Deciding to grow a beard for me was a long journey into educating myself. I believe for me it was something I'd have to find my own way. Growing up with no real father figure to teach me such things such as shaving, growing a beard and whatever advice a young man should have along the way.
I grew up with low self esteem and poor skin. A lifelong battle to find products that would help. Some good days and some bad days. Looking back I'm glad I found a source of self care and beard growing tips later in life as I may have fallen into a group that went down a path that eventually just shaved it all off.
Now as we all know every beard is different. Once finding specific channels and advice on youtube I was hooked. Growing a beard was not exactly my first goal. I found myself learning advice on skin care, hair styling all around advice and motivation to find better quality products. This eventually led into the proper way to grow and maintain a beard.
In school and growing up I NEVER heard of beards and beard care. I always saw guys with some decent beards but felt like I was missing something. The way my growth pattern was, without the proper education or help to grow a beard I probably did it wrong for years.
Fast track to mid 2020 continuing with self care advice, I found content all over YouTube to assist in what I needed to do right. I dove head first into the beard community of advice, beard care, beard products and now I even have it professionally trimmed once a month.
"Growing a beard does not mean having the biggest or longest beard. My beard fits me and looks best as a short, business-like beard, around 1-3 inches length."
Now onto what having a beard means to me. It helps keep me in-tune with cleanliness. I make sure I wash my face and beard daily. I use beard products to keep myself growing a healthier looking beard. Products for my beard help make ongoing self care a daily routine. Having a beard and growing it everyday keeps me conscious of all other aspects of grooming.
Growing my beard has given me an opportunity to pass on advice to 3 others who were looking for help. Now I look forward to passing on all of my beard advice to my son. This will allow him, if he chooses, to grow a beard and find the routine that works best for his needs. I wanted to find something that made me feel better about myself, in which growing and maintaining a beard gave me exactly that. Self care is more than I could have ever imagined. Growing a beard helped with that.
"It motivated me to be more and try harder with self care."
I encourage anyone who reads this that if you have a hint of struggle...just know we all go through it. Find your way through and if growing a beard helps do it. For me, growing a beard helped my self esteem. It gave me a chance to find a better self care system that just worked for me. I dialed in what I needed and made adjustments as I went. I look forward to the years to come with growing my beard to the best it can be.