So the day has finally come to shave my beard. I am writing this blog just hours before the BIG SHAVE, and boy do I feel nervous. I know most people wouldn’t understand the attachment I have to my beard but believe me I will be devastated to lose it.
I enjoyed many moments with the beard, caused many a debate with people about my beard and beards in general. I enjoy many people talking about me as the bearded one, the homeless one, the hipster, the beast, the one with a neck warmer and many other bearded references.
I am very proud to be doing this shave towards a wonderful children’s charity and reading their stories makes this all worthwhile. If you haven’t seen the charity I am supporting please head over to https://www.make-a-wish.org.uk/

At present i currently sit at 70% of my target and hope to achieve the full amount.
If any of you are curious there will be updates of the shave etc on my Instagram account. LOOKOUT for a before and after shot of my beard! @roddersbeardblog
I will still be posting updates on beard growth and any advice I find along the way. So the beard blog will continue! Hooray, I hear you all cry!
So with a final blog whilst having a beard, I beard you a farewell and see you on the hairless side.
😫
Goodbye​ beard. It’s been nice knowing you!

RoddersBeardBlog

What am I nervous about with just 5 days before the beard is shaved? Well I’m nervous to find out how I will look.. will people recognize me? Or will everyone just walk past me? I’m sure I’ll get the jokes at work, “who’s the new guy?” And “is your chin cold?” But that’s not going to bother me much. I’m just nervous of the big change, I am indeed very attached to the beard. I will feel as if I am losing a friend or even a part of me. I’m definitely nervous and apprehensive to find out how I will look clean shaven! It has been over 2 years since I have last seen my chin… Aaaa! And breath deep, it’s all aid of “make a wish foundation.”

Am I going to grow the beard back?
This has definitely been something I have been thinking about and toying with different ideas of what to do. And I have decided the beard will return! The aim is to just grow it as rapidly as I can, this will mean a very messy outragous beard as it starts to grow again! This will be very different to the approach i am used to, growth for a few weeks and then a good trim and shape to maintain the beards good form. So we can all look forward to a new beard, but how long it will go, what will i do with it… That is still to be decided. But keep reading my blogs to find out more. These blogs will definitely keep coming 😁

What’s my favorite thing about the beard?
Hmm this is tough, but I’d definitely say my favourite thing is the beard has become a common accessory to my face. It has become part of me, where I go we go. (Obvious I know) The beard first of all gave me a different look, and I really enjoyed that! Vein or not, I have enjoyed sporting a beard and maintaining it to this point! 😁

And I know I have mentioned it before but just to remind you all, I am shaving the beard on the 26th April 2017 to raise support and funds for Make a wish foundation! They support young children towards making their dreams come true. Please read their website to find different stories about what the charity has done recently.
make-a-wish

So overall i am very apprehensive but very happy to be supporting a good cause!

Please check out the giving page and my Instagram too.

Rodders

For this blog I thought I’d write about something slightly different, Getting other people’s opinions from family, friends and even the girlfriend.
So let’s start with what does my daughter think about the beard! “I thinks it’s cute.” (I’m sure she’s after something and trying to make it into my good books) she then said she liked my face with or without a beard. She later informed me that all of her classmates are aware her Daddy has a beard. (Of course this made me smile)

Now what does the girlfriend think of the beard? Someone who never liked beards to begin with, have I changed her mind or am I one of a kind? (Beard wise of course 😉)
…. “Before, looking at beards I’d ask isn’t it better to be clean shaven? How long are they trying to make their beard? And then I met you! Firstly without the beard and I felt you didn’t have anything distinctive and lacked in confidence. And as the beard grew, the confidence grew with the beard! Now you lift you head up, tall and proud. I feel this is because of your beard, either it has given you confidence or you are avoiding it getting caught in your clothes. It has become a statement! Whether you are in casual clothes or suited and booted for date night, the beard can carry itself off!”
What do my friends think of the beard?
Well it’s always a talking point whenever we get together. We constantly compare if they have grown a beard, but in admiration of my beard. (Said proudly of course) We discuss the length, then reminisce my growth and the journey the beard has undertaken! They do love a good beard stroke, and that is definitely a term of beard endearment in my group of friends!
And finally what do my family think of my lucious beard? Definitely when the beard was starting out they made jokes, “when are you going to shave that mess?” And asked me if I’m not earning enough to buy a razor. But now it has definitely changed to a part of me. They have officially accepted the beard and it’s attachment to my face 😀 Now they see the fear I have to shave the beard and lose my chin warmer.

Overall i feel it’s beardiful to see that family friends, girlfriend and anyone I meet have definitely changed their opinions for the better about beards. I’ve seen it start out as a joke and now become something to be proud of. To know people admire the beard and encourage others to grow a beard is a wonderful feeling.

As always please remember I am Shaving my beard in aid of a charity I really believe is doing great things. If you can donate anything that’s wonderful, please head over to www.justgiving.com/beardshaving and check out my Instagram @roddersbeardblog

Thanks​ for reading!

As you may have expected eating and drinking with a beard can be difficult. Even to this day…. As much as I hate to admit!

Every bearded man should have a well groomed and maintained beard, it should be manly but not hanging on to left over food. We need to stay brushed, bushy and as clean as possible.

It’s always embarrassing to have someone tell you, “there’s something in your beard!” Along with usually someone pointing at your now ruined beard. 😒

So usually I tend to have obtained a different strategy dependant upon the food I am eating. Should it be spaghetti, I have smaller amounts usually with a spoon. Or cereal, usually I make sure there is less milk on the spoon as to avoid spilling down myself or the beard. Nothing worse than a beard all prepared for the day ahead and a dribble of milk is sitting there.

Not only is it food to be aware of it is liquid sprawled down the beard ready to drip at any given moment. To avoid this it requires a vast amount of concentration when drinking. I usually tend to open for a bottle to sip from or a straw. These are usually a safe option but not mandatory 😉

My advice to fellow bearded wonders, there are many tools that can assist you.
For drinking opt for coffee lids & cups and any other drinks I go for straws. Straws are a safe way to get liquid safely past that bushy beard and groomed mustache.
For eating I opt for teaspoons, their easier to handle and more precise to get past the bushy beard. Also forks and knives became my best friends to make my bitesizes smaller, minimising bearded disasters or devistations. And my ultimate favourite is the handkerchief, this is a very gentleman accessory to keep. It is helpful to wipe spills, should this be required. Sometimes a damp cloth is a better solution for those messier disasters.

As always please remember to donate to my beard shaving charity, www.justgiving.com/beardshaving & check out my Instagram for daily uploads. @roddersbeardblog

That’s a very good question, when I first think of the answer there are so many reasons I grew the beard. First of all it was to try something different, a new look even, and maybe a little bit of laziness if I am totally honest.
Before I knew it was at the point most men decide to shave.. the itchy stage of owning a beard. But from here I have to say the beard grew on me. (Excuse the pun) I was enjoying the changing look of having and growing a beard. ( Please don’t accuse me of being vein just yet)
There have been many an occasion I have been asked “why do you have a beard?” Or “when are you going to shave that beard off?”. This honestly just helped me grow the beard and not shave. It was my face but others got irritated and confused, which maybe encouraged me to not go anywhere near a razor!

But the time for their previous question, “when will I shave the beard?” Is soon approaching as I plan to announce the date in the next blog!

Please dig deep for a very hairy cause… https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Beardshaving