Let me be honest.  I’m not rich.  Funding a print run for a t-shirt design costs me a fair amount of money up front, so it’s a big decision for me.

Why not use Cafe Press or another print-on-demand company to save costs?  Because I don’t want to offer less-than-amazing shirts to you.  I know the company I use provides a fantastic screen-printed product, and I’m not going to skimp on that.

Which brings me back to the issue… I need you, my dear Internet friend, to decide on a shirt design for me.  Please use the gallery below to vote the design you would most like to see on a t-shirt.  (By the way, the current beard shirt design is 20% off for a limited time! Yay!)

I recently received a comment here at The Beard Coach regarding bald patches in the beard.  However this did not pertain to the more common problem of having areas that just never really filled in as well as the rest of your beard.  This gentleman had already enjoyed a good 17 years of a thick, robust beard, only to find that he is slowly developing new bald patches in his beard on either side of his chin.

You can imagine how terrible this would be if it happened to you!

I did a bit of research into the problem and found some valuable information to pass along so that anyone suffering this distressing development can put his mind at ease to some extent.  The condition has a medical name – alopecia areata barbae.  It can happen to anyone at any age and the reasons for the disease’s development have not been pinned down by science just yet.  Here is what wikipedia has to say about the causes.

“Alopecia areata is noncommunicable, or not contagious.^[2] It occurs more frequently in people who have affected family members, suggesting that heredity may be a factor.^[2] Strong evidence that genes may increase risk for alopecia areata was found by studying families with two or more affected members. This study identified at least four regions in the genome that are likely to contain alopecia areata genes.^[7] In addition, it is slightly more likely to occur in people who have relatives with autoimmune diseases.^[6]

The condition is thought to be an autoimmune disorder in which the body attacks its own hair follicles and suppresses or stops hair growth.^[2] There is evidence that T cell lymphocytes cluster around these follicles, causing inflammation and subsequent hair loss. An unknown environmental trigger such as emotional stress or a pathogen is thought to combine with hereditary factors to cause the condition.^[4] There are a few recorded cases of babies being born with congenital alopecia areata; however, these are not cases of autoimmune disease because an infant is born without a fully developed immune system.”

Another interesting study suggests that alopecia areata barbae could also be an indicator of an infected tooth.

“We have found that bald patches caused by tooth infection are not always in the same place. They normally appear on a line projected from the dental infection and can thus can be located on the face at the level of the maxillary teeth, above a line through the lip-angle to the scalp, beard, or even to the eyebrow.”

So it appears that this condition is not preventable due to the lack of understanding of its causes.  That begs the question… is it curable?

The good news is that in the majority of cases, the hair fully grows back on its own.  However, the time frame is unpredictable.  It could be weeks, months, or years.  For severe cases, it appears that a doctor can prescribe a steroid regimen to slow the spread of the bald patch.  Minoxidil, commonly known by the brand name Rogaine, can also be used in a treatment plan.  However, any of the drugs prescribed would carry the possibility of side effects, so it may be best simply to wait it out.

To summarize, although your beard bald spots are a reason to feel upset, don’t feel too upset because they may be the result of increased stress level anyway!  Visit a dermatologist (and perhaps a dentist as well) to get a professional opinion.  It’s not normal for a healthy beard to start falling to pieces, so listen to what your body is trying to tell you in its ever-so-dramatic fashion.

This installment of my “how-to” video series addresses the issue of trimming your beard after it has gotten too long for the electric clippers.  Free-hand scissor trimming is a scary thing if you have never tried it before, and I hope this video will instill confidence and provide a couple tips based on how I trim my beard.

When you watch the video, you will notice that it looks as though I am not even cutting the hair.  This drives home the point I make about not taking too much off at once.  Just set aside a chunk of time and take it slowly.

Lastly, I apologize for the two-part video.  My memory card hit capacity before I was finished trimming, and a beard trimming video is definitely a one-take shoot.  Thanks for taking the time to watch both parts of the video to get the maximum benefit.

Okay, let’s get trimming!

Name: Brother Jason

First beard grown at age: 18

How long have you had your current beard? My beard has always existed. It chose me when I was ready to learn the way of the beard.  I experimented with goatees, fu man chus, but you can’t blame me, I was young and silly.  Its current and most eternal state came about 2 1/2 years ago.  I realized it was time to be a man and grow the full beard.  Once you see the light you realize full beard is the only
way to go.

Why do you wear a beard? That is like asking “Why do the birds sing, why is the sky blue?”  These things just are, Adam.

What do you like best about being bearded? It gives me a sense of pride.

Briefly tell your favorite beard-related story. The picture of the beard full o flowers that I would like to use as my profile pic…  That is the most photographed beard at the Rothbury music festival, summer ‘09.

What is your best advice for guys who are currently trying to grow their first beard? With a great beard comes great responsibility.