<p>It seems that beards are becoming very popular among young men in their 20s-30s. The beards that look like a couple day’s growth seem to be everywhere. How hard is it to maintain this facial hair so that it looks like it’s just scruffy enough, but not too scruffy? And is keeping it just so harder than shaving? I would think so.
I think a lot of guys look good with them, but I’m not fond of the beards that climb down the chin all the way down the front of the neck—neck beards. 
It just looks uncomfortable.
And to the women in their lives- how comfortable is this for you? Is anyone else kind of surprised by this trend?</p>
<p>I have a 17 year old with a beard and after shaving it off for a month or two he grew it back. He had so much trouble with ingrown hairs and it just itched when he shaved. He needs a better “skin care routine” if he is going to keep clean shaven, but good luck getting a teen age boy spending that kind of extra time. His is not the 2 days growth kind it is an actual beard.</p>
<p>p.s. no neck beard ;)</p>
<p>Some guys can’t really grow a beard so it has that 2 day look perpetually</p>
<p>My actor son in his early 20’s has this “scruffy” look. He seems to let it grow for 4-5 days and just uses a trimmer to shorten it back to that 4-5 day look. He had head shots taken recently and I do think he looks much more handsome with the scruff rather than clean-shaven. :)</p>
<p>My son has grown a beard a few times each year while in college. It’s easier for him than shaving since his beard is thick and his skin is sensitive. I have also noticed many 20somethings with beards lately. If they are long enough, they can be soft.</p>
<p>Neither of my daughters sig others have beards. Well, my son inlaw has a beard, but its the kind of 5’oclock shadow beard. Its a little shorter than the hair on his head, which is probably 1/8 of an inch long.</p>
<p>[Best line: Betty White has bigger balls than you](<a href=“http://nickidaniels.com/2014/01/06/beardedhipsters/”>http://nickidaniels.com/2014/01/06/beardedhipsters/</a>)
She also apologizes, but I thought the whole thing was funny because I am a horrible person.</p>
<p>My son has the scruff mainly because he gets sick of shaving and it grows too fast. At 18 years old, he feels he has better things to do. So he shaves maybe once or twice a week. It looks good, IMO.</p>
<p>My husband used to have a beard and is now clean-shaven. I like the clean look on him, but the beard was softer. </p>
<p>Neck beards = gross. 
</p>
<p>My 29 yo son has a longish goatee and is almost totally bald. It balances out. His dad, my ex, had a fuller beard until it went gray. I always liked it. My H has a goatee and I have never seen him without it. I can’t imagine him any other way. I don’t know anyone with a full beard that covers the neck. Maybe some rocker dudes?</p>
<p>Beards are very common at my daughter’s SEC school. Guys from certain fraternities sport them, as well as the hipsters. Long beard hair and neck hair are common. Not a fan. </p>
<p>When we visited Oberlin, more than half the men had beards. We didn’t see any at Denison. Wondering if facial hair is just a certain kind of college student or will the school determine it.</p>
<p>Older son is bearded until he sees his girlfriend. He is lazy about shaving, but I think also proud he can grow such a beard. Younger son is less lazy, but hasn’t quite figured out how to shave without inflaming his acne. (He has made a lot of progress, though.) He is still in high school, so I think part of his hairiness is just showing off, too. </p>
<p>Beards are supposed to be in among young people. I remember boys experimenting with facial hair back when I was in college, though. I always thought they were just playing with their looks. </p>
<p>S2 grows a full beard and then, like Michelangelo sculpting David, takes portions of it off to experiment with different looks.</p>
<p>I am not a fan.</p>
<p>DS had a beard from 10th grade until earlier this year. I think his girlfriend has something to do with him no longer having a beard. DH has a beard but it’s not much longer than the scruffy look you are talking about. I think he has to maintain it every day but it’s easier than shaving which he hates doing. </p>
<p>I’m not surprised by the trend - but then my H has had a beard for 40 years. It’s more than the ‘scruffy look’ and he does shave his neck. I think it was much easier than shaving his face when he was younger and had acne issues. Now it is just part of him - he looked really odd once when he shaved it off.</p>
<p>Trends come and go - some of S’s friends have beards. I don’t think S could grow one if he wanted to, it would be patchy. He did have very long hair all through high school, but cut it before graduation.</p>
<p>My H used to wear one in the winter for skiing & the rest of the time he had a pornstache.
Then I convinced him that he looked younger without it, but after several years he grew it back for Movember.</p>
<p>S1 has had a beard since hs, except for shaving it for graduation. I think he did it initially out of laziness, but now he does it because he likes it. I am sure he’d get rid of it if his fiancee had a problem with it. Now that he’s starting to lose his hair, I can’t imagine he’ll be getting rid of it.</p>
<p>My 3 boys inherited my thick, curly hair…which is impressive since some of them are adopted! Their hair grows quick and they can have 5 o’clock shadow by 9 am!</p>
<p>My dad, their grandfather is a retired fighter pilot, ex-Top Gun instructor pilot, so always sports a military cut. Boys have been to the barber since they were little, supervised by grandpa. Now as grown men with significant other’s that LOVE their curly locks they get the phone call every so often when their pics have been spotted on social media by the “Colonel”, the call is “cut your hair and shave.” </p>
<p>That’s it! 5 words, the call is made and the boys stop what they are doing, drive to the closest hair cutter and get a 4 and a 2 or just a no guide all the way around. I hear about it from the GFs shortly thereafter. Lamenting the loss of the curls and beards. </p>
<p>I tell them what the boys tell them, call the colonel and discuss with him.</p>
<p>NEVER HAPPENS.</p>
<p>As grown-up as they get and advance in their careers, that call still has instant results. Don’t know how he does it.</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>My husband had a beard from 1998 until 2007. He grew it to look older (he has a baby face). I got tired of it, though, so I made a deal with him. If I could lose 25 pounds, he’d shave it off. That was great motivation for me! Our daughter was only a baby when he had started his beard, so she had no recollection of him without facial hair. It kind of freaked her out.</p>
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<p>That’s funny. I’ve had the opposite experience. Mom3ToGo has never seen me without a beard (25+ years). During the heat of summer I often threaten to shave it off. Her response … I like you in the beard … and maybe I’ll think you’re ugly under the beard … and even if you grow it back I’ll always know. Bottom line … the beard stays.</p>
<p>PS - I originally grew the beard because shaving daily just did not work well … my skin gets VERY irritated … I was OK shaving every 2-3 days but that didn’t work in professional situations.</p>