Stubble Vs Beard: Which Is More Attractive, Differences, Face Types

Are you wondering which beard style is the best for you and your favorite options are either a stubble or a full beard?

If yes, this article is for you.

Many men over the past few years do have this question and they don’t know what to choose between stubble and beard…

Of course, you may easily understand that there is not a correct answer for this and this solely depends on your preferences.

However, one rule of thumb that you can follow is to choose your beard according to the shape of your face.

In this article, we’ll tell you all about stubble vs beard, their different types, the pros and cons of beards and stubbles, which one of the 2 options is the best for every face type so that you are able to make a correct choice.

Fair?

Let’s get started!

What is a stubble beard and the types of stubble beard?

what is stubble

A stubble beard is a kind of a beard that falls between the range of clean-shaven and short beard. It is easy to grow stubble.

You need to be clean-shaven initially and need not shave for a day. The day after, you will have a stubble.

If you are not clean shaven, in order to get a stubble you need to trim your beard at 4-5 mm(1/8 inch)

Stubble beard can be styled in different ways, but primarily there are three kinds of stubble. They are the Heavy, Medium, and Light Stubble.

Types of Stubble

types of stubble

Light Stubble

Light stubble is just a day-old hair growth on your face. It is barely visible on the face. It looks like a 5 o’clock shadow beard.

Medium Stubble

The Medium stubble is something that takes 3-5 days to grow if you are clean shaven.

Heavy Stubble

This is the highest point of the stubble and usually takes around ten days to grow. It has a length of 4-5mm (1/8 inch). Jason Statham wears this style a lot.

Types of Beards

types of beards

If you have been curious, there are tons of beard styles that range from standard to exotic to outlandish and everything in between.

Let us tell you about some of the best beard styles that you can wear based on the shape of your face and your sense of style.

Goatee beard, Petite Goatee, Van Dyke Beard, Mutton Chops Beard, Chin Straps, Full Beard, Long beard, Short Beard and Circle Beard are some of the common beard styles that we love.

Pros And Cons Of Stubble Beard

Let us look at the pros and cons of a stubble.

Pros Of Stubble Beard

pros of stubble

An effortless look to keep – Stubble hair takes quite some time to grow back into long hair, usually around a few days to two weeks.

This means that you do not have to undergo the razor again for those days. The benefit of this is that this look barely needs any upkeep.

It is a look that you can easily flaunt in a matter of minutes, even if you just got out of bed. Wash your face, dress up, and you are ready to go.

It is an all-weather look

Since the stubble beard look needs very little maintenance to make it softer, trim and there is no specific time of the year suitable for it.

This means that you can wear it at any time of the year, irrespective of summer or winter. It complements any clothes you wear or any kind of hairstyle that you flaunt.

Save money

You save money that would have been spent on buying new blades. Instead, now you can invest this money in other face or hair grooming products.

On the other hand, if you grow a longer beard you will have to deal with itchiness, under beard skin dryness, beard hairs sticking out, often brushing, and more.

All of these problems need some beard products that cost money. You can save all this money when you just have a stubble beard.

Women love this look

Multiple studies done by different Universities had shown that when women were asked to define attractive looking men from photos of men in the clean-shave, stubble, and full-bearded looks, the majority of the women chose the stubbled men as attractive.  

Cons Of Stubble Beard

cons of stubble

Tendency to confuse stubble with scruffiness

There is a tendency for people to associate stubble with a scruffy. Now, while we as well-groomed men know the difference between a shabby and a stubbled look, the rest of the world might not.

Some people tend to associate stubble with laziness and a desire to not shave. They fail to understand that this is how you like to wear your beard.

You Need A Beard Trimmer Constantly

 While this might not be perceived as a con by most, for some, the need for a beard trimmer to continually keep the hair to desired lengths might be a bothersome exercise.

Having said the above, trimmers are not fragile items that require frequent replacement; therefore, in a cost vs. utility analysis, the trimmer should be a good investment.

Every Employer Might Not Appreciate the Look

If you are a regular 9-to-5 office going person, some organizations seem to have issues with the stubble. Some organizations seem to think that the stubble is an unprofessional look that is best replaced by either a clean-shaven look or a full beard.

However, companies are adopting a more flexible approach day-by-day, and we can hope that keeping or not keeping a beard will not be an issue for an employer in the future.

In short, this sums everything up for you.

Pros Of Stubble BeardCons Of Stubble Beard
1) Easy To Do1) It might be seen as a lazy beard style for some people
2) It doesn’t require much attention2) You need a high-quality trimmer very often
3) It is an all-weather look3) Some jobs may not approve this beard style
4) It doesn’t require a lot of money
5) Women Love It

Pros and cons of growing a full beard

The Pros Of Growing A Beard

Increases your manliness quotient

There has been something about a beard since the ages that seems to amplify your manliness in front of the opposite sex. Studies have already shown that men with a full beard are perceived as more reliable by women.

Camouflage a weak jawline

Growing a full beard is a great way to add definition to a weak jawline.

You don’t need to shave every day

Even the best of us don’t like to shave every day, and therefore we shouldn’t be too surprised to find men who absolutely detest shaving frequently. The full beard is a gift for such men.

It can give you a more mature look

While women absolutely love to flaunt their youth and youthful looks, men like to do the exact opposite. They want to show their maturity.

It is kind of strange, but that is the way the human mind works. Full beards give you a mature look.

Read Also: The Beardstache Style

The Cons

The downsides of having a full beard can be as follows:

Can get scratchy and irritating

There is no escaping the fact that a full beard needs a lot of maintenance. In the absence of proper grooming, a full beard can get dry at the roots leading to itchiness and dandruff.

However, this can be beard oils and beard creams.

Money and Time

Most men think that once they have grown a full beard, they are free from the rigors of a daily shave and thus can save some money. However, few realize that there is a cost of maintenance for a full beard that such as beard oils, beard trimmer, beard wax, and more.

Also, the time that needs to be spent on grooming and maintaining your beard is something that you’ll not get back.

Women do get turned off by beards

Irrespective of what studies say, there are women in the world who do get turned off by hairy men, and this includes men with a lot of facial hair.

So, if your lady love gives a thumbs down to your beard, there is not much you can do about it.

Difficulty And Time To Grow One

Growing a full beard involves a time period of at least six months to 1 year. You need to have a tremendous amount of patience and fortitude.

While the end result looks great, the process of growing a beard is anything but easy.

Pros Of Growing A BeardCons Of Growing A Beard
1) You look more masculine and manly1) Itchiness
2) Camouflage a weak jawline2) More difficult maintenance
3) You don’t have to shave often3) Some women don’t like long facial hair
4) A beard makes you look more mature4) It needs more money, time, and daily effort

How To Choose The Best For You: Stubble Vs Beard

full beard

The purpose of any beard or mustache style is to give contrast to your face. Every face shape highlights only certain facial features, and therefore every beard style doesn’t look good on everyone.

The right way to choose a style for your face is to choose a beard that complements the shape of your face.

Here are the most common face shapes, and along with it, we suggest some of the beard types that suit the particular form of a face.

stubble

What Works for the Oblong Face

The oblong face is often confused with the oval face type, but the difference is that the oblong face is a little narrower and more extended.

Due to the face being elongated here, attention should be drawn to the sides of the face.

The best beard styles for this type of face are those that do not add more length to the face, and the hair is up to the cheeks. This helps to temper the length of the face.

Styles such as the stubble and short beard styles along with a thick mustache can help to focus the attention away from the length of the face.

These beard styles help to add definition without hiding the natural shape of your face.

What Works for the Oval Face

The Oval face shape seems to have been created for beards. Almost any kind of beard suits the oval face, which is characterized by a tall forehead and cheekbones and jawline that are similar in width.

Popular American celebrities with oval faces include Jude Law, Idris Elba, and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Beard styles that add some more definition to the chin and jaw area while being short on the sides will be a perfect fit for the oval face.

While almost all beard styles suit the oval face, it is not a good idea to go for beards with prominent sideburns and short hair on the chin. This will have the adverse effect of making your face look round and short.

What Works for the Square Face

The square face shape has an angular face shape with a protruding chin, broad forehead, and a solid jawline.

Take a look at Brad Pitt in Fight Club, and you’ll have your quintessential square face.

If you have a square face, know that your jawline is your greatest gift, and work on showing it off. So, look at styles such as the Beardstache, medium stubble beard, heavy stubble beard, and the goatee.

Avoid a full beard as it is not suitable for a square face.

heavy stubble

What Works for the Round Face?

As the name suggests, a round face is …of course round (duh) and is devoid of sharp features or angles. Usually, it as tall as it is wide – the cheekbones, jawline, and forehead being similar in width.

Some celebs with round faces are – Elijah Wood, Leonardo DiCaprio, Zach Efron, and Jeremy Renner.

When it comes to the round face, you need a beard that will give definition to the jaw and chin. The bottom of the beard should be long enough to create an impression of an elongated face.

Play around with long beard styles as much as you can if you have a round face. Long beards will help to give your face an oval appearance.

Avoid short beard styles and stubble beard styles.

What Works for the Diamond Face?

The Diamond Face is a shape that gets its name because of the high cheekbones and pointed chin.

Robert Pattinson, Cillian Murphy, and Chris Hemsworth are some celebs with diamond-shaped faces.

The style of facial hair that suits this face is a beard that covers the full face (styles such as Garibaldi, Ducktail & Verdi) while also adding roundness and width to the bottom.

However, bear in mind that it should have short sides to avoid highlighting the cheekbones.

Men with diamond-shaped faces should avoid styles such as the Anchor beard, Balbo, and the goatee. Basically, avoid styles that focus on highlighting the chin.

What Works for the Triangle Face?

 The triangle-shaped face has a forehead that is the widest part of the face, the width of the cheekbones is greater than the jaw, and the chin is unmistakably pointed.

Celebrities with a triangle-shaped face are Ryan Reynolds and Bradley Cooper.

If you have a triangle-shaped face, you need to focus on beard styles that will add more width to the sides of your face in order to balance the pointy chin. This will make a face more oval-shaped.

However, since the face is angular, naturally, you need not hide any features; but instead, you can even sport short beard styles or stubble beards to accentuate your natural jawline.

Having said the above, avoid beard styles with long sideburns or those that focus on the chin, such as muttonchops and Van Dyke beards, for example.

Conclusion

As you can see from the above, the question of how to choose between a stubble vs beard rests primarily on the shape of your face.

Depending on the shape of your face, you can choose between a beard or a stubble.

One more thing to keep in mind is that the above should be seen as guidelines and not something set in stone. At the end of the day, you’ll be the best judge of what suits you well.

Read Also: Goatee Or Beard; Pros And Cons Of Each One

Try out different styles and rock one that you’re comfortable with, and that gets you the most accolades.

Don’t fear to make a mistake. If you don’t try and fail, you will never find which one is the best for you!

However, I do hope we gave you some good advice today in our detailed guide.

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 reply.

Are you ready to finally make a change and let everybody stare at you?

Take action!

Until next time,

Stay safe,

Tasos

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