COVID-19: Beards and masks, do they really go together? UAE Expats speak

In the era of coronavirus, face coverings, whether fabric or medical, are a necessity when we’re out and about. They have become a part of our style and a way to express ourselves. Now things get a little complicated when there facial hair involved; how after all to balance wearing a beard and putting on a mask. Here is a look at how 7 Dubai residents in this situation are handling it.

Karan Shah says his mask doesn’t bother him. However, when he wears one for an extended period of time, the elastic at the bottom of the mask tends to eat into his beard causing a 'dent' that is very noticeable right next to the chin. “Also, you can't really show off the beard (after all the care you put in), and for someone like me with a longer beard, the beard hair popping out at the bottom may not be that nice to look at,” he adds thoughtfully.

Resident Nikhil Dhawan says: “It's not comfortable at all given the fact that most of the time the beard oil and balm gets caught in mask and u r forced to smell that through the day. Get a bit too much sometimes. The beard setting goes for a toss with the mask lining showing clearly over my epic beard.”

Dhawan, who is proud of his special beard comb (pictured), also says: “You can't use much of oil. Problem happens when it's windy or dusty and if u happen to be a cyclist as well (I am). Your beard finds a center parting by the end of the ride.”

Amit Shelly told Gulf News, “During Summer I normally shampoo my beard 2 to 3 times a week. Over the weekend I normally oil my beard. As an everyday ritual I use a good beard oil and balm to make sure the beard doesn’t get too dry. Because when it gets dry it gets itchy.” “Also the mask is very, very uncomfortable for us [bearded men] as it [makes it] hard to breathe, and if it’s a hot day it gets sweaty and very difficult to manage. Also it’s hard to look well-groomed with the mask.”

UAE resident Qusai Dashoun is non-committal about mask wearing. He just says, "It's ok."

Sami Jassim likes to trim his beard every week, it’s good for hygiene purposes and it looks nice and neat always. He says: “I got used to wearing my mask all the time, having a beard does not make the mask uncomfortable. Having the mask over the nose is what is at times uncomfortable but this is something we had to accept and adjust to for safety reasons.”

For Ali Asghar it makes no difference, to be masked or not.

Speaking to Gulf News, Sayyad Anwar Ali says that he does sometimes feels uncomfortable when he’s fasting but other than that it’s all good.