Last summer, a grooming company embarked on a 10-city tour, selecting 10 bearded finalists from what it determined were the 10 most facial hair-friendly cities.

WASHINGTON — Alexandria resident Steve Carpinelli has the best beard in America, according to Wahl Grooming, maker of professional and consumer beard trimmers and accessories.

Last summer, Wahl embarked on a 10-city tour with a mobile barbershop and master barbers, selecting 10 bearded finalists from what it determined were the 10 most facial hair-friendly cities.

One finalist was chosen from online entries.

Wahl opened up the contest in November to online votes on its Facebook page, and Carpinelli was chosen as the overall winner for January.

Not only was Carpinelli’s beard just the deemed the finest whiskers in the country, but Wahl’s judges also voted Washington, D.C. the Most Facial Hair Friendly City in America, making the nation’s capital a sort of hairy haven.

“Our annual facial hair face-off is designed to find and celebrate guys who embrace a whiskered lifestyle,” says Steve Yde, division vice president of market for Wahl.

“Not only do we seek out men with a knack for grooming, we look for men who consider facial hair to be an integral part of who they are.”

Carpinelli, a public relations professional, has had his beard since 2000 and says he intends to keep it for the rest of his life.

“I think facial hair today is what hairstyles were in the 1980s. It’s how men can change up their look and express their personal style,” says Carpinelli. “My beard is a definable part of me; it stands out and is one of the first things people notice.”

For being judged the mug with the best beard in the country, Carpinelli gets a $1,500 prize and will be featured in a Wahl national advertisement.

Wahl knows beards. It’s been around since 1919, and introduced the first battery-powered facial hair trimmer about 25 years ago.