[Yaakov ben Avraham]

My wife is vaguely amused. I don't usually use any cosmetics as such, aside from the basic items of personal care such as soap, shampoo, deoderant, and so-forth.

But now, I am using gardenia oil. And because it is Yves Rocher, it is VERY good quality stuff. It damned sure better be, I paid enough for it. It is 50% pure. This gives it a rather strong scent, as you can imagine. Not a bad scent, but a rather strong one. My wife finds this amusing.

And for what do I use it? Well, my Orthodox Jewish beard gets very brittle and dry. Not only does it become uncomfortable for my wife, it becomes uncomfortable even for me to wear. So I wear the gardenia oil, which keeps it moist and supple. But she definitely finds it humourous. Well, she is Lutheran. What can she she know about Orthodox Jewish beards.

[Rama Set]

That they suck and hurt her face?  What else does she need to know?

[Yaakov ben Avraham]

Well, in their brittle state, yes. But not in an oiled and soft state.

[Lord Dave]

Your not married to a Jew?  You're corrupting your culture with impurities?

Also: god doesn't want you to have a beard if he makes it dry and incomfortable.

[beardo]

My norse pagan beard is dry and flaky.

[Rama Set]

My patrician mangiacake beard is dry and flaky.

[markjo]

My wife is vaguely amused. I don't usually use any cosmetics as such, aside from the basic items of personal care such as soap, shampoo, deoderant, and so-forth.

Personal hygiene products are not generally considered to be cosmetics.  Cosmetics generally refer to makeup (lipstick, rouge, powders and such).

But now, I am using gardenia oil.

I don't think that gardenia oil is considered to be a cosmetic product either.  I'd say it's more of a hair care product, but it's also commonly used in perfumes.

Personally, I keep my beard relatively short and bring down some shampoo lather when I wash my hair to wash my beard and it seems to work just fine.

[Yaakov ben Avraham]

Well, I shampoo my beard too, but it still leaves it rather dry. Maybe its something to do with the nature of my hair. In any case, because gardenia oil is normally used by girls, and it is not my custom to use girly items, I consider it cosmetics. My beard is is not extremely long, but it looks definitely Orthodox enough. And perfume is definitely a cosmetic.

Of course, Jews have used oil in their beards since biblical days. The Psalms speak of oil dripping down Aaron's beard. I tried a variety of different things, and finally settled on gardenia oil.

[markjo]

I've heard good things about extra-virgin olive oil.
https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=200168782008&_fb_noscript=1

[Yaakov ben Avraham]

That's actually what the ancient Hebrews used. The Muslims got their beard requirement from us.

[markjo]

You gotta figure that if anyone knows how to maintain a beard in a desert, it'd be them. 

[Yaakov ben Avraham]

Can't argue with that.

[Ghost Spaghetti]

What is there to discuss, exactly? Well done for having a silky-smooth beard?

[Rushy]

I didn't know having a beard was a Jewish requirement. Does this mean specifically that anyone in a military position (including Israelis) aren't proper Jews? You can't don a gas mask with a beard.

[Yaakov ben Avraham]

In order to save a life, which is what the military does by defending the homeland, shaving is permitted, as is fighting on the Sabbath, for example.

[Rushy]

What if your definition of "saving a life" varies a great deal from what God defines as such?

[Yaakov ben Avraham]

For the most part, the Rabbis tend to be VERY conservative on what they define as saving a life. I mean, can we truly know the mind of God without being a Prophet of God? I suspect not. But the Rabbis do their best, based on precedent, and based on the ancient principles of our Faith, to not be too liberal in their definitions. Once they have reached a definition, they are loathe to change it without very good reason.

In order to understand the process by which these decisions are made, I would encourage you to read an introduction to the Talmud. There are many good ones out there. Everyman's Talmud is a good one to start with. You will at least get a flavour of the process involved in the argumentation and decision-making process used to make policy. You may find it interesting.

[markjo]

Well, it didn't take Rushy long to get this thread back off topic. 

[Yaakov ben Avraham]

I'm ok with RUSHY taking the thread off topic a bit. As long as the questions are legitimate, I don't mind tangents. They don't bother me provided they contribute to a learned conversation between intelligent persons.

[Vindictus]

It was off topic to begin with. Beards have nothing to do with this sub fora.