By Meg Kennedy<\/p>\n
You could say that the competition has \u2018grown on him\u2019.
\nBallan local Nigel Bullamore was again crowned with the Best Beard at the annual \u2018Beard and Stache\u2019 competition in Ballarat last month for the second-year in a row.
\nThe competition, held at Hop Temple in Ballarat as part of the Ballarat Heritage Weekend on Saturday, 25 May, brings the longest and sharpest beards and moustaches from across the state and country across a variety of categories.
\nMr Bullamore said his win for the second time \u201cwas definitely unexpected\u201d.
\n \u201cI was surprised because there were a lot of a bigger beards, bigger competition than last year,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cI think because the competition is getting more well-known now it\u2019s in its fourth year, each year it goes by there\u2019s more and more impressive beards that come along!\u201d
\nMr Bullamore said he went in with the same approach as last year but professed his entry in the popular competition is \u201cjust for fun\u201d.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a good day out and I really enjoy it. I enjoy the crowd and get to hang out with a few mates and get to go through all the different beers they have at Hop Temple.\u201d
\nWith his beard coming in at 18-inches, one would assume that Mr Bullamore would be in with a fair chance at competitions around the world.
\nAlthough international beard competitions exist, such as the World Beard and Moustache Championships in New Zealand, as well as in Germany and Texas, the Ballarat competition is closer to home for the small business owner.
\n\u201cMaybe one day [I\u2019ll enter], but I\u2019d like to even just go and visit the New Zealand championships [in 2021], which would be great.\u201d
\nAs well as maintaining his locks, Mr Bullamore is the owner of men\u2019s grooming company Scruffy Fella, a regular at the Ballan Farmers Market.
\nThe Scruffy Fella brand recently branched into the candle market with the \u2018Fella Flame\u2019, as well as a line of fragrances and a flower diffuser.
\nMr Bullamore said the idea came about after previously working for a company with candles but confessed it was the partners of his customers that he had in mind.
\n\u201cThe honest truth of why I bought them out was not only because I loved them, but while men are having something to look at when they come into my market stall, the wives are busy looking at candles!\u201d he said.
\n\u201cI do love them, and they are a big part of my business now. We\u2019ve chosen aromas that are what we consider \u2018guy-friendly\u2019 (candles names include \u2018Man Cave\u2019 and \u2018Hay Shed\u2019), so they are ones that guys will actually like and utilise, instead of just liking the ones that the ladies come home with!\u201d
\nCandles and flower diffusers may not have once been traditionally male-targeted products, but Mr Bullamore said it is \u201cabsolutely\u201d important to him to help break the stigma around grooming and fragrance for men.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s always been this stigma with guys to the \u2018masculine\u2019 and that you don\u2019t need to look after your skin\u2026I come from a cosmetics and makeup background as well, so that\u2019s where my love started,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve always seen the importance myself, and have always wanted my own range of products.\u201d
\nAlthough there may have been a stigma in the past, he insisted that men\u2019s grooming is now \u201cvery popular; beards are popular, and the stigma has disappeared.\u201d
\n\u201cGuys need to look after themselves and be proud of how they look as well.\u201d
\nScruffy Fella frequents the Ballan Farmers Market as well as the Gisborne and Talbot Markets, and also has an online store https:\/\/scruffyfella.com.au\/.
\nYou can follow Scruffy Fella on Facebook for more information and updates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Meg Kennedy You could say that the competition has \u2018grown on him\u2019. Ballan local Nigel Bullamore was again crowned with the Best Beard at the annual \u2018Beard and Stache\u2019 competition in Ballarat last month for the second-year in a row. The competition, held at Hop Temple in Ballarat as part of the Ballarat Heritage […]<\/p>\n