Chris Hartman

Christopher Hartman runs marathons, competes in triathalons, and is a rock climber. But the Philadelphia-born New York City-based personal trainer and model’s true calling card may be his majestic beard.

“I’ve always had some sort of facial hair – either a full beard or at least a little scruff that I would maintain. I hate being clean shaven,” he says.

“In the fall of 2014, I had the NYC Marathon coming up and, for no real reason but preference, I decided I wanted a beard for it, so I started growing one. The NYC Marathon is always the first Sunday in November, which meant it was then Movember, so I continued to grow it for the rest of the month. By the end of November/Movember, my beard was pretty full, the fullest it’s ever been, and I just decided to go through a ‘beard phase’ and grow it really long.”

Within a few months of growing his beard, Hartman began getting a fair amount of attention and recognition for it.

“It amazed me and became a fascination to me as well,” he says.

“It’s since become part of who I am but I’ve learned regardless of length or fullness it’s simply a style choice. And it was a style I adopted and really enjoy having.”

His beard garnered so much attention, in fact, that he ended up getting requests from photographers to shoot with him, leading to his eventually entering the world of modeling.

“I started getting noticed on social media, which led to offers from photographers who wanted me in their portfolios because they liked my look,” he says.

“That gave me some professional-looking photos, which led to offers for some modeling gigs. I never set out to do [the modeling thing], it kind of came to me.”

What Hartman did set out to do, years before modeling found him, was carve out a path in the world of health and fitness.

“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been active and involved with sports. After graduating college and moving to New York, I was looking for a way to stay active,” he says.

“At the time, I was working as a bartender, and a fellow bartender invited me to a small group fitness class that she attended. From there, I got completely hooked. Whenever anything piques my interest, I geek out on it and do every bit of research that I can. I did this with fitness and exercise and began reading about anatomy, joint motions, kinesiology, bio-mechanics. I got certified as a personal trainer, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

And then came his involvement with Beardbrand.

“Once my beard got to a certain length, I realized there had to be some ways or methods to maintain it, so I turned to the internet for research. It was there that I first heard of Beardbrand, by watching their videos on YouTube,” says Hartman.

“I began following Beardbrand on all their social media platforms, and they eventually noticed me from simply ‘liking’ their photos and commenting on their posts.”

And as for his thoughts on Beardbrand’s products?

“Their products were the first ones I tried,” he says.

“In my opinion, they’re the best out there.”

Chris even took some time to explain his current beard grooming routine, as well as the Beardbrand products he uses to keep his killer face sweater looking its best at all times.

“Because of my job and the hours I work as a full time personal trainer I usually don’t shower until mid-day,” he says.

“I wake up and comb out any bed beard I may have and apply some beard oil and then comb it through. That’s all to get me out the door in the morning. I work out late morning or early afternoon and shower afterward, using Beardbrand Tree Ranger beard wash and beard softener but only every other day or two at the most. I’ll towel dry my beard the best I can but usually wait 15-20 minutes until it’s fully dry before I put any products in it.”

He goes on to explain his post-shower routine.

“I comb my beard making sure there are no tangles in it, and if my comb catches in a tangle I don’t force it through because that’ll likely pull out the hair. Instead, when I hit a snag I pull the comb out and then comb it through again. Then comes the beard oil. My beard is pretty full and long at the moment so I’m using 6-8 drops. I apply the beard oil to the palm of one hand, rub both my hands together to cover both palms and all my fingers and then gently work it through my beard and mustache, and before wiping my hands dry from any excess oil, I apply mustache wax. I learned that applying mustache wax when my hands are still oily makes it easier to work it through my mustache. Or, if I’m just applying wax I’ll add a little beard oil to it. And that's basically it. I’ll give it one last comb and off I go.”

Check out Chris’ current favorite Beardbrand product – Four Vices beard oil – and connect with Chris on Instagram.

Team Beardbrand

A group of remarkable individuals who are doing their part to change the way society views beardsmen, Team Beardbrand is comprised of businessmen, athletes, artists, entrepreneurs, and entertainers. As ambassadors of Beardbrand, these gentlemen embody what it means to be an urban beardsman – integrity, work ethic, principles, and of course, killer beards.