Why Men Shave [Infographic]

Matthew Gates http://notetoservices.com 4m 1,058 #noshavenovember

The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.

No Shave November

As a man with the dexterity in genetics to grow a beard, I take pride in my beard when I am able to grow it, though growing a beard takes time, energy, and patience. For example, it takes several times shaving my face, which means I only shave my face several times a year, in order to grow a beard in correctly, where it does not itch. If a beard is not cut right, the next time it gro.ws in, it will be more likely to itch. While not all beards are the same, there are times when a beard grows in naturally and it is beautiful and perfect.

In some countries, a beard is very acceptable and very respected – whether in the home or at work. A man with a beard is seen as having more wisdom than a man who does not have a beard. A man with a beard is probably more busier and focused on his work than a man who has time to shave. A man who has a beard has better thinking abilities because he can stroke his beard rather than the beardless man who strokes at nothing but his own ego. A man who has a beard is not likely to judge others who have facial hair than a man who has no facial hair. A man with a beard is better equipped to knowing how to eat properly in order to keep his beard clean than a man who has no beard. A man with a beard is likely to have a better personality because he must rely on his beard rather than his baby face in order to get respect and understanding. Really though, a man who has a beard is probably just too damn lazy to shave.

To that, I say: With Great Beard Comes Great Responsibility!

There are also some women who consider a beard very attractive, while other women cannot stand the look or feel of a man’s beard. Growing a beard can be easy or it can be hard. Some men choose to groom their beard, while others prefer to just let it naturally grow without any interference. Unfortunately, in the United States, it is more proper to be clean shaven than to sport a hairy long beard, especially at work.

To be clean shaven is to be professional and presentable. Therefore, a man can normally go a few days to a week without shaving and he will be fine. Once he surpasses that time, it seems as if it is no longer acceptable. He is shamed by being looked down upon or told to shave, and he is often harassed until he does so.

While every company may have its policy about facial hair, or every woman has her own standards about facial hair, there is something magical in a man being able to grow out his beard, take pride in his beard, and share in the glory of his beard with others.

I wrote this article in honor of the fact that I had been working at home as a freelance web developer for over a year and had not shaved for two months. Since this article was written, however, I have returned to the workplace in an office, and while I am sure I could get away with a trimmed beard, I have no upkeep skills and often shave it “all or none.” I usually let it grow out for about 2 weeks before I shave.

When November rolls around though, I tend to keep to the tradition of not shaving.

To all the men out there who are able to grow and take pride in your beard, I salute you! Stand proud! Your beard is awesome!

Every year, No Shave November comes around, do you participate?

You should! It’s not too late! To participate, all you have to do is not shave.  Yes, it’s that easy!

DO NOT SHAVE YOUR BEARD!

If you have an awesome beard, share a link to your photo in the comments! Let everyone see that beard!

And yes — I will share mine! If I did not have that beard, I probably would have never written this.  Scroll to the bottom of this article to see a photo of me sporting a beard.

At the end of the month, I’ll provide an updated 2014 beard!

This infographic shows the top 10 outlandish reasons why men shave.

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Text-Friendly Version

Top 10 Outlandish Reasons Men Shave
Plus Surprising Hair and Shaving Facts and Figures You Might Not Know

Hair grows faster during the day than at night

34% say they have a mustache

17% have a goatee

19% have sideburns

6% have a full beard

3% have a soul patch

1. Don’t get your beard caught in things all day long
   • Hair on the neck grows parallel to the skin
   • Body hair usually grows out from an individual’s skin at a 30 to 60 degree angle
   • The average person has about 615 hairs per square centimeter
   • Men’s facial hair grows at a rate of approximately half and inch per month (6 inches per year)
   • The average man’s face contains anywhere from 5,000 to 25,000 whiskers
   • It is estimated that a man will shave at least 20,000 times in his lifetime
2. Eliminate the beard as a place for an enemy to hang on during combat
3. Avoid being mistaken as a Sasquatch
   • Pogonophobia refers to an abnormal and persistent fear of beards
4. Avoid getting caught on fire when showing off your culinary abilities
5. Donate the shaved hair to those with thinning hair
6. Makes you faster when running/swimming away from attacking animals
7. Stop getting food stuck in your beard
8. It’s a fast way to shed some pounds
9. Stop feeling the effects of global warming
10. Your girlfriend doesn’t enjoy kissing furry animals

Alexander the Great ordered his soldiers to be clean shaven

On average 75% of men shave their face everyday

It is estimated that 85% of men who shave prefer to wet shave

1.3 billion of the men in the world shave with a blade and a razor

The average American male begins to shave between ages 14 – 16

Shaving is to most guys what make-up is to most women

My Beard of November 2013

As Promised, My Beard of 2014

Matthew Gates is a freelance web designer and currently runs Confessions of the Professions.

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