When did you first start growing facial hair?  When did you start shaving,
and how often do/did you shave?  What does it mean nowadays to have a beard
or mustache?  Do people treat you differently, do you act differently?  At
what age do beards start turning grey?  Are grey beards distinguished?
Does facial hair start growing at the same time as other body hair, such as
underarm?  Do beards get thinner along with other head hair?  Are beards
really warmer in the winter?  And other questions that may arise....

11 responses total.

(Will keesan ever run out of questions to ask?)

As far as I can remember, I started growing facial hair very lightly when I
was 14ish, but I have very fair facial hair so it wasn't noticeable for quite
some time unless you looked closely.

I started to have facial hair some time in high school, I guess, and I don't
think I ever shaved more than once a week to start with, and then every two
days at most.  I never got up to the point where I was shaving every day even
when I was 24.  At age 30 I stopped shaving, and nobody noticed I was growing
a beard for a year or so. It was always very thin and light colored.
I also don't have any eyebrows in my photographs as a kid.  
Now I trim around my mouth once a week (to keep the food off it) and my whole
beard once a month, and my hair every two months.  They all seem to grow at
about the same rate, but the beard gets in the way more.
I no longer notice the beard.  Long beards are hot in the summer, which is
one reason I keep it short.  No beard is certainly colder in the winter.
I don't think a long beard would be significantly warmer in winter.

Keesan hopes not to run out of questions for another 50 years or so, and would
like to hear more questions from Orinoco, who has interesting ideas.

This response has been erased.

J Deigert had a separate account but types with two fingers and very creative
spelling, and is therefore using secretarial services at this account.
I also have a few hairs on a mole, and find that they have started to turn
grey, long before the head hair, like men's beards turing grey first.  Does
underarm hair turn grey same time as beards or later?  Leg hair?

My God, keesan.
(now don't get an attitude because you might read that in more than one 
way, grin)
My first facial appeared at the age of I think 16, at least that's when 
my hairdresser made a remark about it and pulled out a very scary 
razorblade.
It was untill deep into my twenties before I had to start shaving for 
more than once a week, and this while I am dark-haired.
For some years I kept this in shape since facial hair in university 
environments was not done. It still is not.
In the Netherlands men wear mustaches when they are mostly lower 
educated. Beards come in two types: the leftist eco-minded hippyish 
university men and the rough neck hells angel type men.
The last years the Grunge hype and skate culture made the goaties 
re-appear in the streets.
Since 10 years now it is fashionable to have beard stubs. I don't like, 
and never did, shaving so was my chance. Now I am in my thirties and 
still don't shave more often than once/twice a week.
Jestingly I always say that this is my last attempt at being macho.

FIrst you say that 'facial hair in university environments is not done' and
then talk about 'leftist eco-minded hippyish university men'.  Did something
change over the years?  In the seventies it seems like all men had beards or
moustaches here, now the beards are, I think, mostly academic, and the
mustaches seem to be most common on used car salesmen.  Am I wrong?
What is a 'beard stub'?  Do you mean maybe 'stubble', or short beard hairs?
I have not noticed goaties here, has anyone else?

This response has been erased.

Well, when you encounter lots of 'Catweazles' (and if you don't know who 
that was, read Lalas, american soccer player) it certainly catches the 
eye.
I think that popculture among the youngsters is very strongly influenced 
by the Veejays of MTV, and thus...maybe it's an European thing.
With hippyisch types I meant the ones that actually were hippies in the 
seventies and kept wearing their beards.
Nowadays, at universites facial hair isn't done, unless you desire to 
express your bond with 'street life.'
Btw, I forgot two categories: the well-trimmed corporate beard, but 
that's rather rare overhere; and not to forget a small ring of hair 
surrounding the mouth (don't know the name for that).
But overall, full-grown beards are rare.
There is however a geographical distinction as well: the western 
(urban)parts are hairless, and the eastern (rural) parts are 
bearded/moustached.
Now what does that say?

Computer software people around here seem to have beards.

Biologists maybe, overhere.

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