Yeard Challenge: A look back at a year of beard growing 

Thanks Bill. I suppose that 'eccentric' is at least 'entertaining' . Think of Robin Williams.

Yep. We have the secret of life all sorted :o) Thanks Eric.

Thanks. It's the 'Albus Dumbledore' effect I think.

That is the real benefit of a 'yeard challenge'. You never know what you will end up with after 12 months, and it is often a pleasant surprise. Well done!

Ha ha. Nice one. Perhaps I should give online elocution lessons :o)

That sounds really intriguing. Robert E. Lee! Do you have a picture of what it looks like? It would be interesting to see. Cheers, Ray

Many thanks.

Thanks Thomas. That seems to be the general opinion. "It is better to be uniformly eccentric" :o)

Not a lot you can do other than wait. Then it depends on whether your particular beard will actually go that long before it refuses to go longer. If you have a few years to spare, it might be good fun to try though!

You are too kind. As you may be aware, I have now gone for a shorter, smarter beard, but kept the moustache intact.

That's great to hear. Here is to the next 27 weeks! Best wishes, Ray

Thanks Nicholas. I haven't seen Dan's stuff yet, but am encouraged to have a look.

@@earlgreybeard Nice his channel is called Dan c bearded

He would like George Bruno too. Those two are my favorites!!

You are too kind. Thank-you so much. Ray

Thanks. I am really pleased with it. It is an odd sort of achievement, isn't it? I didn't have to study for it or go into training. It's more about what you don't do rather than what you do.

Earl Greybeard haha, indeed... brilliantly put. Overall you have a very likeable manner, good luck for the future. I will definitely be subscribing

What higher praise can a man have? Thanks Simon.

That's correct. I did mention that in the first video. So my Yeard was a year of growth on top of a short beard, which I had had for decades. I look terrible clean shaven.

Ha ha. Thanks. Owing to the cost of power now, I am wearing that cap a lot!

Ha ha. You are too kind. "Grumpy old git" my wife would say...

George. I live in Nottingham in the UK. Nice city!

Greetings old chap. All the best with your journey. I found all those fellows an inspiration too. Made me realise that someone ordinary like me could actually accomplish something, if only a beard :o) Cheerio my friend.

Thanks Doug. That does seem to be the popular conclusion.

Me too. I made a video about home oil mixing ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-d8MEMtXmnyo.html Trouble is, people buy me presents of oil, I get oil as part of deals etc. So I have ended up with a load of commercial oil as well as my own stuff :o)

Thanks Kevin, as always. You have been a great support.

Thanks Mike. I actually got the 'hat' concept from the 'Sultan of Silver' over in the US. But maybe, like me, he doesn't wear outlandish gear outside the house :o). I can understand the channels that change focus after the year. It is a dilemma I have too. After that year, you have said everything at least once, and you start to run out of material. All the best with the beard!

Thanks as always for your warm greetings and remarks. Someone suggested on my seat salt video that it tends to make beards curl. I think that was good advice. I will probably stop using it too.

Thanks Theo. I sometimes do the same with the heat settings, but have now got used to the dryer so that I can tell by touch how it is set.

Thanks Graham. I have done 4 or 5 reviews. But I agree that this is not many. My big issue is that currently I don't get many companies' banging on my door with free samples to review. so I have had to buy them myself, which is a bit of a barrier. I do however, have a free sample of the Robin Hood Beard Company's new multi-balm, so I will definitely be giving that a 'once over'. Take care.

If only my wife felt the same way :o). Thanks Anthony.

Thank-you sir. I will be carrying on of course, but I am not yet sure in which direction :o). All the best, Ray

Thank-you sir 😉.

Cheers. I will certainly try :o)

Thanks Aaron :o)

Yes, I noticed that after the filming. I have to sack my continuity person. Drat. It is I!

Thanks. I have a smoking jacket now to match. :o)

Thanks Michael. Which oil recipe have you gone for?

Ha ha. Me too :o)

Thanks old chap!

At my current length I am back to using a plastic circular brush for blow drying. But your brush does sound just right for a long beard.

Hi Allan. I have a rather shorter beard now, so I hope you are not too disappointed. I do have a Facebook page that I tend to use to read other pages only. I don't post on it. facebook.com/earl.greybeard.9

Hi, and thanks for the feedback. If your beard looks like your avatar photo, then it really packs a punch. Perhaps others here can back me up, but if my beard looked like that, I wouldn't be worried what people thought. I guess when you are inside a beard (and are a bit insecure like me) you don't perhaps appreciate what an impact it makes on others. But to me that looks terrific. I have not heard too many good things about co-washing, so haven't tried it. I just wash it twice a week with beard shampoo. In fact I still have the 'By My Beard' shampoo I reviewed a year ago, and it will probably last another 3 months. But that seems about the right level of washing to me. I usually shower twice daily, so the beard also gets a twice daily rinse and dry. But only a twice a week wash with the dedicated shampoo. I can certainly make a beard routine video after my trim (which will be quite a significant change, I think). Best wishes, Ray

Earl Greybeard would love to see a beard routine video thanks and hope your trim goes as you want .keep the videos coming sir .

Stennis French thank man really appreciate your comment. As you know each bearded day brings new challenges. Keep growing and thanks once again

Thanks. I do still have a beard, but after my yeard was accomplished, I went back to the rather shorter King George V style. Not everyone will be pleased with that decision, but it is a better reflection of my personality!

@@earlgreybeard A beard is a beard. Just go with what you like.

​@@JonoSolo Thanks. I certainly like where I am with the beard. And the big plus of growing for a year is that I was able to take note of the points along the way that I liked best.

Sadly, I do seem to be from very ordinary Saxon/Viking stock. But in many ways that is quite relaxing :o). My beard is now a lot shorter, though my moustache is a lot thicker. I have a style now like King George V used to have, which is about as close as I am likely to get to being royal, I think :o)

lol...you never know...the population used to be MUCH smaller, and take Edward III for instance-he has over 40,000 descendants now-some even estimate more, so you never know!

Edward III. I am a big fan. You have given me hope :o)

the "Dark Prince" ;)

Thanks Michael. As you have seen, I was having a bit of fun...

Many thanks.

Ha ha. Everyone seems to like that hat. Thanks.

That's the idea. Growing a beard is a great way to begin afresh, or at least to feel like that is what is happening.

Thanks Phil. That does seem to be the general opinion. I am not sure that the hat and beard combination makes me look any more sane though :o)

Earl Greybeard I liked your comments on head dimensions as I’m in the same camp👍🏻 I’ve just completed around 18 months growth & apart from a trim at barbers around 4/6month point, I’ve not touched it since. It’s been v tempting at times to trim, but I think 💭 leaving it has been best decision. Do you still use Cut & Grind in London? What are your eventual end goals if any? I’m tempted to see what terminal length looks like! 🤣

That does sound very similar to me, although it looks as if you have some nice deep colour with which to play. Cut & Grind are great, but it is an insanely long trip for me to go to London every time I need a trim, especially as I now have to take a cameraman (aka my son, Asher) with me. So, I am trying to set up a collaboration with a more local barber, who gets good reviews. More on this shortly. But my aim is to find a long but smart style. I did make a video on this, but in essence I like pointed beards with very clean lines. So I would probably aim to lose a couple of inches on the length to achieve all that, but keeping the moustache as is. The tache could probably go for another year before it gets to its full potential. Best wishes, Ray

Earl Greybeard I live in N. Devon, so London is def out! The biggest challenge for me has been growing the moustache out! I'm still not there yet but again pleased I've not trimmed as I think a big stash goes really well with a big beard & totally agree re slim pointed/Wizard style. A bit like that Makesh barber from Cut & Grind/Beardbrand😎😉👍🏻🧙‍♂️

Lucky Chap. Lynton/Lynmouth is my favourite place in the world. It is tricky finding a barber you can trust, isn't it? I guess there comes a point where you have to take a punt and see what happens. My original plan was to get to Cut & Grind for the styling, and then get it renewed locally when the style was in place. You could I suppose make a one-off, special trip when you get to your target length? What we could use as a community is a list of recommended beard barbers that we can all contribute to.

Thank-you, O Xplicit one :o)

@@earlgreybeard ....during that yeard, what do you feel was the most valuable learning lesson or discovery about yourself???

Wow! I should explain that I have Asperger's syndrome, which means that I have a high background level of anxiety. One thing I tried during the Yeard was to stop caring what people thought of me. That was a fair success. In fact it so much reduced my anxiety that I could provide far better care for people whom I had stopped caring about, so to speak. A really odd way to get to a desirable result.

Do you feel that you not caring what others think has allowed you too open your mind more and examine a wider variety of people in a more non biased point of view???? I recently started a yeard a couple weeks ago and up to that point I had a medium sized beard where I learned from ole George Bruno that I can't trim my way too a bigger beard and it just takes time; further teaching me how patience is a virtue and reminding me too not be in such a hurry in many aspects of my life....a quick stop to smell the roses kind of reminder at age 37 instead of 57 which is why I have asked the questions I have asked...as the old saying goes....when the older ones pass away, the library closes.....there's much too know about life in general when people are multi generations apart

Thanks Mark. My mother has bought me a smoking jacket for Christmas to go with the hat. Dapper, eh?

Ironically, I don't smoke.

Thanks John.

Actually, I was working a a yeard myself, progressing rather nicely about a month behind you , when right after Christmas I was watching "The Hunt for Red October" with Sean Connery. In that movie, he is sporting a very nice (but rather close-cropped) beard. And for some unknown reason, just out of the blue, I decided to see if I could trim my beard to look like Connery's in the movie. Not a smart move on my part :( Anyway, I started a regrow immediately, and am now back to probably equivalent to a 3, maybe 3 1/2 month beard. My coverage is similar to yours, so in seeing your yeard and your patience and determination, I really think I'm good to go this time. Again, congrats on the yeard. Looks great!

That's quite a story. And I know what you mean. The "Marko Ramius" two-tone look is very dashing. Do you think you might have succeeded if you got the barber to do it for you?

Oh yes a barber would probably have made a better job of it, but I hardly even thought about it. When the movie was over, I rose from my recliner, went into the bathroom, got out the clippers, and had at it. It was really just a whim, an impulse that cost me several months of growth. Seems I'd know better at 67, doesn't it? And to top it off, my wife, who really likes me heavily bearded, was more than a little ticked off. Lesson learned (again).

I am sure brushes and the dryer will help. I just found that it took some time to work out how best to use them.

Good advice. I would just add that a 'cool shot' button on the dryer is extremely useful. It helps to freeze what you have done in place, and is especially useful with the moustache.

Thanks, I picked one up from Walgreens for $15, and a nice round brush for $5.

Thanks, I'm sure I will look like a fool the first few days. But I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.

Thanks Jason. Glad you liked it.

Been growing mind for 3 months and love it

That looks pretty lush for 3 months. Looks like you have great times ahead!

Thanks for your kind words. I really appreciate them. Regrettably, I am anything but calm and confident. I had to retire from my job through anxiety and stress. But I have been training myself with mindfulness techniques to lower my anxiety. So it is good to know that this is working, at least whilst at the barber shop :o)

can you share your training?

I use an online resource called "Headspace". Have a look. The first 10 sessions are free, so you can try it out. www.headspace.com