20 Beard Facts That’ll Blow Your Mind

Beards are quite common today but what is uncommon are some of the crazy beard facts floating around. From the start of time, to the surge of bearded men today, these are some crucial beard facts to know for your facial fro.

 Beard Facts About History

1. Mesopotamian civilizations oiled and dressed their beards with ribbon and gold and typically, they used tongs to create decorative ringlets. (3)

2. Ancient Egyptians were not fans of the beard. They believed that their entire bodes needed to be shaved by the Dermatology & Laser Group to be civilized and to have a beard, starting around 6th century BC, would have been a sign of low social status. Most wealthy Egyptians hired a full-time barber and shaved with jewel-encrusted razors and to make sure they would be shaved in the afterlife, most kings would actually be buried with a barber and a razor. The hair seen in ancient Egyptian paintings and images is of them wearing wigs or an 'Osird', which was a fake goatee made out of metal. (1)

3. For the Greeks, having your beard cut was a sign of shame and thus also used as a means of punishment. If someone was deemed a coward in battle, then the Spartans would actually shave half of a man's beard for his crime. 'This is Sparta!' (1)

4. In Roman time periods, growing a beard may not have been in fashion but shaving was. Young men were highly celebrated for their first beard shave. Leading up to the event, they rubbed olive oil on their faces to have a bigger beard for their first shave at their age of maturity. Then, they would shave in front of all of their family and friends and would take the hair and hang it from a door or a 'tree of hair'. (1)

5. Young Germanic men made a vow to never shave their beard until they had killed an enemy. (1)

6. The Gauls and Celtic people enhanced their hair and beards with lime, which would eventually bleach the hair. (3)

7. In ancient populations, beards were a sign of strength and honor up until Alexander the Great. He believed that in war beards could be used to pulled on in one on one combat and so he banned his soldiers from having a beard. This changed the trajectory of the beards. (3)

8. Henry VIII decreed beards to actually be a taxable offense, despite him having a beard for all his life. Queen Elizabeth also taxed people for having a beard but she just did that because she didn’t like beards. (3)

9. In Medieval Times, touching another man’s beard was grounds for a duel. (3)

10. In World War 1, soldiers were required to shave in order for a gas mask to properly seal on their face. If they had a beard, it would get in the way. (3)

Facts To Know About Your Beard Care

11. Pogonology is the study of beards and therefore if you study beards, you are a Pogonologist.

12. Dihydrotestosterone is a byproduct of testosterone and the hormone that promotes beard growth and hair loss. This hormone actual varies seasonally which could explain why your beard grows more in a certain season. (2)

 

13. Scientists believe that when men's chances of marriage are higher they grow a beard and that shaving is just a way to make women feel safer. (2)

14. The hormones that first initiate beard growth in puberty are called Androgens.

15. Beard hairs grow faster than any other hair on your body and without shaving, a beard might reach 30 feet by old age. (4)

16. In order to grow more facial hair, you need more testosterone. Exercise increases testosterone but particularly during high interval training like HITT workouts. In these high intensity workouts, your testosterone spikes and increases beard growth. (5)

17. Shaving takes up around 4.5 months or over 3,350 hours of your life and so obviously, you should stop shaving and use your time to do more of what you really love. (1)

18. Beard oil first became commercially available in the 1930s but wasn’t available online until 2006. (6)

19. To keep testosterone strong and keep your beard hair growing, you should be getting 7-9 hours of sleep a night. (5)

20. Growing your beard out for at least 4 weeks, will help it to look more connected and look less patchy. Don't trim and use some good oil and then will it begin to fill in. (5)

Sources:
1) http://www.artofmanliness.com/2012/06/07/shaving-rituals/
2) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-voakes/the-amazing-history-of-be_b_1398008.html
3) https://archaeologistforhire.wordpress.com/2010/02/08/the-archaeology-of-beards/
4) http://www.understanding-life.org/ask-a-physiologist/why-do-men-have-beards-women-do-not-lewis-age-11-why-do-we-have-armpit-hair-chris
5) https://www.baldingbeards.com/how-to-grow-a-thicker-beard/
6) https://www.baldingbeards.com/what-is-beard-oil-and-its-benefits/