Adjust my Adjustable for Winter?

[Zarba]

I've noticed the past two weeks that my face has become irritated from shaving; I think the winter's dry air has been a factor. Has anyone else found themselves adjusting their Slim or FatBoy to a lower setting in Winter to compensate for the dry skin irritation?

[mblakele]

Besides the drier weather, I feel like my hair grows faster, thicker, and tougher in wintertime.

I rarely use adjustables, but I lean toward more moisturizing products in the winter. MWF and the French Shea-butter soaps are winter staples for me. This week I have been testing a sample of Vitos green from Garry, and it has been doing well.

[Zarba]

Besides the drier weather, I feel like my hair grows faster, thicker, and tougher in wintertime.

I rarely use adjustables, but I lean toward more moisturizing products in the winter. MWF and the French Shea-butter soaps are winter staples for me. This week I have been testing a sample of Vitos green from Garry, and it has been doing well.

Thanks. Maybe I'll break out the Super Speed

[Eddieb208]

Actually, it's just the opposite. Check out the following site for details:

http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/natural-beauty-fashion/questions/why-does-facial-hair-grow-faster-in-the-summer


Besides the drier weather, I feel like my hair grows faster, thicker, and tougher in wintertime.

I rarely use adjustables, but I lean toward more moisturizing products in the winter. MWF and the French Shea-butter soaps are winter staples for me. This week I have been testing a sample of Vitos green from Garry, and it has been doing well.

[mblakele]

It is wonderful how this Matt Hickman gent at MNN knows my beard better than I do. How did he obtain data about my beard growth patterns? I do not recall ever having met him. The other day I noticed a suspicious-looking person who seemed to be staring at me, but I thought he was admiring my careful grooming. If I see him again, I shall confront him.

Meanwhile I can step back from claiming faster growth: on reflection my shaving intervals are about the same. But I repeat that my beard does seem thicker and tougher this winter, and harder to cut. Now, Hickman only seems to be talking about speed of growth, not variations in thickness or toughness of the hair. The speed of beard growth may be completely unrelated to thickness and toughness. It may even inversely correlated with these factors: I have not read any research on the subject.

But frankly this summer growth argument sounds weak to me. Hickman bases his argument on dihydrotestosterone and vitamin D production from sunlight, and seasonal variation in sunlight. The weak point is that several studies have found vitamin D deficiencies in office workers, because they rarely expose much skin to direct sunlight during the hours when it could efficiently produce vitamin D. This effect is not seasonal. Because I fall into this category, I suspect that most of my vitamin D is delivered via dietary sources and supplements and does not vary much from summer to winter.

If my vitamin D intake is roughly constant through the year, then I would expect a more prominent effect from the relatively short telogen and anagen phases in beard hair as compared to head hair. Possibly my beard happened to be more telogenic this summer, and now happens to more anagenic this winter. If so, that may be chance, not a seasonal effect. Or it may be a perceptual illusion: perhaps the drier weather makes my beard feel thicker, whether it really is or not.

Anyway the sticking point is that my beard does feel tougher and thicker this winter. Hickman's theory does not explain that fact.

[Eddieb208]

Let's forget I took the time to search for an answer. You're reply is quite sarcastic.



It is wonderful how this Matt Hickman gent at MNN knows my beard better than I do. How did he obtain data about my beard growth patterns? I do not recall ever having met him. The other day I noticed a suspicious-looking person who seemed to be staring at me, but I thought he was admiring my careful grooming. If I see him again, I shall confront him.

Meanwhile I can step back from claiming faster growth: on reflection my shaving intervals are about the same. But I repeat that my beard does seem thicker and tougher this winter, and harder to cut. Now, Hickman only seems to be talking about speed of growth, not variations in thickness or toughness of the hair. The speed of beard growth may be completely unrelated to thickness and toughness. It may even inversely correlated with these factors: I have not read any research on the subject.

But frankly this summer growth argument sounds weak to me. Hickman bases his argument on dihydrotestosterone and vitamin D production from sunlight, and seasonal variation in sunlight. The weak point is that several studies have found vitamin D deficiencies in office workers, because they rarely expose much skin to direct sunlight during the hours when it could efficiently produce vitamin D. This effect is not seasonal. Because I fall into this category, I suspect that most of my vitamin D is delivered via dietary sources and supplements and does not vary much from summer to winter.

If my vitamin D intake is roughly constant through the year, then I would expect a more prominent effect from the relatively short telogen and anagen phases in beard hair as compared to head hair. Possibly my beard happened to be more telogenic this summer, and now happens to more anagenic this winter. If so, that may be chance, not a seasonal effect. Or it may be a perceptual illusion: perhaps the drier weather makes my beard feel thicker, whether it really is or not.

Anyway the sticking point is that my beard does feel tougher and thicker this winter. Hickman's theory does not explain that fact.