Hard Ball Justice

No part of personal grooming for a man is more important than his beard. I know that you are thinking that hair might be the first but what about men who don’t have hair?

See…?

So, let’s start again and say that beard is the number one in a man’s personal grooming scale.

Before we get to the specifics and find out how often you should shave, let’s start with a brief history lesson.

There is a long history in beard shaving

We have a deep connection with facial hair that goes back centuries. Indian royalty considered a thick mustache a sign of virility and male fertility.

What about Greeks?

See that thick full beard King Leonidas had in the Hollywood blockbuster 300?

Yup, Greeks, Persians, Mesopotamians, Egyptians and many other ancient cultures considered having a beard a sign of masculinity and social status.

Beard culture has experienced a reemergence over the past few years and more and more young men are letting their facial hair grow longer now as it becomes more acceptable in society than it used to be in the 50’s or 60’s.

However, many men still prefer a clean shaved slick look to appear more professional, clean or simply fresh. There’s a fair number of people who consider it the most optimal look for them. And who can actually blame them? Don Draper changed everything with the appealing clean-shaven, professional look.

What it comes down to then is personal preference. Your reasons for shaving or not shaving frequently enough really depend on your style, job and, many times, on cultural influences.

Some women actually prefer men with beards while others find it annoying especially during sexy time. There are also many cases of men who might be growing a beard to hide skin blemishes, blackheads, or other skin conditions they would like to cover. You could also be very lazy and postpone shaving for as long as possible.

There’s a good chance that you may actually be avoiding wet shaving because of the way it makes your skin feel. The ideal way to feel after a shave is clean and refreshed but a lot of men complain about skin irritation, razor bumps and ingrown hairs due to shaving very regularly. This sometimes is also a reason for men to go back to traditional shaving with good old safety razors.

Tip: If you do shave though remember to use hot or warm water to open up the pores of your skin and allow better access to the hair follicles on your face. The best time is right after a hot water bath.

Hercules beard. Ancient history grooming

Shaving often has its advantages.

An added advantage of shaving is that it takes away dead skin cells lying dormant on the top layer of skin on your face. This is the reason you look fresher and brighter right after a shave.

Now, this could potentially be a reason for you to avoid shaving too often. Taking the top layer of your skin off may leave it vulnerable so try to give it a day or two’s relief to recover if possible.

How often should you shave your face? Well…

SHAVE DAILY…

How often to shave? Cleaned, shaved face. Shave every day

If you like clean shaved look, you will need to include shaving in your daily morning routine. And I say morning because many men –including myself, even if they shave in the evening before they go to sleep, the next morning they look as if they didn’t shave for 2 days. Story of my life.

There are also the cases of guys that even though they would love to throw their razors away, their job requires a clean shaved face.

Even though beards are becoming extremely popular and more companies are embracing beard growers. there are still a few left that don’t appreciate facial hair that much.

It’s very common for people with office jobs to be restricted by the company they work for, with a good daily shave due to the business guidelines. This applies for men with beards that are required to have it well groomed. The good thing is that clean shaved faces, as well as nicely groomed beardslook great with a suit.

SHAVE EVERY OTHER DAY…

Beard stubble is something that defined George Clooney and made him look attractive the past 20 years leaving all the girls, no matter their age, drooling on his pictures. Besides looking good with a bit of stubble, shaving every other day allows your facial skin heal from the brunt of shaving, especially if you have a very sensitive skin.

If your facial hair doesn’t grow relatively fast you can also shave every other day or even every three days.

Unless your beard growth is very fast and you don’t have facial hair over your cheekbones, you can afford to skip a day or two.

SHAVE ONCE A WEEK…

If you lack time (or just bored) you can consider shaving once a week. If your job allows it, you can consider shaving on a Sunday before you go to sleep and not have to spend so much time in the shower during the work week.

This is the case with male students worldwide for whom shaving is not the number one priority during the week.

However, unkempt look isn’t the most attractive for a man, especially if you have a thick beard. You’re going to have hair all over your neck and even close to your eyes. Unless you don’t want to scare someone off, make sure you shape your beard on the neck and cheek area. This way you won’t have to shave often while maintaining a well groomed stubble.

NEVER…

If you’ve decided to wear a manly beard and are willing to maintain it properly. I would recommend against growing a beard if you just can’t be bothered taking good care of it.

Growing and maintaining a beard is an art and you have to treat it with care and respect! After all, just because you don’t shave, this doesn’t mean in any case that you are not supposed to groom it. Choose wisely!

Keep the beard at a decent shape by cutting and trimming your beard where appropriate.

If you had to be careful with the cheek and neckline while you were growing it, now it’s the time to make it a habit so that it doesn’t ruin your look.

One important caveat

The frequency of your shave may depend on a lot of different factors but nothing is as important as keeping your woman happy. Your partner’s preference in terms of your facial hair may dictate how often you shave.

So how often should I shave then?

While some men prefer to sport a stubble or beard and can go weeks, if not months or years, without shaving completely, others do not really fancy the way a hint of beard looks and feels so they shave twice a day, morning and night.

So, like with everything else, it’s really up to your personal style and lifestyle. Don’t overdo the shaving unless your hair grows at the speed of light but don’t go too long without a shave (or beard trimming and grooming) either, to avoid looking unkempt.