Beard Vs Clean-Shaven: Which One Is Best?

An age-old debate – beard vs clean-shaven look? Which one to go for? Gone are the days when growing a beard was a task.

Now that men have cutting-edge beard trimmers shaping and maintaining a beard has become a lot easier. However, a man can live with and without a beard; that’s why the battle between beard and clean-shaven look still persists.

People judge one another based on looks. Sad, but true.

We have seen very handsome bearded men but also very handsome and popular clean-shaven men. That’s the reality.

So, how to choose? Beard or no beard?

Men with beards are very attractive because they give off manlier and masculine vibes, while a clean-shaven man looks younger, although friendlier and more approachable. It is also much easier to be clean-shaven than bearded and it is also a lot cheaper.

There are many factors that you should take into consideration before choosing the right look for you. There is no one-fits-all answer.

For example, women like bearded men because they feel they will be good at parenting, even though they give away a stern and rather bold look.

Most women believe that bearded men are healthier, have better genes, and will be fitter when it comes to reproduction.

However, the percentages are close. Don’t think that 95% of women prefer bearded men and only 5% of them prefer clean-shaven guys. This is completely wrong.

Let’s dive in!

Benefits of Clean-Shaven

Let’s discuss the pros and cons of the clean-shaven style.

You Look Younger Than Your Age

This is arguably the main reason why so many men prefer to have a clean-shaven look. There is a notion that those who don’t grow a beard look much younger than their age. Even when a boy starts to grow, some still like to remain clean-shaven so that people around them perceive them as younger.

The Clean Shaven Look is Accepted Everywhere

When someone is clean-shaven, they never have to worry about how society will perceive them. A clean-shaven look gets accepted easily.

Also, a clean-shaven beard gives a professional look, which means if you happen to go to an interview, you won’t be judged or questioned about your grooming habits.

Furthermore, in some countries, you are not allowed to wear a beard in the military. A clean-shaven look is always accepted.

It Needs Less Maintenance

Since all you want is a clean-shaven look, it means that all you need is a good shaving razor or beard trimmer and shaving cream or gel. You can wake up, apply the shaving cream, shave your facial hair, use some after-shave lotion, and that’s about it.

You need to repeat the same step after 1 to 2 days when you start seeing facial hair yet again on your face. After shaving your beard, you don’t have to worry about styling it or getting it all messed up throughout the day.

It Is Cheaper

The clean-shaven look is much cheaper. You most probably won’t need a trimmer, beard oil, wax, brush, straightener, balm, shampoo, and more.

A razor, shaving cream and aftershave lotion.

Cons Of Clean-Shaven Look

People May Not Take You Seriously Because of Your Baby Face

People who have grown their beards for some time and suddenly go for a clean-shaven style look younger. Since the face looks nothing less than a babyface, people often misjudge them and don’t take them seriously.

This is something we are sharing out of our experience. It is often observed and it happens subconsciously.

Your Skin Might Get Irritated with Frequent Shaving

With the constant use of blades all over your face, again and again, you may end up irritating the hair follicles.

Men often see red and bloody spots, if not all over their beard area, at least in some areas. Once the hair follicles are hurt, pain and redness of the skin can be experienced.

You Have the Same Look Every Day

A clean-shaven face looks the same all the time and every time. There is no surprise element to it. You will take out your razor, shave your beard, and then rinse off the shaving lotion. You will wipe your face with a face towel, use a moisturizing cream, and go out.

How you were looking yesterday, you will look the same today and tomorrow!

It Does Have Some Expenses (Of course less than when you are growing a beard)

If a man prefers a clean-shaven look, they have to keep shaving their facial hair every 1 to 2 days. This means that you are going to need a lot of razors. And razors don’t come cheap, especially the good-quality ones that won’t irritate your skin.

Benefits Of Growing A Beard

Style Your Beard As You Want

Just like a clean-shaven look has its advantages, a bearded face has its own too. Take styling as an example. With a beard, you can think of different beard styles and trim it accordingly.

The good thing about having a beard is that there are so many different beard styles available. You may want to carry a specific beard look for this month, and the following month try something else.

You Don’t Need to Shave Your Beard Frequently

Unlike the clean-shaven look, you don’t need to trim your beard hair often when you grow a full beard. You will have more time in the morning.

But, it will still need some attention. Don’t fool yourself.

Believe It Or Not Bearded Men Look More Attractive

Personal choice is an altogether different ball game. But when it comes to bearded men, they look attractive than those who are clean-shaven. Facial hair denotes that you have strong genes, and this is one trait that women get super attracted to.

The difference is not very significant though. The best beard style that women prefer according to multiple studies is the stubble style. (short beard)

Cons Of Growing A Beard

Not Every Man Is Able To Grow A Full Beard

Unlike those lucky men, there are many out there who unfortunately can’t grow a full beard. A patchy beard is one thing that men might see. And that’s one reason why some men opt to go for a clean-shaven look.

Of course, there are a lot of things that will affect the full beard growing process. Your genes, hormones, how you take care of your beard, how much time you are giving to your beard to grow, and more.

But, yes, indeed, many men can’t grow a full beard because of that stubborn patchiness problem.

Food Getting Stuck

Here’s another con of having a beard. You want to eat a delicious taco, but damn, your beard gets in the way. Food particles do get stuck in the beard, and this is such a common issue!

It is not fun trying to eat or drink while sporting a long beard!

Beard Can Make Your Skin Feel Itchy

When all you want is to look fantastic and pleasant during the hot days, your beard might start giving you trouble.

This is an extremely common issue. Beard hairs may curl back, may not be soft and more…

Beard itching escalates during the hotter days. Sweat sliding through your forehead and getting inside your beard, dry weather making your beard flake some dead skin, all of these things lead to beard itchiness.

Read Also: Best Professional Beard Styles For An Interview

Do Women Prefer Guys With A Beard Or Clean-Shaven?

We have discussed this briely but it’s time to get into it more in depth.

Growing facial hair is becoming a trend. Men today sport almost every beard style. They go for the wizard-like beard look, long full-grown beard hair to closely-cropped stubble.

Many studies have been done to understand women’s points of view regarding different beard styles and the clean-shaven look. A group of women was shown four pictures of four different men. One had a clean-shaven face, the second one had light stubble, the third one had heavy stubble, and finally, a picture of men with a full-grown beard.

Women were asked to rate each picture, and the findings were quite astounding. It was observed that women liked the man who had light stubble the most. They found that man to be most attractive, and they also stated that they would like to have a man like him in their lives.

However, the man with a full-grown beard was considered the most masculine, aggressive, and socially mature. On the contrary, the man with a clean-shaven look was considered to be dominant but attractive and approachable.

Read Also: Goatee Vs Beard

When asked who they would like to see themselves with, they promptly answered the man with a full-grown beard and light stubble.

The findings identified how a woman perceives a man based on their looks. Not that a clean-shaven man has to be dominant, or a man with a stubble beard has to be caring, but some women judge men based on their looks.

But, this is also very subjective. Another very important factor is the ratio of bearded and clean-shaven men. The fewer bearded men there are in a certain area, the more preference is given to facial hair.

Read Also: Stubble Vs Clean-Shaven

According to this survey, it is pretty clear that a man with a beard wins the battle. Although, there were women who didn’t pay attention to how someone looked. For many, having a beard or being clean-shaven didn’t mean anything at all.

But the reason why the majority of the women preferred bearded men is that these men were perceived to be healthy, masculine, and they were thought to have better parenting abilities.

Read Also: Should I Shave My Beard For My Wife?

Stubble Vs. Full Beard? Real Debate

This is the most common debate among bearded men! You can also read out full guide on this topic here.

Unfortunately, one needs to pick one based on their comfort and how they would like to be perceived by others and themselves.

There will be moments when a full beard will end up irritating too much because of sweat, food getting stuck, getting the beard dirty because of pollution, and more.

However, there will also be days when a stubble will make you feel less masculine. Studies have been conducted where it has been observed that men with a full beard do look μορε masculine, and they are considered to be better for reproduction. However, both the stubble look and a full-grown beard will have their own pros and cons.

There are men who are obsessed with wearing long, lumberjack beards that make them look awesome. But it is also a ton of work for example to grow a yeard (1-year beard).

On the other hand, sth stubble look is very easy. You just let your facial grow for 5-6 days and then you maintain this look with the trimmer. There are millions of men including celebrities like Jason Statham, David Beckham, etc who rock with the stubble look.

It looks like stubble is the best beard style for most men and women. Its short length makes you look stylish and sexy. It also allows you to hide your patchy areas if you can’t grow a full beard.

Read Also: The Best Stubble Styles To Look Hot

Conclusion

Beard vs clean-shaven? Which one to choose?

Before choosing answer yourself.. What matters the most to you?

How other people see you, how much maintenance a style requires, how expensive it is?

Do you care about irritation?

All of these things should be taken into account before you make a choice.

If you ask me personally, the stubble is the best. But, this doesn’t mean that’s the best for you. You may not be able to grow a thick beard. Just shave it off.

You may want to look like Vikings. Grow a long beard! It is totally up to you.

We discussed the pros and cons but the decision is yours. Honestly, feel good for yourself. Being confident beats facial hair every time. A man with confidence, a fit man, a gentleman is always desirable.

And that’s it for today’s article. I really hope you found it helpful.

If you have any comments or questions feel free to write them in the comment section below and we will be more than happy to help.

Until next time,

Stay safe gentleman,

Tasos