Dear reader,
As you know, I have decided to grow a beard. It will be a Balbo beard. Read on about my beard adventures.
Growing a beard is like an expedition of discovery.
Once you have decided to grow a beard, you are heading into an uncertain future. You start from scratch, but you do not know which path you will take or where it will end. Of course, you do not know how your beard will develop. Will it be a thin, wispy beard, or will it become a full Viking beard? Will it be a beautifully neat lawn or a shabby patch of grass full of holes? Should I grow a mustache too, and should I let the beard grow all the way up to my ears? I definitely do not want a goatee. According to Youp van 't Hek, a so-called “talking cunt.” And then the question arises: which type of beard will I choose, or which one suits me? I was advised to simply let it grow for a while and then see what suits me best. The beard you choose also depends on the type of head you have. What shape is my head? According to my wife, I have a square head. Right, and then you have to figure out which beard suits a square head. There is plenty of choice. If you have a square face, it is best to choose a full, long, rounded beard. You should keep the sides of the beard, or sideburns, neat and short. If you do not, you will end up with a very wide head. The Balbo beard seems like a good option to me. It is a beard with a floating mustache combined with a broad goatee that follows the jawline and shaved sideburns. Fortunately, my wife agrees. Well, she has to look at it all day.
Beards and razors
Anyone who thinks that having a beard means you never have to shave again is seriously mistaken. If I do nothing, the beard quickly becomes overgrown. Before you know it, it is sticking out in every direction. I do not want to look like a vagrant. My barber advised me to leave about two fingers’ width of beard under my chin and along my jaw, and shave the rest of my neck. This makes the beard look neat and well-groomed. Some guys let their beard stubble grow on their necks too. Of course, everyone can decide for themselves, but I do not like that. On the cheeks, you can choose to shave the beard contours extremely neatly in a curved line from the corner of your mouth to your ear. I do not find this very attractive myself. I prefer to trim the beard edges a little more roughly. It suits me better. So I regularly touch up the beard contours with my Gillette razor. It is not exactly easy, though. The long beard hairs quickly get stuck between the blades of my Fusion. There is a wide rim around the Fusion’s 5 blades. As a result, you cannot see clearly how the razor is shaving. It has happened to me several times: you accidentally shave off too much on one side, leaving the beard contours uneven. Very inconvenient. In short, I am not completely satisfied with the razor yet. I am still looking for the ideal razor for shaving my beard perfectly.
Sharp beard contours
Normally, I shave my beard with a little shaving foam from an aerosol can. The disadvantage is that you spread a large white cloud over your beard. You simply cannot see what is underneath. You do not have a clear view of the beard edges. As a result, things regularly go wrong and I fail to get the edges properly neat. Much to my own annoyance. My neighbor a few houses away advised me to use a transparent shaving gel. This gives you a protective layer while allowing you to see the edges clearly. Gosh, why had I not thought of that myself sooner? Good advice, and perfectly logical. I immediately buy some shaving gel. I apply a little gel to my beard and can now touch up the beard contours with great precision. Perfect. Yes, I am getting there. Step by step.
It should be clear that my beard adventure is not a neatly organized journey. It is an exciting voyage of discovery. To be continued.
Johan
