Hirsute or Not Hirsute

**John_Carrick** · 12th October 15, 12:14 AM

I grew my beard last year after being glabrous for 26 years. I remember before that people said I looked better with the beard and then they said I looked better without it when I shaved it off. I guess I have always worked with courteous folk.
My hair is thinning too but it is black whereas as the beard is half grey.
John

With five other bearded kiltie friends in Idstein, Germany recently:

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**Finistere** · 12th October 15, 02:25 AM

Originally Posted by Nile

Hi Finistere; interesting question (though not necessarily kilt related, a lot of us do indeed have beards).

Similar to Liam, I experimented with a beard early in life and stopped shaving the day before I got out of the US Air Force, wearing a beard ever since. When I was very young (perhaps 10 or 11), my father's best friend grew a beard for a bicentennial celebration in his home town and I was very impressed with the look so I decided at that time that I would be a bearded person when I grew up. Ironically, I have a 17yo grandson who now wears a beard.

I must add... I'm a home brewer and for us, a beard is part of the uniform (isn't that right, Brewer Paul?).

Nile

Ditto!! When I was retired from the Air Force due to ill health (that's another story which I can't talk about) I stopped shaving because of treatment and as an expression of freedom, not my original question, but it does seem facial hair and Kilt go hand in hand so far in this pole anyway, I'm sure the clean shaven guys will chime in shortly and prove this assumption wrong. Kit

**SPS tools** · 12th October 15, 09:32 AM

I last shaved my mustache in Aug`69 for a promotion board. Started growing it again as soon as I got that 3rd stripe.

Beards, on the other hand, have been an on again/off again thing since I got out of the service. I started growing my most recent beard last fall because of blood thinners; I kept nicking my chin & bleeding all over God's creation. I keep the handle bars, and trim the goatee so that I don't catch it when raising the chin bar of my motorcycle helmet.

**MNlad** · 12th October 15, 10:03 AM

Being follically challenged since my late 20s, I've sported a beard and mustache for the last 30 years. Thus, I've been in and out of style a number of times. From my perspective, there's such a thing as too much skin showing above the collar. It's nice to know I'm "IN" again.

**Finistere** · 12th October 15, 11:50 PM

Originally Posted by SPS tools

I last shaved my mustache in Aug`69 for a promotion board. Started growing it again as soon as I got that 3rd stripe.

Beards, on the other hand, have been an on again/off again thing since I got out of the service. I started growing my most recent beard last fall because of blood thinners; I kept nicking my chin & bleeding all over God's creation. I keep the handle bars, and trim the goatee so that I don't catch it when raising the chin bar of my motorcycle helmet.

I'm on blood thinners also, but in the spring/summer when I shave, I've gone to the darkside using an electric shaver, needs must!!!! Kit

**Finistere** · 13th October 15, 01:30 AM

Originally Posted by John_Carrick

I grew my beard last year after being glabrous for 26 years. I remember before that people said I looked better with the beard and then they said I looked better without it when I shaved it off. I guess I have always worked with courteous folk.
My hair is thinning too but it is black whereas as the beard is half grey.
John

With five other bearded kiltie friends in Idstein, Germany recently:

Thanks John, your looking good with that beard, I think it suits you. Kit

**GrainReaper** · 13th October 15, 03:37 AM

Originally Posted by Nile

I must add... I'm a home brewer and for us, a beard is part of the uniform (isn't that right, Brewer Paul?).

Nile

I am a homebrewer as well, though fully bearded only in winter, (I have noticed an awful lot of brewers are indeed bearded.) My issue is I love shaving, I have been shaving with a straight razor for a good while, and I find it quite relaxing, now when I shaved with an electric razor, and with a wiz bang 3-blade razor I absolutely hated shaving

I guess aside from brewing, my wet shaving is a sort of hobby too.

**Finistere** · 13th October 15, 12:58 PM

Originally Posted by GrainReaper

I am a homebrewer as well, though fully bearded only in winter, (I have noticed an awful lot of brewers are indeed bearded.) My issue is I love shaving, I have been shaving with a straight razor for a good while, and I find it quite relaxing, now when I shaved with an electric razor, and with a wiz bang 3-blade razor I absolutely hated shaving

I guess aside from brewing, my wet shaving is a sort of hobby too.

I was a straight razor man also, I think the concentration when using a straight razor blocks out all the other worrys, daily task etc from your mind and this is where the relaxation comes from in my humble opinion, unfortunately I had to stop using it, and use an electric shaver now in spring/summer, and your right I don't have that same achievement/relaxation factor using an electric shaver its just a chore. Kit

**The Q** · 13th October 15, 11:05 PM

At the time of the morning I shave, I'm definitely not going anywhere near a straight razor!!

**Finistere** · 17th October 15, 02:34 AM

Thank you all for your replies, it does seem that here on this forum most have facial hair of some sort, all the time or like myself at certain times of the year, I cannot comment if its Kilt related or just the trend now, as my original question was about the number of facial hair products coming on to the market nowheredays, thank you all for your time to reply. Kit