KEAVY, KY (Lex 18) – A Laurel County man has made a worldwide name for himself thanks to his impressive facial hair.
Lance Wooton started growing his beard in 2014 to compliment his pirate Halloween costume.
Soon, a friend introduced him to beard products, and then Wooton discovered a world of facial hair competitions. He was hooked.
"Everybody was really against it. They were like, shave it, it looks awful," Wooton recalled.
Four years later, 25 inches of follicular perfection flow from Wooton’s chin.
He oils and combs the hair at least twice daily. If not for his sponsorship with the company MeanBeard, upkeep would cost Wooton $100 per month.
"I don’t like one hair being too long," said Wooton. "’I’m constantly doing this and this and fluffing it, I can’t stand it."
That attention to detail has helped Wooton place in a number of competitions against other beard-growers from around the globe.
"I’ve got second, third a couple of times," He said. I’m currently 4th in the world."
Soon you’ll also see him on the silver screen in a new movie starring Johnny Knoxville of "Jackass" and Emelia Clark of "Game of Thrones."
"There were a lot of scenes I was right up in it, so i’m definitely not going to get cut out," Wooton said.
Some of these accomplishments wouldn’t be possible without Wooton’s girlfriend Karen Quinlan. She serves as a makeshift bodyguard to the beard.
"If someone comes toward him and starts to go for it, I’m like uh uh," She said. "Or, I’ll see someone heading that way and block them."
Wooton says patience in his beard and patience in his opportunities are really the key to his success though.
"I keep on going," He said. "’m so far invested now, I want to see where it goes."
Wooton has no plans to shave anytime soon. He has a number of competitions coming up, including the British Nationals in London this August and the World Competition in Belgium next year.
