Scientists recently swabbed and studied bearded men between the ages of 18 to 76 and found that 39% of the beards contained bacteria harmful to human health. They also found that all of the beards contained potentially harmful bacteria and that the average dog is cleaner than the average human beard.
With beards as trendy and popular as they’ve been in generations, it’s something to keep an eye on. In the study, food was what the scientist found the most in beards and the main cause of growing bacteria. It speaks volumes that an animal tasked with cleaning itself is cleaner than the beard adjacent to one’s mouth.
The conclusion by researchers wasn’t that you can’t hygienically maintain a beard but that most men don’t. Washing it as you would the hair on your head is a good place to start. That is unless you want those around you to fear your beard.
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