Diary of a barbershop virgin: the adventures of a bearded man – before and after the shave

My beard was really put through the wringer in recent weeks. It wasn’t intentional or pleasant, but it coincided with my prep work for this companion piece to my maiden barbershop visit, so I’d be remiss to leave it out.

I always have some facial hair. So, when a colleague on STYLE magazine asked me in early November if I’d like to be the bearded man in their barbershop video, I didn’t take much convincing.

I was a barbershop virgin who had never felt the blade of a straight razor. And the prep work sounded simple enough: let my beard grow as wild and untamed as possible. No trimming or shaving for a month. “Easy enough,” I naively thought.

For starters, I underestimated the itchiness. Going weeks without being able to tidy up my neckline left me scratching until the video shoot on December 4.

Upon meeting my barber, Fernando Viseu at Selvedge Barbers, in Central, Hong Kong, he asked with concern about my red and blotchy neck. The scarf I’d been wearing didn’t help. Along with sweaters and high collars, scarves don’t pair well with burgeoning beards. Even the shortest stubble can frequently snag the material. If the irritation doesn’t get to you, there’s still the risk of ruining a perfectly nice scarf.

Fortunately, Viseu took care of me, masterfully wielding his straight blade and electric razor, with no nicks or cuts. And the maintenance tips he offered were very helpful. But at about HK$700 (US$90) for a hair cut and wet shave, it’s a pampering I could see myself splurging on maybe three to four times a year. I reckon I’ll be less tense with the camera off.

With my beard looking as clean-cut as ever, I sought to enter 2019 with thick, bushy growth resembling that of Captain America in Avengers: Infinity War. But by the start of this year, my facial hair appeared to be thinning, and it was more scraggly and split than a month prior.

So what had happened?