Cover Photo Credit: Elle Hughes
This could be one of my more controversial posts as I’m going after something of a sacred cow among men. In this article I will I’m destroy long beards with facts and logic.
I’m going to share what my standard facial hair recommendations are when I consult with clients.
I recommend a tight, well-defined beard, no longer than 5mm. Importantly, this is only for men that can actually grow out full facial hair. If its excessively patchy or thin, then it is best you stick to clean shaven.
Any factor affecting how a man’s face looks is critically important when you are trying to help a client with their image. I usually devote the first 20 minutes or so to general grooming. Hair and beard are the first and most obvious place to start.
What I emphasise is keeping everything tight. It’s important that regardless of the look you choose to go with that it always looks well maintained. If you are lining up your beard, you should shave those lines in daily. If you are maintaining a certain length, you should be trimming to that length every 3 days or so.
A common line I give to clients is ‘aim is to avoid looking like you’ve just rolled out of bed’ – a state of being that is sadly common for the average man. The bare minimum expected from me is that it looks like you’ve got some sort of daily routine that keeps the hair growing on your head and face in check.
You should be lining up your beard every single day, as well as shaving the hair off your neck every single day. Those two things are usually enough for the daily routine. In fact, I should have mentioned the neck part sooner. Even if you choose to ignore my overall beard recommendations, please for the love of God start shaving your neck up to just below your chin line. I will suffer no neckbeards in my readership.
Why do I recommend short beards?
Maybe its easiest demonstrate with my own pictures why the short beard is BEST.
Going left to right we have my beard grown out about as long as I go, 5mm length in the middle and 3mm length on the right. (It should be noted that in the middle picture my beard is darkened due to a side effect from a tanning aide).
I’m confident you will agree that the middle and right pictures are best. I’m kind of extreme in this instance as it gets better then shorter it gets. Most men will find the middle length to be the best option.
At first, I thought this was a personal thing but after helping guys on the forums, and then in consulting I realised its almost universal that tight facial hair is best.
Fundamentally it works because it gives you the benefits of facial hair while also allowing your jawline to be visible.
Stereotypes and Connotations
Shorter well defined facial hair is more f**kboy/player vibe. That is what we are going for in dating, especially if you are nailing down a look for online dating. I want my guys to stand out from the crowd in this manner.
Longer beards have boyfriend/dad/religious connotations and stereotypes. In contrast, short beards get the benefits of facial hair without that.
Maintenance is Key
I think what’s most critical here is that the compact beard is easier to maintain. The longer beard can be aesthetically impressive – see Dan Bilzerian as the obvious example.
But the difference between his beard and the one you tried to grow is how impeccably maintained his beard always looks.
Too many guys, and I’ve seen plenty on self-improvement forums, grow out big beards because they like the look…. and absolutely fail to keep them sculpted. Instead, the grow out scraggily and unkempt. At the worst stage of overgrowth, the ends of a mans beard look too much like pubic hair.
If you are under a certain age, say 35, you absolutely must avoid having a badly kept beard. I would suggest those that want longer beards either regularly visit a barber (every two weeks at least) or invest a lot of time and energy into learning how to maintain those things.
I will probs do a vid on this but no doubt i’ll get some blowback from 40-year-old men who think their manky biker beard is alpha™.
Until then lads, peace.
The Hatfish