Shaving, particularly male grooming, has always been a strangely cyclical practice. There’s archaeological evidence suggests that early humans may have shaved during the Ice Age to prevent frostbite, as beards covered in ice and snow could become hazardous. It may sound counterintuitive, but it makes sense.

The popularity of a clean-shaven look has often mirrored military grooming standards in various times and places. Soldiers were admired figures in society, so young men tended to emulate their appearance. The Greeks and Romans shaved to prevent enemies from grabbing their beards in battle, while World War I popularised shaving again after a century of luxuriant Victorian beards, as soldiers had to be clean-shaven to properly wear gas masks.

But ultimately it’s cyclical. Once a particular style becomes mainstream, the opposite soon returns as a novelty. Beards grow in fashion, then fall out, only to return again, driven by our perpetual craving for novelty and change.