Tis' The Trim Season

Summers are for beard conversations. From products to styles, here's your complete guide to keeping your beard neat and chic this time of the year

- Nivedita

There was a time in the 1960s during a Kennedy-Nixon debate (the debates were one of the first widely watched political fights) when Nixon was widely thought to have lost the debate because the faint shadow of his stubble made him appear untrustworthy. From then to now, the beard has seen a revolution worldwide including in India. Tony Stark and David Beckham have been real style icons, while cricketers like W G Grace, Vivian Richards have been the early trendsetters. Now, everyone wants to have a beard like Ranveer Singh or Virat Kohli, and the association of beards with masculinity, virility, and strength is back into the fray.

No wonder, then, that there is a huge demand for beard growth products.

As our society has evolved, it's not a taboo to keep a beard in office. Even partners are appreciating men in their bearded looks, further fueling the trend. No wonder beards are cropping up on menswear runways and fashion shoots, Rohit Taneja, director of consumer insights at Bombay Shaving Company, says.

There are plenty of men who believe it's a great time to ditch the razor and let their stubble grow, and this summer is no different. Even though a number of them probably found a totally different person within the mirror, it seems to be just what they needed.

Saurabh Gupta, managing director and chairman of Denver, says that it isn't just that more men are wearing beards, but more young men are donning them, and investing wholeheartedly in styling their beards in different ways.

Best Beard Styles in 2022

by Geet Rathi, director of marketing at Man Matters

• Short Stubble Beard

• Short Boxed Beard

• Hollywoodian Beard

• Goatee

• Chevron

• Chinstrap Beard