The Truth About Beards and Coronavirus COVID-19
Let me clear the air here and come right out and tell you that the CDC is NOT recommending men shave their beards to protect against the coronavirus.
This misinformation seemed to have developed out of a CNN story that pulled an old article from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) that was then spun and shared all over the internet.
My guess is Harry's saw the Charmin power move and tried to run the razor market the same way the Great Cornholio wiped out the TP reserves.
The original article referenced is from 2017 and talks about how well tight-fitting respirators work with facial hair. They state that a beard or facial hair will not allow a respirator to seal fully. You can read the original article here.
This article has nothing to do with COVID-19 Coronavirus specifically, and the "CDC does NOT recommend the routine use of respirators outside of workplace settings (in the community)." So unless you work in a hospital, or somewhere that requires a fully sealed respirator, a beard will not increase your chances of exposure to the virus.
That said, there is a lot of uncertainty in the world we live in at the moment, and it's not something to take lightly. We are by no means medical professionals, but with all the questioning around beards and coronavirus, we wanted to outline some things to keep in mind during the current situation.
Avoid People Who Are Sick
This may be the obvious one and with coronavirus, it can be a bit trickier as symptoms are delayed several days. The recommendations for people not gathering in large numbers are valid, so some time at home is something you really should consider.
Limit Beard Strokes
When you have a killer beard as you do, it's hard not to stroke it throughout the day. With coronavirus going around you want to avoid touching your eyes and nose so be mindful when your hands are near your face, and limit the beard strokes.
Check-in on your loved ones
People react to situations like this in many different ways. For some people, they are ignoring this thing entirely and going about their business. For others, they are freaking the heck out, clearing out the frozen food section of their local grocery or stocking up on ammo.
Check-in with your friends and family, make sure they are good. Being stuck at home for a while can be scary (and boring). We'll be giving you guys some things to keep yourselves productive if this continues so stay tuned.
Wash Your Beard (And Your Hands)
You really should be washing your beard daily, and your hands multiple times a day, not because the coronavirus is going around, but because it's proper hygiene. But it times like this you want to really make sure you're keeping clean.
When you wash your hands, REALLY wash them, don't just run water over a couple of times and call it good. Use soap, dig under your fingernails and do a thorough job.
As for your beard, make sure you're keeping it clean. Wash with an all-natural beard wash so you don't strip away too much oil and damage your beard and skin. Apply your beard oil and beard butter to keep your skin and beard moisturized and healthy. Your hands will dry out a little more than normal from the extra washing so use any extra beard butter on your hands to keep them moisturized as well.
Do Your Research
When it comes to situations like we are finding ourselves in right now, you really need to stay informed with what's going on. But equally important is getting your information from a proper source.
Don't believe every headline you see or hear as absolute truth. Dig into a credible resource and make sure you are getting the right info.
I am not a Dr. by any means, and I am not trying to tell you what you should or shouldn't do! Consult a medical professional if you have any symptoms or are concerned with anything medical related.
Quarantine Beard
With all this extra time being spent at home, you're probably surfing social media and the internet a bit more than normal. If you are, you've probably come across several beardless men whether it's a celebrity like Will Smith and Jim Carrey, or maybe just a friend of yours growing a Quarantine Beard.
What's a Quarantine Beard?
Well, really it's just a newborn beard brought to this world during this quarantine process. With more men staying home, it's giving them no excuse to grow a beard, and we're encouraging more to put the razor down for good!
Sure, some of these new quarantine beards are coming up from pure boredom or laziness, but many are being grown out because guys have wondered if they could pull off a beard or their work restricts them. But now is the perfect opportunity to grow a beard!
Personally we think the Prince looks better with the beard and hope he keeps growing well beyond the quarantine!
Jim Carrey is no stranger to a killer beard. He's been known recently to rock a nice full beard and has decided to put the razor down again and not shave until we go back to work!
Day 1. I’m growing a beard until we all go back to work. I’ll post reg pics so you can marvel at the miracle of my meaningless transformation. Normally, I try to stay on the cutting edge of entertainment. Now I shall conquer the uncutting edge. Please join me. #letsgrowtogether pic.twitter.com/UaLQjwlGfh
— Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) March 23, 2020
Jim says his transformation is meaningless, but there may be something more to it. Christopher Oldstone-Moore, a history lecturer at Wright State University who authored "Of Beards and Men: The Revealing History of Facial Hair" refers to this type of beard as a "Quest Beard".
We have seen this for years in the form of:
The "Playoff Beard" - when a sports team grows their beards during the playoffs in hopes of good luck and reaching and winning the championship.
The "Freedom Beard" - many men grow their beards after they complete their military service. A defiant stand against all shaving regulation.
The "Vacation Beard" - really usually more like a 5 o'clock shadow most men enjoy while away from the confines of work regulations and shaving requirements.
Many men grow their beards as a way to mark a period of time, and we couldn't be happier to welcome more men to the beard side. We're here to help answer any questions new Beardsmen may have and we sure hope to encourage them to not only grow through the quarantine process but to continue to grow well beyond.
If you have any questions or if there are ways we can support you, please don't hesitate to contact us. We are here to help however we can.
Live Bearded, Brother!
