Jon and Eva Mahoney live in Moscow – so let’s just say they’re pros at staying warm during those cold winter months.
For Jon – who is originally from Nova Scotia – one strategy has been burrowing beneath his long, burly beard!
And it’s a pretty epic specimen!
But as many of us know, it’s not easy to care for all that hair and he had joked about chopping off the trademark chin locks in the past.
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But the time finally came to get rid of the extra baggage – and he could always start over if he really wanted to.
Jon, who is a teacher, began growing his beard in earnest in 2015 when he and Eva, a doctor, took a whirlwind trip to 33 countries after getting married. They mostly stuck to warmer places – such as Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Namibia, Brazil, Thailand, and Cambodia – so they could camp and hitchhike.
Jon started off the trip with a fresh face.
But that beard kept him warm during visits to the southern tip of South America and Mongolia as well.
“It was a good excuse to grow a beard, and I was curious to see how long it would get,” he told SaltWire. “Every section grew in a different country.”
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When the time came to shave it off (with a haircut to boot), Jon decided to make it a surprise to his wife.
He filmed the entire painstaking grooming marathon as well, which has been viewed tens of millions of times on Facebook alone.
The adventure begins with the stylist sectioning Jon’s beard into tiny tails so she can snip each off individually.
After that, there’s nothing left to do but snip them off one by one!
He shows just a little wistful emotion as his head gets lighter.
For a moment, he’s left with quite the ‘stache and mullet combo!
Now THAT would be a surprise for his wife – but clearly not the kind he was planning.
He got a good shave before the stylist moved on to his hair.
And off that comes too – but not before showing off its braiding potential!
Once it all comes off, Jon heads to the sink for a perfectly clean shave before Eva gets home.
We’re REALLY eager to see how she reacts since this is such a huge transformation.
As he gets ready for the big reveal he looks at his stylist’s handiwork – a bunch of tidy tendrils all tied up in knots.
It’s a little creepy but it’s also a wildly impressive amount of hair to take off in just one day.
When Eva finds out what happens, she freaks out – but she’s excited.
She takes a moment to compose herself before closing her eyes and feeling her husband’s face first.
And what comes after the big reveal?
Utter shock, of course! Eva can’t believe her eyes.
She hasn’t seen her husband clean-shaven in years, so it’ll take some getting used to (for both of them!)
Are you ready to see Jon for yourself?
Be sure to scroll down below to see his fresh face.
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