I have had my beard since June 1976 and have never shaved it off (and probably never will!). In 1976 I was a recent graduate from vet school working in a small animal clinic. I was often mistaken for a high school student as I had a young looking face. I got tired of people not taking me seriously, because I looked so young. I was going on a fishing trip for a week and I decided that I wouldn't shave and come back with a beard to see if that helped. It did, and I have kept it since. Beards have come in and out of fashion during all these years, but I still get compliments about mine. My wife loves it and does NOT want me to be without it and I like it, so it stays!

 was on a 2 week trip to Greece with my 10 year old son (thanks, frequent flier miles). On the first morning, just as I picked up my razor, I looked into the mirror and realized "now is the time."

I'm 35. I had a severe stroke in 2015. I grew it because I was really hard on myself. I'm a former Marine and me not able to move the right side was very hard for me. I'm going to keep growing it until I can move my right side.

I was once a boy, a mere child, when I sat at the feet of my grandfather. A tobacco pipe rested at the corner of his mouth and rhythmically bumbled about as he spoke of life on the ranch in east Texas. As a boy, I spent summers on the ranch fishing, riding horses, shooting guns, and eating frosted flakes with the faint sweet smell of pipe tobacco floating through the air. My grandfather was a sculptor, painter, jewelry maker, and a craftsman. I remember his brown suit he wore often and always sported a beard. You know how they say that you will look like your mother's Father. My Grandfather was bald, he was bald from an early age. I always feared the balding. Always.

Unfortunately, my grandfather died when I was 9 from heart disease. I never really got to know him like I would like. As I grew, I thought about him often. In college I tried picking up smoking a tobacco pipe because the smell always reminded me of being at the ranch as a kid. Smoking did not stick. As soon as I could though, I tried to grow a beard. At least, if I was going to go bald I can have a badass beard like my grandfather. I hope as I grow and my beard greys. I can have my grandchildren sit at my feet. So when they age they can remember the life of a craftsman with an exquisite beard

As far as I can remember, I couldn't really muster a respectable level of facial hair in high school.  Then shortly after that I joined the Navy, where I had to pretty much shave every day for 8 years (shudder).  After the Navy, I'd go a bit longer without shaving, but was still hampered by this ideal of my high school face.  Finally, last year, I went out to sea for 2 months for my job.  I thought I might as well give the beard thing a shot while I was away from the judging eyes of society.  To my surprise, it actually grew in reasonably well.  My wife was willing to allow it for a while, but I could tell she was concerned about the level of scraggliness.  I learned about the Bearded Savant around the same time and started using the balms and oils.  The beard has grown longer and thicker, and now my wife loves it and asks me to keep it!

Because I'm fat and it hides the chins.

I grew it to test my patience and reserve. First it was exciting, then it was itchy, now it's an attribute. Everyone has their opinion on it, but there's only two opinions I care about in beard matters - mine and [my wife].

I was tired of shaving, and the irritation that it would cause, so I started rocking the 5 o'clock shadow look. That went on for a while until my wife and kiddos gifted me a beard trimmer for Father's Day which allowed me to start to shape it up. Once I got it where I wanted it I didn't trim it as often and liked what I was seeing and wanted to let it grow. Of course, I went and sought approval from the one who likes to snuggle with me to make sure I wouldn’t be out of her graces, to my surprise she said, "I think it's cool." With that, I started growing it right then and there. Fortunately, I came across The Bearded Savant at that time, so I never had to deal with all of the beard woes that I hear about from others. Not only that, but my scent was more manly than it ever had been with the aromatic oils I am now applying. She still loves it, and It's here to stay.

I wanted to piss her off. She hurt me, she was manipulative, she was overbearing, and I was just starting to break free, to grow into my own skin. The lingering emotional damage was shadowing my growing relationship with my new wife, and I needed a stark, visible change. She hated the goatee look, so I grew one as my passive-aggressive, rebellious, figurative middle finger. When I was in college I had tried to grow a beard, but it was pitiful and in only lasted a couple of months. In my late-twenties, however, it came in full, off-setting my rapidly thinning hair. And my wife loved it! Over the next ten+ years, it became a comfortable look, mostly becoming as close-shaved as my head because any time it grew any longer it was itchy and uncomfortable. As I hit 40, I shaved it off, again looking for a change. After just a few years of going clean-shaven, however, inspired by the "Mo-vember" movement and with the aid of these oils, I went for it again, this time shaving my head closer and growing my beard longer. Now let's see how long I can let it grow!

In 1976 I worked as an auditor for what is now known as "Deloitte": one of the "big eight" accounting firms of that era.  I had taken a 12% cut in pay to go to work there and at the end of my first year, despite glowing reports from all my immediate superiors, I was criticized for having a 5 O'clock shadow at 11 am and given a paltry $25 per month raise.  I was ticked!  A couple weeks later, when my newlywed wife and I went on our 10 day vacation, I grew a full beard.  No more 5 o'clock shadow!  A year later I was told that I was not going to be able to keep the beard and keep the job.

I kept the beard and found a better job!  About 18 years later, my 5 kids all wanted to know what I looked like without a beard because they had never seen me without one. So I let them shave it off on the first day of a two week road trip.  I didn't like what I saw and grew it back.  About 10 years later, it became a goatee when I became managing partner of the firm.  In another 10 years it became a white goatee!

As I was making new year's resolutions this past Christmas, I realized that my work-life balance was non-existent.  I was spending too much time and effort working, so I decided to grow the full beard back.  Each time I touch it I remind myself that "I also work".  It seems to be helping move the needle toward "life" and away from work in that equation.  Father time has slowed the growth.  When I first grew the beard, it took only 2 weeks.  This last time, it took nearly a month for the beard to catch up with my goatee.  I love to use the beard oil on my face after a shower.  It makes my beard presentable in a professional environment and it feels and smells nice.  I would have liked to have this product when I was younger.