A fresh line up on my beard brings extra confidence every time I look into the mirror.
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What’s a kids’ dream? To grow up and be like his dad…you probably will end up being better than him, but that comes with time. From the way he viewed his job to his outlook on life, dad was the mirror image you wanted to be.
Only real men grow beards, well look at me now dad, it’s growing and it won’t stop! My dad is a fireman, which called for him to have a clean, nice shaven face every day. He shaved about twice a week for his job, but I’m not in a profession yet—I’m just a college student, so I shall let mine grow; and that I do. Considering the fact that once I graduate next year, I might have to shave it all off, for now, I’m enjoying the manliness of having a beard.
It’s not all peaches and cream. A beard is a blessing and a curse at the same time. Especially when you have real thick hair, which grows back fast. I’m talking 20 minutes after shaving back fast, you feel more stubble then than what you did before.
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…I was one of the few kids in high school who had not only facial hair, but an almost-beard.
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I found out that razors never worked for me the hard way. My face couldn’t take it and it immediately showed me, forcing me to pay the price. My dad taught me how to shave, but we all know, everyone’s skin is different. When I was in the ninth grade, my chin hair started getting thicker. About two years after that, that’s when everything was slowly… I mean slowly starting to connect. And it did, I was one of the few kids in high school who had not only facial hair, but an almost-beard!
My first time shaving, with a brand-new razor of course, left me with razor bumps everywhere, leaving my face looking like Mount Everest. Hair bumps were plentiful. It was disgusting to look at my face, but unfortunately I had to look like that until it cleared up. Not to mention when I went through puberty, I think that made it 10 times worse. Throughout those weeks, I found myself buying countless ‘hair and razor bump removers’ and using them about three times a day. I Googled many tricks like the benefits of soaking your face in hot water to putting dabs of Clorox on the spots until they went away, so heartbreaking. It was rough, but I maintained my facial hair, and it kept growing despite the troubles. Having hair on my face made me feel like the man.
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I find it very relaxing, more of a “me time” thing when I decide to trim my face because it makes me feel and look like a newly groomed man.
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Fast-forward to now, a senior who’s about to graduate, who uses clippers to trim and line his face about once a week. That’s unless I have any important events to attend, which calls for someone to have a nicely trimmed face. Hot water, clippers and a comb are all I need now to get the job down, a tad bit easier than when I first started off, I can say. I find it very relaxing, more of a “me time” thing when I decide to trim my face because it makes me feel and look like a newly groomed man. Although I’m the same person, there’s nothing like a fresh line up on your beard; it brings extra confidence every time I look into the mirror. Not to mention the women, omg your beard! The compliments, I love them.
Honestly, if I can live without shaving again, I totally would. I want my hair to just grow all over my face and I’d be perfectly fine with that. The only problem is that my parents wouldn’t. They grill me every time they see me about my beard, wanting me to cut it all off. Threatening to hold me down and shave it off themselves. My grandma even threatened to suspend my Sunday meal until I shave my face, oh no!
As for now, we (me and my beard) are living a fantastic life! When that job offer comes that calls for men to have a clean, shaven face, then I’ll be that guy. But until that point, we’re going to keep growing together. It’s a nice look on me and personally, I’ve been growing this beard so long I’d probably be a few shades lighter underneath it if I was to ever cut it all off. Although my goatee hasn’t fully connected yet, I still have hope for it because I see it coming. Just give me few weeks and it’ll be there, I wake up everyday seeing new hair grow.
Unedited Photo: Flickr/Juhan Sonin
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