About That Beard Oil...

I grew a beard over 10 years ago and have kept the look since.  It is one of the best decisions I've ever made.  It allows me to be a bit lazy with grooming while having an up-to-date style (at least I think men's facial hair is in style).  One of the best parts of having a beard is that they are low maintenance in terms of decreased shaving.

Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I quit shaving my beard altogether.  Subsequently, my beard became the longest I've ever had it.  Usually, I shave my neck and stray cheek hairs daily.  But the beard itself I would only trim once every 1-2 weeks.  During the pandemic, I went a few months in-between shaves.  This is where the beard oil came into the mix.  As the length increased, the beard became harder to keep under control.  It was scratchy and had hairs pointing in every direction and generally was looking a bit like a mess.  Think mountain man.  Someone recommended I use beard oil to smooth the beard and make it softer, so I did.  It definitely helps.  But as my beard continued to grow, the amount of work needed to keep it manageable grew as well.  This realization coincided with lesser pandemic restrictions, meaning I actually had to go out into public periodically.  Public appearances plus increased maintenance effort led me to trim my beard again.  I still keep it longer than I used to.  Previously I trimmed at the 5 mm level on my razor.  Now I trim at the 10 mm level.  And I still use beard oil, just not every day.  I think I've found a good happy medium between keeping it a bit longer while also keeping it presentable.