28 Apr 2014

Beardography – ‘Manning it Up’

Art of Beardliness


A handlebar mustache, stubble or a fully grown beard; facial hair has always been the symbol of Indian manliness and ethnicity. Over the years sporting the facial fuzz may have lost its importance to a more clean-shaven chocolate boy/corporate look. But growing the fuzzy manly accessory has again caught the attention of Indian men.

Beardsman: Model Abbis Ratansi
While trend analysis say that after the six-pack craze in India the beard look has been the much followed trend. The reason for it being Ranveer Singh’s beard look in Ramleela which kickstarted the trend. Bollywood stars have raised the beardography meter with actors like Shahid Kapoor and Akshay Kumar growing the facial sprouts for their upcoming movies. The woman folk too aren’t complaining .


Growing a beard may seem fun but getting the right kind of desired style and shape is not an easy task. Boys who start growing a beard often give it up after few weeks as they find difficulty in maintaining it. All said and done growing a beard is like an important life decision you have to grow up with. It may sound philosophical but growing the beard is a choice you make. Hence patience , discipline and grooming is necessary.

Just allowing the forest on your face to grow continuously till it starts stinking like rotten food is not the way you grow a beard. Surely you do not want the girl cozying up to you fainting or slapping your face for all that poky brutality caused to her. You have to travel that extra mile to stop looking like a person loathing basic hygiene.

The thumb rule to growing any kind of facial fuzz is basic male grooming.
Well, simply not shaving for a few months is necessary but there are few tips that are essential.

Initially the basic hard and fast rule is “STOP SHAVING, START GROWING”. However the sprouts need some essentials to grow. Comb your little grown hair to give it a direction and follow skin care routine. Remember in the first two weeks do not play with the beard with clippers or razors just slight trimming with scissors should work. 

Patience is what you need and a proper vision for the look. Invest in a good hair oil and moisturizer to prepare your skin for those sexy manly sprouts. The skin may not get the required hair density in the first week but do not lose hope. Instead of giving up the idea, try planning out your look. Consult a barber or a hair professional for some serious advice. The Indian Mantra however is applying the good old ‘Coconut Oil’ for hair growth as well as a jet black shiny beard.

Your stubble may give you ‘Itchy’ experiences hence to minimize the itchiness make sure you keep the neck shaved clean just around your Adam’s apple and a little on the cheeks. The skin might feel irritated and the best you can do is try applying a gentle moisturizer with no alcohol ( alcohol might make your skin dry) .
 Nivea After Shave sensitive Balm works great too instead of any moisturizer . The Nivea product comes without alcohol and moisturises your skin to have a soft texture.

Once you have well grown stubble grooming it rightly comes into play. Apply a generous Beard Oil for that perfect gloss and shine . Blow dry them after shower for a fuzz free and smooth stubble.You never know, you might just get kissed for that glossy beard.
Try Botanical Bay Lime Beard oil – beard conditioner or Aromatherapy beard and mustache roll on.
      
Regularly maintaining, trimming your beard is the next step to keep you going.Decide upon a look and design your masterpiece accessory in the style you like. A Goatee,Chevron mustache or balbo styles are easy to maintain, Full grown beard styles like Chin strap , brett or a hollywoodian would require some expertise.
Beard Styles
 Internationally there are a range of products available specifically designed for men for shaving and skin care. But in India Philips and Gillette with their respective shaving ranges are easily available in market.If you are confident to maintain the look all by yourself than visiting a saloon; probably you should invest in a Shaving Kit.


  Beards are now officially cool and in trend. So commit your time to that beard,follow basic rules and enjoy that sexy beardy attention