Tag Archives: beard

beard products

Farewell to a beard trimmer

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Choose the right beard trimmer and it may serve you well for a very long time.   Even great beard trimmers eventually fail.  When a trusted beard trimmer finally quits working, it’s not a welcome development.  Today they don’t make ’em like they used to, as I would discover.

Selecting the best beard trimmer

When I set out to buy a beard trimmer many years ago, I wanted to buy the best one that I could find.  I compared multiple brands and had no bias for or against any specific brand.  The one I chose was the Norelco T900 Beard and Moustache Trimmer with Acu-Control System.  What year was this?  I’m not sure, but the date on the manual is 2001.  The T900 was a new model at that time.

The trusty Norelco T900 beard trimmer is seen here with the detachable trimming guard and the power cord.


The most important thing when shopping for a beard trimmer is to always consider which features are important to you.  Some of the T900’s  main features include: 

  • rechargeable battery without need for a charging stand
  • cordless or corded operation
  • detachable and adjustable trimming guard / guide comb
  • pop-up mustache trimmer
  • no lubrication or other maintenance needed
  • easy to clean

Not pictured above, the T900 also came with a cleaning brush and a case. Beard trimmers today offer a greater variety of features. Those listed above for the T900 were most of the important features available at that time and most of them are still key features of today’s models.

The T900's pop-up mustache trimmer is shown here in the extended position.
Here the T900’s pop-up mustache trimmer is in the extended position, ready for use.  This small trimmer makes mustache trimming a breeze.

When a great beard trimmer goes bad

Because the T900 was so easy to use and it was maintenance-free in addition to doing a great job, I never felt the need to replace it with the latest and greatest.  A few years ago, the battery stopped holding a charge.  Undeterred, I kept using it with the cord plugged in.

This year, however, it finally quit working even with the cord plugged in.  It would not turn on.  So after about seventeen years of faithful service, the T900’s long run was over.  It was finally time to search for a new beard trimmer.  What I wanted was to find another one just like the T900.  The story of how I selected a replacement will appear in an upcoming post.

All about beards is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

growing a beard

Grow your beard: No-shave November 2018

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Another No-shave November has arrived. No-shave November is always one of the best times to grow a new beard, especially for first-time beard growers. No-shave November gives new beard growers a ready-made justification for growing. Just say that it’s No-shave November!

Even if you miss out on starting to grow your new beard at the beginning of the month, don’t let that discourage you. Start anyway at any time during the month.

And don’t think that the end of November should automatically mean the end of your new beard. Let your November beard growth serve as motivation to keep growing through December and beyond.

No-shave November 2018. Beard: Scott with a shorter beard

Growing a beard for the first time can be daunting. Never fear, however! Growing that first beard should be a fun adventure and a true growth experience in more ways than one. You can learn a lot about yourself and others by growing your beard. One of the most important keys to successful beard growing is to stay committed. Do not let others convince you to give up and shave with their criticism and teasing. Stay strong and grow your beard!

I always welcome new beard growers to the bearded brotherhood at any time. I especially like to welcome them during No-shave November. It is always a great opportunity to add more beards to the world. And that is a good thing!

So, welcome, new beard growers! May your beards grow and flourish and bring you great satisfaction.

To help you along your way, follow our tried-and-true beard-growing guide: How to grow a beard

Please help spread the joy of growing new beards and share this post with anyone who should grow his beard!

Happy No-shave November 2018!

beard videos, music

Nate Maingard, bearded singer performs

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Nate Maingard is a bearded singer-songwriter from South Africa. Nate first appeared on beards.org in 2008 with his first photo submission for the beards of the world gallery. Following that, Nate kept in touch and became a good friend of the site. We corresponded and discussed some of his struggles with staying bearded. Nate would quite successfully grow his impressive full beard. Then, he would get rid of the beard and subsequently come to miss the beard. Nate’s beard would come and go time and again. But in the process he became quite skillful in mastering the art of growing a beard. As a result, Nate became an expert on beard growing, beard styling, and beard grooming in addition to being a talented singer and songwriter. Music, clearly is Nate’s true passion. However, he certainly knows what he’s doing whenever he grows his beard.

With Nate being so far away in South Africa, I never thought it too likely that we would ever meet in person. He’s also lived in London at times. But London, too, is quite distant.

However, Nate has also been a globetrotter, going between South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the USA, among other destinations. During one of his trips to California, we had the opportunity to meet up. This was back in December 2012. We did a photo and video shoot for beards.org. Many of the photos went into Nate’s beard feature. The video footage went into a video series, Nate’s beard story, that was published in 2013. In his beard video series, Nate shares his expertise in dealing with beard-growing doubts, successfully growing the beard, and he gives guidance on beard shaping and more.

While shooting video with Nate, he gave an impromptu, street performance of one of his songs, a ballad titled “Home”. Not originally included in Nate’s beard video series, I’ve recently published Nate’s performance of “Home”. Better late than never, this video provides a perfect ending to Nate’s original beard video series. For a real treat, watch Nate’s performance of “Home” in the embedded video below.

Today, Nate continues making music and growing his beard. The beard may still come and go. But Nate always returns to the beard.

For more on Nate and his music, visit Nate’s website, natemaingard.com.

about beards.org

Twenty-two years, all about beards

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Here we are again at another all about beards anniversary. Today marks twenty-two years since that little site started out on its mission to promote beards, share information about beards, and celebrate beards. During this time, we have helped thousands and thousands of men all around the world to grow their beards. This, “adding beards to the world”, is among our proudest achievements.

Adding more beards to the world is one of the best ways to increase acceptance, and even respect, for beards. The more beards there are, the more the general population becomes accustomed to them. The more the general population becomes accustomed to beards, the more accepting of beards people become. With that, more people are less likely to harbor that pesky old anti-beard bias that surprisingly and stubbornly resists fading away. The anti-beard bias was much stronger in the early days of all about beards. And it was even stronger for years and years prior to that. Anti-beard bias, however, still remains stronger than many may realize. Plenty of people still feel entitled to tell new beard growers and established beard growers alike that they should shave. A milder form of anti-beard bias allows for limited beard growth, but not too much, with the limit defined by the beard critic. Grow your beard a bit beyond stubble length and you may hear, “That beard’s too long. You’ve got to trim that down.” Here at all about beards, we think that beard critics do not have the right to dictate what restrictions must be imposed on a man’s beard.

Anti-beard bias will never disappear completely. However, we are happy to see that it is much weaker now than it was twenty-two years ago. In recent years beards have made great gains in numbers and in acceptance. We could not be happier, except for the movement to continue in favor of beards.

Ready to grow your beard? Be sure to check out our tried and true beard growing guide and start growing today!

We will always keep growing. We are all about beards.

growing a beard

Happy New Beard Year 2018!

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All about beards wishes each and everyone of you a happy and prosperous New Year 2018.  This is the year to grow your best beard yet.  And we are here to help.

Let’s all grow strong.  Have a great beard and a great New Beard Year 2018!

today's beard

Joe: today’s beard, 2017/06/14

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Name: Joe.
Occupation: Heating, Cooling, Plumbing, and Refrigeration Professional.

About Joe’s beard:

Why did I grow my beard? Honestly, it was a combination of things. First, shaving is just a pain in the butt. Ha ha. Seriously though, I was going through old photos my ma had and saw my family’s older men from her dad and grandpa to great grandpa on both sides and they all could grow a heck of a beard.

I wanted to see how mine would fill out and if it could get as thick and full as theirs. I also work outside on the roofs of commercial buildings in the winter, working on heating systems, and it helps a lot.

What do I think about my beard? Well I like it. I don’t look in the mirror and see anything that stands out, really. I get a lot of compliments on it and some funny ones. I never thought I would hear the words epic, magnificent, majestic, etc., etc. I just see a beard and am happy with that.

How do I feel about my beard? I feel great about it. It is definitely a conversation starter. Ever since I have grown it out I get a lot more looks and smiles. I do feel odd when I cut it shorter a few times. Kinda bums me out.

How long have I been bearded? I have been bearded on and off all my life, nothing like this, though. I went from nothing to this in about 2.5 years. I have cut off about six inches in that time. This length still gets on the dinner plate if I am not careful or tie it up. Ha ha. I like this length but I am gonna let it grow out a bit more. My daughter wants me to reach wizard length on the shirt she bought me!!

How do I like being bearded? I love it at times and at other times it is a curse. Ice cream cone… Yep. That’s a trick. Outdoors in the winter, I love it. Running down the road and watching people’s faces…another fun time!! I like the attention and the looks I get. Most of all, I like having the ability to grow one like this. Those that can’t want to, those that can should!

With a beard this epic, magnificent, and majestic, Joe can’t help but get lots of praise and attention!

Click on any image below to view a larger version in Joe’s beard gallery.

beard products

My dad has a beard!

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My Dad Has a Beard is a new children’s book that’s great for father/son bonding over dad’s beard. The book tells a cute story about how cool it is to have a dad with a beard. While the book is perfect for young boys, daddy’s little girls will probably enjoy the book, too. At twenty-two pages, the story is fun and easy to read. The illustrations are perfect for the story. Kids will love the whimsical drawings in bright, vivid colors.

Author Kellen Roggenbuck with his book My Dad Has a Beard
Author and dad Kellen Roggenbuck shows off his new children’s book My Dad Has a Beard.

Not surprisingly, author Kellen Roggenbuck is a beard enthusiast. He grew his first beard as soon as he could, which was at age nineteen. Ever since then, he has sported one form of beard or another except for one time. That was for his honeymoon, to allow his wife one opportunity to see him beardless. Neither of them liked the beardless Kellen. So the beard came back to stay.

While his wife was an expectant mother, Kellen grew a “yeard” — letting the beard grow essentially untrimmed for a full year. In recent years, Kellen’s been keeping a longer beard. So Kellen’s son has only known his dad as having a big beard.

About the book, Kellen explains, “The book was a sort of side project that came from funny experiences with my own son and wanting to try my hand at illustrating. I created the illustrations myself with hopes of having the book be colorful, fun, and enjoyable to read for both parents and children.”

My Dad Has a Beard is perfect for any bearded dad with a young son or a bearded granddad with a young grandson. The book might even manage to convince a beardless dad to grow his beard!

My Dad Has a Beard is available on Amazon. Click or tap on the following image to buy your copy today:

Also available on Amazon is Kellen Roggenbuck’s second beard book for children. Click or tap on the following image to buy your copy today:

All about beards is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Photos appear courtesy of Kellen Roggenbuck.

Also see:
Book: Great Beards of History featured image
Great beards of history!

today's beard

Sam: today’s beard, 2017/06/07

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Name: Sam.
Occupation: Travel agent.

About Sam’s beard:

Why did I grow my beard? Because I loved the beard since when I was young.

What do I think about my beard? My beard is everything in my life.

How do I feel about my beard? More manly.

How long have I been bearded? One year.

How do I like being bearded? It’s hard.

Eager to grow his beard since he was young, Sam’s beard has arrived and it’s a great one.

Click on any image below to view a larger version in Sam’s beard gallery.

today's beard

Neil: today’s beard, 2017/06/01

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Name: Neil.
Occupation: HGV Driver.

About Neil’s beard:

Why did I grow my beard? Mrs. likes it.

What do I think about my beard? It’s great.

How do I feel about my beard? It’s full.

How long have I been bearded? Quite some time, on and off.

How do I like being bearded? Love it.

Neil is a no-nonsense beard grower and he grows a great one.

Click on any image below to view a larger version in Neil’s beard gallery.