I believe beards are a requirement for Baristas and Brewmasters. Personally, when I grow out my beard it's because I'm missing my mother and want to look more like her.

16 hours ago, simon43 said:

I'd understand that it helps to keep one's face warm (a la polar bear fur etc). But in Thailand? Why?

May actually keep your face cooler, as blocks the sun. Much like dog fur does. Last thing you want to do with a dog, in sunny hot climate, is give them a short fur groom. Saying that, some dogs just are made for hot weather, Chows, or St Bernards, etc with very heavy fur coats.

I don't notice any disadvantage of a beard in TH. Cold, windy weather, a definite advantage.

16 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

May actually keep your face cooler, as blocks the sun. Much like dog fur does. Last thing you want to do with a dog, in sunny hot climate, is give them a short fur groom. Saying that, some dogs just are made for hot weather, Chows, or St Bernards, etc with very heavy fur coats.

I don't notice any disadvantage of a beard in TH. Cold, windy weather, a definite advantage.

I saw a video the other day where someone called the police in canada because the neighbor left a siberian husky outside in the winter.

Yep.

35 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Saying that, some dogs just are made for hot weather, Chows, or St Bernards, etc with very heavy fur coats.

Should obviously read ... aren't ... made for hot weather. oops

It's a matter of choice ,I ask why do others not have beards ,because they

don't like them , I do ,mainly because I cannot be bothered to shave, just

think of all the money I have saved ,I have had a beard ever since I was

able to grow one , not a lumberjacks ,just a normal beard , and it gives

the wife something to do ,trimming it say once a month.

regards worgeordie

If you've got one, you already know they can make you feel like a rugged, blazing bad ass. But did you know that a beard won't raise your body temperature – just your cool factor? That's right. Wearing a beard during the sweltering summer months can actually help you stay cooler, not hotter.

50 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

If you've got one, you already know they can make you feel like a rugged, blazing bad ass. But did you know that a beard won't raise your body temperature – just your cool factor? That's right. Wearing a beard during the sweltering summer months can actually help you stay cooler, not hotter.

In your fantasy world maybe but in actuality beards make you much hotter and uncomfortable in places like Thailand. THat's why SE Asians didn't evolve to grow thick beards. Heat with humidity is not a good combo for beards. Also easier to get bacteria growth that is not detectable with the naked eye.

52 minutes ago, atpeace said:

In your fantasy world maybe but in actuality beards make you much hotter and uncomfortable in places like Thailand. THat's why SE Asians didn't evolve to grow thick beards. Heat with humidity is not a good combo for beards. Also easier to get bacteria growth that is not detectable with the naked eye.

Myself from experience, and AI would disagree with you ...

... "AI Overview

Scientific evidence and thermodynamic principles show that a beard does not make you hotter in temperature. Instead of acting like a heavy winter blanket, facial hair functions more like a natural shade canopy and thermal regulator, blocking direct sunlight from the skin while assisting with evaporative cooling.

How Beards Interact with Heat

• Sun Shade: A beard blocks up to 95% of ultraviolet rays, preventing direct solar radiation from hitting your face and lowering the risk of sunburn-induced skin heat.

• Evaporative Cooling: Facial hair catches sweat and keeps moisture close to the skin. When a breeze passes through, the evaporating moisture creates a natural cooling effect.

• Insulation vs. Heat Trap: Human facial hair lacks the dense follicle concentration required to trap hot ambient air against the skin like animal fur." ...

1 hour ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

If you've got one, you already know they can make you feel like a rugged, blazing bad ass. But did you know that a beard won't raise your body temperature – just your cool factor? That's right. Wearing a beard during the sweltering summer months can actually help you stay cooler, not hotter.

Beards can keep a face cooler by trapping sweat close to the skin, which makes you cooler by evaporation, especially when a wind hits you. Also, it blocks the sun from reaching your facial skin. Keeping the beard clean helps of course, as dirt and that sweat can make things hotter if it's a large beard. Edit; KhunLA beat me to it by a second.

Edited August 23Aug 23 by fredwiggy

8 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Myself from experience, and AI would disagree with you ...

Depends on how ask AI :) Without knowing the prompt used with AI the answer is meaningless.

Try asking it if a beard makes you hotter in humid places like Thailand. Here is the answer close to the answer you will get.

Prompt and answer:

do beards make you cooler in the tropics?

No. In a humid tropical climate, a beard makes you hotter and noticeably more uncomfortable.

The idea that beards keep you cool comes from desert or dry-heat contexts, but the thermodynamics completely fall apart once high humidity is involved:

• Cripples Evaporative Cooling: The body's primary mechanism for cooling in the heat is sweating. For sweat to cool you down, it must evaporate off your skin into the air. A beard traps sweat against the skin beneath a dense mesh of hair, blocking airflow and preventing evaporation. Instead of cooling you, the sweat just sits there as hot, salty moisture.

• Traps a Layer of Warm, Humid Air: Hair is an insulator. A thick beard traps a boundary layer of stagnant, body-warmed air directly against the lower half of your face and neck, acting like a wool scarf.

• The "Sunshade" Myth: Proponents argue that a beard shades facial skin from direct UV rays and radiative heat. While it does block UV, facial skin accounts for a tiny fraction of total body surface area, and the solar shading benefit is drastically outweighed by the loss of heat dissipation and trapped humidity.

• Skin Friction & Prickly Heat: In 80%+ humidity, the combination of trapped sebum, continuous moisture, and friction from coarse hair creates a prime environment for heat rash, folliculitis, and fungal skin irritation.

s. P

Edited August 23Aug 23 by atpeace

1 hour ago, atpeace said:

Depends on how ask AI :) Without knowing the prompt used with AI the answer is meaningless.

Try asking it if a beard makes you hotter in humid places like Thailand. Here is the answer close to the answer you will get.

Prompt and answer:

do beards make you cooler in the tropics?

No. In a humid tropical climate, a beard makes you hotter and noticeably more uncomfortable.

The idea that beards keep you cool comes from desert or dry-heat contexts, but the thermodynamics completely fall apart once high humidity is involved:

• Cripples Evaporative Cooling: The body's primary mechanism for cooling in the heat is sweating. For sweat to cool you down, it must evaporate off your skin into the air. A beard traps sweat against the skin beneath a dense mesh of hair, blocking airflow and preventing evaporation. Instead of cooling you, the sweat just sits there as hot, salty moisture.

• Traps a Layer of Warm, Humid Air: Hair is an insulator. A thick beard traps a boundary layer of stagnant, body-warmed air directly against the lower half of your face and neck, acting like a wool scarf.

• The "Sunshade" Myth: Proponents argue that a beard shades facial skin from direct UV rays and radiative heat. While it does block UV, facial skin accounts for a tiny fraction of total body surface area, and the solar shading benefit is drastically outweighed by the loss of heat dissipation and trapped humidity.

• Skin Friction & Prickly Heat: In 80%+ humidity, the combination of trapped sebum, continuous moisture, and friction from coarse hair creates a prime environment for heat rash, folliculitis, and fungal skin irritation.

s. P

I agree with AI (gemini), and as noted, from experience. This is what I asked, actually spelled 'hot as how', so reentered, and got same results ...

AND ... IF I add Thai to the query, same results ...

23 hours ago, simon43 said:

they are simply too lazy to shave

Hey I resemble that remark. Following something I gleaned from the ether I shave on Sundays and Wednesdays unless I can't be assed/arsed.

Used the pro version. More of a deeper dive ;)

Edited August 23Aug 23 by atpeace
splelling

Young boys, in Shakespeare's time, without beards, could play female roles.

Here in Thailand, having a beard is due to cultural abnormalities such as religious beliefs.

It would be terrible to belong to a religious group in which bearding was mandatory.

Beards can lead to all kinds of skin diseases.

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

I agree with AI (gemini), and as noted, from experience. This is what I asked, actually spelled 'hot as how', so reentered, and got same results ...

AND ... IF I add Thai to the query, same results ...

Food particles in the beard can lead to ant infestation.

There is no excuse of this.

Razors at Tops cost no more than 3 for about Baht 100.

Thiai people do not like Farang with beards.

Beards are only acceptable for hiding facial tattoos, which are one step down in disgustingness from the beard.

Bearded ladies are acceptable at a circus, or freak show.

I am too lazy to shave. My wife uses clippers to trim the fuzz after a week or 10 days.

15 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Food particles in the beard can lead to ant infestation.

Where else are you going to safe leftovers

15 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Thiai people do not like Farang with beards.

Gals here didn't seem to mind when I was single, or either wife.

I have tender skingor something, as I nick the hell out of myself. Used an electric past few years, but wouldn't call it a close shave. If going somewhere or meeting folks, I'll shave. But not if just me & wife at the house. Use to be every 3 ish days, and I shave before it gets to long. Although 3 day growth for me is quite a bit.

Beard, and touch up about the same, every 3rd day. Had it, beard for about 3 weeks, and think I'm keeping it. Before meeting wife, always full beard, trimmed, or goatee.

Edited August 23Aug 23 by KhunLA

19 hours ago, CallumWK said:

After all that time in Thailand, you still don't know bar girls are habitual liars?

Wow you must be a great detective...never occured to me that a thai bar girl would ever tell a lie.

10 minutes ago, pomchop said:

Wow you must be a great detective...never occured to me that a thai bar girl would ever tell a lie.

Follow me for more advices on bar girl tales.

As I drove back from the beach here on Phangan island, I checked the foreigners riding motorbikes coming the other way. Without exception, every man (all in their 20s and 30s) had a beard, some short, some zz-top style.

I guess Phangan with its population of weirdo, out-of-touch hippies, can be expected to have a large number of foreigners who still think it's 'hip' to sport a beard lol.

By the way, none of my school employers in Myanmar would employ a foreigner with a beard... I guess it scares the kids!

Edited August 23Aug 23 by simon43

18 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Your honor the defense will now rest.

Your honor the defense will now rest.

Is there any chance that you don't have a beard?

Your question forces me to "out myself".

• I have a mustache and hair on my chest like a Gorilla. So, at least once a month I go to a very special "chest hair removal parlor". Oh no, they don't use mondaine razors, they do it with medival swords. Last time I looked, the sword had an engravement reading "Excalibur".

2 minutes ago, swissie said:

Your question forces me to "out myself".

• I have a mustache and hair on my chest like a Gorilla. So, at least once a month I go to a very special "chest hair removal parlor". Oh no, they don't use mondaine razors, they do it with medival swords. Last time I looked, the sword had an engravement reading "Excalibur".

I just use an electric razor to keep my chest and other parts trimmed, most women don't like a lot of hair on a man and it's both itchy and hot for life in the tropics. It's a very easy DIY fix.

It was a fad for young Western guys to grow a full beard around 10 years ago. I though the fad was over. Or maybe older guys are doing it now. The usual 'late to the party' kind of thing as people get older? Like tats on a 70 year old grandma...

13 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

It was a fad for young Western guys to grow a full beard around 10 years ago. I though the fad was over. Or maybe older guys are doing it now. The usual 'late to the party' kind of thing as people get older? Like tats on a 70 year old grandma...

Well, at least you can shave off a beard, but tats......

Identification with the illiterati, red pill idiots, other assorted MAGA morons. Thai women spend a lot of time and your money on their skin. Don't be a moron chasing alpha cosplay.

I went on holiday to Indonesia and Thailand one year sporting a beard. After a week and a half of sweating underneath it, I said forget it and shaved it off.

The skin that had been moist underneath came off with the beard!! I had what looked like some kind of rash on my face for a week. Still got "handsome man" catcalls from the bargirls though 🤩

I have always maintained a beard serves to cover a multitude of chins.

I have had beards at different times in my life - stopped when it began to appear I had dribbled milk down my chin.

On 8/22/2026 at 6:20 PM, KhunLA said:

I just started growing mine again, after about 20 yr hiatius. Simply tired of shaving, or worse, tired of shaving every few days, as having a heavy beard, so 3 days worth, and I look like a bum on the street 🙄

I keep it well trimmed now, at 2 or 3 mm. All grey, so adds about 10 yrs to my handsomeness, though very distinquished now

Just curious: 2-3mm is almost shaved. Why not clean shaved, instead of having this hobo look? I doubt a girl would feel it being wonderful to kiss those stubbles.

As I said, just curious.

In my '80's' Shave every morning.

Edited August 24Aug 24 by parallelman

No beard because at this age it makes me look like an Arab. I can't say I noticed any advantage, or otherwise, in LOS, not even in Hat Yai.

In Malaysia it may help, as the have foreign workers and tourists from all over the Islamic world, and other than for shopping the communities more or less keep to themselves. I don't think a Chinese shopkeeper wouldn't be too quick to do the "you no buy you no good you no come back" tantrum to a Muslim.