What To Do When the Urge to Shave Gets Strong
Summer is coming, and you might find yourself tempted to trim down or shave off the beard you've worked so hard to grow over the winter months.
WAIT, STOP, HALT, NO, DON'T DO IT! Ok, read on.......
The thing is, I'm in this very situation right now. My beard has been growing unhindered for 9 solid months. I'm aiming for a full yeard (i.e. 12 months of growth with no trimming), and up until now, I've been determined to reach the goal.
However, I'm finding my beard is starting to get too big to fit under the veil of my bee suit, it can be hot and annoying, and there are days when the lure of a shorter beard is getting strong .
In the past, I would have trimmed it right down, or shaved it all off without hesitation, and then gone on to regret it bitterly. BUT I'm committed to this yeard, and this is when I bring to mind a brilliant tip from Beardbrand's Eric Bandholz:
If you feel like trimming your beard, wait a month!
Genius! Just stop, and wait. So I'm taking heed and I'm not going near those scissors or that shaver for at least a month. And I recommend you do the same. Stop, contemplate, consider. Give yourself that time to really think about it, and be absolutely sure it's what you want. Don't just get frustrated and shave it off. Be patient, talk to a fellow beardly friend for support, just don't pick up the scissors yet!
Think about all the hard yards of growth you've put into it, persisting through all the awkward, itchy and annoying stages. This may just be another stage, that you will overcome as triumphantly as you did the others. Take the month to really think about it.
If after that time, you still REALLY feel like making the change, start trimming slowly. Let yourself find the shape you want through careful and considered trimming, bit by bit. In the wise words of Suse's carpenter Dad:
Keep it as long as you can, for as long as you can.
In other words, you can always trim more off, but you can't stick it back on, and you may find yourself in deep regret if you go too far!
And if you do decide on the trim, you'll need an excellent pair of trimming scissors, and for that we highly recommend these beautiful Beardbrand scissors.
Made from the finest quality Japanese steel, they're ergonomically designed to give you ultimate control, to help ensure you don't make the mistake of the all out hack (please no!).
So, here's to the yeard, and to letting your beard be free to find its greatest potential. All beards deserve that.