You may remember a recent report claiming that the majority of men sporting lumberjack-like beards are unaware that tiny poop particles are swimming around their mass of facial hair. Although the story turned out to be an exaggeration of a very small sample size and a perfect representation of clickbait journalism, that doesn’t mean you should abandon proper beard maintenance. Greg Foot from Brit Lab explains why fecal matter isn’t the only thing men in the Lumbersexual group should be worried about.

It should be no secret that men with beards run into a little bit of a dilemma while eating foods that produce crumbs. Not only does facial hair trap food particles, but it’s also a breeding ground for sweat and bodily fluids. So now we have a cluster of bacteria in its ideal environment that also has tiny Dorito crumbs to feed off. There is, however, a solution to bacteria buildup: washing your beard regularly and using conditioner.

According to the Simmons National Consumer Survey, 35 percent of men from the age of 18 to 24 and 17 percent of all men have facial hair today. Compare that to 2009 when 31 percent of men from 18 to 24 and 14 percent of all men had facial hair. It also appears that most men growing beards these days are not worried about grooming their face fuzz. Fifteen percent of men between the ages of 18 to 24 said they don’t use any shaving products compared to 13 percent in 2009.