Today, while many men may choose to sport a beard because they are masculine and in “global vogue”, beards in Jewish culture have remained a strong statement of religious devotion and commitment to the dictates of the Torah.
The scriptures prohibit men from “destroying” or rounding off the corners of their beards with a blade. However, the stipulated destruction has been reasoned by many sects to connote shaving the beards at the skin, and so Jewish law permits trimming with scissors or electric shavers – as long as it doesn’t hit the follicle roots. Still, some sects do not encourage any form of cutting, trimming, or shaving, and you would find many ultra-Orthodox devotees sporting full-grown, beyond-the-neckline beards, often so thick that sizable items could be hidden in there.
To beard-appreciating people, full-grown, gruffly beards may look aesthetically pleasing and rather attractive, but to the males sporting them, they require an incredible amount of work to keep clean and a lot of endurance to live with. Beard care involves so much more than just washing them in the shower and running a comb through on the go. Aside from bits of dust and food getting stuck in the folds, beards can get really itchy, dry, and twisted, retain too much heat in hot weather, and sometimes, the temptation to yank them off can be overwhelming.
“A beard isn’t comfortable on the skin; it gets dry and it can get smelly and itchy, and it’s right there on your cheeks,” said Jerusalem-barber Matan Haverim in a 2018 interview with TOI. “You have to take care of it and invest in it. No one wants an itchy beard, Jewish law or not.”
Since beards are of such religious, social, and aesthetic importance, the beard care industry rapidly evolved over the decades, hitting an estimated 19-billion USD global market revenue in 2020. Oiling beards for moisture and soothing irritation has been a grooming hack since the days of Moses himself. However, many of these solutions – olive oil, Shea oil, and the likes – aren’t exactly suitable for tending to facial hair – or facial skin, and more importantly, the sensitive type.
Today, men can purchase full care kits complete with beard-specific oils, balms, and even conditioner sprays. Many often slurp on the same products they used for their hair on their beards, ignorant that beards latched onto facial skin which might be irritated by products made specifically for the scalp. Also, the densities and porosities of head and chin hair are different, where facial hair tends to be thicker and curlier due to the larger size of hair follicles on the face.
“When you wash your beard and face with strong soaps or regular shampoos instead of beard shampoos, you strip away the natural oils and your facial hair will quickly become dry, rough, and more prone to breakage,” says Bali-based Brian Swan, an American entrepreneur and the co-founder of Unstoppable Beard, a natural eco-friendly beard care brand for men. “Your skin produces its natural oils to moisturize your face, but after washing your beard in the shower, the oils get stripped away. The best way to replenish these important oils is to get yourself a quality, natural beard oil for post-shower application.”
Swan has grown his current beard for the past six years, since 2015, once sporting it as far down as his belly button before deciding to take a much-needed chop. With several many years of experience tending to a thick beard, he was motivated to launch his eco-friendly brand in 2020, during the COVID lockdowns when time was limitless and innovation thrived.
“I always said I was going to do it, but I never did it,” Swan said of his online, worldwide beard company. “It was one of those running jokes because we were always traveling and I always had an excuse. When we were locked down from coronavirus, I thought to myself, ‘this is the best time if I’m going to start a company. I’m not going anywhere, I have a beard, I’ve been fully growing it for years so I have experience, and I also use products.’ Essentially, I ran out of excuses and just dived right in.”
Many Orthodox Jews will admit that not grooming with electric shavers or blades actually reduces potential discomfort from itching. Trimming with scissors shapes the strands but doesn’t root them out from the skin. However, shaving down to the skin can trigger widespread itchiness when the sharp edges start to grow out again and scrape the follicles. This doesn’t mean that a beard unshaven for years would never get itchy, but for people with harsher hair types, the inevitable stubble itching is enough reason to never attempt to shave one’s beard with blades or clippers.
Scissors do just fine, but thick beards have some cons too!
Firstly, they can be heat insulating. Depending on the climate and the density of an individual’s hair, beards can often retain heat and keep the face warmer than is desirable – the reason why most men in exceedingly hot climes seldom sport full beards. Thick face fuzz can get uncomfortable too quickly.
Again, they are some of nature’s most attractive traps for dust, flying particles, food bits, and horrifyingly, flying insects. Imagine waking up from an outdoor slumber and a few friendly mosquitoes are trying to buzz their way out of your dry, tangled beard! Having facial hair should be a joy and not an extreme sport.
A semi-pro surfer who takes great pride in his salt-and-pepper beard, Swan believes that a well-tended beard contributes greatly to a man’s self-esteem and confidence. Haggard and unkempt beards are the main reason why full-grown beards are generally associated with a thuggish impression. Swan and his co-founder, Kearney, are committed to changing this narrative and it starts by helping men understand that beard care shouldn’t be a loathsome chore.
“Every man sporting a beard should have a beard wash against using regular soap, and you should wash your beard at least 2 to 3 times a week – or daily, depending on your lifestyle,” says Swan, who is also a business development strategist and the co-founder of Unstoppable Branding Agency with his wife, entrepreneur Rhonda Swan. “To keep your beard soft and shiny, condition it regularly with beard oil just out of the shower while your beard is still wet. Once it dries, trim it, clean up your neckline, and apply a beard balm to hydrate the skin, eliminate itching, tame the strays, add definition, and round off with the shine while promoting healthy growth.”
Gone are the days when beards were a precursor to negative profiling and getting treated as a societal rebel. Thick beards are hot right now, and regardless of what the trend may become in the future, Orthodox Jews will always have the divine right to grow their beards fully, confidently, and without the itchy discomfort.
