If you meet him in the streets of Dijon, you won’t miss him… We have in Côte-d’Or one of the most beautiful beards in France, the one worn by Loïc Papillon. She is 30 centimeters today, and thanks to her he has already won several competitions including the French championship in 2018. His next competition takes place this Saturday August 27 in England, in the city of Rugby.
An adventure born after a totally unexpected competition in Switzerland
This 46-year-old Fixinois has always had a beard, but only a few centimeters: “Then one day I said to myself ‘hey, if I let her grow to see the face I’m going to have!'” In 2017, when he went to a tattoo parlor in Switzerland, in Montreux, he stumbles across a beard contest organized on site. He embarked on the adventure, unprepared, and finally won the competition which brought together around thirty participants. Loïc Papillon then discovers that there is a French championship, “chick, I’m in it” said the father of the family to himself. In 2018, he reached the final of the competition and won.
A bit like for Miss France
During these competitions, Loïc Papillon meets “lots of bearded men from all over the world, it’s very funny.” The candidates are examined one by one by the members of the jury, “A bit like for Miss France, we are judged on the physical, we are asked questions about how we maintain our beard, some members of the jury even touch it to check that it is natural.” If Loïc Papillon will participate this Saturday in the English competition in the category of beards of 30 centimeters maximum, some candidates have a beard longer than 90 centimeters, “some even touch the ground” smiled the Fixinois.
A beard of 30 centimeters which requires very thorough maintenance
To have such a beard and win competitions, Loïc Papillon is obliged to maintain it on a regular basis: “shampoo and blow-dry every morning, a mask once a week, and a hot oil treatment once a month.” Just before leaving for England, he returned to his usual barber in Dijon(Five Eighth – Barbershop) for a “general repetition”. More than an hour and a half on site to get the “hairdressing“Ideal. A beard hairstyle that he will reproduce alone before going on stage this Saturday.