Welcome to the Gaard

Hello friends, and welcome to Beardsgaard.

Welcome to the first steps this little family takes toward our dream of working in our own barbershop and doing what we love for the rest of our lives. This blog is that first step.

But this site isn't really about us. It's about you. A man's relationship with his barber, whether that barber be a man or a woman, is a special one. You trust us to make your hair, the one accessory you wear each and every day, the best it can be. You trust us to shave your throat with a lightning sharp piece of metal. You tell us things you don't tell your shrink, clergy, wife or bartender.

That trust means the world to us, and that is why we created Beardsgaard Barbers blog now, and our shop in late summer 2014 - to give you even more.

What you will find on the Beardsgaard Barbers blog is a wealth of information. You will find all of the professional hair, beard and shaving education we give you in our chairs every day, video tutorials and The Gaard, our community of beard and barbershop aficionados (sign up already, would ya?).

But why should you care about any of this? It's just hair and grooming, you figured this stuff out when you were in high school.

Adulting: Nailed it

Except most of us didn't, not really, because no one ever showed us how to do it right.

Just like house upkeep, grocery shopping, or basic car maintenance, you could always figure out the basics by yourself, but with a little instruction, practice, and patience, you found out how to do more than just get by, you found out how to do it right, and do it well.

You no longer leave the house a disaster area for weeks before spending an entire day off getting it back in relative shape. You no longer are embarrassed by a cart full of Hot Pockets and Bud Light, you can stride proudly up to the checkout with a cart full of respectable adult food (and good beer). You no longer have the mechanic change your oil, wiper blades, and air filter, you can do that, and much more, all by yourself thankyouverymuch.

Yep, that’s better.

All of these tasks took a little effort to master at first, but now you take care of these things with hardly a second thought. The thing is, taking care of your hair and putting yourself together is quicker and easier than house, food and cars, but it's something you do every day. Except for panstless Tuesdays. Nobody is required to do shit on pantsless Tuesdays, much less make themselves appear human.

If you still consider grooming to be an obnoxious chore instead of the manly ritual of our grandfather's day, we are here to help you get your bearings. You certainly don't need to follow every piece of advice we give on this site, we don't dictate the terms of masculinity. We provide help for those who want it.

Dressed to the nines, or keeping it simple in a T-shirt and jeans, knowing how to look your best changes everything. It changes how others see you, of course, and that matters, but no one should live for how others see you. But it also changes how people react to you. That's some powerful stuff. Could say it's kind of like a superpower.

Even more powerful is how it affects you. You know you approach the world differently when you're comfortable in your skin, and being confident in your ability to groom yourself like the gentlemen of old gives you that. You just have to care, and you have to practice, and then it happens. You grow up, you grow into yourself, and you find yourself one day a happier person, and a better person for that.

Much better

We clean you up in the shop, you feel great, you get compliments all over town. You follow the blog and get expert advice on hair, beards, grooming and shaving, then you put it into practice. That morning routine, nay, ritual, gets easy, because now you have the tools to take it on.

We are barbers. We cut hair. It's uncomplicated. It's superficial. But in a way, it's the start of everything. And we have the best fucking job in the world.