The Beard of Destiny

For many years I chose to have mutton chops instead of a full beard [as you can see below]. and i'd never really thought about growing out a full beard. I had my chops and I was happy as larry. Until this last winter when I woke up one frosty morning and decided to go "Full Beard". ↓↓↓

The Mutton Chop Years

I was expecting loads of itching and stress and wanting to tear my face off and regretting ever having made the decision to grow a frakking beard!

It was, however, a breeze. None of hose things happened it just grew...like, you know, hair does.

I have a couple of pointers that I would like to share though.

1. - BEARD OIL! 

This bitch is essential - you'll need to put back some moisture into your beard as you're growing it out. Regular Hair conditioners kinda work but they just don't have the ooomph that a beard oil has. 

They help with the itch as well putting back a little as your face gets accustomed to all that hair hanging off your chin. I have been using "Bear Faces's" Spicy Beard oil.

You only need a tiny amount and rub it in well making sure it's well absorbed by all the hair and your face. Use too much and you'll have a shiny beard but this will soon be sucked into your hungry face.

There's lots of good stuff in it for your aging face! not that mine's aging you understand :/

Ingredients Apricot Kernel Oil, Coconut Oil, Argan Oil, Jojoba Oil, Amber, Frankincense, Sandalwood Amyris, Ho Wood and Neroli. 

The site helpfully points out that Argan oil is Nut based so if you have a nut allergy then you might want to steer clear of this! No one wants to have to epi-pen your chin!

I love the fragrance which is err... spicy, warm and i really like it and it goes really well with my aftershave. Although I would have like the smell to be stronger so that I could just get away with putting on the oil and not wasting my time with another product!

Still the best thing to slap on your beard and i've tried a few. Go now and check em and their other great grooming products out now!

£18.50 for a sexy little 30ml bottle.

2.  Keep It Trimmed

The best advice would be to go to a trained barber once a month hand over your fiver and get your beard trimmed professionally. They'll be able to give your beard shape and form that you will not be able to achieve at home with £20 clippers.

But if you are going to trim at home then go to a professional hair suppliers such as Paks or Sallys and spend a little bit of money on your clippers. most clippers that are £50 or above should suffice but no one said having a beard was gonna be cheap? 

Clippers are for cutting - trimmers are for edging!

I use my Wahl  Super taper Clippers that I use at work and the are more than capable for any beard. 

Gotta keep that bitch tamed!

I will do a full review of trimmers and beard trimming at a later date. So keep em peeled.

All oiled up and ready to ROCK!

So how do you Maintain your beard? Let me know in the comments below!

Haircut 101

As you can see my hair has got somewhat hippyish over the last week . 

So we're off to the Legends barbershop in holborn to get a little trim.

The Legends Barber shop In Lambs Conduit Passage, Holborn, London.

The guys there really know what they're talking about and provide an excellent service to everyone that comes through their doors. Everyone that is from high court judges, magazine editors the occasional Rock star and everyone else  who knows where to get a good haircut in holborn!

The shop is small with three chairs but they are always busy. Operating an appointment system as opposed to a "turn up and see" otherwise there'd be 40 people sitting waiting every lunch time. So it's best to call in advance to see if they have some space. Saying that though in the middle of the afternoon there was still space to do a quick drop in but that is a rarity.

The shop is unpretentious clean and old school. Simple clean decor. And a world away in price and hipster-Ness that's become the byword for barbers at the moment.

The shop is owned and operated by Darius and he takes his skills very seriously. He is a master barber and is meticulous in how he wields his steel.

Darius hard at work

The other regular barber is mister Jack. A jovial, humourous and skilled master barber in his own right! His laugh is infectious.

Mister Jack!

Darius did a traditional short back and sides from a zero grade took a little off the top and finished me off with some shiner gold pomade.  All in under 15 minutes.

Even though it was quick the lines are clean and the fade is awesome. The man really knows his stuff.

The shop is open from 9am-7pm last appointment time is 6.30ish. Monday to Friday only.

Cuts are £16 - clipper cuts grade 1-3 are £12 and shaves are £22.50

they've even formulated their own hair gel! 

But don't believe me go and try them. 

The Legends barbershop

Which barbers do you go to?

Here I am all trimmed and ready to go!