Last week I was asked by a young man how to grow stubble perfectly and I thought it would be a great article for some of you young men who are looking to ditch the clean shaven look and enter into the stubble life.
In 2020, the clean-shaven look is no longer the way in which we are judged as too whether we are well-groomed or not. In fact in the eyes of women, stubble is considered the most desirable look in terms of attraction.
I remember when I was a teenager, the stubble look was considered lazy and scruffy. If you had a job interview, you was expected to turn up clean-shaven.
Thankfully as times have moved on, shaving for a job interview isn't as required as it once was and stubble, provided it is neat and clean, is considered stylish and acceptable.
The great thing about stubble is that if groomed correctly, it can really enhance your facial features by defining your jaw-line and hiding that baby-face look we all know and want to cover up.
If you are considering growing and rocking the stubble look, it does take a little time and effort to get the best results. It certainly isn't a case of throwing your razor out the window and not bothering with a morning routine.
Without a good stubble care routine, your stubble will spiral out of control and you will end up looking lazy and scruffy.
Therefore, knowing how to grow and maintain the perfect stubble is key for your journey if you want to rock stubble with pride.
In this article we will cover the following:
- What is a stubble beard?
- How long does it take for stubble to grow?
- Will stubble suit me?
- How to grow stubble
- How to thicken stubble
- How to maintain a stubble beard
- How to style your stubble
- Best beard trimmer for stubble look
- How to grow stubble tips
What Is A Stubble Beard?
Stubble is facial hair that is somewhere between clean shaven and a short beard. How long does it take for stubble to grow? We all grow facial hair at different speeds therefore, stubble could take you anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
Some people confuse stubble with a short beard, and although similar, the two are not considered the same, as a short beard is longer than stubble.
Stubble is when the facial hair doesn't grow very far from the skin. We are talking millimetres - 1-2 centimetres.
The good news for you though is that stubble is easier to manage and care for, compared to a full beard.
Stubble vs Beard
Stubble when cared for, is a great look to pull off and a survey done recently found women prefer men with stubble over clean-shaven and bearded.
When growing a beard, it takes a long time and you will hit a very scruffy look at one point plus you'll hit various obstacles.
Whilst for most men growing stubble, after a couple of days you'll be able to pull of a rugged look which looks deliberate, not a case of laziness.
As stubble is very short, you'll look much cleaner and well-groomed.
While a long well-groomed beard looks amazing to us men, the truth is that stubble is considered neater and more attractive to the females.
Another positive for the stubble look is that with a quick daily stubble care routine, you'll look more presentable than if you rock an untamed beard and believe me, a tamed beard is hard work and many men struggle with taming their beards.
Will Stubble Suit Me?
While beards don't suit every man, beard stubble generally does.
Fortunately, it doesn't take you long to know whether beard stubble will suit you or not.
It will take you a couple of weeks to grow some good stubble and worse case if it doesn't suit you, you just have to shave it off.
One important thing I would like to mention and stress, is that if you are not interested in maintaining and caring for your stubble, then don't bother growing it. You'll just end up looking lazy and scruffy.
As I have previously mentioned, we all grow facial hair at different speeds, the same can be said for thickness and patchiness. Some of us are able to grow a full beard and some of us grow a patchy beard.
It is the same when it comes too stubble. You could end up growing stubble that is patchy therefore, you'll need to be mindful of that.
Length is a factor to also keep in mind. Some of us can pull off shorter stubble, while some of us can pull off longer stubble.
Ask your family and friends for their opinion. The goal is to look like the stubble style is done purposely, not like you you've forgot to shave.
For some men, a shorter stubble style will look more purposely styled, and it is the same for longer stubble.
How to Grow Stubble
The first thing to note is your genetic make-up and testosterone levels will dictate the speed of which your facial hair will grow, along with thickness. There are some things in your control which can either help your efforts or ruin your efforts.
Stress can ruin your efforts of growing stubble. When we are stressed our bodies release a hormone called cortisol which upsets the hormone balance in our bodies which hinders hair growth.
Stress can also restrict the flow of nutrients to our hair follicles which will reduce our beard growth.
Dry facial skin can also hinder your stubble growth efforts. In order for our stubble to grow and be healthy, we need to make sure our skin is hydrated and well nourished.
Here are a couple ways how to thicken stubble and increase the growth speed:
A healthy diet can thicken stubble and improve our efforts of growing good stubble growth. Eating plenty of fresh fruit and veggies will provide our bodies will great nutrients which will help our bodies perform effectively, including facial hair growth.
Biotin is a compound that has been strongly linked with hair growth. Therefore, eating biotin rich foods could help your efforts. Egg yolks, nuts and seeds are examples of Biotin rich foods.
Exercising can be beneficial to our stubble growth efforts as exercising releases testosterone which is highly linked with hair growth. Strength training has been seen to increase testosterone levels the most. That said, cardio training also helps increase testosterone levels.
How To Maintain A Stubble Beard
In this section we are going to look at how to maintain a stubble beard.
The idea is to maintain a length that’s neither too short nor too long. You want to lightly trim and shape your stubble for a natural yet tidy appearance.
Stubble may look effortless, but i can assure you it isn't. You will absolutely need to make some effort when it comes to stubble care if you are hoping to achieve a good look.
In order to maintain the stubble and style, you'll certainly need a little grooming routine where you regularly trim and shape the stubble.
Depending how quickly your stubble grows, will dictate how often you need to trim your stubble. I would suggest you trim your stubble at least once a week, to keep stray hairs away and keep your stubble level and stylish.
The purpose of trimming your stubble at least once a week is to maintain the length so it isn't short or long. A light trim and maintaining the shape of your stubble will keep it looking neat and tidy.
We recommend prior to trimming, that you exfoliate your skin using a quality facial scrub. The reason for this is to remove any dead skin cells from your facial skin.
You can then apply shaving oil (optional), this will soften your stubble if you leave it on for around 30 seconds, which will help for trimming.
When you trim your stubble, we recommend that you lightly trim your facial hair, if you press the trimmer down hair too hard, you could end up trimming the stubble unevenly.
If you'd like to add a fade from bare skin to stubble, Clean shave your lower neck and the top of cheeks, basically the areas where you do not want your stubble to grow.
Then from your sideburns, use a shorter trimmer guard and gradually increase the guard size as you come down to your cheeks.
Be sure to add some beard oil after trimming and shaving to soothe the skin as it will be irritated.
How To Style Your Stubble
A bonus to styling stubble is that it doesn't need much styling compared to a full beard.
The lower the length of the beard equals less maintenance.
You will want to keep the stubble neatly trimmed and remove any stray hairs as well as making sure your lower neck and the top of your cheeks are clean shaven.
Many grooming experts say you do not need to wash stubble using a beard wash, we disagree.
When growing stubble, you still do not want to use a regular shampoo because it will cause dryness to your skin and stubble, which will lead to common problems like unhealthy stubble, dryness, itchiness and so on.
Using a gentle all-natural beard wash will remove dead skin cells as well as other elements such as dirt and so on from the stubble, without drying your skin or stubble out.
Stubble tends to be dry and spiky at the best of times, so an all natural beard oil is still a must. A beard oil will supply quality nutrients to the skin, moisturise the skin and soften them spikes.
The last thing you want is stubble that feels like sandpaper.
A premium beard oil will also help prevent dandruff and itchiness, two things which are common when rocking stubble.
When choosing a beard oil, make sure to choose an all-natural oil. You don't want to use a beard oil that contains alcohol, fillers, silicone etc, as these elements will cause dryness damage to the skin beneath the stubble.
Best Beard Trimmer For Stubble Look
An important tool you will need when maintaining stubble is a high quality beard trimmer that comes armed with different size guards. A quality beard trimmer will last you a long time and provide your stubble with a far better cut compared to a poor-quality trimmer.
Although high-quality trimmers are a tad more expensive compared to poorer-quality trimmers, it is an investment worth taking. They will give you a far better all-round trim and the cut on the tips of facial hair will be much cleaner.
Poor-quality beard trimmers don't give your hair strand tips a clean cut which is why people tend to suffer from itchiness for a few days after using them.
The Best Beard Trimmer For Stubble Look: Philips Norelco
How To Grow The Perfect Stubble Tips:
Find the stubble length you desire. You can start by growing your stubble until it is considered long stubble or a short beard, then gradually trim the facial hair shorter, until you reach your desired length.
- Use an all-natural beard wash to remove dirt and dead skin cells from the stubble.
- Exfoliate prior to trimmer your stubble to remove dead skin cells from the skin beneath the stubble.
- Use an all-natural beard oil to moisturise the skin beneath the stubble, soften the sandpaper and prevent dryness, itchinesses and dandruff.
- Make the investment and purchase a high-quality beard trimmer for a much cleaner and quality trim.
- Keep the areas you don't want stubble clean-shaven, such as the lower neck and the top of the cheeks.
- Trim your stubble at least once a week to keep the stray hairs at bay and stubble neat.
- To fade, start shorter by your side-burns and gradually increase the length guard as you lower to your cheeks.
I hope this article answered how to grow stubble and that you found value in this article.
Learn how to grow a healthy, strong beard by clicking here.
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