Black men in finance, what are your tips for managing facial hair?
I recently joined as A1 at a bank. Everybody (at least at the junior level) is clean shaven. I can't cut my facial hair too close to my face, and if I try, I get bad, noticeable ingrown hairs and/or bruised skin.
I've tried every online guide that exists: single razors, electric razors, clippers, wet shaving, dry shaving, exfoliating, cold rinsing, warm rinsing... If it's online, I've tried it.
So far, the only thing that works is clipping with a Wahl's cordless once every other week or so. My hair grows back at a reasonable rate and it stands out among others (non-black men and black men in senior roles who are clean shaven and somehow always have smooth facial skin).
Seriously considering laser on my facial hair because I'd like to stay in finance long term. Is laser an option? Are there hidden shaving strategies that I've not stumbled upon?
Thanks.
dont know what bank / what location you're at but times are changing - pretty sure facial hair is acceptable nowadays as long as it looks clean and taken care of, especially if seniors have facial hair
use a trimmer at 0.5mm (or 1mm if still results in bumps) and trim every day / every other day. should have no bumps and youll look clean shaven
agree with the comment above, don’t think anyone really cares about facial hair as long as it’s not crazy. maybe try the phillips oneblade tho
I wouldn't stress too much. I'm white, but my skin can't handle daily shaving. I used to do it 2x per week when I was an analyst. My very old school group head hated it, but I had another MD, who quite frankly was more influential than the group head, who always told me to let it ride because I looked "cool" in his words with stubble. I then went to 1x per week using a shaver with a smaller blade head. It didn't impact my career as far as I can see.
Later, I had an injury that led to some facial scarring and now rock a much larger beard. Nobody really care anymore as long as it's well groomed. My current beard is barely that, but I also don't look like a banjo player n a blue grass band. My hair and beard also grow so fast I get it trimmed every 2 weeks. I think a lot of the culture has changed around that as long as you don't take it too far.
I had a black roommate in NYC/college buddy who used to joke about what he could get away with in IB on this very topic. It was hilarious, but we both agreed that white senior bankers are terrified to tell a black man what to do with hair, beard, etc. Lots of funny stuff on that front. Keep it semi-tight, and you'll be fine.
Waddup my YN, I recommend you use a durag when applicable. Good luck, g!
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