THE VICTORIANS MAY HAVE ORIGINATED THE BEARD CRAZE BOOM!
If you begin to unravel the history surrounding beards it soon becomes very clear that facial hair has been cherished by gentlemen for as long as man has treaded the earth. But when did it the first 'Beard boom' begin? How did it start? And by whom? Well, it seems that the Victorians certainly knew how to throw down when it came to packing a face full of marvelous fuzz.
In the 1895 a gentleman named Mr Charles Owen went to extreme measures to help fellow gentlemen grow out their facial fluff, by stealing a postal order to pay for a patent on a location he had formulated which promised would help you grow fascinating whiskers. Although many believed his hocus pocus potions were nothing more than nonsense. Beards were granted with high regard in Victorian Britain, and often represented a mans strength and power. In the armed forced moustaches and facial hair were signified to represent a mans ranking, alongside the correct uniform attire of course.
Victorian civilian men were often desperate to obtain their own beards and mustaches, despite many not being able to muster up anything more than a few whiskers. So much so in fact, that you could purchase 'beard wigs' for as little as £1 that could easily be attached to the face, that were heavily sort after by the beardless. With the 'Beard boom' in full swing it wasn't long before others began dipping their foot into the market to many penny or two, as hand made scented oils catered specifically for beards were being sold to the riches. Lotions also followed that promised to 'medically cure' men who couldn't grow out facial hair, that were now being labelled as 'sick or ill'.
Scented beard oils and lotions continued to be produced that held various scented ingredients. From flowers and rose petals, to freshly cut ginger and even a touch of wine! (If you get that inside joke, you're just as British as I am, and probably a tad on the old side too!) Whatever would blend into a smooth oil and gift a decent smell was fair game to the Victorians in their era. For considering that bathing was limited to most in the 1800's and assumed to be rather unhealthy, I find it pretty amazing how much time, care and effort Victorian gents put into their face fuzz, it's pretty admirable! Thankfully times have since changed, as have our beard care routines and practices when it comes to beard care products.
Here at 'The Beard Struggle' we work closely with our team to continuously create our premium range of oils, balms and washes that our customers have come to love and trust. If you havent seen our range of products then why not take a moment to visit our exclusive 'The Beard Struggle' online store where you'll find everything you'll ever need and more to maintain and optimise a phenomenal beard that you rightfully deserve. Read our honest reviews left to us by our loyal trusted customers and you'll soon see we deliver on our promises.
That sees another beard blog come to a close for today my friends. If you should have any thoughts, comments or questions then please let us have them in the comments section you'll find kindly provided below.
And until next time, Beard on Brothers, Beard on...
Leave a comment