Let's face it, we are all fascinated by beards, especially women. In one of the studies conducted last year, women prefer men who have beards and/or stubbles than those with clean-shaven faces. The attraction level becomes more intense when there are only a few men with beards in the roster.
In fact, beards are so common and hot even A-list Hollywood celebrities like Leonardo di Caprio and Jake Gyllenhaal are sporting them. But before you celebrate your manhood, pay attention to a brand-new research. Underneath all the ruggedly handsome and many look is the possibility that you're harboring the same types of germs as your toilet.
A TV station in New Mexico recently launched a survey among bearded men. KOAT-TV obtained samples of germs from a few men who wanted to challenge the perception of cleanliness when it comes to facial hair. The station later employed the help of a microbiologist in Quest Diagnostics to analyze the samples.
Although it's unclear how many of the samples turned out to be "dirty," according to John Golobic, the microbiologist, and the TV station, several of them turned out to be the icky-the bacteria are the same ones that you'll find in a poop.
The results are similar to another study participated by more than 400 males who worked in the health care facility, although interestingly the dirty bacteria seemed to be more prevalent among men who are clean shaven.
Don't remove those beards right away, though. Just make sure that you can clean your face, especially your beard, regularly. Treat it like the rest of your hair, which means you need to wash and rinse it. If you can, apply a disinfectant.
Most of all, inasmuch as you like to play around with your beard, it's best if you can keep your hands away from them. If you happen to touch it, avoid touching the rest of your face.