To shave or not to shave? Meet up with the Dubai residents balancing big beards with face masks

Growing and maintaining a sizeable beard requires a particular degree of commitment. There's the itchiness and cleanliness to cope with, in addition to the daily challenge of at least pretending to involve some semblance of control over said facial follicles.

The rigours of sporting a substantial thatch of undesired facial hair have increased considerably since wearing face masks became mandatory in public areas in the UAE. So The National's Chris Whiteoak photographed 11 bearded Dubai residents within their masks, and spoke to them about working with their bristles over the searing summertime, the perfect positioning of a mask over voluminous facial hair and what prompted them to grow their beards to begin with.

Some beards may actually have emerged purely unintentionally, while others, including the one Shayan Pervaiz, 40, sports, were purposefully cultivated as a reply to the pandemic.

“It was a statement I was making as a protest against the rapid spread of Covid-19 at that time, that could be curtailed by something as simple as everyone being responsible and vigilant,” says the Afghan national, who plans to continue growing his beard until global travel returns to “normal(ish)” levels.

A few of our subjects smother their beards in oils, balms and jellies, while some let nature take its course, only stopping to de-fuzz every few months. And many have had to adopt new strategies given that masks have grown to be a long term over-beard fixture, specially when there’s an onset of itching.

“If no one's looking, I've an excellent, full-on rough bear-style scratch,” says Keith Dallison, 59, a voice-over artist, video editor, and 50-plus model and actor. “But when one is in company, you have to refrain and be more subtle by striking the thinking pose and letting your fingers sort the problem."

And what lengths are they ready to let things go? For a few, partner pressure is apparently the only thing holding those follicles in balance. Others have significantly more random metrics for acceptable length. “Resting on my chest is approximately as long as I could get away with, I believe,” says British sales manager, Stuart Forrester, 45.