• How do you take care of your beard in the summer months? 'The heat causes more sweat and itchiness, so hygiene levels go up, along with regular washes,' says Faraz Khan, 37, a musician and composer from Pakistan. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    How do you take care of your beard in the summer months? 'The heat causes more sweat and itchiness, so hygiene levels go up, along with regular washes,' says Faraz Khan, 37, a musician and composer from Pakistan. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Do people ask questions about your beard? 'All the time. I stopped tending to my beard when movement restrictions were introduced in March. It was a statement I was making as a protest against the rapid spread of Covid-19 at the time, which could be curtailed by something as simple as everyone being responsible and vigilant,' says Shayan Pervaiz, 40, a strategic digital transformation and security consultant from Afghanistan. 'I will not tend to my beard until global travel returns to normal(ish), and the spread of it is under control. I've lasted six months so far!' Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Do people ask questions about your beard? 'All the time. I stopped tending to my beard when movement restrictions were introduced in March. It was a statement I was making as a protest against the rapid spread of Covid-19 at the time, which could be curtailed by something as simple as everyone being responsible and vigilant,' says Shayan Pervaiz, 40, a strategic digital transformation and security consultant from Afghanistan. 'I will not tend to my beard until global travel returns to normal(ish), and the spread of it is under control. I've lasted six months so far!' Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Do any of your family members have a beard? 'Yes, my brother Shaikh. His is shorter than mine, though,' Mohammed Patel, 39, a businessman from India, is quick to point out. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Do any of your family members have a beard? 'Yes, my brother Shaikh. His is shorter than mine, though,' Mohammed Patel, 39, a businessman from India, is quick to point out. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • What does your partner think of your beard? 'She loves it until it gets too out of control and food sticks in it,' reveals Deeps Sandhar, 38, a sales manager from the UK. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    What does your partner think of your beard? 'She loves it until it gets too out of control and food sticks in it,' reveals Deeps Sandhar, 38, a sales manager from the UK. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Does your beard itch and how do you address this? 'Only when wearing a mask does my beard itch. If no one's looking, I have a good, full-on rough bear-style scratch. But when in company, one has to refrain and be more subtle by striking the thinking pose and letting your fingers sort the problem," says 59-year-old Keith Dallison, who is a British voiceover artist and video editor, as well as a 50-plus model and actor. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Does your beard itch and how do you address this? 'Only when wearing a mask does my beard itch. If no one's looking, I have a good, full-on rough bear-style scratch. But when in company, one has to refrain and be more subtle by striking the thinking pose and letting your fingers sort the problem," says 59-year-old Keith Dallison, who is a British voiceover artist and video editor, as well as a 50-plus model and actor. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • How long have you been growing your beard? 'Since December 2014. I grew it by accident. I hurt my ankle playing football so I was working from home and didn't need to shave. Ten days later it was a fully fledged beard and I've never looked back,' says Nasser Hussain, 39, a HR leader from the UK. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    How long have you been growing your beard? 'Since December 2014. I grew it by accident. I hurt my ankle playing football so I was working from home and didn't need to shave. Ten days later it was a fully fledged beard and I've never looked back,' says Nasser Hussain, 39, a HR leader from the UK. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Is the mask uncomfortable over your beard? 'It was in the beginning, but I am used to it now,' says Adeel Yakoob, 35, a Dutch national and senior finance director. 'Saying that, I can't wait to get rid of it because it makes communication very challenging.' Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Is the mask uncomfortable over your beard? 'It was in the beginning, but I am used to it now,' says Adeel Yakoob, 35, a Dutch national and senior finance director. 'Saying that, I can't wait to get rid of it because it makes communication very challenging.' Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Why did you start growing your beard? 'Originally out of laziness in 2014; a summer beard turned into an almost full ZZ Top by 2018. Wifely pressure encouraged a more sensible length today. I have no plans to shave it off,' says Christopher Saul, 45, a software sales manager from the UK. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Why did you start growing your beard? 'Originally out of laziness in 2014; a summer beard turned into an almost full ZZ Top by 2018. Wifely pressure encouraged a more sensible length today. I have no plans to shave it off,' says Christopher Saul, 45, a software sales manager from the UK. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Do you use any product in your beard? 'Yes I do, and I think any guy who wants a good healthy beard should,' says Wayne Pereira, 33, a videographer from India. 'I personally use a mix of beard oils, balms and my new favourite, something called beard jelly. They really help nourish your beard and the skin underneath it – and keep the dreaded beardruff away.' Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Do you use any product in your beard? 'Yes I do, and I think any guy who wants a good healthy beard should,' says Wayne Pereira, 33, a videographer from India. 'I personally use a mix of beard oils, balms and my new favourite, something called beard jelly. They really help nourish your beard and the skin underneath it – and keep the dreaded beardruff away.' Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • What's the longest you would let your beard grow? 'Resting on my chest is about as long as I could get away with, I think,' says Stuart Forrester, 45, a sales manager from the UK. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    What's the longest you would let your beard grow? 'Resting on my chest is about as long as I could get away with, I think,' says Stuart Forrester, 45, a sales manager from the UK. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • How often do you trim your beard? 'Rarely,' says Anjaan, 40, a yoga instructor from India. 'According to the yogic ideology, the beard holds some elements of our spiritual power. So it's advised not to cut it once we are doing sadhana [practice]. But for aesthetic purposes, I sometimes just reduce the fuzz. Maybe once every two months.' Chris Whiteoak / The National
    How often do you trim your beard? 'Rarely,' says Anjaan, 40, a yoga instructor from India. 'According to the yogic ideology, the beard holds some elements of our spiritual power. So it's advised not to cut it once we are doing sadhana [practice]. But for aesthetic purposes, I sometimes just reduce the fuzz. Maybe once every two months.' Chris Whiteoak / The National

Lifestyle

To shave or not to shave? Meet the Dubai residents balancing big beards with face masks

Eleven purveyors of sizeable facial hair share tips on keeping their beards under wraps

Selina Denman
Selina Denman

September 08, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

Growing and maintaining a sizeable beard requires a certain level of commitment. There's the itchiness and cleanliness to contend with, in addition to the daily challenge of at least pretending to have some semblance of control over said facial follicles.

The rigours of sporting a significant thatch of facial hair have increased considerably since wearing face masks became mandatory in public in the UAE. So The National's Chris Whiteoak photographed 11 bearded Dubai residents in their masks, and spoke to them about dealing with their bristles over the searing summer months, the optimal positioning of a mask over voluminous facial hair and what prompted them to grow their beards in the first place.

Some beards appear to have emerged purely by accident, while others, such as the one Shayan Pervaiz, 40, sports, were purposefully cultivated as a response to the pandemic.

“It was a statement I was making as a protest against the rapid spread of Covid-19 at the time, which could be curtailed by something as simple as everyone being responsible and vigilant,” says the Afghan national, who plans to continue growing his beard until global travel returns to “normal(ish)” levels.

Shayan Pervaiz is a 40-year-old strategic digital transformation and security consultant. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Shayan Pervaiz is a 40-year-old strategic digital transformation and security consultant. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Some of our subjects smother their beards in oils, balms and jellies, while others let nature take its course, only stopping to de-fuzz every few months. And many have had to adopt new strategies now that masks have become a permanent over-beard fixture, especially when there's an onset of itching.

Dubai resident Keith Dallison. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Dubai resident Keith Dallison. Chris Whiteoak / The National

"If no one's looking, I have a good, full-on rough bear-style scratch," says Keith Dallison, 59, a voice-over artist, video editor, and 50-plus model and actor. "But when one is in company, one has to refrain and be more subtle by striking the thinking pose and letting your fingers sort the problem."

Stuart Forrester, a 45-year-old sales manager living in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Stuart Forrester, a 45-year-old sales manager living in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

And how far are they willing to let things go? For some, partner pressure appears to be the only thing holding those follicles in check. Others have more random metrics for acceptable length. "Resting on my chest is about as long as I could get away with, I think," says British sales manager, Stuart Forrester, 45.

THE BIO: Mohammed Ashiq Ali

Proudest achievement: “I came to a new country and started this shop”

Favourite TV programme: the news

Favourite place in Dubai: Al Fahidi. “They started the metro in 2009 and I didn’t take it yet.”

Family: six sons in Dubai and a daughter in Faisalabad

 

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Lifestyle