National No Beard Day – October 18, 2026

History of National No Beard Day

It appears that National No Beard Day is one of those internet-generated holidays which we have all come to love (or in the case of bearded men, really really hate!) But this day, which is an annual event every October 18, does open up the discussion on the history of hair removal in general and beards, specifically. 

In the 1800s, barbers used straight razors to remove beards from patrons. Though that was a standard practice, most men wore beards as the fashion of the day. But according to the National Museum of American History, beard removal came into vogue in the United States around the early 1900s. 

There were numerous reasons for cutting those beards. It sounds gross today, but those large, lush beards that were commonplace in paintings and photographs, were also “breeding grounds” for parasites like lice. Beards also trapped bad odors from perspiration, especially for those men who worked together in close quarters without an opportunity to regularly take a bath. So, when a man sported a clean look sans beard; women took that as a sign that this person practiced good hygiene and could be marriage material. 

Enter the Gillette Company in 1904 with its “safety razor” which encouraged men to take their beards in their own shaky hands to remove excess facial hair. (No need to find a barber, when you could do the job yourself!) Eventually, men were looking for ways to keep the hair off for longer periods of time. By 1930, Jacob Schick introduces the electric razor as the “Schick Dry Shaver” and another milestone in the hairy history of men’s hygiene was surpassed!