If you’ve spent any amount of time on social media recently, you’ll undoubtedly have come across posts of men flaunting their facial hair — whether in the form of ambitious beards or bushy moustaches — in the spirit of Movember. The term, in fact, is a portmanteau of the words mo (from moustache) and November and was coined by a group of young Australian men to raise awareness about men’s health issues, including prostrate and testicular cancer, and men’s suicide. Their goal is to promote early detection and also highlight the importance of mental health. 

However, for those men who don’t typically sport facial hair, growing out a beard can be daunting; it’s easy to go from well-groomed to caveman, if you don’t know how. “Facial hair is actually the easiest way to add definition and dimension to your face. If you prefer a sharper jaw line or want to slim your chubby cheeks, a beard is the best accessory you can sport,” says Bony Sasidharan, a hair expert at Schwarzkopf Professional.