Let me say right from the start, I have nothing against beards or baldness. When it comes to the latter, there really isn’t anything which can be done to prevent the loss of hair. It can be genetic and many men, in particular, can lose their hair at a very early age all because the men who came before them in their families also lost theirs. Beards, on the other hand, for men at least, are a personal choice.
It is true to say that some women are also struck by hair loss and some, particularly as they get older, start to grow ‘whiskers’. Again, this is something they have no control over – if their genetic gene pool has decided they are going to grow facial hair or go bald, so be it! They do, of course, have the option to wear wigs, as so many do, to disguise the unwanted loss of hair, and can also use various treatments to remove the unwanted growth of hair.
But, leaving the women aside, why am I discussing beards and baldness?
I am currently growing a moustache to raise funds for and awareness of Prostate Cancer. There are many men around the globe doing this during the month of November, or Movember as it has been termed (see here). The rules are quite simple – grow a moustache for 30 days and raise as much as you can.
Beards aren’t allowed!
And when one stops shaving a part of one’s face, one becomes a little self conscious, especially in the early days. I am just 9 days in to this challenge, and for someone who is always clean shaven it is quite difficult to feel and see this strange growth on the top lip. The early days are so messy! Although not a lover of facial hair, I have nothing against it. And as far as baldness is concerned, I have to confess that my forehead seems to be getting larger! I’m sure the gap between my hairline and my eyebrows is increasing daily, but for now at least, I still have a fairly good crop of hair atop my head.
And when it comes to the beard, I did, several years ago, even grown one myself. Twice in fact! Although, it has to be said, on both occasions, it wasn’t grown because I fancied a beard, but because a role I was playing on stage demanded it. And as any one in the acting profession knows, an actor has to make many sacrifices for their art! But for me, there are some basic rules when it comes to having a beard. And whilst my top lip warmer is only temporary, I have noticed during this first 9 days, some oddities I feel I must point out.
For example, if you are a man whose hair has lost most of its original colour, and is now mostly grey and you dye your hair, do you really think you should dye the beard as well? The problem here is that the beard grows much quicker than the hair on top of the head which means that the beard always seems to have a grey border highlighting the edge, and therefore requires almost daily dying. Why not just accept the natural change in hair colour and leave it all grey!
As for the latest craze of just leaving a little tuft of beard under the bottom lip – what’s that about?
The Soul Patch Beard - why?
On some men it looks like they couldn’t be bothered to finish off their daily hair removal routine. Are they just too tired? Does the early morning routine take it out of them so much that they get 95% of the way through the daily shave only to run out of energy? Perhaps these men need a personal coach standing behind them, watching over their shoulders, looking at them in the mirror urging them on. “Come on, one more centimetre to go, and you’re done. No more facial hair for twenty four hours!”
How would these men feel if their woman left a small tuft on her legs or under one armpit? 😉
I guess there’s always at least one exception to any rule, and here is someone who can get away with both the little tuft and the dyed beard!
Billy Connolly
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