by José Miguel Hernández

A muchos hombres nos pasa.

Desarrollamos barbas de “colores”, principalmente rojas y sin importar el color de pelo que tengamos.

Lo primero,  no es algo de lo que preocuparse. Es totalmente genético y a no ser que tiñas tu barba, no hay nada que hacer para evitar tener la barba de varios colores.

El color más frecuente, suele ser el rojo. Yo lo he tenido desde que empecé a dejarme la barba, pero el mio en particular, ha ido cambiado de sitio.

Empecé teniéndolo en la zona de la perilla y el bigote. Con el tiempo, esa zona se oscureció más y ahora es prácticamente negra. Sin embargo, se ha “desplazado” a los lados y cubre casi toda la zona entre las patillas y el bigote.

Como introducción, debes de saber que el pelo de la barba es muy diferente al pelo de la cabeza. Es más grueso y rizado. Además no se nos cae con el tiempo.

A nivel genético no se han realizado muchas investigaciones, pero las pocas que se han hecho, asocian este cambio en el color con un gen recesivo en un determinado cromosoma.

El pelo rubio, cuando somos de pelo oscuro, normalmente suelen ser vellos, que todavía no se han desarrollado por completo, por lo que podemos esperar que vayan desapareciendo progresivamente.

En cualquier caso es algo perfectamente normal e inevitable, por lo que lo mejor que podemos hacer es aprender a amar nuestra barba y disfrutarla tal y como es.

You know your facial hair is manly when they name a certain type of it after you. General Ambrose Burnside was a politician, inventor, railroad exec, Union general, and the Father of Sideburns.

Whether acting in Magnum PI or Three Men and a Baby, Tom Selleck brought a healthy dose of manly testosterone with that awesome stache of his. Sadly, in 1997 he shaved off his manly nose mane. He kept it off for several years after that. Thankfully, he came to his senses and has since brought it back.

Besides developing biological theories that changed the way humans view themselves and the world, Charles Darwin’s other talent was growing awesome facial hair. Perhaps intent on discovering himself as the the missing link, Darwin grew a beard any ape would envy.

What Manliness list would be complete without an appearance by Teddy Roosevelt? TR was so freaking manly that his mustache could judo chop assailants, and shout “Bully!” at would-be attackers.

For Nietzsche, God may have been dead, but his mustache lives on. In letters unearthed by historians, it was discovered that Nietzsche believed that his mustache made him a superman. While critics laughed at him, looking at this mustache, I think he was on to something.

Fact: Chuck Norris was born with a beard. When doctors tried to shave it, he roundhouse kicked them in the face with his precociously strong baby legs, knocking them all unconscious.

Whether or not you should grow a beard depends in large part on genetics. Beard growth is genetically determined and there is not much anyone can do other than to accept what they've been given. If you have developed enough facial hair to allow you to grow a beard, then you owe it to yourself to grow it out at least once during your lifetime -- even if only as an experiment. You may be so pleased with the results, even unexpectedly so, that you decide to keep the beard permanently.

Most importantly, the decision to grow, and subsequently keep, your beard is yours. The only opinion that really matters is yours. So, go for it! If you like it, keep it. If not, then shave it off. At the very least you will have given it a try and you'll know what it was like to grow your beard.

Make a commitment to grow your beard and stick with it. This is most important!