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Zen and the Art of Beard Maintenance

November marks the start of Movember, the annual fundraiser for prostate and testicular cancer and suicide awareness that encourages men to grow a moustache or beard and collect donations for the cause along the way. e organization has raised over $700 million dollars over the past 11 years while simultaneously giving birth to some epic moustaches and beards. If you take a look around you, you’ll see we have some epic beards in our area all year round. I assembled some of those epic beards, and the men attached to them, for a very hairy and fun photo shoot with local photographer and beard enthusiast, Gerry Szymanski, and asked them some questions about how to properly care for all that fuzz on your face.

When it comes to proper beard maintenance, one must have a good stylist in your corner. ree quarters of the guys trust Dandedeville Barber and Beauty (676 Monroe Avenue) to take care of their beards; another honor- able mention is e Men’s Room (2430 Monroe Avenue).

One other important factor to consider is product – you can’t just put any- thing in that beard to make it soft and shiny. A product that the guys love is Roughneck Beard Batter, made in St. Louis, MO, available online, and also locally at Art to Zen Tattoo (4363 Lake Avenue). A little jojoba oil and a comb can go a long way as well, according to Mike Gross, although Chris Majcher swears by a beard brush.

Both Chris and Jason Ellsworth work for T.J. Sheehan Distributing and swear that a steady diet of grilled meats and spilling some craft beer on your beard occasionally is the REAL secret to a great beard. If you want to see one of these epic beards in it’s natural habitat, look for Gerry Lembke on the door at Lux Lounge (666 South Avenue) for Friday happy hour.

For more information on Movember visit www.us.movember.com.