That’s not just because it can speed up your morning routine (w/o the whole shaving process). Health researches show that growing a beard is actually the key to keeping yourself younger-looking and cancer-free. From just having fun by growing a small goatee to going full-fetched Zach Galifianakis, there’s plenty of sensible reasons to take a break from your razor this summer!

That way a thick beard not just bars you from rubbing that precious natural skin oil off of your face, but it also protects the face! Namely, it shields your skin from wind exposure, which unopposed can often lead to redness and dryness.

Keep that in mind, just in case you were planning your next high-altitude climb this weekend.

1. Sun Protection

According to the latest research conducted by the University of Southern Queensland in Australia, beards block up to 95 percent of the sun’s UV rays, which can play a huge role in preventing basal-cell carcinomas (the biggest form of all cancers).

Key stats to understands: Four out of five cancer cases among men appear on the face, head, or neck. There’s more to it, the sun is the reason of up to 80 percent of the visible signs of aging. So while facial hair won’t keep your forehead from developing Jack Nicholsonesque creases and bald spots, it will keep the bottom half of your face looking younger and even more importantly, healthier.

2. Spots-Free Skin

Skipping a meeting with a razor doesn’t just hide blemishes and spots, it actually prevents them. “Razor rash, acne, and folliculitis [hair-follicle inflammation] are oftentimes the result that the shaving process holds” said Dr. Brandon C. Prewer, a fellow of the Osteopathic College of Dermatology and a head dermatologist at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. “Razors sharply irritate the skin and even spread bacteria, causing an infection of the hair follicle.”

3. Masculinity maxed out

There’s a simple reasoning behind the fact that you’d never steal a lumberjack’s gal away! It goes that the more facial hair a man has, the more masculine both men and women perceive him to be, according to a poll, conducted and published by the Evolution and Human Behavior science journal. If raw, unadulterated masculinity is what everyone’s looking for, let your beard hang as low as it can! This means that anyone who’s looking to impress the opposite sex, must skip the razor for 10 glorious days in a row, at the very least!

4. Natural Moisture

You probably were not aware, that your face has its own built-in moisturizing schedule. Note, that it’s called sebaceous glands (oil glands for short) and, according to doctor Prewer, it secretes a natural oil that keeps skin moisturized.

Kissing a man with a beard is a lot like going to a picnic. You don’t mind going through a little bush to get there!                                           – Minnie Pearl

If you’re interested in more fact proven details on the pros of having a beard, just to name a few, here are five doctor-approved reasons to let your beard grow.

The hair inside your nostrils attract much more harmful stuff and bacteria than you think they do. In addition to what you see in a tissue, nose hairs trap pollutants that can easily cause your body a very real harm.

So the more hair you have under your airways (read: the bigger your beard is), the more pollutants you’re snaring every day, according to Dr. Clifford W. Bassett, Allergy and Asthma Care of NY medical director.