Once I turned 17, and could grow facial hair, I have had facial hair. Mustache and goatee, just a goatee, or slim line beard; those were my “go to” looks back in the early days. Then I joined the US Navy in 2000 and said goodbye to facial hair. Almost 8 years of shaving daily. Keeping this face smooth as a baby’s bottom. Luckily after the first couple weeks at bootcamp, my face became accustomed to the daily beating my face took with this new morning ritual. The red, irritated, soreness went away, and I was now full-fledged NAVY ready! Well, at least my face anyway.
Almost 8 years later, the Navy and I said our goodbyes, and I was on my way into the “civilian world”. The excitement, the anxious nervousness, the fears. Oh God what was going to happen. Where was I going? After 8 years living the military life, I was walking into the completely unknown. With all the fears and uncertainty, before exiting the gates of Naval Base San Diego for the last time, I did know one thing for sure. I was going to rebel against everything I had known for those long 8 years, throw caution to the wind if you will. The facial hair was coming back!!! I drove the 350(ish) miles from San Diego to Phoenix in just under 7 hours. As soon as I got home and started unpacking my things, I immediately threw every razor I had into the trash bucket. I was ready… LETS DO THIS!
I stopped shaving for 3 or 4 months (I honestly don’t remember exactly how long ok… back off). I looked like I had been lost in the woods or was sleeping on a park bench somewhere. If I must be honest, it was not a good look at all. It had come time to make myself presentable. To be an adult who gave a damn. So, I went back to the mustache and goatee look. That was my look yet again for the next several years.
Fast forward to around 2014(ish). I started seeing more and more dudes with actual beards. Not fashion stubble, but real beards. Full face of hair… trimmed… neat and tidy… but BEARDS none the less. I looked at myself in the mirror and thought… hmmmm I bet you’d look sexy AF with a thick, full beard. At that moment I once again stopped shaving entirely. Week after week, the hair grew in. First was my cheeks, the hair growing in higher and higher. Before I knew it, when I looked down, I could see hair… it was glorious!! 6 months later, I had a beard. A REAL BEARD! I had started shaving down my cheeks, creating a soft curve towards my nose and mouth. This gave birth to my first beard shape. It was no longer a wild thing attached to my face. It became a part of my face, apart of my identity. I had arrived.
I was smitten with my own facial hair. It was glorious, it was beautiful. I felt like a new person, the person I was meant to be. Then came the irritation. The soreness. The constant itching and it flat out hurt at times. I had grown angry at my beard. How dare you turn your back on me you son of a bitch! This is not how you were supposed to treat me. But it became unbearable… too much. I had to shave it off. I got out my clippers, chocked back the tears and before I knew it, the beard was gone. It laid in piles all around me at my feet. I looked in the mirror and did not recognize the face looking back at me. I squinted my eyes, tilted my head back and forth trying to identify this boy who was staring back at me. I was devastated. I no longer could hold back, and a single tear rolled down my cheek. The cheek that was now bare… smooth as a baby’s bottom. I vowed to never do this again! Not to ruin the story for you, but yes it did happen again. Multiple times again.
I was determined to not have to endure that heartache again, so I started researching beard maintenance and beard care. I soon discovered the wonderful world of beard oils, butters, balms and waxes. I learned that using shampoo and soap were horrible for your beard. Possibly even some of the worst things you can do to a beard, and of course, that was what I had done. I had denied my beard proper nourishment, essentially starving and killing it slowly. With this new information I knew what I had to do… BUY BEARD CARE PRODUCTS! I went crazy! I bought up all kinds of oils, balms and waxes. I totally overlooked balms and beard wash figuring I could make do with the oil’s, balms and waxes. I must have spent well over a hundred bucks on oils alone. I had gone certifiably nuts! But I was determined to NOT kill my beard.
I have had my ups and down since then with my beard. I have shaved it to shock family and friends, or I just simply jacked up a beard trip so bad there was no saving it. Even with the feeling of it being a love/hate relationship at times, the beard has become a part of who I am. I treat it as a living, breathing thing and make sure I nourish, care, and love my beard every day. It has now been almost 8 months since I last shaved it off due to a trimming accident, and the beard is going strong. It is full and thick, soft and luscious. I have done some VERY minor trimming during the last 8 months, but my goal it to make it a full year without having to start from scratch… again.
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