Man Made DIY

Based on data from Holy Taco and AskMen, the ackwardly named but engaging "What Your Facial Hair Tells Her" infographic explores what your face fuzz, or lack thereof, communicates to women.   … read more

Friends and ManMakers: I present an infographic. About beards.      … read more

I'll admit...that's a pretty unlikely photo to accompany a post on ManMade. But, bear with me. (Get it?)

It's a screenshot of the funniest site I've found this week, a Pinterest page entitled, "Hairy Chests I Want to Cry On," by comedian Stacey Nightmare. It includes, not surprisingly, some fine, manly chests, but the real gem is Stacey's commentary, including captions like,

• Elliott Gould. I want to shrink down to the size of a thimble & frolic on his chest like a young lamb in the springtime.
• Mike Rowe, I can't decide if I want to cry on your chest hair or lay eggs in it.
• Lee Majors. Remember the Six Million Dollar Man? They paid him by the chest hair.

Some say the U.S. Civil War was fought over slavery. Others say it was really about Northern and Southern lifestyle values. But, 150 years later, with the results clearly determines and the effects established, the real question is:

Which side had the better facial hair?   … read more

Previously on ManMadeDIY.com: Chris wonders whether or not he should stop smooth skinning it for the winter and grow a manly beard. Reader response is decidely positive, with 82% of voters saying, "Go for it." (Grow for it?) Chris keeps on not shaving.

So, there's my face. Seven days of not shaving, and the half-beard I have to show for it. 

Thankfully - the worst is behind me: most of the itching has subsided. Well, some, at least. I've stopped touching my face and thinking there's a furry creature attacking my head. And most importantly, I'm passed that weird inbetween stubble stage where my beard looks like it belongs on an 80s movie villain and I should have a ponytail and wear a white blazer with the sleeves rolled up and a giant cross earring… read more

Head's up, facial hair fans! The always excellent (and frequently so-enticing-its-problematic) Fab.com has Jeff Phillips' Beardo Bearded Beanies on sale today and tomorrow for a cool $24.75. The deal also includes the even-more-desirable "bendable mo'" beanie, complete with sculptable mustache.

"The brainchild of… read more

So, I just got back from a week of traveling and learning at the (excellent) Alt Summit, and with airports and hotel rooms and red-eye flights, and (let's be honest) general vacation-brain and laziness, I haven't shaved for a few days.

And...I'm thinking about keeping it, and growing a beard. So, I thought I'd see what you thought, and I hope you'll share your vote.         … read more

The Beardly has released a clever culture map of beard types by region. Check it out in full-size, and see if their detemination matches your experience.   … read more

Okay...get this. Not only is paper artist Tommy Perez offering a collection of free, downloadble paper mustaches, but paper artist Tommy Perez is offering a collection of free, downloadble, crafting-inspired paper mustaches.

It gets no more ManMade than this, my friends. … read more

Designer and art director Drew Vanderveen has created "Beardo," a facial hair typeface.

You'll wanna click through, zoom in, and check out the details on this. What he's pulled off is truly amazing.   … read more

I'm sorta on the fence with the mustache crafts. On the one hand, they're plenty trendy, and on the other, they sorta know their silly, and embrace it. Which is important, cause anyone that takes crafting too seriously is cruising for a glue gun-induced bruising. So, while I'll probably never create an original mustache-y craft how-to, I'm more than happy to share the clever work of others.

The D.C. lot are a clean shaven bunch - see the strong, beardless chins of Superman, Batman, Captain America, and AquaMan. The Marvel fellows, on the otherhand, are blessed with beards of all sorts, … read more

The 2011 World Beard Championships were held yesterday, and the winner was this one: Of course it features a Norweigan flag and a reindeer!

 Also, don't miss this other amazing beards, including… read more

"Virility didn't have a manual -- until now! Whether you rock the wise Fu Manchu or the classic Lumberjack, this book has instructions on the care, growth and grooming of 30 retro and modern 'staches as well as coordinating style tips for non-facial parts."

The mustache-on-a-stick has been a hipster classic for a few years, and cake pops are emerging in the not-as-cool-anymore wake of cupcakes and macarons. 

Put them together and what have you got? Mustache cake pops. On a stick. Can you handle the trendiness… read more

If you had a beard like this, you know you'd try it too...

This thirty-year-old from Tennessee attempts to get 3,000 toothpicks situated in his beard. Watch the video to see how it goes:  

I'm the only person with whom I regularly dine who likes to use straws. None of my friends, family, or other associates ever reach for that brilliant scientific breakthrough that is the drinking straw. I mean, it's less work, and when you're done, you get a perfect, ice-free mouth fulla beverage. But, at least it means I've gotten really really good at that blow-air-in-your-straw-and-wrap-it-around-your-fingers-then-have-your-friend-flick-it-til-it-pops-game.

It's March, and that means folks all over who know little about sports and are never otherwise into "gaming" are filling out their college basketball brackets, slowly eeking one team down the stairsteps to victory.

Illustrator Grant Snider created his take on a seasonal bracket, "Beard Madness", in which the final sixteen all-time facial hair masters battle it out for best beard. This year, there's the absurdist children's entertainer roundup of Raffi vs. Shell Silverstein, the wizardry of Dumbledore vs. Gandolf, Marx v. Darwin, and, my favorite, Fidel Castro vs. the winner of Osama bin Laden against a goat.   … read more

We at ManMade are big fans of beards, and as such, realize that sporting one is way more than just not shaving.

So, we love Valet magazine's "Beginners Guide to Beards" which contains helpful, real advice for managing facial hair of all sorts of lengths.

A seriously worthwhile read.  … read more

Dyers.org has collected the very fine beard type chart below, and its founder, Jon Dyers, has embarked on a quest to sport each and every one.

 … read more