Just when I thought I was going to take a year off from the beard, I changed my mind. I let it go fairly long this year. I didn’t do any trimming from beginning of November to mid-December. The six week period is about as long as I’ve went without shaving, and probably the longest I’ll ever go. Of course I’ve said that before, so there’s no guarantees.
Anyway, the picture to the right is an image of peak beard. It got to the point of being pretty uncomfortable (and very gray), so I’m not looking forward to growing it out this long in the foreseeable future.
After mid-December, I decided to cut it back to a more manageable level. Not only was it more comfortable, but it looked a lot better. In addition to being more kept, the gray was a little less noticeable, which also helped.
While I don’t expect peak beard to make an appearance next year, it’s possible this trimmed back version to the right could return.
Of course, I say this every year, so we’ll see which one(s), if any, make an appearance in 2024.
If you’re interested, you can see the evolution of the beard over the years here: