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Long beard: why to go to the barber

Long beard has for some time now become a great protagonist of man’s face. After years of clean-shaven and perfectly smooth faces, recently we have witnessed a real revival of mustache and beards, among those who are satisfied with a “5 pm” look and those who prefer to sculpt their features with an artful cut. Yet in the last two years there has been an even more ancestral phenomenon, that of very long beard, up to more than ten centimeters.

At first glance, one might think that those who have decided to let their beard grow relentlessly do not need the intervention of the barber. However, this is not the case: even for longer beards with a seemingly uncultivated look, the skill of Antica Barbieria Colla professionals can make the difference. Here are some tips.

Long beard: what the barber can do for you

More and more men are marrying an extra-long beard, certainly not out of carelessness. It is in fact an original look, not yet extremely widespread, and able to catalyze the attention of the beholder not only on the beard itself, but also and above all on the eyes.

However, to think that you can throw the razor away and let nature and genetics do the rest is wrong. Even the thickest of beards always requires the intervention of the barber.

Shaping the beard

The first need is to give shape to the beard, with a finish that can enhance the face, rather than hide it. For most men, the beard does not grow all over the face at the same rate: there are faster areas, such as the chin, and others that are slower, such as the cheeks. Without any retouching, you risk showing messy locks of various lengths. And more than a fascinating aspect, the idea of ​​an excessively run-down look is thus conveyed.

The barber can adjust the length with well-aimed strokes of scissors, giving a shape that respects the oval of one’s face and, at the same time, that facilitates daily care.

Softening and nourishing

Shampoo e olio per barba

One of the most common problems with a long beard is often its dry, rough appearance, which is just as frequently annoying. This is because not all men are used to arm themselves with a brush and comb and, above all, to treat the beard with the appropriate products.

First of all, a long beard should be washed frequently, using special detergents, such as the Darkwood Beard Shampoo. Furthermore, it is necessary to apply specific products, thanks to the expert hands of the barber who, with a skillful treatment, will allow the emollient substances to penetrate deep into hairs. Among the many solutions, the Bitter Orange Beard Dry Oil certainly cannot be missing, thanks to its moisturizing and restructuring properties.

Thinning out the upper lip

Finally, a frequent mistake of those who wear long beards is to forget to take care of the upper lip, or the mustache area. Messy and excessive growth can become extremely annoying in this area, both visually and practically.

When you try alone at home, perhaps armed with scissors, however, you risk ruining your look, made up of months of patience and dedication. A wrong setting with the trimmer, an excessive stroke of scissors, and mustache disappear. Instead, relying on Antica Barbieria Colla means having the certainty that the cut is perfect, adjusted and with a natural appearance, without any fear of ruining one’s charm.

Shaving brush: badger or pig?

Antica Barbieria Colla beard and hair care line was not created for commercial purposes, but to perform the services we have been offering for over a century.

Every time I introduce the line to retailers, customers, agents, distributors, professionals, friends, relatives etc., I keep explaining this concept, surely turning out repetitive.

It’s very important that this is understood because it’s the underlying idea of all our products.

We have to start from here to understand what I am now going to say about our natural bristle shaving Brush.

I’ve got any kind of criticism, remark, question and judgment about this product.

So since it’s finally possible, I’ll explain in detail its value and the reasons behind our choices.

As you can read in its tagline in the dedicated section of our website, this is a professional, handmade brush; its ultimate purpose is to ensure the highest performance during the shaving service.

It’s a countertrend choice compared to what it’s usually found in the market, where most brands have badger bristle for its brushes, which are nice, shining, soft and as I am quite often told “very charming”.

Although I do agree that aesthetic is important and badger is very fascinating, for us the pig bristle brush was the one and only to be launched in the market.

Why?

Because the pig bristle is firm, compact and resistant and it is the one we have been using daily at Antica Barbieria Colla for over a century.

Moreover:

1) The skin needs to be massaged (a lot) before shaving.

We start from a hand massage with the Almond Oil and Aloe Pre-Shave Cream, but then we have to keep massaging with the Almond Oil Shaving Cream and the brush, and you’ll agree with me that hands pressure is different from the bristles one, especially if they are soft and tend to open like the badger brisles; this is why we use pig bristles, which are firm, compact and resistant as pointed out above.

2) When we spread the soap, the brush knot has to be as much ergonomic as possible in order to adapt to the face shape; besides, the firmest bristles are the shortest one.

For this reason, the tip of the knot gets manually cut by our artisans in a round shape which will allow our barbers to reach every part of the face and for us it’s between 3.5 and 6.5 cm tall, not more.

3) Pig bristles last over time if treated right.

They don’t weaken nor lose their resistance, so the brush lasts at least two years; by this time, if any problem is encountered due to production, Antica Barbieria Colla replaces the brush for free.

Nevertheless, to ensure your brush a long life you have to take care of it according to the instructions.

Before using it for the first time, leave it to soak in water so the bristles absorb it and get soft and elastic.

A clarification: online you can find some videos where my father, Franco Bompieri, says to leave the brush in the water for 3 days; to be honest, I have to publicly admit Franco tended to magnify things in his stories, 6 to 12 hours are enough for the brush to be ready.

Being it a handmade product, it has a slight adjustment period and it might lose some bristles the first times, but this is going to happen less and less frequently as using it.

Lastly, for the sake of clarity: it’s an expensive product, but its price is due to its features and value.

We presumed to sell a different brush from the accessories usually found in the market; one can often fall into the trap of comparing it to alike items which are maybe cheaper just because they are synthetic and  industrial.