For Justin Kelcourse, growing a beard was a career choice. Long before the Portsmouth resident became known as “the biggest beard in real estate,” he got a job selling Christmas trees in Manhattan. He was expected to look like a lumberjack, and having a beard was mandatory. Kelcourse had never grown a large beard before, but it came in full and thick, and he made good money.
“This is before beards were even trendy, so you really stand out in Manhattan looking like that,” he said. “People love it. They treat you like royalty, and you can make a ton of money.”
More than 10 years later, Kelcourse has competed in several national and international beard competitions. He’s also become a successful real estate agent, working for Keller Williams Realty. His impressive facial mane, which at its peak hung down to his waist, has served as a branding tool. He distributes business cards and magnets bearing images of his heavily bearded face.
“Eventually, it became kind of a calling card,” he said. “People know me before they even know my name. They know who I am and what I do.”
It helps that beards have become more accepted over the last decade — especially in New England. These days, beards are sported regularly by bikers and hipsters, athletes and artists, lumberjacks and lumbersexuals. Dispensing with the razor is no longer frowned upon in the business world.
Justin Kelcourse, a.k.a. “the biggest beard in real estate,” uses his regal whiskers as a marketing tool. He’s also competed in several national and international beard competitions.
“You’re seeing a lot more professional people have beards,” said Rian Bedard, co-owner of Papa Wolf Supply Co. in Portsmouth. “I think times have definitely changed.”
Founded in Dover two years ago, Papa Wolf relocated to a plaza on Islington Street in May. In addition to clothing and apparel, motorcycle gear, tools, and accessories, the business carries several grooming products, including beard oil, mustache wax, and beard combs. About a month ago, they added Frank Jones Barber & Shave, offering haircuts, straight-razor shaves, and beard trims.
“A lot of people are like, ‘I have this job where I want to keep a beard, but it has to look a certain way, it has to be clean,’” said barber Jamie Fournier. “As long as you keep up on it and do everything along those lines, then it tends to look good. People are more accepting of it these days, so it’s cool.”
“Eventually, (my beard) became kind of a calling card. People know me before they even know my name. They know who I am and what I do.” — Justin Kelcourse
Papa Wolf’s signature brand of beard oil includes natural ingredients like sesame oil, jojoba oil, lavender essential oil, and pine needle essential oil. According to Bedard, beard oil helps condition dry skin underneath the beard, tames stray hairs, and gives beards a neat and tidy shape.
Bedard said customers who come to Papa Wolf looking for beard-grooming products range in age from about 18 to 60. The current beard boom, he said, coincides with a broader revival of bygone traditions.
“I think it’s also part of the whole heritage movement of going back to quality, a time when things were made really well and people had trades and they worked with their hands, so I think it’s all kind of part of that movement,” he said.
Kelcourse, who is 42, points to the Boston Red Sox’s 2013 World Series victory as a turning point for New England beards. Many players grew large beards during the team’s championship run that year.
Beard grooming supplies at Papa Wolf Supply Co. in Portsmouth. Photo by Matt Kanner
“It’s just become mainstream enough with the sports and everything that a lot of these guys can do whatever they want, they can grow it out,” he said. “It’s natural and it’s OK to have a big beard.”
Kelcourse also mentioned another reason for having a beard in New England: it’s cold here, and a big bushy beard keeps your face warm.
Until recently, Kelcourse had been growing the same beard for more than six years. But, after having a baby and coming up empty at a national beard competition in Brooklyn, he trimmed off about 20 inches of growth this summer. The beard had become a potential hazard, he said, getting stuck on things and interfering with his tinkering projects on boat and car engines.
He’s still got a respectable beard, though, and the general trend toward bigger beards continues to grow across the region.
A man and his beard
A conversation with Joe Gilbert
Joe Gilbert and his beard, which he’s been growing for three years. Photo by Chloe Kanner
“I’ve worn just about every facial-hair configuration there is,” says Greenland resident Joe Gilbert. “Push-broom mustache; handlebar; goatee; long goatee; musketeer; mutton chops; the imperial, which is the pith-helmet-and-elephant-gun safari mustache connected to mutton chops; the Lincoln — a beard with no mustache.”
Currently, the 31-year-old Gilbert, who teaches English to international students at the University of New Hampshire, has the longest beard of his life. He talked to The Sound about his beard experiences, beard maintenance, and what it means to have a beard.
How long have you been sporting that magnificent mane?
The current incarnation is three years long, but I’ve been growing beards on and off (usually in one-year stretches) since I was a teenager.
Do you trim your beard or let it grow wild?
Mostly wild, although I’ll snip split ends. I trim my mustache fairly regularly because soup.
Do you shampoo your beard? Do you comb it?
Absolutely. I use the same shampoo as I do with my hair, which is also pretty curly. For combing I use a wide-tooth comb, but sometimes if I’m going for volume I’ll use a fro pick.
Do you use any other beard-grooming products?
Yup. My two go-tos are Grave Before Shave bay rum-scented beard oil, which is a little glossier and slick, good for dressier occasions, and Honest Amish beard balm, which has some piney notes and is better for everyday or outdoor activity. I also (rarely) use Buckaroo mustache wax to hold a handlebar for high formal or costume occasions. I don’t think they make it anymore. I’ve been working the same two-ounce container for the last 12 years, and only really used it regularly when I was rocking the musketeer goatee.
Do you go to a beard barber?
Nope. I’m too cheap. I haven’t paid for a haircut in 11 years. Never paid for a beard-cut. The expense of razors is a major motivating factor for growing it.
Do you have any issues with knots, tangles, or accidental beard dreadlocks?
Never dreadlocks, but yeah, definitely knots and tangles. If I can’t comb them out I have to snip, but it’s usually just three or four hairs at a time. Product goes a long way to keep it straight and low-friction so they don’t get caught.