In the age of the lumbersexual, we are finding out that beards are really just bacteria traps.
I know we are all about boys with beards nowadays, in fact, I even toyed with growing my own recently until I realized I looked like a wannabe porn star from the Barbizon school of suckers. I also realized that my beard required more grooming than I was interested in, because it didn’t always smell April fresh. Because beard bacteria is a thing, and not a thing I want to be involved with.
It should come as no surprise to anyone that beards harbor bacteria. The theory was first tested by US Army microbiologist Manual Barbeito, who invited his scientific team to grow beards, which he sprayed with benign bacteria that not only survived, but thrived in those hairy environs.
Barbeito found that even when men washed their beards, bacteria clung to the hairs and continued to produce.
READ MORE: It’s a Thing: Bright Colored Beards
Trichologist Carol Walker says that those with facial hair are at higher risk of contracting and spreading bacteria, because hair around the nostrils and mouth are well-placed to harbor bacteria like Staphylococci, for instance. The other side to the coin is that our skin, organs, and even vaginas harbor bacteria as well, and most of it isn’t harmful.
So while I am not saying that your beautiful, bearded man is going to give you a staph infection downstairs the next time he goes down on you, it is something to consider, especially if you have sensitive skin, or an especially weak immune system.
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