Nowadays, beards are either seen as a fad thing or strictly for stylistic purposes. After all, we don’t often require the impact protection, filter, or sunshade functionality that beards were useful for in neanderthal times. That being said, there is still some utility to having a beard in the modern day and age that you may not have thought about! So, today, we’ll be talking about the pros and cons of growing a beard to determine if you think a beard is a worthwhile pursuit of your time and energy!
Now, chances are that if you stumbled across this blog, then you are at least entertaining the thought of growing a beard, if you do not already have one. You’d want to learn why beards are both good and bad things, after all, before making your own judgement! So, let me give you the quick and dirty on the pros and cons of beards.
Here are the summarized pros and cons for having a beard. Feel free to gloss them over and continue reading for a much more in-depth look at why these specific things are placed in each defining category.
Pros for Growing a Beard:
- Style/Accessorization
- Attractiveness/Trustworthiness
- Protection
Cons for Growing a Beard:
- Maintenance
- Irritation/Health
- Image
So let’s dive into each of these categories and determine by the end if growing a beard is the right choice for you! If you’d rather watch a cool Volt video, check it out below! And don’t forget to Subscribe to Volt’s YouTube Channel!
Pros for Growing a Beard
Let’s dive into the first of the pros for growing a beard! Each pro will have it’s own unique description as well as exceptions as to why they are considered positive things to begin with!
Style/Accessorization
Nowadays, beards are stylish. There is no two ways about it. Well-kept and properly groomed beards are “in” and just about everyone agrees with the current nature of their fashionability. Everyone from celebrities, musicians, and even sports stars are finding the bearded image more modern, masculine, and enjoyable.
Growing a beard for style is likely the umber one most common reason that people grow beards nowadays. I’ve mentioned earlier that there are still practical purposes for growing beards, however these are not so needed or useful considering the luxuries of the modern world.
Beards are an accessory, but a much more intimate and demanding one at that. unlike a bracelet, ring, watch, or set of shades that you can toss over your eyes, a beard requires direct input and ability from your DNA in order to be incorporated with your overall image. It also requires patience, hard work when it comes to maintenance, and even certain products to upkeep.
For these reasons, even though a beard is not permanent, I liken beards to tattoos when it comes to accessorization and fashion. Tattoos also require time, patience, and maintenance among other things to upkeep and keep well. They are both good indications of masculinity and “edginess.” Beards gray over time, and so do tattoos. The only difference is that a beard can be shaved off in an instant, and although tattoos can be taken off by certain laser techniques, they require time to do so.
Overall, beards are certainly a style and fashion statement that can elevate a man’s look.
Attractiveness and Trustworthiness
The studies are in, and the results are astounding. Women deem beards more attractive for certain things depending on the length of the beard itself. For example, women often found shorter “stubble-like” beards more attractive for flings or short-term dating. However, our longer-bearded brethren out there were deemed more likely to be good providers and father figures.
Studies of car salesman, and there affect on potential customers, showed that salesman who rocked a beard were inherently seen to be more “trustworthy” off the bat than a clean-shaven salesman in the eyes of consumers. This is theorized for a number of reasons, most likely the assumption that bearded men have more expertise and experience, hence being trusted more innately.
So, whether you are trying to sell cars, or sell yourself with the ladies, a beard may very well help you do that.
Protection
Nobody seems to grow a beard for protection nowadays (it’s original purpose, next to mate selection). Although, we cannot simply negate the inherent ability of a beard to protect its wearer from both impact and the elements.
Multitudes of tests have shown that beards of certain sizes and density can disperse the shock and lessen the blow of an impact by up to 30%, which is amazingly effective. Now, whether that impact is the cause of a nasty slip or fall, or a fight with another brawling competitor, beards have the ability to aid you in your own protection by directly decreasing the impact of a force to your face/head.
Beards also provide amazing UV protection when it comes to certain sensitive areas of your face such as those around your mouth and nose. In fact, men who wear their beards long-term tend to have less aging in their face over time than men who don’t, simply because the beard keeps the sun from oxidizing the skin cells on your face at a higher rate.
Despite the rarity that these events occur, especially in a world with (relatively) civilized governments and sunscreen, beards are still able to help us with these more practical elements of safety and survival.
Cons for Growing a Beard
Now, let’s get into some of the cons for growing a beard. Although we here at Volt Grooming find these cons to be more self-inflicted than anything else, and can be negated with proper care, we would be remiss not to include them. Although we feel beards are a magical and awesome thing to be celebrated due to their benefits, there are some down sides.
Maintenance
No beard takes care of itself. It requires a certain amount of upkeep and energy before your beard will look and feel it’s best, which is inherently a con.
Things that take time and energy are not worth it to everyone. Some people may find it easier to completely shave bare every day, while others may find that a simple goatee or something short and simple is best for them. Preferences are preferences, and your beard is no different.
When maintaining your beard, at the bare minimum, you will need to trim and shave. Trim your beard to maintain the length of the beard itself, and shave the parts of your face and neck where hair grows that you don’t want to be there. This is how you give your beard a well-defined shape and overall look, and it’s necessary for every beard out there unless you wan the not-so-stylish rogue-warrior-abandoned-in-the-woods kind of look.
This means washing your beard, using clippers or trimmers to trim the hair down to the desired length, then using a razor to shave the neckline, cheekline, and lipline, and then applying any beard supplements or products that you prefer such as beard oil or balm.
We think it’s worth it, some don’t.
Irritation and Health Issues
Remember when I said that we believe many of these cons are self-inflicted? Here’s what we mean.
People who don’t maintain their beard well or correctly are going to run into problems with the health of their beard hair, but more certainly the health of the skin underneath. You see, hair is dead, but the follicle that manages the proteins that create the hair and lies within the skin is not.
There are two main things you can do to ensure that your beard and the skin underneath are damaged: 1) Make sure your beard is DRY, and 2) make sure your beard is never cleaned.
A dry beard causes dry skin. Why? Well, as a dry beard rubs onto your face, it collects moisture because hair is very porous, which means it pulls moisture away from your skin. A hydrated and healthy beard won’t do this, for the same reason a wet towel doesn’t dry things very well; it’s already packed with moisture.
Having a dry beard only ensures that it pulls moisture away from your skin and causes flaking, itching and irritation.
Having a dirty beard works differently. Dirty beards may already have too much moisture, thus causing oily skin, breakouts, and redness, or, dirty beards may be infected with contaminants that can clog pores and cause the same issues.
The best way to avoid these things is to use a dedicated beard wash (NOT a shampoo, which are more harsh) to clear away the oils from your beard before using a controlled amount of beard oil or balm to replenish that hydration. This way, you can clear debris while controlling the right amount of moisture for your beard without having to worry about damaged skin.
Image
The last con we can think of, and which is also self-inflicted, is an issue with the overall image of your beard. Even if you clean and manage your beards health and hydration as mentioned above, your beard can still look dirty and unkempt if you decide to neglect the trimming and maintenance that goes into the aesthetics of your facial hair.
The way your beard is shaped and maintained has a huge effect on the way people see you. If your short beard extends down your neck due to an excess of neck hair, that beard inherently looks more unkempt and gives you a “dirtier” image than if you were clean-shaven on your neck.
Although beards can work for you if they are well maintained, they can also work against you and your overall image if they are not. Keep up to date on your beards maintenance.
Should You Start Growing a Beard?
In all, pros for growing a beard include the benefit to your overall style, attractiveness, trustworthiness, and even health. However, the cons of beards include the time-consuming maintenance, potential irritation, and negative image that can be posed to others if you neglect to keep up with beard health and maintenance.
Depending on if you think the maintenance and upkeep of a beard is worth the style and benefits that a beard adds, you may or may not decide to grow one. Personally, we at Volt think beards are entirely worth the few moments of upkeep they require, especially considering their fashionable and masculine image they provide.
If you’re curious about which beard products are right for you, take this awesome Volt quiz to find your perfect match.
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