Bert Swope
Not only can beards add character and rugged style to your face, they also have many health advantages. Facial hair acts like an insulation blanket to keep the face warm.
Studies have demonstrated that facial hair can block 90-95% of UV rays from reaching skin underneath, providing some much-needed protection from damaging UV radiation. Although facial hair cannot replace sunscreen entirely, it definitely provides significant aid.
Protection from Wind Burn
Beards provide an effective natural defense against the elements, keeping your skin warm and protected. When spending a lot of time outside in cold winter weather, your beard will keep your face warmer while protecting it from wind burn – an unpleasant condition in which skin becomes red, dry and irritated from exposure to cold winds (similar to sunburn). Studies have revealed that beards block up to 95% of UV rays, which would otherwise reach your face; thus lowering risks associated with cancer, sun damage, and premature aging.
Beards act as a natural insulator to keep both your face and neck warm during cold weather, although not as effectively as scarf or hat options. A beard can add extra warmth to your face and shield it from winter winds that could otherwise bring discomfort.
Beards provide another advantage during winter by helping keep you dry and clean. Though you will still require regular moisturizing products, having a beard can reduce how often these must be applied; its hairs trap a layer of natural oil over your face that helps retain moisture for longer. This prevents moisture loss from your skin beneath.
Beards can also help protect you from snow and precipitation. While not as effective as hats or scarves, beards can keep rain, snow, and sleet from reaching your eyes and mouth, helping you see clearly and stay dry.
Beards can also serve as natural life preservers if you break through an icy lake or stream, keeping your head and face above water while waiting for rescuers. Although unlikely for most people, this survival tip can prove invaluable when enjoying outdoor winter activities.
Beards can help protect against throat diseases as sweat droplets adhere to facial hairs, helping them cool blood flowing through large veins and arteries in the neck. Without one, these droplets might run off or evaporate into the air – while having one reduces sweat on your face, helping prevent throat irritation or rashes.
Keeps You Warm
Harsh winter winds can do much to ruin a carefully groomed appearance by drying out your beard, leading to painful windburn, as well as ripping apart skin beneath your beard. Therefore, protecting yourself with a beard acts like an natural scarf against cold winds; furthermore it has also been found that full facial hair wearers were around one degree warmer in temperature regulation than their peers who didn’t sport beards (study).
Beards absorb heat and warmth from their environment more efficiently, helping keep both you and your head warm in turn. That is likely why many Vikings sported beards; it is also why many women find them more attractive than shaven ones; no wonder most celebrities sport stubble during winter!
Beards serve as natural filters, filtering out pollution and allergens that enter our bodies through breathing. This helps reduce asthma and allergy symptoms in those suffering. Furthermore, beard hairs repel water effectively to prevent skin irritation and dryness – problems often experienced by clean-shaven individuals that lead to itching and flaking.
Winter air can be particularly punishing on skin, particularly areas with large veins and arteries running through them. When sweat evaporates before it can help nourish or hydrate skin cells, beard hairs can trap more of this moisture, providing much-needed hydration for refreshed and moisturized facial skin.
Beards have long been used by men during winter to stay warm, combat the harsh effects of dry, cold air and retain body heat, prolonging the survival window before hypothermia sets in. Some even use them while ice climbing or hiking in extreme cold environments – keeping their beards can help retain body heat for added insulation and increase survival times!
Reduces Asthma and Allergy Symptoms
Beards and mustaches serve as natural air filters, trapping pollen, dust and other airborne particles to help alleviate asthmatic and allergic symptoms as well as to keep dirt particles from settling on our faces causing skin reactions such as redness and itching. This also has benefits when used alongside glasses!
Beards can help protect against sunburn. While sunlight’s UV rays may damage skin cells and lead to serious health conditions like skin cancer, facial hair acts as a natural sunscreen by blocking out up to 95% of harmful rays.
Beards can also protect someone from hypothermia or drowning in cold waters. Should someone fall through an ice hole on a lake or stream, their beard will freeze onto their face to increase rescuer response times and keep them afloat until rescuers can arrive at their location.
Men with beards can also stay warm in colder climates by using their beard as a face muff. A longer beard distributes body heat more evenly across both face and head, helping ward off cold.
Whoever doesn’t wish to cultivate a beard can achieve the same look by simply wearing a scarf; however, beards provide much more stylish and convenient alternatives.
If you suffer from asthma or allergies, considering growing a beard this winter might help both to keep you warm and reduce symptoms. Just ensure you maintain it with regular beard cleanings and application of beard oil – we’re happy to assist with helping develop a regiment tailored specifically to you! Our wide range of high-quality grooming products includes oils that promote beard health. Plus we can offer tips and tricks on keeping it that way – visit our beard maintenance blog for more details!
It’s Nature’s Scarf
Winter beards provide nature with its own solution for keeping cold air at bay and warm air close by, keeping them protected and cozy inside your face. Some evolutionary theorists believe men developed beards as part of an adaptive response to harsher climates.
Beards provide more than warmth; they also shield your face from harsh, dry weather conditions. Therefore, beard owners must prioritize beard care during winter to keep it looking its best and to prevent irritation or flaky skin. A great way to do this is through regular moisturization with beard oil or conditioner which helps seal in moisture – this can prevent it becoming coarse, wiry or brittle over time.
Winter months cause natural oils produced in your body to decline, making it essential for you to utilize beard oils or conditioners regularly during this season. Apply it twice each day: in the morning and at night.
Note the following points when taking showers – avoid hot water showers! Hot showers strip your hair and skin of their natural oils, leading to dry skin patches or an unruly beard. Rather, opt for lukewarm or cool showers to preserve these natural oils that your beard and skin need to stay strong and healthy.
By following these simple tips, you can protect and enjoy all of the benefits of having a beard in the winter! Next time you feel tempted to shave it off, remember that facial hair acts as an insulator that will keep you warmer and happier this season and look great! Plus you could use your beard as an icebreaker at parties and brag about being bearded hero on social media; or trim it regularly and neatly so it keeps looking sharp.