Beards

[raw-al]

I just read this article.

http://www.losethebackpain.com/blog/2013/08/07/men-with-beards-more-attractive/#_edn6

Beards do seem to be coming into fashion again.

I could not have a beard when I worked as a pilot, as it was legally required to be clean shaven, because an oxygen mask doesn't seal properly with a beard. Also as a volunteer fireman same problem with breathing gear.

[eveheart]

I didn't see an option for my answer: I get electrolysis for those pesky chin hairs.

And that article is right - the "10-day stubble" IS the most attractive form of facial hair.

[Iguana]

when I worked as a pilot

Private pilot or airline pilot?

I've shaved my beard ever since it became partly white because it made me look older! I don't like to look old for an obvious reason  I can't vote, no provision being there for such a case.

[jessica]

short but soft, like past the stubble point but not out of control or super long.  but clean shaven is always weird to me, unless someone is genuinely naturally pretty hairless

as for us female beards...I have to tweeze my beard   i come from hairy gypsy Italian's and northern/central americans, so there is a level of inherent hairiness, but i do notice an increase in darker hairs with greater carbohydrate consumption.  haha to be honest its not even that bad, it sounds horrible to type that out though.  for whatever reason I am only proactive about riding myself of "excessive" facial hair, but have totally hairy legs and armpits and wouldn't ever think to shave those.  I think it has to do with face hair really being a sign of higher testosterone and leg and armpit hair being more symbolically unfeminine.

[raw-al]

Private pilot or airline pilot?

I've shaved my beard ever since it became partly white because it made me look older! I don't like to look old for an obvious reason  I can't vote, no provision being there for such a case.

....... , but i do notice an increase in darker hairs with greater carbohydrate consumption.  haha

Iguana,
I added "grew it but shaved it off". I tend to do that periodically. One Hallowe'en I did that with my mustache, but I started by shaving half off. When I showed my daughter who was probably 5 at the time, she went running off in fits of terror and tears. I have no idea why.

Airline Transport Pilot License, but I flew corporate aircraft.

Eveheart, Jessica,
That's it, I'll have to up my carbohydrate intake.... Do you think it will work?

Funny I would never have expected women to mention facial hair. It never even occurred to me. However, bravo.

Personally I hate shaving and I have the scars to prove it, but I also do not like looking too shabby. When I go home to visit Mom, off it comes. She's 91 and would disown me. No point in speeding up her meeting with Gabriel.

[van]

were you serious about upping carb intake and causing your hairs to get darker?  I find the reverse.  Maybe the  carbs you are including have nutrients you need.  Might be interesting to note what they (carb foods) might be?

[jessica]

the evil twist is its only facial hair that darkens van.  many women with symptoms of or issues with glucose intolerance have hirsutism(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hirsutism) . when I eat enough carbs to make my facial hair visibly darker and worse, the hair on my head fall outs. also women with eating disorders, such as binge eating, bulimia and anorexia will grow more, but not necessarily darker hair due to issues with blood sugar, hormone regulation and the endocrine system.

[eveheart]

My chin hairs sprout once in a while, supposedly due to menopause. I was a rice-eating vegetarian before the change and I never had facial hairs, but I didn't have any health problems at all back then.

In men, I notice that shaving clean where there has been facial hair many times signifies an "event" in the man's life. The event can be real or emotional. Either way, it has some meaning to the shaver. Shaving (and haircuts) can be nurturing acts of self-care.

[Barefoot Instincto]

Ever since I was a teenager I've kept stubble. I don't like to scrape my face with a razor so I use an electric shaver that cuts it pretty close, and then I leave it for a week (and keep the edges nice).

I look better with it, as it makes me look older and more defined.

[bookittyrun]

i keep a close trimmed beard on my ugly mug.  it helps to hide the crooked jaw that resulted from being broken.  and the task of shaving is a mundane, terrible thing to endure, so i keep it to a minimum (trim it out and clean it up every 2-3 days...  gotta keep the boss man happy, you know?).

i've been working on grey hairs in my beard for a while now, but it's been a slow process.  i kinda wish more would come in, faster...  they make my bald spot seem more appropriate...     

i can't wait for the day to come, when an article says, "women find nice guys more attractive than assholes"... 

[raw-al]

My chin hairs sprout once in a while, supposedly due to menopause. I was a rice-eating vegetarian before the change and I never had facial hairs, but I didn't have any health problems at all back then.

Do you have issues now? So you had absolutely none before going RP?

In men, I notice that shaving clean where there has been facial hair many times signifies an "event" in the man's life. The event can be real or emotional. Either way, it has some meaning to the shaver. Shaving (and haircuts) can be nurturing acts of self-care.

Yeah, I can see that.

[eveheart]

Do you have issues now? So you had absolutely none before going RP?

I had no major "issues" as a vegetarian, but I was quite a bit younger (teens 'til forties). Auto-immune problems started appearing while I was in my fifties. I think the problems were cumulative and very complex, so I am not blaming vegetarianism or SAD in particular, without including environment and other factors. I was so sick that I started reading books like We Want To Live! - what a perfect title to attract a non-suicidal person who is so sick that they wish they were dead. RPD has been a huge improvement, and gives me reason to believe the improvements will continue, and if they don't, I have improved enough to enjoy my life again.

[raw-al]

Eve,
Glad to hear of a happy landing. I was also a vegie from about 86 -87 till a few years ago. I had no real problems because of my Ayurveda training. I did have a weak liver which is apparently typical for veges due to paucity of iron and B vitamins and I was periodically B deficient. Teeth gave me a bit of grief.

Primal diet was the cure, then treatment with a Rife machine fixed the liver and prostate. Now if I eat a lot of grains and don't exercise, I get a bit of arthritis. Rife fixes that too. I use it once in awhile as a first aid measure.

[Alive]

I grew long hair and beard last year as part of the paleo experience- my thinking was that they must have evolved for a reason. It was good for sun protection, but people did look at me strangely, like i might be dangerous. This year as part of another life changing event to get my act together I have gone back to being clean shaven with short hair. This seems to be much more socially acceptable and I look better without a beard. Razor shaving only takes a few minutes and modern razors are easy to use without getting cut, so its OK to be back in the modern hair world.

[Dr. D]

At 23 years old my beard is still as sparse as a 16 year old. Low testosterone? I don't think so as my whole family on both sides are not hairy; scandanavian and Slavic descent, the non hairy, pale skinned, blue eyed ice gods.

I had my testosterone tested 2 years ago before eating well and it was ~600 iirc. Its probably higher now and still no beard of any thickness or darkness. Ah well. I sport the faded stubble to look clean enough to teach children but still have an appearance of age, as my family also ages slowly, both mom and dad frequently get called 10 years younger than they are.

[Iguana]

Iguana,
I added "grew it but shaved it off". I tend to do that periodically. One Hallowe'en I did that with my mustache, but I started by shaving half off. When I showed my daughter who was probably 5 at the time, she went running off in fits of terror and tears. I have no idea why.

Thanks for taking account of my case! I see another similar vote, must be Alive?

Yeah, the last time I shaved off my beard, I shaved only one side (don’t remember which one, right or left) and asked people around which side they preferred. They laughed (I also have no idea why…) and everyone said they prefer the shaved side.   

[Alive]

Yes Iguana, thats me 
My son says he prefers me with the beard, while my wife & daughter say they like me clean shaven.

[aLptHW4k4y]

In my experience women seem to mostly prefer shaved look. Especially in my case, having dense, strong and sharp beard.. not something they typically want near their gentle, soft skin. When there is no woman to bug me about it I'm cutting it about once a week.
I think I'll have to do it more often for the same reason as Iguana, I just started noticing some white hairs on the chin.

[raw-al]

Many years ago I was living in a small town and the Police were raising money for cancer and they did the Cops For Cancer thing where you cut all your hair off and got donations based on that. I got conned into it. The good news was that at the public cutting/shaving I had a cute young girl to do the cutting. It was very weird having nothing on top. I'm about 1/2 way to that anyway. LOL But I have a lot more than my Dad did at a similar age.

My father in law used to rub his fingernails together and when he started doing it,his hair started to resprout.
How to grow your hair long without vitamins or products!
These links don't really tell you much in the way of results but this is what he did.
http://relaxedhairhealth.blogspot.ca/2010/07/can-rubbing-your-nails-really-increase.html

[jessica]

raw I wonder if its just the act of increasing circulation cause by rubbing and movement that makes nails grow, because I known those who have used scalp massage and also rebounding(therapeutic bouncing on a small trampoline) have also been shown to simulate growth of hair. 

circulation and respiration through the skin and pores and follicles is such an important process, to keep the body fully oxygenated and the nutrients flowing and also the waste products of respiration leaving the body at a proper rate.  its a good reason to always stay physically active, even if its just doing gentle exercises and stretching and to also focus on proper breathing.

this topic makes me really curious what those of you look like who haven't posted up pictures before.  hmmm....any brave souls?

[aLptHW4k4y]

I tried the nail rubbing, it warmed up my fingers quite a bit. I'll remember to do it in winter.
Here's me early this year: http://goo.gl/wUf1jn

[bookittyrun]

this topic makes me really curious what those of you look like who haven't posted up pictures before.  hmmm....any brave souls?

i keep a close trimmed beard on my ugly mug.

no current pic is needed with a description like this...

my avatar is a picture of me, just before i cut off my long flowing locks of hippie hair...
 

[jessica]

looks scratchy but excellent amount of beard alpha!

[TylerDurden]

I like beards, I find it makes a man more distinguished. Unfortunately, I have a tiny area on my upper lip which makes a moustache or beard look odd as no hair grows on that patch. Also, beards make me feel far too hot. Then there's the issue with food.

[raw-al]

I have to change my vote but the poll doesn't seem to allow it. I clipped it to the Sigmund Freud look.