Why I Hate Having a Long Beard (Controversial?) | Eric Bandholz 

So, let me get this straight, you don't like being identified as a wizard? Let's make this perfectly clear…...

I have a long beard, about 12” after growing for almost two years. A couple of other things that are hate worthy to mention. First, when you get in the car and you put on your seat belt, your beard gets caught and you don’t even know it - that is until you move your head to look across or behind you. Then it pulls, not terribly hard, but annoyingly so. Another more recent problem, after a couple of surgeries, if I have my laptop on a pillow in my lap, I will close the lid, and wow then I do get a pretty good pull. Another problem, is simply combing it in the morning. Invariably it will have a knot or two and even when using a large Beardbrand comb, that little knot will pull the shit out of your face. That’s when it really hurts. Just a couple more “hates” to having a large beard. A quick story, I was standing in a line at Nordstrom, and little (4-6 years old) girl saw me and hurriedly climbed up in her mother’s arms. I asked the mom if I scared her daughter, she said absolutely not. She climbed up and told me that Santa Claus was standing behind her... The beard isn’t always a shield, but a way to give a child a little joy in an otherwise dull world. Beard on...

I feel Eric's ideal beard length is the one where he comes in the post credits saying stop and you are worth it blah blah... It looks more thicker, natural and badass instead of at the length at which he's rocking it right now...

I remember exactly where I was the first time I felt the wind ruffle my beard. Wish every man could experience this at least once!

I can stand a longer beard more than a longer mustache.

Honestly your beard is badass man! You literally inspired me to grow mine out like yours.. I’m 10 months in and I feel more confident then I have in years because of going bald at 19. Thanks Eric and the Beard Brand alliance!

I agree with everything you said. I had 1 foot long beard for about 5 years. Never thought I would cut it,but I started gradually shortening it a couple years ago, now I'm at 1 inch. I confess, when it was long I was a beard snob....my apologies to all......

The big stache is the biggest annoyance for me, I have to trim it off the lips.

Not something I hate about my long beard but I dislike that I struggle with a good mustache so it doesnt blend well with the beard. But I love my beard. Although I can say I have a tendency when at work to pinch some of the hairs when I'm working, that's no fun.

I shaved my beard down about a month ago....wish I didn’t as I missed it as soon as I done it. Just leaving it to grow for a year now and see how it turns out.

I have always heard when you put on a crew neck shirt and you have to pull your beard out of the collar is when you can say that you have a long beard. Anyone else hear that?

What I hate about my long beard is..... well.... yea, of course!... it's nothing. I love it, everything bout it

Agreed! Beard since '73. Long back then. Shorter until this year. I like the long look, but like the lower maintenance if short. I don't remember it being this annoying!

Mine is 16". One thing I miss is how I used to sneeze. I'd pull open the shirt, look down, and sneeze between my shirt snd chest. It's the cleanest way to sneeze, but I can't do that now due to the long beard.

Great video. I've had mine about 4-5in then taken off and growing back. I always love how another guy that doesn't will show respect cause "they couldn't do that." But I hate all the bathroom sweeping.

I've had a very long beard (three years, 35cm (what's that, like a foot or so I guess)) and I completely agree to pretty much everything that Eric said. After two years the maintenance level rises so enormously that you really struggle to keep growing. Having to spend at least 25 minutes just to get a beard going every day really makes you think. There are two distinct problems though I would like to quickly mention: 1. Smell: It acts like a massive filter and once you spend a few hours outside or just 30 minutes on a bicycle, your beard just smells like street and having that on your face all day long can be irritating. 2. You look so massively different to everyone else that you're gonna have to manage being looked at constantly, by kids, the elderly, youths, etc In the end, after three long years, I cut it off. It was a funny experiment, a nice phase but at some point you just need to look more coorporate I guess..

You should do a fake wrestling match vs mehesh winner keeps beard loser has to shave it

That Kermit the frog voice is what always gets me... BEARD ON, KERMIT, BEARD ON! 🤘🏻 Coolest guy ever 👍🏻

Form > Function. 🧔💪 Some announces, absolutely! So beyond worth it though for me.

Thanks Eric I enjoyed that .

Try braiding your beard like a viking

I did the yeard plus and when it hit about 10" the fork drove me crazy so I cut it back to about 5" and that's where it's gonna stay ...I think

I have a long beard and love it. It’s about a years growth right now. I enjoy having something that not many other men have or can do and I get many comments all the time. It does get frustrating with food and what not sometimes, but I deal with it. My goal is for it to be about another 2-3 inches.

I rock a 6-month beard I would call it an athletic beard meaning it looks full, low maintenance, doesn't annoy me and compliments my style

Other annoying things is when one hair gets caught, and how the hairs instantly tangle together and even knot up, and how sometimes the hairs seen to grip onto anything

Had a long stache for years but new to full beards. Im at 8 months now and I keep saying how good the wind feels now lol. I laughed out loud when you mentioned that. Aside from that, i cant wait to be a stache guy again, but i'm trying to get thru the winter haha

Long beard is a thin line between the cool look and the homeless look. I agree w most of what you say and share your thoughts. Past 4-6m it's a pain .... Stache looks very cool, keep it....

The worst part of having a big beard is what you think people are thinking of ya big beard

Gotta take the bad with the good brothers...just like marriage. I love my beard.....period. Men have facial hair for a reason..its how we're made/created... So with that being said...People with NO facial hair are called.... Woman. 😉

I love having a big beard and stache, the hardest part is when hunting. The gear you need to stay warm drives me crazy.

Change is good it’s only hair it will grow until we leave this beautiful earth

Eric remember your advice about not cutting the beard until you have thought about it for as many days as months that it has been growing. We all have bad beard days that make us question our style. My beard has not been trimmed in 2 1/2 years and is about 16 inches. It’s still growing and I have no intention on cutting it. I love it! Yes it does require more maintenance and I do have to be more beard aware. Finally thank you for all the wonderful content you produce. Without Beardbrands help I may not have been able to rock the long beard.

I’m new to a long beard and it’s winter now and wearing hoodies and collars on jackets are driving me nuts they constantly mess up the sides of my beard I’m always messing with it trying to fix it

I like sporting different facial hair styles, but if I grow a longer beard I have to commit to it because it takes a lot of time to grow it.

I’m on my second yeard. I loved my first yeard a couple of years ago but it was time to go. I learned a lot from that and have been able to apply that to this yeard. This time I’ve had it shaped and used a combo of balm and oil to keep it manageable. As I reach my year mark, I’m ready to keep growing and see what another 6 months or a year will be like. I ready to start braiding it! I agree with the annoyances Eric mentioned. But I view them more as reminders how long my beard has actually gotten and I love it! One thing he didn’t mention was having to wear a tie, especially a bow tie. I love a well-knotted tie. All that is unseen by 99% but I know it’s there. Like anything there are people that hate my beard and people that love it. Having a big beard helps me build confidence in myself and my appearance. It builds patience and fortitude. I love my beard! 😊

I've only been growing a full beard off and on over the last few years, previously just did a goatee on my chin that occasionally got to Scott Ian type length, but I have to say, I've gotten so I like the longer full beard better. I've shaved a few times in the last few years and immediately regretted it, so now 3 months in, I'm letting it go. To me a long beard is one that you notice starts casting it's own shadow.

Look up Jayson Dagner of Dagner Pipes here on RU-vid. One of the biggest beards I’ve ever seen. It’s so long that in a video of his beard maintenance routine his beard reaches his waistline. In other videos it is shorter or tied up to appear shorter.

Big beards are more expensive too. A lot of beard barbers charge you an up charge to trim one due to the extra length and time to clean it up when it looks nice. Also you have to use more product because of the extra mass.

Love it

One thing I find really annoying with my long beard (about two years growth with a trim here and there) is I thought i'd look all cool riding my motorcycle with my long beard....when in reality I look plain silly and really unless I tie it down it will flap all in my face and actually get oil all over my sunglasses to where I can't see when i'm driving! That really did happen when I drove for an hour on the highway, had to pull over to clean them! Also I have a 7 month old so yea...nothing like getting googoo gaagaa over your child for them to then smile and grab your beard in a steel fisted grip of doom that won't let go for nothing! XD

Starting out with like: I would say that I like the fact I am among the ones who had a long beard in my neighborhood before they became cool (and now, I sound like a hipster.) I feel it suits my personality (people have called me sir without even thinking about it.) Speaking about stereotypes, I was able to make reference to Puerto Rican history when someone tried to make the stereotype remark. I referenced Ramon Emeterio Betances, who was a physician and one of the people fighting for independence from Spain (before the ... stuff that happened to the island for the past hundred years, which is a completely different discussion.) What I don't like: The maintenance. I have to constantly check in the mirror or use the front facing camera on my phone to make sure I am well groomed. And as a city person, I feel it can be annoying to waste time when there are other things to be done. The bad hair days. There are moments when my mustache seems to have a mind of its own, and it messes with how I feel about myself that day. Curiously, possibly due to sleeping patterns, I keep noticing the beard swaying to one side at times. My weakest area is my lower lip. While I know the pattern is normal, I feel out of place whenever there are images prominently featured of men with the lower lip completely covered.

My beard looks exactly like your beard right now maybe an inch longer... wanted to hear your take on this topic of sporting a big long beard for over a year.

I understand i just hate when food gets on my beard but i try not to trimmed it myself.

Most annoying thing of having a beard is actually keeping the mustache out of your mouth everything else is not really a bother

I love my long beard as in growing out again, and yes, there is frustration with burgers, cereal, and soup. But I learned to accept who I am and what I love. Also, try different ways to manage my eating without making a mess.

What I hate about having a long beard,it isn't long 😔

Agreed when I had my longer beard I noticed people would not approach me anymore and get the incorrect view of my persona, I then trimmed it back to a short beard (no length but full coverage) I instantly had people approach me even if it was for the littlest of favours in public

Hi Eric, I've been growing my Beard for about 13 years now and I just love having it and honestly I don't care what other people think about it it's their problem not mine , I think it's cool

I have a 12'' beard that I have been growing for 2 years(ish). I have a gnarly cowlick on my right jawline that requires tons of maintenance when short. Now it is long enough to be weighed down into submission. My routine now is just oil and blow dry only if I am in a rush. So I am on the other side of the coin I guess.

on another note, this is 4 years ago. i really feel like some shifts have happened. i get way more people approaching me now than ever before because of a long beard. it's also far more acceptable now. i dont even hear as many ZZ top and duck dynasty references lately.

The most annoying thing about having a beard is that, I like my beard, but my family and the girls I like dont. 😂

I wish I had a bigger fuller stash

sorry if i dont know the full history, but if this is the longest you let it go ever, definitely try again and go at least double that. there are so many phases you go through along the way and you could end up loving it way more if you go a little further. there's also a point where the "high maintenance " is your favorite part.

I've been growing mine about 11 months now and for me the longer it is the less maintenance I need to do. Mine is very thick so is there away to thin it out or should I just leave it?

I have a long goatee. It seems to get so thin near the end. 2 grips long. yeah, I've been growing it awhile. yeah the way the wind tugs at it. It's a total caress under the chin. And, its gone totally grey with a salt and pepper moustache. This is how I'll look forward, 'how long can I grow it?'. I need to wear it till I die. ten years, I reckon. Better get on with it then. bye

The zipper getting caught in my beard sucks.

I enjoy burning rolled flowers so yeah the residues of that pastime.

Long beards heightens intuition by sensing other realms, that's why wizards, alchemists, and clairvoyants have long beards.

Come on i love when cold beer drips down my beard, having huge sips like a fucking pirate jajaha, 😁

I've been breaking my previous record of 18 months since last month. Almost at 19!! I hate finding split ends that kill the length of a hair piece. However it keeps mine healthy looking & I'm glad I've been following Beardbrand for guidance since 2013

lol. oh man, when you zipping your beard sucks lol

As with most, my mom is not a big fan of the big beard, but that is really the only negative. That being said...I don't live near her and I freaking love it! 2 years in and never looking back!!

I want to have the biggest beard in the room

I liked the one channel better than two channels. Now you have 2 channels with less variety then when you had one channel.

I've been growing out my beard for the first time and it is just over the 11 month mark. I haven't reached any terminal length yet and my middle chin/lower lip hair is just as long as the rest of my beard (no fork).

If only there was a solution...

I never noticed that people thought I was unapproachable because I wear a beard. I always thought it was beacause I'm an asshole.

A long mustache if you don't trim it around the mouth, is horrible! Looks cool but it makes it unbearable for me to eat.

I had a beard as long as yours ... when I road my motorcycle the wind would split the beard in half and slap me in the ears ... just saying

Your voice sounds a little different

Your beard is great, I love the attention I get with my 2 foot long beard

I have a "long" beard (about 6 inches or so), but it's completely white. I'm only 48! I love having a big beard too. But the most frustrating thing, especially this time of year, are the constant Santa comments. "Hey, you know you look like Santa?" Sometimes from perfect strangers. Shut your face pal! Anyway, love the channel and thanks for the content.

I seem to have a lot of terminal hairs and shedding at the moment (I am currently 6 months in) so i'm still trying to determine the length I like most. But as of now the only issue I have is maintenance.

I went ice climbing when I was growing my first yeard and had snow freezing on my beard, that was a great feeling, it's part of why I'm growing it out again, just because of how cool that looked

I must know... What kind of jacket is that?!

Handle it, it looks realy cool.

Hey Eric, have you thought about using Minoxidil to improve the weak parts of your beard?

Play to your strengths stick with the stache

Excellent! I reached a yeard's length and felt pretty much as you described, and cut it back to about 4 inches which I maintained for a long time (although after 2 weeks of unmanageable, it is 3.5 inches after a recent barber visit). Combing mustache to the sides is uncomfortable for me, and growing down is, as you said, an eating challenge. Do you have ranges (in inches or months) to define short, medium, and long beards? I haven't seen any consistent descriptions and you are the only one I would trust to establish them. Keep on growing!

3 year long beard here. I love it 100%...👊👊👊

B.elieving E.nduring A.dvancing R.eimagining D.eveloping

If we want to talk about stereotypes ,come to my shoes ,our pastor ask me if I want to be priest too . My close family call me father .I am almost 1 year and 2 months long .But the admire of ppl that I recieve every day is something unique.I love to have big beard and I am thinking to have bigger.

I think Eric's gonna cut his beard short very soon...

I just cut about 4-5 inches off my beard to a #4 attachment (1/2”) at the chin and tapered up to bald at the ears. OCD kicked in for me, and it has every time I get to about 4 months or more of growth. I like to keep mine groomed to look it’s best, but it never looks perfectly even or has the ideal shape that I like. I’ve made it to 6-8 months in growth several times, but I always give up on it at that point... also, the random growth patterns and waviness drives me crazy

I think beards are so individual...that’s the best and worst of it all...I think you need @ trim..lol

I currently rock a years worth of walrus, with about 10 days of stuble beard. The beard stache.

My beard is shorter, but my mustache is like Eric's. I keep it that way because I really like the way it looks. Biggest downsides: (1) whatever you drink has to be wiped off, and (2) cleaning up a snotty sneeze.

Around the three month period, that's the winner, that's the style that suits me most , after that I don't feel comfortable leaving grow past that, when it gets to that 10 - 12 weeks mark I usually start going to the barber and let him do his thing to trim it and shape it to that length but for my beard i saw that three months means a lot of length I have no idea how it grows that long so fast but it does 😅

I'm with you Eric. I'm still sporting a massive beard but my patience is definitely wearing thin. Funnily enough my least favourite thing is the wind! I live in Scotland so wind is a near constant factor. Whenever I go outside I have to tie my beard up or it splits into sections and wraps around my neck/face. Absolutely hate it. Windswept hair can look cool, but windswept beard does not, IMO. Don't get me started on eating with a big moustache... and my moustache is, at best, a third of the size yours is! I also agree about the stereotyping that comes with having a huge beard. Especially since I have a shaved head as well. I am not a gruff, hypermasculine guy, and I've been told more than once that my personality doesn't match my appearance. I still love having a beard and could never be without it, but I think it might be time for some serious forest management...

I've settled into the 1-2 inch length beard because any stragglers with a longer beard drive me nuts, regardless of products I use. I find myself taking scissors to the bathroom at work to nip those crazy beard hairs!

There are disadvantages to hair no matter where it grows--head, face or other place. On the other hand, a long beard (assuming it's nice and full) is a beautiful thing to behold. Of course, if you don't want it, don't grow it. But they are gorgeous!

Hairbows are a necessity with big beards. I've had 8-10 inch beard for last 4 1/2 years and to shave neck line,or pop a zit (lol) I use hairbows to keep everything out of the way. Maintenance for me is very low. I go to barber 1 time per 2 months for trim,5 mins per day on drying and styling. Cons for me as a coalminer would be it catches alot of dust and mud! Welding and torch work is very scary 💥💥! My beard hangs out bottom of welding hood bout 2 inches ,so I baked my beard today at work and didn't realize it. Off to the barber tomorrow for 3 inch or so trim

Beards are about as unique as pennies these days.......

I have an extremely long thick bushy beard and mustache. I don't use a hair dryer on it. I don't want to dry it out. I love the comments I get from people who pass by. My only complaint is eating food . I can floss my teeth with it if I really wanted to. I love the wind blowing through it. It doesn't get "hot" for me in the summer. I keep it all year round. I wash it every other day and use a beard oil and a conditioner. also a little light beard balm.

So I agree with ur points and my biggest gripe is eating and wind ruining my style from time to time or taking clothes off or jackets because it really is harder with a long beard I'm as well on my 14 month and it is difficult but ultimately I do love more things so that outweighs it and also fuck if you get itchy or something bites you, there is rain or snow

Eric, Yes, zippers and eating certain foods like oatmeal can be problematic. Ever since I’ve been watching your channel and buying your products I’ve been trying to achieve my goal of a long beard. I have successfully grown a 9 inch beard and I love it. But I do struggle with the “French Fork” and the whispyness of the ends. I am now letting the sides grow and it won’t be till probably next year before they catch up with the entire length. For me I like the long beard style. I would love to be able to grow a really thick long beard like Burk Kenny or Jack Passion. But for now I think I’ll be keeping it around 8-9 inches. But you really can’t beat the feeling of the wind blowing your long beard. Beard On, - Pete

My beard comes down to almost below my pecs. It is white, and I do get a lot of Santa questions from people. I don't mind. I really love it when the kids who still believe in Santa see me. Biggest eyes you'll ever see on a kid. And man, they become the most well-behaved kids. At least while I'm around. I deal with the downsides. I love the beard and kids' reactions. And my three years old granddaughter loves knowing her Papa is Santa.

Wearing my cycling helmet can get challenging when I’m trying to clasp it. Then it looks funny from getting creased by the straps. I don’t know how it’ll fare with a motorcycle helmet. Plenty of your conditioner takes it right out though.

Whine Whine Whine!!! Love dat Beard!

One thing I hate about my beard is that it doesnt seem to be thick enough and wanting to cut it off but then I'm only in my 3rd month of growth