Say what you will about the perfectly gussied up facial hair of the hipster kingdom, there’s one undeniable truth about beards that has stood the test of time:

If you want to go down in the pantheon of great beards, all-natural is the only way to go. 

Think Socrates. Think Lincoln. Marx. Morrison. And who could forget, Whitman? 

That’s the Mount Rushmore of beards right there and though they’re all special and unique in their own ways, they all have one thing in common: no frills. 

You think this guy ever put synthetic chemicals in his beard?   

Absolutely not. And that’s Galileo Galilei. He pretty much created science from scratch. 

BOOM. Mic drop. 

Look, we’re not saying to neglect your beard. Good grooming techniques using all-natural, organic oils and balms should be a prerequisite for any serious beardsman. 

But we do believe you should think twice before spraying your mane with some weird, unnatural scent that makes your face smell like a bed & breakfast. 

Still not convinced? Well, don’t take it from us. Let’s take a stroll and look at the ghosts of great beards past. Perhaps their visage will lead you to the light.

Abraham “Chin Strap” Lincoln

Lincoln was far from the only president with a beard - between 1861 and 1913, 9 out of 11 presidents had some sort of facial hair. 

Frankly, Lincoln’s isn’t even the most impressive. Have you seen Rutherford B Hayes? 

That thing is gorgeous. 

But the reason Lincoln’s chin strap beard lives on in infamy is because he was the first. Sure, Van Buren had some long chops, but Lincoln was truly the one to dethrone clean-shaven faces from the White House. 

And do you know why he had a beard? 

Because an 11-year-old girl told him he should grow one. Seriously. Grace Bedell wrote Lincoln a letter during the election and told him if he were to grow a beard, her four brothers would vote for him.

So he did. 

Do you think he was rubbing unnatural junk on his face every day?

No, that would’ve broken little Grace’s heart. Plus, he was too busy abolishing slavery. 

But, if the president who led our country through a civil war and grew his beard on the suggestion of a pre-teen doesn’t convince you to go the natural route, perhaps this next guy will.

Walt “Face Shawl” Whitman

In the autumn of 1958, Walt Whitman wrote a 47,000 treatise titled “Manly Health and Training” in which he shared his philosophy on how to live as a man in the 19th century. 

Naturally, beards got a special call-out. In the article, Whitman wrote that beards should be worn as “a great sanitary protection to the throat.” An odd reason? Sure. But Whitman wasn’t just spouting off some crazy-old-man wisdom. Victorian era doctors actually used to prescribe beards to men to capture impurities and protect against sore throats. 

So why risk not having your throat protected from unsanitary things, you know? Grow an all-natural beard - your Victorian-era doctor will thank you for it (but stay away from bloodletting). 

James “Face Shrub” Harden

The only member of this list alive to tell his story. James Harden is known for two things: his killer crossover and his beard. He’s been growing it since college and while it’s gone from trimmed and tight all the way to pretty burly, it’s never gone away. 

That’s because Harden knows he’s one of the greats. At basketball? Maybe. Beards? Unquestionable Hall-of-Famer. 

And the best part?

It’s all natural. When asked by a reporter how his beard feels, Harden replied:

"It's naturally soft."

You see that? That’s an all-star athlete with one of the greatest beards on a man living or dead, telling you it’s all-natural. 

Ernest "Old Man and the Sea" Hemingway

Beards and writers go together like peanut butter and jelly. Hemingway was no exception. Though he started with just a mustache in his youth, Hemingway went full-beard by his early 30’s. And while globetrotting the world writing prolific book after prolific book (along with a bunch of other NSFW debauchery), Hemingway sported one of the greatest all-natural beards of all-time.

Conclusion

These four men define what it means to grow a beard. And each of them did it without using a bunch of synthetic chemicals for smells and styling. They were all-natural.

You can go all-natural too while still using quality products to keep your beard and skin healthy. Learn more about the healthy way to care for your beard then check out Lovely Beards entire line of all-natural, organic beard oils and balms. 

Photo Sources: 9578077@N07