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Comment by stronglikedan | Hacker News Reader

It's much easier to keep clean shaven than it is to maintain a beard, so beards are not the ideal choice for the lazy man. It's also much less time consuming to shave, so neither are they the ideal choice for the busy man. Razors are the cheapest facial hair grooming tool, so not the ideal choice for the poor man either. They type of lazy/poor/busy man that would wear a beard would likely not be clean shaven on a daily basis regardless.

EDIT: To clarify, I'm talking about kempt facial hair, which is implied by the context of both the article in question and the comment that I'm responding to. Anyone can be unkempt, but that is never stylish.

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I have worn a beard nearly continuously for approaching three decades, now.

I used to keep my beard neat enough with a pair of scissors, a mirror, and few minutes every few days. Then I got a wet-dry trimmer that I used periodically in the shower. Now I'm just growing it out (about 5 months in), and I work a dab of shampoo in occasionally.

Beard maintenance really isn't that onerous. I spend vastly more time grooming my untrimmed whiskers than I ever spent trimming them. Being clean-shaven takes significantly more frequent effort, and though I have no data points, given all the process involved in shaving, it probably takes a lot more time, all-in, too.

EDIT: Phrasing

I keep my beard clean. And I brush it occasionally during the day. I also trim split ends, as needed. Other than that, it does what it wants.

I have a beard precisely because it’s trivial for me to maintain. I trim it down to 3/8 inch maybe once every two weeks, and clean up my neck in 30 seconds with the trimmer about once a week.

Yeah sure it’s not a flowing 5 inch beard, but it’s still a beard. Point is, short beards require much less maintenance to consistently look well groomed than shaving every day in my experience.

Most beards that I see are not maintained in the slightest.

I would argue that depends very much on what you consider maintained...

Also, of course, the growth rate of the beard. I knew a man once who said he used to act in theatre and was often cast as the young lover type, and had to shave during intermission...

You might be talking about long beards taking some effort to maintain but keeping some 5-15 mm stubble is pretty convenient and fast with an electric trimmer and changeable blades.

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