It's all about the black and (mostly) white beard | Elizabeth Wellington
These days, men are embracing their aging facial hair.
David Letterman is on the extreme end of a growing trend: the black and mostly white scruffy beard.
Most guys aren't going as mountain man as Letterman, said Alex Masi, a stylist at Le Reve Salon & Barbershop in Cherry Hill, but they are embracing their aging facial hair.
Some, Masi said, are coming in for shape-ups with precise lines; others are taking a shaggier approach. But however they chose to let their faces age gracefully, the groomed result is more distinguished.
"It kind of happened all of a sudden," Masi said. "My guys are really into grooming these days, and I think this is an extension of this."
It also helps that some of Hollywood's handsome leading men over 40 — Idris Elba, Brad Pitt, George Clooney — are showing us how comfortable they are with letting the salt in their beards overwhelm the pepper.
I'm a believer.
Dye may not be in order, but it's still a good idea to get some professional maintenance every now and then, because without it, your white whiskers may tend toward yellow. That's not a good look.
It's important, Masi said, to wash the beard at least once a week with clarifying shampoo. It's also a good idea to massage the beard, use a beard cream to condition, and then pick it out before trimming.
That way, my bearded brothers, you'll definitely have more of a leading man than mountain man look.