Should I grow a beard? That’s the question I’ve asked myself many times, and I have grown short beards from time to time – then shaved off.I still constantly ask myself that question though, so I thought I would detail some Pro’s and Con’s of growing a beard.Pro’s:Beard Maintenance is not hardKeeping a beard is easier than other hairstyles. You can have long hair and still keep it looking good, but for the most part, you need to have it cut every few weeks to keep it healthy and looking good. If you can remember to cut your beard every couple of months, that’s basically all you need to do! I usually trim mine back a bit but leave the length as it will just grow back anyway.Looks manlyI don’t mean to be sexist, but generally, guys with beards look manlier. This may not be 100% true all the time, but I think if you asked a girl which she likes more, the guy with the beard or without, then most of them would say beard. It’s manly.Can have a positive effect on your looksA beard can have a great effect on your looks. I’m not talking about the opposite of the above, but rather facial hair helps add another dimension to a face.Gives you something to designI’m a big fan of having my hair styled and cut every now and then, but it gets a bit boring doing the same look all the time. With a beard, you have something to design. You can have a different beard style for different occasions. You can keep the length the same but change how you style it. It’s quite fun creating new looks – at least for me, it is.Full coverage looks betterLooks manlier, pick up chicks at bars? I think so (not that you need to do that – see point 4). You look better covered, which also means you don’t need to worry about tan lines or shaving. It just looks better – fuller coverage is always better.In all seriousness though, a beard can have a positive effect on how you look but also on your self-confidence. Sometimes the change of growing a beard just has that positive effect on how you feel which in turn has a positive effect on your self-confidence.Con’s:Looks silly sometimesSometimes in public I get a few odd looks, which makes me feel silly. I don’t mean to be overly sensitive, but a face full of beard hair is not something everyone can deal with – and not because they don’t like beards, but more likely because they think it looks a bit silly. It doesn’t look silly to people who know about beards, just someone who doesn’t know about them at all.Beard maintenanceYou need to find a time to do your beard maintenance. It’s probably not the best thing if you’re always running around because it’s going to get really messy, but it can be annoying as well:You don’t have enough beard hairYour face is getting very oilyYour face is getting very scratched upStyle is hard sometimesI’m not a huge fan of short styles: full beards are much more enjoyable. This also means it can be hard to find a beard style that I like. It’s probably not that hard to find a style you like, but I have found it takes a bit of work and testing out new styles to get something you really love.Stubble happensA lot of times when I’ve grown out my beard for a long time and then shaved, I end up having patches of stubble.Itchy and rashSometimes itchy and rash can happen, though I’m not sure if that’s because of beard hair is not as clean as people think or if it’s because the razor is not as nice or sharp.Hot environments make it hard to look good with a beardIn hot environments, most beards tend to look shaggier and generally less attractive. This isn’t always the case though, but most beards do tend to look less attractive in heat.Food stuck in beardSome food does get stuck in my beard, though most of the time it can be washed out. Sometimes I find a couple of pieces but it’s not a huge deal if it happens.Unpopular stylesIf you don’t like the style you see on everyone who has a beard, this might be a downer for you. If you are really into an un-popular style, then this might have a negative effect on how good looking your beard is to others.Is it worth growing a beard?There are both pro’s and con’s of growing a beard. Myself, a lot of the time I have shaved because of the itchy scratchy feeling I get. That may have gone if I left it to grow long enough.The other thing to take into consideration is your partner and how it makes them feel.Beards have been a big thing these last few years with more and more products coming out to improve their quality. If you feel that the pro’s mentioned here outweigh the con’s then why not try growing one.If you have any other questions about growing a beard leave them in the comment section below!