To beard or not to beard, that is a question

So, I have started shaving again.

Over summer I let myself go. Well, I don't really but I do stop shaving, opting instead for designer stubble. Well, I say designer...

I'm not entirely sure which designer stubble is named for; or why it is 'designer' particularly. I presume that it just indicates some time, thought and effort has gone into keeping it neat, rather than just letting every go bushy.

I like to change my style every now and again, as anyone who has witnessed the bleach-blonde moments can attest. I get bored and need a change. So I go stubbley for a bit. A lot of it also comes down to laziness - being away for so many weekends makes it somewhat tricky to shave; so I either try and take a razor (not great to a music festival) and look smart, or I go stubbley. And the stubble does work - it looks good on me. Shaving at a festival is pretty-much impossible, but shaving at other people's houses is perfectly possible. The problem I have with it is that it makes a mess and takes a long time. I am not a fan of hogging other people's bathrooms for hours and hours whilst I preen and prune, so the stubble stays for summer.

You'd be surprised, but the stubble is not necessarily a low-maintenence option. In order to keep it 'designer' it needs to be trimmed every couple of days or so. This isn't just a quick buzz over. Firstly, only occasionally sporting stubble I find it difficult to justify buying specific stubble trimmers, so I use the ones I use for my head hair with the lowest possible guard on them. But they need to be charged up properly. Then there is the actually trimming which for some reason takes quite a bit longer than just an ordinary shave. But after that is a very messy clean-up: the trimmer throws the hair remnants all over the bathroom - all around the sink, all over the mirror, all over the windowsill and onto the floor. I certainly do not grow stubble to save time in the long run. Whilst it may only need trimming every couple of days it dioes take considerably longer.

The other problem with growing the stubble - or more particularly growing the stubble over summer - is that that patch of face doesn't get the same sun exposure so is slightly lighter than the rest of the face. It doesn't take long to resolve this, but for a few days it is noticeable. Maybe I should sunblock the rest of my face to ensure a consistent pastiness.

And, of course, there is the discomfort of stubble. As a grower, it does start to itch after a while. This is usually an indication that it is ripe for a trim, but there is a constant niggle. And it isn't just me that I need to think about either - whilst I am blessed with quite soft stubble, it still has a sandpapery effect on the people that I snog. Whilst I don't think it has actually deterred anyone from snogging me, there are a few who have been left red-faced, although purely round the mouth.

Anyhow, as well as wanting a change back to clean-shaven; I did need to shave to look particularly smart for something. This is something that I will go into in due course, just not quite yet. However, so as not to rip my face to shreds the first shave needed to be undertaken a few days prior, to let my skin settle down.This also allows the few spots which occur post-first-shave to subside. I presume they occur because a) the effect of scraping a blade or three across a face after a while untouched; and b) a few ingrown hairs. But by starting the shaving on the Monday I was able to ensure that I was looking perfect for Friday.

Well, as good as I was ever going to get.