Since ancient times, a beard was considered a decoration of a man as a symbol of masculinity and maturity of its owner. Over time, fashion has changed, and with it, both the shape of the beard and its length have undergone changes. Well, since experiments with one's own appearance are the lot of not only women, but also the strong half of humanity, men tried to contribute to the decoration of the hairline on their faces. One of the ways to decorate yourself and give originality to your look is to braid your beard.
A trip to history
From time immemorial, among many peoples of the world, a man's beard was considered a talisman that protects its owner from evil spirits and everything bad. Luxurious lush multi-level beards of Assyrian men symbolized their high morality. The upper level, as a rule, was twisted, the lower one was braided into pigtails. Mustaches, sideburns and part of the hair from the beard that did not fall into the pigtails were curled in a special way. The beards were decorated with ribbons and other ornaments.
Egyptianpharaohs wore beards made of precious metals. The pigtail on the beard was pyramidal, it was tied up with a braid, and a ureus was applied on top - an ornament in the form of a golden snake, symbolizing immortality.
Ancient traditions were continued by more modern beard bearers - sailors and pirates of the Middle Ages. So, the notorious pirate named Blackbeard braided dozens of braids from the vegetation on his face, tying them in knots at the ends. In these pigtails, he wove tow soaked in s altpeter, and during the battle he set fire to them to intimidate the enemy.
Traditions of northern peoples
Let's turn to the traditions of territorially closer ethnic groups. As you know, among the northern peoples - Scandinavians, Russians, Slavs - a man's beard was an indicator of his maturity, a source of pride, since it symbolized his belonging to the stronger sex, as well as the connection of its owner with the gods, with nature. Chopping off or cutting off a beard was considered a disgrace for a man, so such a measure was used as a punishment for the guilty.
For the northerners, the beard was also a kind of amulet that protected from the cold wind and allowed them to keep warm in the cold. As the song says: "The beard warms in the cold." The thicker and longer it is, the warmer it was for its owner. However, fluttering in the wind, she constantly got confused in clothes and military equipment during military campaigns or sea raids. A beard could also become a hindrance in everyday life, while eating or doing household chores and crafts. Therefore, men tried to style their beards, collecting them in knots, in tails, andalso braided. That is why we often see images of Vikings, as in the photo shown here, with pigtails on their beards.
Modern fashion trends
As you know, fashion is a cyclical phenomenon. At different times and eras, the beard periodically became a fashion trend. Nowadays, wearing facial hair has again become popular among representatives of the strong half of humanity. And with the fashion for beards came the fashion for various ways of decorating them. There is a version that the fashion for pigtails in a beard has returned thanks to the release of the films "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "The Lord of the Rings", as well as numerous action films from the life of the Vikings and Scandinavian gods. The bright images of the heroes of these films with not very neat beards, decorated with pigtails, appealed to many fans as a symbol of strength, masculinity and some brutality. So the fashion to weave braids on the beard has returned to modern society.
Suitable for
Today, men of different ages and nationalities decorate their appearance in this way. Most often, the bearers of such jewelry are young guys and middle-aged men - people who are not afraid of experimenting with their own appearance and who strive to stand out and emphasize their own individuality. Usually these are representatives of various informal movements - hippies, rockers and other representatives of the youth subculture. As a rule, those who are not afraid to stand out from the crowd so radically are brave, self-confident people, leaders and organizers, strong, bright,creative personalities, mobile and sociable.
However, the exact opposite is also possible. A person who experiences self-doubt and lack of communication can stand out in this way, attract attention. In this case, the braid in the beard may indicate a man’s desire to change his opinion of himself in the eyes of others.
Selection criteria
Currently, there are several ways to braid a beard. The most popular are the following:
- viking style;
- afro braids;
- dreadlocks;
- Slavic weaving.
Pirate style is also relevant.
The question of how to make a beard a pigtail is very important in terms of choosing the right image that suits each individual person. Here the hair color, the method of weaving, the length of the beard play an important role. To create a harmonious image, it is best to contact stylists who will take into account all the factors that characterize the client:
- lifestyle and occupation;
- features of the figure and body proportions;
- color type;
- face shape;
- client's clothing preferences (style and colors).
Taking into account all these factors, a beard design option will be selected that is suitable specifically for this client.
Combination of beard with hairstyle
Choosing a similar variant of the design of vegetation on the chin, it is important not only to decide how to braid the braids on the beard, but also to choose the right hairstyle for it on the head. A braided beard goes well with long hair pulled back into a neat ponytail.
This beard looks quite interesting in combination with a bald head, which, as it were, draws attention to the brutality of the image.
Recently, hairstyles with shaved temples are considered a fashion trend, thanks to which the head seems more elongated, and the chin line is visually enhanced. With such a hairstyle, pigtails on the beard of young people are especially harmoniously combined.
Another version of the current youth haircut is strands laid high on one side, creating an asymmetric effect. The combination of shaved temples with a powerful mane on the crown, contrasting with a long beard braided, gives the image of masculinity and originality.
Dreadlocks
Dreadlocks or dreadlocks are artificially piled strands. To create them, you need to grow a beard as thick and long as possible. The vegetation is divided into strands, combed, felted and twisted using a special hook for making dreadlocks. They are fixed with wax, which gives the hairstyle strength and durability. The downside of this weaving is that dreadlocks cannot be untwisted like a regular pigtail. They can only be cut.
Much safer is the use of artificial dreadlocks, which are bundles of kanekalon. How to weave braids on a beard with their help? They are intertwined with natural hair on the chin. If necessary, theyeasy to take off. For weaving artificial dreadlocks, a hair length of only five to six centimeters is enough. They are comfortable to wear and easy to care for.
Afro braids
A feature of weaving braids in a beard in this style is the use of bright threads and ribbons as we braid. The valley of facial hair can be anything from six centimeters. The duration of weaving depends on the length and density of the beard. The result of this process will be a magnificent colored beard, which will undoubtedly allow its owner to stand out from the crowd and leave a lasting impression. The weaving process is as follows:
- vegetation is divided into small strands;
- wet hair and ribbons to be woven into them;
- the tape is folded in half, the resulting loop is thrown over the strand;
- weave a pigtail consisting of a strand of hair and two strands with a ribbon, starting from the very base on the chin and to the very ends below;
- The pigtail braided along the entire length is fixed.
Weaving makes the beard heavier by an average of one hundred to one hundred and fifty grams.
Loki
This type of braid is a cross between dreadlocks and afro braids. Kanekalon is an artificial material used for their creation. There are two ways to weave them.
Method one:
- a strand of kanekalon is taken, the ends of which are fixed with an elastic band;
- the strand is combed in the form of a dreadlock;
- the resulting bouffant dreadlock is folded in half and applied in the middle to a strand of beard;
- weavinga pigtail made from this fiber and your own hairs;
- the end is secured with an elastic band;
- pigtail fixed with wax.
Second way:
- a strand of hair from a beard is divided into three parts;
- separate a kanekalon curl approximately three times longer than their own hair;
- add this curl to one of the parts of their own lock and weave a pigtail;
- fix the end with an elastic band;
- the remaining free strand of kanekalon is wrapped around the braid along the entire length;
- the edge of the kanekalon on top is also fixed with an elastic band;
- The pigtail is fixed with wax.
Locks look very original due to the unusual shape of the strands in the beard.
Viking style
For Viking-style braiding, the beard must be long, at least twenty centimeters, and thick. The number of braids in a beard can vary depending on the taste of its owner. It can be one thick braid, two or three braids, or many small and thin braids. The entire beard or its individual strands can be braided into braids. To fix braids, you can use ordinary elastic bands, but it is better to have special stylized jewelry for this purpose - straps, metal rings and all kinds of clips.
And you can do without these accessories altogether, fixing the ends of the braids by tying them into a knot.
If you are going to have your beard in one braid, it is better to grow it in the form of a goatee with a pointed end. If you plan to weave several braids,you will need to grow a full beard with a shovel, which will be divided into several parts, each of which will turn into a pigtail.
How to care?
For those who decide on such a hairstyle, it is important to know how to braid beard braids and how to care for them. Viking-style braids are the easiest to care for. They are simply untwisted and washed with shampoo.
Caring for Afro braids is also easy. They are washed with shampoo no more than once a week. Moreover, they wash the bases of the braids and the skin of the face, rubbing the shampoo with massaging movements. The pigtails themselves are also washed with shampoo, but in no case do they rub, so as not to violate the integrity of the hairstyle. After that, the beard is rinsed with water and dried. If desired, you can re-coat the pigtails with wax. Kanekalon dreadlocks are washed in the same way.
Dreadlocks made from your own hair require more complex care. In the first month, they are simply rinsed with clean water. You can wash your face with a decoction of chamomile to prevent irritation. Further, such dreadlocks are washed with shampoo in the same way as Afrokos. In such dreadlocks, broken strands and regrown roots constantly need to be rolled back into “sausages” and fixed with wax.
