Gross.
Researchers from the Hirslanden Clinic in Switzerland were performing a study to see if it was possible for men to pick up diseases from dogs in their facial hair, and it turned out that if anything, it was the doggies that should be avoiding bearded men.
18 men and 30 dogs had their hair/fur tested, and the results showed that 23 of the 30 dogs had high levels of bacteria in their fur, with the other 7 showing medium to low levels.
However, it was discovered that ALL 18 of the men had high levels of bacteria in their beards.
The researchers discovered that seven of the 18 men had bacteria levels so high, they were in risk of getting themselves sick!
Study author Professor Andreas Gutzeit told the BBC: “The researchers found a significantly higher bacterial load in specimens taken from the men’s beards compared with the dogs’ fur. On the basis of these findings, dogs can be considered as clean, compared with bearded men.”
We’d previously tried and tested a number of beard oils that may help keep your beard at least smelling nice, but there is no substitute for really getting in there and giving your chin fuzz a proper scrub down.
Also, maybe Jason Momoa was clearly on to something before the rest of us…
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