The Amazing Benefits to Having Any Style Beard

Women go back and forth when it comes to a man’s beard and the various styles men now choose to use when it comes to their own. The long, shaggy beard is not a very popular one, but that doesn’t seem to make men want to stop growing it. The close-shaved beard is one women prefer, but there seems to be a great divide. It seems beards are half and half as far as women go; some love beards and some hate them, no matter the styles men choose.

Facial hair can be, when worn the right way, very attractive on a man. Other times, it can be a bit of a turn off. It can make a man look more mature, or it can make him look unkempt. It all depends on a man’s face, his looks and his personality. Some can pull off any beard styles, others can’t pull of any beard styles. Whether or not you’re in the midst of growing one of your own, trying to talk the man in your life into growing one or getting rid of one, or just considering why men might want a beard to begin with, you should know that there are some significant health benefits to having a beard, and that might just surprise you.

Beards are Masculine

Have you ever taken the time to consider what facial hair means to a man, or how it is perceived by either sex? Well, let’s take a minute to do just that. A man’s facial hair is something that makes him look and feel more masculine. There have been studies (informal magazine surveys over the decades) that state that both men and women consider men with beards more masculine and tough than men without. This is not to say that all men with a beard are lumped into the lumberjack territory (but let’s try not to wear a red and black checkered flannel coat, please). Men with beards are simply perceived as stronger, more masculine and even a bit more rugged than men without. It doesn’t matter if you’re the least masculine man on the planet; a beard is going to give strangers the opinion that you’re a masculine man with an outdoorsy personality.

Additionally, the vast majority of women that were surveyed about Modern Beard Maintenance find that 10 days without a razor on your face is the perfect length. So go ahead gentlemen, and take a page out of Elsa’s handbook and Let it Go. Or is that let it grow?

Fewer Allergies

This might be the reason some men bother with a beard in the first place. The more hair you have in your nose and around it means that you have the ability to trap more allergens before they have the opportunity to infiltrate your body and cause damage or harm. It’s not going to get rid of your allergies to grow a beard, but it is going to help trap those pesky allergens and make your body less likely to suffer from severe allergies. Your beard will work as a type of filter for your face. You can compare it to the filter in your central air conditioning system; as air enters and exits your home, the filter traps all the things that make the air less desirable and healthy. Your beard works much the same way, trapping things that would not be ideal to inhale and making you just a bit healthier in the process. The only thing you need to be careful with is the cleaning of your beard. Because they do trap things you can’t see or even notice, they can be pretty nasty. It’s important you clean that thing regularly – and not just by rinsing your face. Let’s go ahead with some shampoo and even some conditioner if you’d like a softer beard.

Decreased Risk of Skin Cancer

Okay, so the technical proven fact is that growing a beard can actually protect your face from damaging UV rays caused by the sun. When your skin is protected from the sun, you experience fewer sun burns and a decreased chance of developing skin cancer. If you’re a man looking for a way to convince your wife that a beard is for you, this might be the argument that will work in your favor. After all, she didn’t marry you because she doesn’t enjoy spending time with you. She married you so she could spend her life with you. If you can protect yourself and your health with a beard, it might be all it takes to convince her a little more hair on your face is worth the scratchy feeling she suffers through during every kiss.

According to information obtained by Australian medical professionals, beards can protect your skin up to 95 percent from damaging rays from the sun. And while we joke that you can use this as an excuse to get your wife on board for the upcoming beard growth you want, it’s a serious benefit to having a beard. All jokes aside, protecting yourself from the sun and from any form of cancer is never a joke.

Added Maturity

If you’re tired of being carded for a cocktail even though you’re 35, you might want to consider a subtle beard. By subtle, we’re talking a few days worth of growth expertly trimmed so that you always have that slightly more mature look. Believe it or not, a beard, or even just a little growth, can drastically change your appearance, making you look older and more mature. It’s a great look for a man with a baby face. When you’re in your 20s or even your 30s and you have a baby face, many women might not notice you. Grow a little hair on your face and you suddenly look older and wise, and probably a bit like a bad boy – and so many women love a bad boy. Even if you’re not one, as long as you look like one she probably won’t care.

Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images