot for the way your beard looks as well. There is
a certain sheen that beard oil adds, as well as doing a lot to shape your
beard and help tame the stray hairs that can get really out of control if
let go. These strays are often what can lead to the excessive trimming
that is the ruin of many beards.
Beard oil also creates the best possible conditions for growth on your
skin. This actually helps the hair grow in a more natural looking
pattern and reduce the amount of hairs that come in at different
angles - it helps the hair slide out through the pores without getting
as hung up on the skin.

Why should you be using beard oil

There is only one real reason why you should be using beard oil:
Because you deserve an awesome beard.
I struggled with growing my beard for as long as I can remember, and
when I finally started oiling my beard the difference was like night
and day.
To use beard oil, you simply apply a small amount (dime sized is a
good place to start) to the palm of your hand and rub your palms
together a couple times to distribute evenly between your palms.
Once you have done this, you just rub it right into your beard. The
best way to think about it is to imagine yourself rubbing it onto your
33

face, not your beard. It is important that the oil reaches the skin as
well, as healthy skin is the foundation of a healthy beard.
The amount you use will vary depending on your beard. If you apply
beard oil and have a noticeable amount left on your hands and skin,
you may be using more than necessary. If you are not seeing any
benefit, your beard feels dry and straw-like, and you dont have any
real visible shine on the beard, you may want to use more.
You should be able to get a pretty good idea of how much is right for
you after a few uses.
Choosing a beard oil
One of the biggest challenges for guys when it comes to beard oil
is just figuring out what to use. There are seriously hundreds of
different brands, scents, and blends of beard oil out there, and more
are coming out every day.
So, how do you choose the right one for you?
Here is the process I recommend.
Start by looking at your carrier oils first. I have created a great
resource for this on the blog at BeardMountain.com, and I would
encourage you to start there.
Read through the properties of the different carrier oils and just
choose two or three that you feel the best about in terms of what you
need most. Once you have this short list, head down to a natural
store or health food store and pick up some of each. Carrier oils are
the least expensive oils, and this should run you less than $10.
34

Then, just try them out.

Try each one by itself for a day - just use it once or twice a day. Once
you start getting a feel for each one, try stretching out your use to a
few days in a row for each single oil. This really gives you an idea of
the effects you get from each oil.
You will probably have one stand out right away as your favorite, but if
you get split on two, or even three, you can start playing with mixing
them together as well.
After a few weeks of this, you will have found something you like. If
not, start the process again and try some other oils.
At this point you can start targeting specific effects you are looking
for with essential oils. Again, hit up the blog at BeardMountain.com
for a huge list of oils and their properties. Look through and find a
few that you want to try. Head to the store and pick them up.
When trying new blends, I highly recommend making small amounts
(like oz. at a time) and write everything down. Put the time in up
front to research safe amounts of these oils to apply to your skin some oils can be irritating if you dont dilute them correctly. When
you make your own oils, you are assuming the risk that you can
possibly harm yourself - so be careful!
If this sounds like more work than you are looking for, you can
always check out the huge variety of products out there. I would still
recommend at least trying out some carrier oils beforehand. This
will at least narrow your selection down a bit and make it easier for
you to get a good product that will work for you.
35

Beard oil is, in this authors opinion, the single best product that you
can use on your beard. Beard oil alone is enough to take care of your
beard - from a product perspective.

Balm
Beard balm is a great product for your beard as well. It is, in most
cases, beard oil mixed into a blend of more solid ingredients like
different kinds of butters and waxes.

What beard balm does

Beard balm is used for the most part as a styling-type of product for
a beard, but has many other great benefits as well. You can think
of it as almost like a conditioning pomade for your beard. It gives
a better hold than oil, but is greasier because of the nature of the
product. Beard balm tends to stay suspended in the beard, whereas
oil absorbs into the skin and hair much more readily.
Balm is a great way to have a neat looking beard for some kind of
special occasion. It also has the added benefit of acting as a leave in
conditioner.

How to use beard balm

Most balms are applied in a similar way as beard oil, but the balm is
melted using friction between the hands. Scratch out a marble-sized
amount using the same motion you would use to shoot a marble with
your thumb (does anybody play marbles..?).

36

Put the chunk of balm in your palm and rub your hands together
vigorously. You have to make enough heat between your hands to
melt the balm.
Once it is hot and melted, put it into your beard. You do this by kinda
pulling it through the beard. Your goal with balm is to apply it to the
beard, not the face. Balm is way waxier, and doesnt absorb as well
into the skin, so focus on applying it to the beard itself.
Balm is a great product, and I think it is awesome to use in addition
to oil. I wouldnt use it as a replacement for oil, but I do know many
guys that use only balm and swear by it.
Again, it is all personal preference.
The last thing I will add about balm is that you will probably want
to get it out of your beard as well. I recommend just taking a hot
shower and washing the beard thoroughly with hot water - thats
it. For the most part, you can feel the wax washing out of the beard. I
do not recommend using shampoo made for your hair to wash your
beard. This is one of the largest causes of dry skin and beardruff and
should be avoided. There are several brands of shampoos, soaps, and
conditioners made specifically for beards - just dont go overboard.
Less is usually more with these products.

Mustache Wax
Once you start growing out your beard, you will need to know where
you stand with your mustache. I have already covered the mustache
in more depth in chapter 4, so right now I just want to focus on
mustache wax.
37

Mustache wax is a great product, and in my opinion practically

essential. Everyone will have a different stance here, but if you find
your mustache irritating or annoying, mustache wax can be a game
changer.
Mustache wax comes in a wide range of levels of hold and
tackiness. This relates to the wide range of application and desired
outcomes from mustached men. You get guys that are looking for
light hold and a natural look to guys that want to hold a handlebar
with a perfect triple curl - and everything in between.
To apply mustache wax, you may actually need to heat the wax with
a hairdryer or something similar before even trying to remove any
from its container. Once it is in a workable state, you can scratch a bit
onto the back of a nail and work it between the thumb and forefinger
(or the one, two, or three finger if you prefer) until it reaches a more
liquid state from the heat.
Rub this into the mustache with the thumb and finger, and brush in
the desired direction with a small comb or brush.
A small toothbrush can work well for this also, but I would recommend
getting one just for this application.
It is recommended that the stache be brushed in this way at least two
or three times a day to begin the process of training your mustache
to grow to the sides and get the desired shape. It is more than likely
that you will begin to brush it about four to five hundred times a day
anyways.
In the same way that you will want to get balm out of your beard,
38

you should also get mustache wax out as well. I still maintain a good
hot wash with just water does a great job, but if you have difficulties
getting it all out this way there are many different options for soaps,
shampoos, and conditioners made just for beards.
When it comes to choosing any product for your beard, do everything
possible to use products made with only natural ingredients. You are
putting this stuff on your face.
Use products made with essential oils, butters, and natural
waxes. Avoid any kind of petroleum-based products. These products
are too large to be absorbed into the skin on a molecular level, and
will clog pores, cause irritation, and just mess up your whole day.
Only use good stuff, and only use what you need.

My Routine
To give you an idea of what a care routine can look like, Ill tell you
exactly what I do.
I take two cold showers every day - morning and evening. I wash my
beard with only water.
After both showers, I apply beard oil - about five to ten drops- in
exactly the manner described above.
I apply mustache wax as needed throughout the day. My wax is a
light, natural wax - so two to three times daily.
I will use balm once or twice a week. I do not apply oil and balm
together, but I do apply oil that evening after washing out the balm
39

with hot water.

I will shampoo and condition my beard about once a week. Often less
than this. I usually only do this after trimming as a way to get all of
the little hairs washed out.
As you can see, my routine is nothing extraordinary. But it works and
it works well.
Now, I dont do drywall or work in a mine either, so this may not
be enough for some. My point here is that you dont need to get
crazy. Most of the time this is where issues like dry skin, rashes, and
breakouts actually come from - too much stuff.
Start with a simple routine, and if you notice that it is lacking in any
area simply add and adjust. You will find that over time tweaks will
always be a necessary part of caring for your beard. Just based on
growth alone, you will need to adjust slightly every so often.

40

Chapter 6
Trimming

41

The art of trimming has become one of the most controversial parts of
growing a beard. This is due in great part to a lack of knowledge on the
one hand, and the fact that a recent surge in the popularity of growing
a beard has attracted quite a few of the boilerplate types. What I
mean by this is the type of guy that will dismiss something based on
the follow the crowd mentality.
From what I can tell, the attitude of trimming being some kind of
crime might stem from a small percentage of guys with naturally
excellent full-natural beards dismissing trimming as unnecessary,
and the same guys mentioned above just falling in line with it out of
admiration.
Whatever the case may be, the dismissal of trimming is a mistake to
say the least. It is a lack of knowledge and ability here that leads most
guys to giving up on having a beard - second only to a failure to push
through the first 6 weeks of growth successfully.
Many men fail to realize that a tremendous natural beard is really not
the norm. In most cases, a great beard on the average guy is attained
through perseverance and actively working to get a desired outcome
through grooming.
In this light, trimming is one of the most powerful tools a man has to
grow a great beard.

The Purpose of Trimming

Trimming is not simply removing any part of the beard for the sake
of making it shorter. In short, trimming is the shaping of the beard
and mustache to emphasize the areas of greatest strength and remove
any growth that doesnt contribute to the overall glory of the beard.
42

Trimming is a very individual exercise, and though I outline some

very practical and effective techniques below it is up to you to tailor
these methods to suite your own needs.
The best way to look at these methods is to understand that the
concept will apply to any beard, but the specific locations of any given
reference point on your beard (cheek line, neck line, etc.) will be
different on every beard - this is where individual discretion becomes
essential to success.
With that in mind, trimming can become a very powerful tool for you
to develop your beard, and is the single best way for your beard to
truly become part of your lifestyle rather than just a fleeting fad.
Trimming allows your beard to evolve over time, to become a dynamic
expression of yourself. It also allows you to maintain a neater and
sharper appearance, which can be just as important as anything else
if you are a young professional, are in a relationship with someone
unfamiliar with beards, or just value looking your best. Trimming
truly does expand the range of ability to keep a beard for the majority
of guys.
From a social perspective, trimming also reduces the reflexive
response many people have to associate beards with being sloppy
or lazy. A well maintained beard can change attitudes and change
minds - which is something the world can use more of.
As a final point before we get into the details of trimming, it is worth
noting that trimming can give a guy with a less-than-great beard
the chance to have a very respectable beard over time. With focused
trimming, things like thin areas, uneven growth, and even just plain
43

bad genetics can be minimized through a solid trimming strategy.

Getting Started
To begin trimming your beard, the first you need to track down some
decent tools. At a minimum, you should get the following:
A good pair of scissors - preferably a pair made for
cutting hair. You can pick these up at a beauty supply
store. Yes, they are more expensive than the ones you
use to cut paper, and yes they are worth it.

A comb - you will use this for more than just running it
through the beard. Read through the trimming section
to understand all of the uses and make your selection
based on your preference. I still use the fifty-cent black
plastic comb, but it has the right shape for me.

An electric trimmer - you can get around not having

this, but using an electric trimmer will cut the time it
takes you to trim big time. Just get a reasonably priced
little trimmer, and unless you need them dont worry
about springing the extra cash for one with a thousand
extra little attachments. You will get to the point where
you dont use anything but the clippers pretty quickly.

A razor - Im not even going to tell you what kind of razor

to get or use. Guys get crazy over shaving. Anyways,
you probably already have one. You can use anything
from a yellow Bic disposable up to a four-figure straight
razor, and anything in between. Just have one - you
will want it to clean up edges.

I am also going to assume you have a sink or water source, and a

44

mirror. If possible, get an additional mirror so that you can see your
beard from as many different angles as possible. A three-way or
hinged mirror is ideal. One of the most important parts of a good
trim is shaping the beard in a three dimensional way. It is impossible
to do any better than two dimensional in a standard mirror.
Now that you have everything you need, lets jump in and get started.

Trimming your beard

The overall strategy of trimming a beard is to break the beard into
different sections, and address each individually - gradually working
through them in sequence until they are all brought into harmony
with one another.
To do this, we start with the sideburns. This area, as mentioned in
Chapter 4, can give you a high degree of control over the appearance
and shape of your beard.
The first step is to clean up the line running vertically down the back
of the beard below your ears to the jaw. The simplest way to establish
this line is to use the back edge of your comb as a template. Please
be sure to see the illustrations for each step as this process can seem
complicated without a visual reference.
Find the point on your beard where the direction begins to change
as it runs down toward the jaw to use as an anchor or hinge point on
which to place the top point of the comb. Spend as long as you need
to finding the line you like the most, and if uncertain just follow the
natural edge of your beard. Once you have your line, hold the comb
firmly against the face and use your trimmers to remove the excess
hair not covered by the comb. Work your way down the entire edge of
45

the comb. This step can also

be done with a scissors and
razor.
Repeat this step for the other
sideburn. At this point do
not be concerned if there is
a sharp corner where the
newly trimmed line meets the
untrimmed neck line. This
will be smoothed after the
neckline is established.
This step should give you an
idea of what type of comb you
will want as well. Look for
something that matches the
type of curve you want on this area, or a straight comb if you want no
curve at all. I would suggest at least a slight curve to the comb you
use, as extremely sharp, straight lines will look unnatural and stand
out.
At this point, move to the neck line.
The neckline is more difficult to get when you are just getting started,
which is why it is important to trim as little as possible during the
first 6 weeks or so. That being said, the neckline actually becomes
the easiest line to trim over time, and eventually needs almost no
trimming at all. It is getting the neck line right when the beard is in
the shorter stages that is the challenge - most guys want to go way too
high on the neck - which also stunts the filling-in process as the beard
grows out.
46

To find the right line for the

neck, start by choosing a point
at the center of the throat. The
location of that point is up to you,
but if you are trying this for the
first time or are still fairly new,
try to get close to the Adams
apple. Make a fairly straight
line here across the throat a
few inches wide. Establishing
this line in the center gives you
a guide and helps keep the neck
line looking symmetrical.
Now, starting at your ear, you
are going to want to visualize a
curving line that mimics the curve of your ear but extends down to the
edge of the line you created over your throat (see illustration). Slowly
work out from the throat line towards the ear, and then (if needed)
touch up the same line again working back from the ear to the throat
line.
Repeat this process again on the other side of the neck.
At this point, if you find you have set the neck line too low, it is quite
simple to raise it. Just follow the line back across the neck and remove
about 1/8th of an inch - working out from the throat. Give plenty of
time between passes and take care to look closely at your neckline - it
is very easy to try and set this line too high on the neck.
As your beard continues to fill in, this step will eventually almost
disapear completely.
47

Now, you may have a fairly sharp corner at the back of the jaw where
your two lines meet. Gently round off this corner a little at a time dont be afraid to take many passes.
As a rule, the sharper the edges and corners become, the more
noticeable any kind of mistake or lack of symmetry becomes.
Now we move to the cheek line.
The cheek line is fairly simple - but many try to make it
complicated. Using a comb, simply locate the point on the sideburn
where the beard begins, and the point near the mustache where the
beard begins - and use the comb as a line to trim along. Think of it
like a chalk line.
There is a common error of trying to trim the cheek line down to the
area of fullest growth on the cheek to achieve a sharp line. This often
sets the cheek line too low - especially if the cheek area does not have
dense growth.
The thing to keep in mind here
is that the human brain will
draw the line for other people. It
is not necessary to stress over
a perfectly straight, sharp line
across the cheek. A stark edge
here will also look more out of
place than the natural fade that
the cheek usually has.
Repeat this on both cheeks, and
while you do want to have good
48

symmetry, dont focus on only making these lines symmetrical. The

truth is that most faces are not actually totally symmetrical, and
beards do not generally grow in perfect symmetry either. A beard
trimmed in perfect symmetry can actually result in the appearance
of the opposite - an uneven, unbalanced-looking beard.
At this point, you have cut the outline of your entire beard. Now
comes the mustache.
As mentioned earlier in Chapter 4, there is a ton of variation when
it comes to the mustache. What I will give you here is just a light
trimming and shape maintaining technique, but if your goals lie
beyond that I recommend you search out some of the great resources
out there. One of the few direct recommendations I will give in this
book is howtogrowamoustache.com - this is a great place to learn
more about everything mustache.
So, to trim the mustache,
begin by combing the hairs
downward
towards
the
mouth. Now work from
the outer edge of the mouth
towards the center, trimming
slightly
above
the
lip
line. Once this line is cleaned
up, move across the lower half
of the mustache trimming
hairs that are unusually long
and out of place. Once this
is done, trim any out of place
hairs along the top edge of the
mustache with a fine pair of
49

scissors.
This is basically a maintenance or minimal trim routine for a
mustache.

We have defined the beard, and created what is about 80% of the
visible beard. The only part of the trimming process left at this point
is the trimming of length.
Now, if you are within the first three to four months of beginning to
grow your beard, I suggest skipping this step altogether. That being
said, there is definitely a place for trimming the length of a beard and I will add that trimming does not mean you cant continue to add
length as well.
Trimming length should be used as a way to bring your beard into
a tighter range of length, not a uniform length. This is where many
barbers go wrong, and why many guys end up losing half their beard
when they get a trim.
What you want to do with trimming length is simply knock down the
wild stray areas, and smooth transitions between areas of different
lengths. You want your trimming to be subtle.
To trim, start by combing your beard out - usually combing up the
face starting at the neck. This fluffs the beard out. You will see some
major variations in length pretty quickly. Dont try to trim these
down to the same length as the surrounding areas - this can seriously
damage the appearance of your beard. Just trim these areas down a
bit - about halfway between the excess, original length and the length
of the surrounding area.
50

Work your way towards the

chin, starting at the top of your
sideburns. Leave the chin area
alone until you have trimmed the
length of the rest of the beard.
Using scissors, start with the area
directly in front of the ear, and
smooth the transition from your
hair into the beard. Continue
with this and taper the sideburns
gradually down into the jaw area.
Now, move across the jaw area
and lightly fade this out to the
edge of the chin.
Again, you should not be
trimming the chin at this point.
For many, the cheeks will not be an area that needs any trimming
at all. Continued growth here will add to a fuller look over time,
especially if the rest of the beard is well kept.
Once this process has been completed for both sides of the beard, you
can pull it all together by trimming the chin area lightly if needed.
If you pull your beard downward from your chin, you will notice that
it comes to a peak. This is where the downward growth from the chin
meets the outward growth of the jaw and neck. This ridge is the
single area that defines the visual termination of your chin area. Take
extreme care in trimming this area as slight trimming here can have
a severe result.
51

Trim lightly across the chin, and comb as you normally would between
each pass.
That should be it. You have trimmed your beard.
I think every guy should trim their own beard - at least for control.
One other thing I tell every guy I teach to trim is that the best thing
to do is to trim about half as much as you think you want to and come
back in 24 hours to see if you really want to trim more.
More often than not, you wont want to.
I cant recall a single time someone has told me they regret not
trimming enough.
I couldnt even tell you how many times I have heard the tales of
torment and regret from over-trimming - many of these being at the
hands of a trusted and well-intentioned barber.
Im not trying to get down on going to a barber for a trim, its just that
more often than not the consensus seems to be that you lose more
than you expect to. If you have a barber that does what you want and
you are happy, by all means go to him.
The more you trim yourself, the better you will get at it and the better
you will get to know your beard.
Try it out, find what works for you, and never stop learning.

52

Chapter 7
Social issues

53

No discussion of keeping a beard would be complete without

acknowledging the subject of the beard relative to the rest of the
world.
This statement may seem puzzling to you if you are new to the bearded
lifestyle, but for those of us that have been living the beard for some
time the subject of social interaction relative to the beard is just as
large and possibly more frustrating of a topic as any other.
Some people just seem to lose all grip on reality when they see your
beard.
In this section, I will profile a few of the different types of people you
will come across that might leave you scratching your head.

People and their opinions

The Naysayers
The one group of people you will get to know very quickly is the
naysayers. These are all the people that dont think you should have
a beard, and truly believe that they should have some kind of say in
your decision to keep one.
These people can also usually be called idiots - but are also known by
many other names which I have chosen to leave out of this text.
Generally, these people will approach you completely unsolicited. You
may know them, you may not - regardless, they have formed an
opinion and YOU need to hear it.

54

Take a breath. While tearing someones head off of their body seems
like the most reasonable thing to do here, lets try to stay out of prison.
These people are not worth listening too, and in reality are really not
even talking about you - though they themselves believe that they are.
You see, the truth about these types of people is that they lack the
ability to think for themselves. What you are experiencing when
someone comes up and tells you your beard looks ridiculous is a
person trying to reinforce their own weak sense of identity that has
been formed for them by the culture that they live in.
As I have mentioned before, growing a beard is part of a greater
journey - a journey to the true self. When you grow a beard, you learn
about who your are, who other people think you are, and who you can
become. These people have not taken that journey.
Instead, people like this choose to define others to reinforce an
identity that has been built for them by society. This type of validation
is accomplished by criticizing anything that falls outside of this
narrowly defined cultural norm.
These are the people that jump on most fads and trends.
These are not people that you need to listen to.
Simply put, these people are just shocked and offended that you dont
care about their inability to make their own decisions - and they are
afraid of that.
So, the question becomes how to deal with these people.
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The answer to this is complicated because of the infinite number

of possible scenarios that you can find yourself thrown into with a
random naysayer confronting you about your beard. And, to make
things even more interesting, you will find that these people come out
of nowhere and at the most random moments.
For the sake of not getting too specific, lets just say that the following
fairly common situation happens:
You are with a group of friends and one just randomly chimes in that
you should really shave your beard because you look like homeless
Jesus.
Happens to us all.
So, what do you do?
Well, there are a few options:
1. Throw it right back - If you are sharp, you can just
return the jab. Mention how his soft, clean-shaven face
reminds you of his girlfriend - or how she doesnt seem to
mind your beard at all. There are so many possibilities
here - this can be the most enjoyable response.
2. Ignore them - I AM NOT SAYING TO NOT
ACKNOWLEDGE THE COMMENT. That is for wieners
- and you sir are no wiener. My personal favorite way to
do this is just to stare them right in the face. Right in the
eyes. It usually only takes a few moments of this before
this person plays it back in their head and realizes how
stupid they sound. I would especially recommend this
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method if you are dealing with someone you consider

to be a total moron. These people just want to hear
themselves talk, and it will be more painful for them
to not get a response than it will be for them to get a
chance to keep on jabbering.
3. Go right for the jugular - Not literally here, even though
that does sound like an outstanding option. Now that
you get what these people are really doing, you can just
take that right to them in a matter of fact way. Most of
these people truly believe that they have formed their
own opinions when in reality they have completely
ceded all ability to define themselves to the world
around them. So, by exploring the subject, you can
pretty much blow this persons mind.

Oh, so you think I should shave?

Huh, I like my beard. Why do you think it should go?

So, you have never grown a beard then?

The Possibilities are pretty open on this one, but all end with this
individual realizing that they are supporting a position that they have
never actually thought about for themselves.
The real bottom line here is that you are going to draw criticism from
these kinds of people for anything that you do that falls outside of
what everybody else is doing.
These are the people that will tell you not to start a business. That is
crazy!
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These are the same people that tell you not to strive to reach for your
dream.
These are the people that tell you writing a book about how to grow a
beard is a stupid idea.
If we listened to these people, we would still be living in caves.

The Fans
At the opposite end of the spectrum from the naysayers, you will find
the fans.
The beard does have a pretty polarizing effect; people are either oddly
opposed or highly supportive. You find few people indifferent.
So, as odd as it is to have random people let you know the reasons
why your beard has to go, it can be even stranger to have people come
out of nowhere and tell you how much they like it.
Here are a few examples of different experiences:

Taking out the trash and seeing the neighbor kid on the
way:

Me - Hey man, how you doing.

Neighbor kid - Good, and I like your beard

At the fair, a guy and his girlfriend turn around in line

and the guy says, Hey, man. I just wanted to tell you I
like your beard, and walks off.
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Going to pick up the car after a repair and seeing a

mysterious 10% beard discount itemized in on the
work order.

Aside from these specific examples, you will be amazed at the amount
of people that feel compelled to come up and tell you how much they
enjoy your beard.
Or just ask to touch it.
Enjoy it, and never cop an attitude with somebody trying to pay your
beard a compliment. You are an ambassador of the beard. Remember
that.

The Work
Most of us out there have some kind of societal obligation that puts
some kind of restriction on the way we look. For the great majority
of guys, this will come in the form of employment. This is the case
so often that I would say at least half of the questions I get about
grooming are bookended with a mention of the reason being related
to work.
I have been in this same situation myself a few times.
The good news is that in reality, most employers have no aversion to
a well-kept, neatly groomed beard.
Most guys feel compelled to go into a job interview clean-shaven - I
personally think that this is a mistake if your intention is to grow a
beard.
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The part of growing a beard that your employer would be most averse
to is the first six to eight weeks of growth, which is the most messy
looking stage of growing a beard.
Going into a job with a neatly groomed beard only enforces that you
care about your appearance and that you do put in an effort to take
care of yourself.
Use your beard as motivation to be above average, and represent all
beardedom as such.
Dress appropriately, every day.
Be on time - always.
Do a great job. If you dont want to - find a different job and do great
work there.
One major thing many guys slip on - keep your hair sharp. This alone
can completely change the way people see your beard.
The point is that YOU are shaping what people believe about a guy
with a beard.
You look like crap, people think you are crap. Thats just life.
It is up to us to make a world where having a beard doesnt associate
you with being homeless. Dont get all butt-hurt over people having
the wrong idea about a guy with a beard. In a way, it is our fault
because it is our job as a man with a beard to show the world what a
man with a beard is.
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In terms of keeping an employer happy with your beard appearance

wise, refer to Chapter 6 on trimming. Following this format has kept
me from ever having a single instance of an employer complaining
about my beard - and I keep a full beard.
Ill add to this, I take the above points very seriously as well.
Be a man and the beard will only make you more awesome.

The Friends and Family

Friends and family warrant a mention here just because it is a place
where a lot of guys get conflicting signals.
It is pretty much the spectrum of naysayers and fans on steroids if
you will.
Friends and family are always way more vocal about how they feel
about your beard (and your life in general), and have very little need
to hold back.
Just do your best here - this always presents a challenge.
Some will love it, some will hate it.
Just remember that these are people that you care about - and are
most likely people that care about you as well - even if they put no
filter on their opinions. Be there for them - be the best son, brother,
husband, father, friend, uncle, boyfriend, and everything else you are
every day.
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Do this whether you have a beard or not.

The Ladies
When it comes to growing a beard, one of the sources of the most
pain can come in the area of women.
There are a lot of reasons for this. In many cases, your closest and
most personal relationships are with a woman. Women and men
communicate differently. In a romantic relationship, you are generally
more vulnerable than in other relationships - and you will care a lot
more about her opinion. This is also true if you are interested in
starting a relationship.
There are plenty of women out there that are crazy about beards. There
are a lot that arent. Again, beards are pretty polarizing. Many women
are against a beard because our culture has done a lot to make the
ideal man more and more feminine - and there really isnt anything
feminine about having a beard.
Ill leave this one open beyond that, but I will add some sound advice
on women in general.
Dont waste a second of your life chasing a woman. The truth is
that your real purpose in life is to become the man you were born
to be. The more you become that man, the more you will attract the
right woman for you.
Dont waste your time trying to be the right man for a woman because the reality is that right is a constantly changing thing for a
woman.
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You need to become YOU.

You need to be centered; you need to become the unchanging core
of who you are radiating out into all areas of your life. Make yourself
into the man you want to be and the right woman for THAT man
will be attracted to you. Pretend to be something youre not, and you
wont even like yourself.
Just my two cents - now, lets get back to the beards.

Final Thoughts
So, in this chapter we got into a lot of conceptual stuff, but the main
point here is that you dont need to buy into other peoples way of
thinking. Being your own man is what having a beard is all about, and
the circumstances that having a beard puts you in only strengthen
that resolve.
Always keep a focus on being yourself, doing your best in everything
you do, and making your own decisions. Over time, comments from
the mindless drones of the world will hardly even make it all the way
into your brain.

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Chapter 8
A Better Beard Naturally

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We have covered beard anatomy in chapter 4, and while I do mention

in there that your beard is tied to your genetics that doesnt mean that
there isnt anything you can do to encourage those genetics to express
themselves in the optimal way.
It is just like anything else with your body.
You eat garbage food and your body flips on one set of switches, you
eat right and your body flips another set. That is how the same person
can be obese or in shape - by flipping the right switches.
There are in fact a few switches that can help your beard come in at
its absolute genetic peak.

Diet
What you eat has a major effect on your beard. Not only is the beard
built out of the food that you consume, but the hormones that play a
major role in the expression of your genetic beardedness are heavily
influenced by the types of food that you eat.
A high protein diet is optimal for growing your beard to its fullest
potential. This is true mostly because this type of diet will naturally
increase your testosterone levels. One way to look at all of this diet
stuff is to realize that yes, in fact, you are a man. Much of the modern
information on dietary suggestions shares two characteristics:

Much of the research is funded by the industries

producing the products they suggest. Do you suppose
that the Dairy industry is going to support research that
can prove some kind of benefit from consuming dairy
products? I have nothing against dairy products - just
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illustrating a point.

Almost all dietary guidelines are established based

on industry sponsored research and also based on
averages. There is no way that everybody should eat
identical diets. Especially men and women. Our bodies
are extremely different.

This alone should at least get you questioning your diet and what you
have always been told about nutrition. You need to eat in a way that
expresses your masculine genetics, and you need to eat the foods that
produce these hormones if you want masculine traits like an awesome
beard.
An essential part of a high protein diet is the consumption of
healthy fats - which are also the building blocks of testosterone and
other androgens. Hair is basically protein wrapped in fat, so these
two building blocks are essential to a great beard. A diet in which
your energy is derived from healthy fat consumption rather than
carbohydrates also has a variety of health benefits beyond a better
beard, like (again) higher testosterone and all of the natural benefits
that come along with it.
Eating sugar has also been shown to decrease testosterone levels. This
is because increased insulin levels have been linked to decreased
testosterone levels in scientific testing. When sugar is broken down
in the body it overloads the liver. This has a double whammy effect you cant break down and metabolize estrogen, and you cant secrete
growth hormone. Sugar is terrible and is linked to all kinds of health
issues like obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay - all stuff you dont
want. I know it is in everything, but it is worth evaluating your diet to
see where you can at least reduce sugar consumption - if not eliminate
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it altogether. Do it for the beard!

The bottom line when it comes to eating for a better beard is to pursue
a diet that will naturally produce the highest levels of testosterone
you can. Yes, too much testosterone can be a bad thing - but I am not
telling you to take some kind of steroid. Im telling you to eat like a
man. If you do, youll also get to enjoy the natural body fat regulation,
increased energy levels, and better beard that can come along with it.
There are also several supplements that can have a positive effect on
beard growth that are worth mentioning. Again, these wont change
your genes, but they can definitely put some additional resources
into your body that are essential for beard growth. Keep in mind
that supplements are supplementing deficiencies in your diet - so
taking more than recommended of any of these wont give you more
beard. For the most part, taking too much of a supplement will just
give you more expensive urine, because you just pee them out - but
some can also hurt you. Dont be stupid, and always check with your
doctor before you start taking any new supplements.

Zinc- This mineral has many great benefits, and is

needed for the proper growth of the human body. Zinc
is thought to increase natural levels of testosterone as
well, making it a natural beard enhancer. Zinc should
never be taken in doses higher than the recommended
daily amount. It can make you sick, and even kill you
in obscene quantities. Zinc deficiency is rare in the US,
but is actually common around the world.

Biotin - Biotin is a fairly safe supplement that has been

found to support healthy skin and hair. I have seen a
lot of guys try biotin and see an increase in the growth
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of existing hair and a more uniform growth rate across

the whole beard. Official testing has not been done on
this, so there is no scientific proof to back this up.

Omega 3 fatty acids- Omega-3s have long been

associated with hair and skin growth and condition,
and studies have shown them to be critically important
to most functions within the body.

Vitamin D- Vitamin D is actually a precursor to hair

growth, and when vitamin D receptors are blocked, hair
loss results. Making sure you are not deficient in this
vitamin will ensure you have one of the most necessary
building blocks of hair.

A final note on diet - you need to pay attention to a few things to

avoid as well.
As you have probably noticed, the majority of diet-related things you
can do to promote beard growth are related to getting your body to
produce higher levels of testosterone - the man hormone.
Estrogen, the woman hormone, is the opposite of testosterone and
should be avoided. Some places that estrogen can sneak into your
diet include:

Products stored in plastics. Many plastics actually

degrade and seep synthetic estrogenic compounds into
the products they are storing. So do many detergents,
petroleum-based products, and stuff with PCBs in
them.

Avoid grains - these contain phytoestrogens

68

Avoid beans for the same reason - especially soybeans.

If you can, eat organic meats. Many of the growth

hormones used in commercial farming have been found
to have estrogen producing effects. Avoid milk for this
same reason

Flax seeds and flax products are the number one

phytoestrogen containing products.

This can all seem pretty daunting at first glance - especially if you
are looking at this as just a way to grow a better beard. I will say that
moving towards this type of diet is a lifestyle change, and a positive
one in my opinion. I highly suggest experimenting with a few of these
recommendations and seeing how it affects your whole body. I think
you might be surprised.
Dont jump on them all at once, but over time adding more and more
will only improve the quality of your beard, and your life as a man.

Exercise
Exercise is a great way to push your testosterone levels up quickly. A
quick burst of exercise will blast you with hours of higher t-levels
because the sudden focus of concentration and the sudden activation
of muscles throws the hypothalamus into action to signal for higher
testosterone production. The larger the muscle group, the greater the
response.
At this point, I owe a huge shout out to Ali Kuoppala at Anabolicmen.
com . This is a tremendous resource for any guy that wants to boost
his testosterone levels naturally using diet, exercise, and a ton of other
69

tactics - check this out for sure!

Cold Showers
Before steroids were even a thing, Russian bodybuilders used to use
cold therapy to get a surge of testosterone before a workout. This
has a lot to do with cooling your junk to freezing cold levels. This gives
you a big spike in testosterone physiologically, but also capitalizes on
the involuntary contraction of pretty much the entire body musclewise and the intense focus that excessive cold brings you.
You dont need to go out and lay in the snow naked for this - you can
get pretty much the same benefits from taking cold showers.
There is a ton of evidence that cold showers have significant benefits
in many areas of health. Everything from your skin to your hormones
can benefit from taking cold showers.
Just do a quick internet search for cold shower or cold water
therapy and you will find tons of information on the subject.
I have personally been taking cold showers for quite some time, and
I will say the effect it has on a man is quite profound and difficult to
completely describe. Even in the dead of a Montana winter, a cold
shower has an invigorating effect.

Stress Less
I have found stress to be not only a killer of the beard, but of all life
in general.
Stress has an important role in our lives, and should be used as a tool
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and guide for us to make decisions, find motivation, and reveal areas
of our lives that we need to improve. Positive stress is the pressures
of life that squeeze us into becoming better men.
Now, there is another kind of stress that has no place in your life.
Chronic stress is the type of stress that comes along with
settling. Stress from hating your job, being in a bad relationship, and
basically choosing to not change something that causes you emotional
distress in a chronic, ongoing way can seriously affect your body and
mind.
Physiologically, this stress also increases the amount of cortisol in
your body - which is known as the stress hormone. Cortisol is a
nasty thing to have in excess in your body. It has been implicated
in a myriad of health issues, and has also been shown to increase
insulin levels among other things. This in itself is related to lower
testosterone.
It is easy to tell you to stress less, but it is much harder to put it into
some kind of action.
If you dont already, you need to start examining the areas of your life
that are creating stress in a negative way and taking positive action
to eliminate them.
If you work in a job that is a constant soul-crushing drain on you, that
is life telling you that it is something you need to take responsibility
to change. Start taking responsibility and making changes to reduce
stress.
Or, keep on taking crap from the world, have a crappy life and a crappy
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beard - the choice is truly yours to make!

Sleep enough
If there is anyone guilty of violating this rule, it is me. I dont feel like
24 hours is enough for one day. With so many obligations in life, who
has time to get eight hours of sleep a night?
While I do believe that the amount of sleep each individual really
needs each night is flexible, there is research that supports the idea
that you do need more than what a lot of people get. The power behind
getting a full eight hours is that your body begins to really crank out
testosterone between hours six and eight as you sleep.
Cutting into this is cutting into your beard hormone supply!
Do your best to get enough sleep. This will also cut down on stress
levels and make it easier to work out and even eat right, as your
willpower is higher when you are well rested.

Stop playing with yourself

It is worth a mention that watching porn and playing with your junk
is a great way to lower your testosterone, kill your drive, and just
kinda be a loser.
Enough said.
Stop with the 3-legged races, channel that energy into being an asskicking dude, meet a real girl, and be a better man than most.
And get a better beard to boot.
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Trimming*
Trimming is not something that can make your beard any fuller or
thicker - this is one of the single most common misconceptions that
guys have when it comes to growing any kind of facial hair.
That being said, trimming can be used effectively to give the growth
you have a fuller and thicker appearance when done correctly as
described in chapter 6.
This is always at the cost of at least some length. The appearance
of a thicker and fuller beard is achieved by bringing the beard into
a more uniform length overall, which gives the illusion of denser
growth. You are really just showing the real density of the beard that
was being slightly masked by the different lengths of hair.
Trimming, again, is not a way to make your beard actually come in
any different than it already does. Trimming can, however, make the
overall appearance of your beard seem thicker when done correctly.
Summary
So there you have it - the lifestyle changes that can make your beard
look its very best.
Many of these points probably come across as not having much to do
with the beard, but they all do in fact directly influence your bodys
optimal expression of the beard.
You may have noticed that this is mostly achieved by turning your
body into a walking testosterone factory.
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That is about right.

This is not only great for your beard, but when done naturally through
diet, exercise, and lifestyle as described in this chapter, it is just plain
great for you as a man. We live in a world today that is pretty much
one giant estrogen-fest, so doing everything you can to kick up your
testosterone levels should become part of your lifelong quest for
manliness.

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Chapter 9
Reference Section

75

Welcome to the final part of How to Grow a Beard - the reference

section.
I created this section as a depository of all of the loose and random
information that just didnt seem to fit anywhere else.
Some might find this part of the book to be the most valuable of all,
but one thing is certain - there is something here for everybody.

Tips
Adding Length
Adding length seems like a no-brainer: just dont do anything. This is
correct, but if you are having issues that are making it necessary for
you to trim then you will be looking for a different solution.
To add length while maintaining a trimmed beard, you are going to
have to find a balance of trimming only the necessary amount to get
your beard even - which has to be less than the amount of growth
between trims.
You dont have to get too scientific here - I wouldnt even go as far
as measuring and tracking growth. The point here is to trim only
enough to get your lengths in a tighter range.
Dont try to pull the length all the way back to the shortest hairs. This
is what will keep you from adding length.
Eating

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Guys are constantly looking for tips on how to eat without getting a
ton of food in their beards.
There really isnt much that you can actually do here besides just
eating the way you probably should have been all along.
Focus on taking smaller bites, slow down, and sit appropriately - that
is about 90% of it right there.
Much of the problem comes from the types of food more than
anything. Stuff like nachos, hot wings, or pizza are difficult to eat
without getting food all over yourself whether you have a beard or
not, but it is much more visible with a beard.
So, the best you can do is:

Be conscious of your food choices in advance if you

want to avoid the mess - like if you are out on a date or
at some kind of social engagement.

Avoid flaky, powdery, and crusty foods, as well as dishes

with excess sauces and cheese.

Take smaller bites, and use your utensils.

Keep a napkin handy, and wipe your mouth if needed.

Excuse yourself after the meal and just do a quick

bathroom check. Go in, wash your hands, and check
your beard.

That will keep you safe the majority of times. You will always run the
risk of getting food in your beard - but this really isnt any more that
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getting food on your face.

Depending on how serious you are about it, you can always use a
napkin or handkercheif over the beard as well, or just tuck it inside
your shirt collar while eating.
Sleeping
As your beard continues to get longer, one thing you will likely run
into is that it will look totally insane after waking up.
This is normal.
There isnt much a guy can do to avoid the notorious bed beard
besides being able to sleep on your back exclusively.
Otherwise, you are looking at just fixing it when you wake up. All
this really entails is just applying some beard oil and brushing or
combing.
A shower does help as well, but isnt as necessary as the oil or the
brushing - which you will still should do if you choose to shower.
Dealing with heat
I wanted to quickly look at the beard in hot weather because it is
totally misunderstood.
The beard does not make you suffer more in the heat. Body heat does
not particularly radiate out of the front of your face, and unless you
have a beard hanging halfway down your body you will most likely
never actually feel any different.
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Studies done in Australia have actually found beards to block up to

97% of UV rays, so you are really dealing with a natural sun-shade
right on your face. Add to this the natural wicking action of the beard
and you have the opposite effect than most guys imagine.
So then, why do guys believe that the beard makes them hotter in
the heat? Mostly because they are hot anyways. Yes, you are going
to sweat when it gets hot. Yes, you will probably get uncomfortable
when it is 100 degrees outside. Just keep in mind that the beard will
add little, if any, to the heat - and may actually help.
To be honest, since we are on the subject, I have found that most guys
just want to use it as a reason to shave. The beard culture has a pretty
strong message of never shaving or even trimming.
I think that is pretty ridiculous.
If, like me, you view having a beard as part of your lifestyle, you will
always experiment with your beard. That is part of what makes it
awesome, and a big part of being able to keep it permanently.
Blindly following some boilerplate about how real men never trim
or something will really only lead to frustrations and eventually just
shaving - because its hot in the summer or something.
Make your own decisions, walk your own path.
FAQ
Aside from the tips above, there are also a few common and more
specific questions that come up often.
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As always, the answer for you might be slightly different, but these
are always a good place to start.
Q: When my beard got to be a certain length, it started to curl at the
ends of the hairs. What is going on here?
A: A few things.
I have seen many cases where the issue here is actually the way the
beard dries after showering. It can create a ripple in the beard if it
rests on some point of the shoulders or chest as it dries.
The best way to get around this is to blow dry the beard after a shower,
brushing downward as you dry.
That, of course, is if the ripple bothers you.
This will also grow out after a long enough time as well.

Q: Why are parts of my beard growing in different directions?

A: A lifetime of shaving can leave your beard confused at
first.
This is fairly common, especially for guys that are growing a beard
for the first time. Hair learns to grow in different directions based
on how it lays. When it is not trained, or simply shaved all the time,
it can train it to grow in a totally random direction based only on the
friction of the hair and the skin it grows out of.
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Hair can be retrained. It isnt difficult to do, but it does take time
- which can be hard to deal with. When it comes to the beard, hair
will naturally retrain itself because the weight of the hair will begin
holding the beard down. Over time, the hair that grew in from
different directions will grow out and you will be able to trim that
portion of the hair off.
Q: Will the connectors for my mustache ever fill in?
A: They definitely can, but really dont need to.
Not having the connectors between the mustache and beard is a
reason a lot of guys give for not growing a beard. This is really just
an excuse, but that is fine.
I can tell you from experience that my connectors did grow in at about
age 30 for me.
That being said, once you get some growth going, it really becomes
irrelevant anyways. Your mustache fills this area in pretty well once
you add a little length. This is another one of those things that you
will notice, but rarely will anyone else.
Q: Why do I stroke my beard all the time?
A: Because you are a genius.

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Appendix: Facial Hair Styles

82

Appendix: Facial Hair Styles

83

Appendix: Facial Hair Styles

84

Appendix: Facial Hair Styles

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Live The Beard

BeardMountain.com

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