The fact is that short hairs shed just as often as long hairs, they are far more difficult to detect, and for that reason alone, in fact present a much higher risk of contamination.Ĭonsider the fact that any single hair contamination carries with it the risk of compromising product or produce quality, and the importance of effective and reliable protective disposable clothing soon becomes apparent.Įven with short stubble it is advisable to mitigate the risk and wear a beard snood to protect from contamination within cleanrooms and the food industry.16th Century Cauls, Hairnets and Snoods Tudor (1500-1550) | Elizabethan (1550-1600) | Constructing an Elizabethan Caul This debate includes how long a beard has to be before a snood is worn.

There is debate about how long a beard has to be before a worker wears a beard snood – a cover like a hair net that stops hair falling into the food that is being prepared. The debate on whether beards are unhygienic is still raging among members of the food industry. The conclusion was that men with beards do harbour a significant number of bacteria, more than non-bearded men and women.īearded surgeons wearing surgeon masks did shed more organisms from the beard.

One study, published in the journal Anaesthesia, looked at whether surgical masks caught bacteria falling from surgeons faces, and whether having a beard affected how many bacteria fell. Studies have found beards harbour more bacteria than clean-shaven faces. Research has shown that facial hair can spread bacteria. That’s why it’s important for bearded men to wash and groom their facial hair regularly. Scientific evidence shows that beards can spread infections, says Dr Ron Cutler, of Queen Mary, University of London. A gram-positive bacteria, present among the hairs of 25% of perfectly healthy people (more so among those carrying infections and illness), this bacteria spreads fast at room temperature to produce a toxin that can cause fever and abdominal cramps that may strike within 1 to 6 days and last for 48 hours. She added that people have a habit of over-handling their beards, meaning they can spread bacteria to their mouths. Hair around nostrils and mouth is well-placed to harbour bacteria. The cuticles on the hair trap the germs and grease. Carol Walker, a consultant trichologist from the Birmingham Trichology Centre, states that having facial hair can lead to more frequent skin infections and to germs being passed on to others.īeards harbour more germs because facial hair is courser than other hair, so traps dirt and germs more easily, she explained.

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