With a great beard, comes great responsibilities. After all, having a beard is one thing, but maintaining it is one hell of a job. Luckily for you, we at LBB are all about making lives easier. We spoke to five Bangaloreans who have been growing a beard for as long as 10 years and asked them to tell us {and you} how to ace the whisker game.
These Five Bangaloreans Tell You Where To Get Your Beard Groomed And Styled
George Seemon
Architect and photographer George Seemon’s salt-and-pepper beard is #BeardGoals for us. He’s been growing it for about four years now and from the photos, you could say that his fuzz is always on point. Finding the right stylist for George was almost like finding a needle in a haystack. After so many hits and misses, George found his stylist in Narayanan from Bodycraft in Ulsoor. According to George, Narayanan knew exactly how he wanted to get his beard styled — maintaining the Bandholz-esque look and feel. George visits the salon twice-a-month where Narayan clips the edges of his beard to ensure that there are no stray strands of hair sticking out. George says, once you’ve got the style going on, it’s all about maintaining it and finding the right guy to help you maintain it. Also, he says if you have a long beard, ensure that you use a beard comb to keep it knot-free and airy.
Apart from regular grooming, George washes, shampoos, and oils his beard to maintain it. His go-to oil is the almond-thyme oil from The Man Company.
Arvind Kumar
Travel-enthusiast, foodie, and Chelsea Football Club-fan, Arvind Kumar’s beard game has been on point since 2016 and he currently sports a medium length full hipster beard. His beard maintenance is a mix of homemade and regular grooming at the Bodycraft salon in Sadashivnagar. Usually, Arvind gets his beard styled during a haircut session, but he does make it a point to get it groomed once a week. Naveen is the go-to stylist that Arvind recommends, with the man keeping his beard style strong and on point with a light snip around the edges and a little trim for the beard and moustache to ensure that his beard has that very distinctive Conor McGregor look.
To ensure that his beard remains frizz-free, Arvind uses the beard cream from The Man Company.
Gokul M
Gokul M, an avid collector of sneakers and old scooters, thanks his Malayali genes {according to him Keralites have healthy hair growth} when it comes to his full beard. He’s been growing it for five years now and his current beard style is a culmination of regular beard care using a homemade mix of coconut oil, almond oil, and lavender oil to keep in beard looking healthy and shiny and grooming. Just like George, it took a lot of trials for Gokul at various salons across town to zero in on at Follicle in Brookfield. A regular there for the last year or so, Gokul swears by the stylist Suresh who gets his beard groomed twice a month. Since his beard style is that of a full beard, Suresh ensures that Gokuls’s beard starts at the cheek line, with the moustache distinctly styled to ensure that it’s attached but also stands out.
Gokul recommends light oiling of the beard post-shower and a full oiling session once a week.
Vishal Singh
Who better knows beard better than the founder of a club dedicated to just beards. Vishal Singh, the founder of Bangalore Beard Club has been growing his beard for about three years now and his beard game is super hipster and in-trend. Sporting a full beard currently, Vishal’s stylist is the club’s stylist Roshan. While Roshan is based out of Mumbai {he’s got a salon named Dolphins there}, Vishal does recommend Profile Salon in Indiranagar for grooming. Since he gets beard groomed once or twice a month, he also gets the beard spa from Enrich Salon in Indiranagar. The spa consists of washing, hydrating, massaging and giving a shine to your beard.
For his day-to-day maintenance, Vishal used Beardo products such as oil, wax, and cream.
Carlton Braganza
Carlton Braganza, singer and founder of Opus, has been growing his beard close to a decade now and he says he can’t see himself without out. Carlton’s beard style is that of ducktail beard but shorter in length and with a distinctive curled moustache. And, of course, salt and peppery. Self-grooming is what Carlton usually prefers with his trusty trimmer keeping his beard groomed whenever it gets too overgrown. On days when he’s out to perform or look red-carpet ready, it’s L’Atelier in Indiranagar that Carlton swears by. Rimene, the owner and head stylist, is Carlton’s go-to stylist with her keeping his beard in style and trend. She also does a lot of experimental styling which Carlton gives a thumbs up to.