Lara Gilbert When you participated in the Movember movement and grew your beard for raising awareness about prostrate cancer, you did not know it would make you this popular with the women folk. So now you are planning to keep it even as your parents threaten to shave it off while you are sleeping? You are not alone. The arguments that most parents proffer against keeping a beard is that makes you look unhygienic and depressed (thanks, but no thanks Devdas). Why the depressed bit is highly subjective, there may be something to the hygiene part. You may want to strike a compromise and buy trimmer online to keep it tamed. However, how much worse can a beard be than not showering for weeks through no-shave November, right?
Beards: Debonair or Dirty
The go-to study for all in favour of dirty is the beard swab test conducted by the reporters of Action 7 News at Albuquerque (pronounced Al-ba-ker-kee), New Mexico and Quest Diagnostics in April 2015. They found that facial hair contains bacteria of the kind that is usually found in the intestines and fecal matter. Before you get mysophobic about beards in general, it is important to understand that this was not the case with all bearded men.
While it is natural that most beards would trap more bacteria than a clean shaven face, the ones that are famously being compared to public toilets, belonged to a few men with questionable hygiene practices. Of course in such cases, beards could potentially cause skin infections like folliculitis and transfer germs to your partner as well, causing stomach infections. Another study published in the medical journal Anesthesia in 2000, stated that men who wear surgical masks i.e. surgeons, lab assistants, nurses (yes, they can be male too), are likely too have harmful bacteria in their beard. Therefore, it might be advisable for them to be clean shaven or opt for a trimmer online, so as to keep it short and neat.
However, if your profession does not require to either wear a mask or be exposed to dirt and sweat, you may go ahead and sport a hipster. However, it will still require you to undergo a careful regimen of trimming and cleaning. It is recommended that you wash your beard with a gentle shampoo every few days and then use a conditioner to keep it soft. Washing your beard everyday however could rob your face of its natural oils and is therefore best avoided. There are also balms and oils available in the market to groom the beard and it keep it smelling nice. After you have done this, it is also important to comb your facial hair. This will not only keep it looking neat, but will also take care of trapped bugs, if any.
Verdict: Beards can be dirty, just as armpits can be dirty if not cleaned regularly. However, for the man who knows how to keep it clean, it has the additional advantage of testifying to good hygiene practices. Buy trimmer online along with a conditioner and some moustache wax too, for good measure.
