When growing a beard, it’s all very exciting once it gets to your desired length and fullness, however, no one tells you about the struggle to do something as simple as eating food! Yep, eating becomes an Olympic sport, once your manly mane is at full potential. Ever been out and dropped a dollop of ice cream in your beard? Yeah, me neither, but here’s some tips below to avoid such mishaps and have your beard always looking clean and on point.

Use utensils

Firstly, I’d encourage you to use utensils where you can. I enjoy nothing more than picking up a juicy burger with my hands and taking a huge bite out of it. However, that’s asking for trouble. Everything in that burger will ooze from the bottom and then you’re left with a saucy, sticky mess of a beard – trust me, it’s a pain to clean. Instead, try cutting up the burger into much smaller manageable pieces. It’s not as fun to eat it like this, but at least once you’ve finished, your beard will look just as clean as before you started. Also, if ever buying an ice cream, opt for a cup with a little spoon rather than a cone.

Don’t be so greedy

You know when you’re just so excited to eat so you overload your utensil with food? Yeah, don’t do that. Try putting less food on the fork/spoon to avoid overflow and any unnecessary spillage. It’s a long way from the plate up to your mouth – there’s no rush, take your time, eat slowly and savour the smaller mouthfuls.

Avoid crummy food

You know what I mean, anything that produces loads of crumbs. For example, doughnuts, croissants, pastries aka crummy foods. The foods that even people with no beards struggle to eat without making a mess. If these are your favourite type of foods, and you can’t bear the thought of not eating them, again, try cutting it up first or break off pieces to put it directly into the mouth.

Eating strategically

If you are super patient, you could also try eating in a way to avoid any accidents. For example, if eating noodles or pasta, try using your non-dominant hand to move your beard to one side whilst the food enters with the other hand. With large burgers or sandwiches, the trick is to rotate the food up and below the moustache, then just open your mouth a little wider than normal. You could also try using your forefinger and your thumb and brush aside any hair near your mouth before putting the food in. With any Olympics sport, practise makes perfect, and it’ll soon become second nature.  

Wet wipes are your friend

Lastly, if you can’t be asked with any of the above, then I’d encourage you to always walk with wet wipes, a handkerchief or some tissues. Just be prepared for some very frequent dabbing and wiping!