Don't Miss the World Beard and Moustache Championships!

If you're a fan of facial hair, the annual World Beard and Moustache Championships is like dying and going to hair heaven.  Since the 2012 Beard Team USA championships are coming up on November 11 at the Clark County Government Center Amphitheater in Las Vegas, here is a brief overview of the World Beard and Moustache Championships.

History

The championships date back to 1990, when the event was organized in a small village in the Black Forest of Germany.  Since 1995, the championships have been held every two years.  These events have been held in Trondheim, Norway (1997), Ystad, Sweden (1999), Germany (2001), Carson City, Nevada (2003), Berlin (2005), London (2007), and Anchorage, Alaska (2009).

Categories

Just about every type of facial hair style is represented at the world championships.  Some of the categories include: natural mustache, English mustache, Hungarian mustache, Dali mustache, Imperial mustache, freestyle, Fu Manchu, natural goatee, and several others.

If you're going to Las Vegas, here are some things to remember:

-the competition is open to everyone, regardless of nationality
-the competition will feature 17 different categories
-registration is $40
-spectator admission cost is $10
-more details can be found at BeardTeamUSA.org

Uneven Goatee? These Tips Are For You!

An uneven goatee on a man is much like a picture hanging unevenly on a wall.  The unevenness may be unnoticeable to those who are constantly in the presence of the object, but it will look just plain wrong to strangers.  Getting an even goatee can be a challenge because very few men, while shaving, stare directly straight into the mirror.  Most of us tilt or turn our heads when shaving, and this is the reason why it is tricky to get a goatee that is even and symmetrical.

How can a man be sure that his goatee is even?  The only reliable way is to use some sort of measuring device, such as a ruler or a tape measure.  Of course, very few men are picky enough about their facial hair to accurately measure the dimensions of their beards or goatees.  One quicker way to measure the evenness of a goatee is by using a straight, narrow object, such as a pencil, wooden popsicle stick, or even a piece of string.

With your straight object, along with an eyebrow pencil, look directly into the mirror.  Line up your straight object with the tip of your nose and then locate the exact center of your chin.  Using your eyebrow pencil, put a mark on your chin indicating this point.  Now that you have established the exact center of your chin, you can see if both sides are even.  If the left side of your goatee is, say, 1/16th of an inch wider than the right, shave 1/16th of an inch off from the right side.

You can also use a straight object to establish the width of your goatee.  Holding your straight object vertically, line up the object with the corner of the mouth, and then draw a mark on the chin.  Do this on the other side as well.  A goatee should be no wider than the corners of the mouth, or else it will make the face look excessively round.

Even if your goatee is perfectly even and symmetrical, it can appear uneven if the density of the facial hair is not consistent.  It is not unusual to have some areas of the chin where the hair grows in thicker and fuller than others.  This problem can easily be fixed by using an eyebrow pencil to pencil in sparse areas.

These tips will allow you to grow and maintain a goatee that is balanced an even, whether you are in the beginning stages of growing one, or whether you've had a goatee for years.