Graying Beard Questions

[sk806]

HI All! I hope this message finds everyone well. I was wondering if anyone has some input on maintaining a starting-to-gray beard. I just turned 50, and my beard is finally starting to gray. I have a mix of relatively soft blond, black and reddish-brown whiskers, and I keep my beard trimmed to about a #7 comb (ATG) around chin/mustache, down to a #5 towards the sideburns. Anyway, I am noticing that the gray hairs have a completely different texture than the other hairs. They are thicker and tend to be dead straight. Accordingly, they stick out from the rest of my beard like porcupine quills. Letting them grow doesn't seem to allow them to fall flat like my other whiskers. I have been trimming them with scissors as they arise and get unruly, but they are starting to become too numerous for that. I was wondering what to do during this transition period. Should I just do a with-the-grain trim to knock them off every week? Is there a better method? Unfortunately, I can't have an overly long (by my particular job's standards) or messy (same) beard. Any advice appreciated. Gotta love the never ending saga that is male puberty...

Thanks!

Steve

 

[Darth Scandalous]

HI All! I hope this message finds everyone well. I was wondering if anyone has some input on maintaining a starting-to-gray beard. I just turned 50, and my beard is finally starting to gray. I have a mix of relatively soft blond, black and reddish-brown whiskers, and I keep my beard trimmed to about a #7 comb (ATG) around chin/mustache, down to a #5 towards the sideburns. Anyway, I am noticing that the gray hairs have a completely different texture than the other hairs. They are thicker and tend to be dead straight. Accordingly, they stick out from the rest of my beard like porcupine quills. Letting them grow doesn't seem to allow them to fall flat like my other whiskers. I have been trimming them with scissors as they arise and get unruly, but they are starting to become too numerous for that. I was wondering what to do during this transition period. Should I just do a with-the-grain trim to knock them off every week? Is there a better method? Unfortunately, I can't have an overly long (by my particular job's standards) or messy (same) beard. Any advice appreciated. Gotta love the never ending saga that is male puberty...

Thanks!

Steve

If yours are anything like mine, the grays also seem to grow faster than the rest. So I think frequent trimming with a longer guard to catch the strays is a good plan. Also the grays probably need a higher level of moisture so a quality beard balm (preferably shea butter based) or oil (jojoba or argan bases) will go a long way to helping tame them. I just use pure argan oil in my mustache and beard, when I wear a beard, that is. I just regrew my goatee this past month after about a year and it's gone from about half and half to about 2/3 gray in that time. I keep it trimmed pretty close (#2 or #3) due the the texture differences and I still end up going through with a scissor and lopping off the unruly long ones about once a week. My mustache I keep longer but I still have to lop off the extralong grays every few days or so.

 

[sk806]

Thanks! Yes, they definitely do. I think I'll take your advice, perhaps a bit longer and wait until it turns into Santa Claus beard. Then I can "relax". I am also thinking of shaving, just to see what it's like after 5 for so years, but I know I'll hate it at first. Anyway, that's a whole 'nother thread...

 

[Lightcs1776]

I am just a bit older and have a white and grey beard that I grow each Fall and shave off every Spring, usually by the end of April. I find a good conditioning beard balm helps to soften the old whiskers. I also keep my beard fairly short which probably helps.

 

[Rusty Blade]

Embrace aging...don't fight it.

 

[Commander Quan]

I'm almost 40 and my beard is going from dark brown/red to lightly salted, especially around the edges of my chin. You're right about the gray ones being thick and wiry, they usually don't bother me too much except for the really egregious ones that stick straight out and can be seen in my peripheral vision. Those jerks get plucked.

 

[CANES]

Seems we're all alike. I'm 48 and the long thicker grey hairs are still mostly on my chin area, although I've started seeing some grey along the sideburns too. I've shaved my head for years and usually just kept a goatee so they are new to me now since I decided to grow a beard a month ago.

The weird thing about the grey hairs is (like said above) they grow twice as fast as the other hairs and can be pulled out very easily compared to the normal beard hair. Can't really figure that one out...you'd almost think they were "dead" hairs but why would they grow so fast?

 

[sk806]

Embrace aging...don't fight it.

Completely agree! Just need to figure out how to keep it neat while my beard “transitions” from younger to older.

 

[Rusty Blade]

Completely agree! Just need to figure out how to keep it neat while my beard “transitions” from younger to older.

Fortunately, your beard wont turn grey overnight. You have time to prepare.

 

[MrLara]

I'm almost 40 and my beard is going from dark brown/red to lightly salted, especially around the edges of my chin. You're right about the gray ones being thick and wiry, they usually don't bother me too much except for the really egregious ones that stick straight out and can be seen in my peripheral vision. Those jerks get plucked.

I'll be 40 later this year. I am starting to see a few greys in the beard. And a few on the temples

 

[Rhody]

My solution was to shave. However the grays took their revenge and went further upstairs.

 

[Rusty Blade]

I'll be 40 later this year. I am starting to see a few greys in the beard. And a few on the temples

And so it begins...

 

[Filudo]

For many years I had a stubble , trimmed 3xweek. Then grey came....did not bother much at the beginning, then white/grey and dark....now believe it or not; the problem is the mixed dark ones.....it just looks kind of dirty or mud sprinkled after 2-3d....and now I have to shave against the grain to get a real close shave. The problem is, if I get ingrown hairs that are white.....good luck finding them..... Maybe when all is light......the beard will come out again.

 

[musicman1951]

This was me waaaaaaaaaaay back in the day. Now that I'm 71 and the beard is virtually all grey and as stiff as a cheap badger brush my solution is a daily 10 minutes with a Wolfman.

 

[DesertIguana]

My father was WW/2 Merchant Marine, when he was 27 hr went gray.

Think the stress of being Merchant Marine was contributing factor.

He was in North Atlantic, Mediterranean, and at Wars End The Pacific.

Merchant Marines we’re not even giving Veterans Benefits until 1990.

Sadly we could have not won WW/2 without what the Merchant Marine contributed.

 

[Possum092]

Embrace the change.

 

[MrLara]

And so it begins...

I had a buddy in hs, we were sophomores. His hair was white. Don't think I've seen that before. He kept it at a high bald fade.

 

[ColtRevolver]

54 here. My beard and hair are probably about 30% gray. I trim the longer gray beard hairs as needed. My hair is about 18 inches long. I spend a alot time in the sun, so parts of it and my beard get brassy. I wash and and condition both head and beard with a purple shampoo and conditioner for gray hair. It knocks down the brassy/orange tones.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

54 here. My beard and hair are probably about 30% gray. I trim the longer gray beard hairs as needed. My hair is about 18 inches long. I spend a alot time in the sun, so parts of it and my beard get brassy. I wash and and condition both head and beard with a purple shampoo and conditioner for gray hair. It knocks down the brassy/orange tones.

Same here. Makes a huge difference.

 

[dotKomo]

I'm 63 and beard is all grey. Keep a moustache and goatee and keep it pretty short. I mow it weekly and, of course, shave the rest!

Embrace the grey. The way I look at it, I've earned it!