June 23, 2006 - Ed Beard

They say that the hair of the dog cures hangovers. The Edhat Dog, whose hair is as brown as Nutella, has been shedding a lot lately, in anticipation of the dog days of summer. In fact, she’s left enough hangover antidote on the floor of late for all of the USA soccer fans today who saw all hopes of a World Cup championship ‘Ghana’ by early morning yesterday.

The dedicated staff of edhat.com has on a hair hunt of our own, and we're not talking bunnies. We were going face to face with the men of Santa Barbara to see if they were sporting hair - beards, mustaches, soul patches, goatees, or some style of their own.

We were counting the percentage of men with some kind of growth on their face, beyond just sideburns and five o’clock shadow. In the old days determining whether or not someone had a beard or a mustache was easy. It was as plain as the nose on their face. But today, the folks who fancy facial hair are getting more creative. They’re blurring the line between stubble and style. Because when the hair is allowed to grow beyond six o’clock, it’s often shaped, braided, and patterned. Sometimes it’s just left to grow like weeds. The recent popularity of the well-trimmed goatee seems to have faded like jeans in the wash. Soul patches, on the other hand, are still in style.

To some of the members of the dedicated staff, one of the more perplexing looks is the seven-thirty shadow. You know, it’s that guy who looks rugged without trying. He’s the one who works in the office next door, selling mortgages, but looks like he should be on the cover of Outside Magazine, or just back from a Himalayan adventure. How does he do it? How does he keep that beard at just the right scruffy length day after day, without it suddenly blossoming into a Jerry Rubin sandwich?

After a hairy experience gathering data, we calculated that one-quarter of all men in Santa Barbara sport facial hair of some sort. The true percentage was 26.1% -which is not actually a quarter, if you're splitting hairs. Four Edhat subscribers knew hair at face value. SpotBoy, RickR, CapJ, and JennJoe each guessed 26% on the nose. The Edhat Dog, who was hung over herself after spending the night barking at raccoons, was asked to choose one of four lucky dog biscuits. She chose CapJ’s biscuit, signifying J as the winner of an Edhat t-shirt - the perfect attire for watching the Solstice Parade on Saturday.

Contestant Comments

We want to hear from you ... tell us what you think of this tidbit

Want to get instant fame and cool prizes? ... enter today’s contest