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There are a couple of interesting articles that discuss the trend of growing facial hair in 19th century England.
Described as the beard movement in Victorian England the prescription to grow facial hair was based on possible health benefits with beards widely seen as”contributing to men’s health and vitality”.
This is in stark contrast to the trend in our times. When historians look back at the 21st century through, the rising trend in facial hair growth will not in any way be related to any possible health benefits. We’ve also seen other articles like the one titled: How Bad Medical Advice Helped Make Beards Trendy
The article argues against the health benefits of growing a beard, but admitting that men with full beards are seen as the healthiest.
Now here’s what we have to say about that…
There are a number of articles in major publications that talk about the benefits of beards from various perspectives.
MNN (Mother Nature Network) and others such as Fox News, NBC News, Men’s Journal have all published articles about the various benefits of beards with many focusing on its effectiveness in blocking UV rays.
Here’s a list of some of the health benefits that we’ve come across:
- Beards help block UV Rays.
- Facial hair near the nose helps stop allergens.
- Protect the face from wind and cold air.
- Reduce bacterial infections.
- Raise your neck’s temperature to battle colds.
- Perception of More Masculinity
One thing to understand that there are experts who agree on the health benefits of the beard. Not only that, research has also been done, especially in relation to UV radiation protection provided by beards by University of Southern Queensland in Australia.
A few more articles in other publications pretty much talk about the same advantages, however a very interesting aspect is a research article that compares Lion Manes and Human Beards. Who knew? We have a Lion’s Mane Beard Foaming Wash, so it seems we’re on the right track here. Essentially, the gist of the study is that a lion’s mane is a visual sign of his social dominance.
We’ve already discussed above that the masculine perception that a beard provides. But what about protection? The research article mentions that “This protective feature of human beards is also recognized in the Technical and Competition Rules of the international Amateur Boxing Association, which prohibit beards in boxing matches.”
So there you go, next time you happen to be boxing, know that your beard has your back.