ROCKING THE STUBBLE

If you’ve been thinking about rocking the stubble Beckham style (insert local celebrity known for stubble beard), but have yet to decide, let us help you out—the answer is yes. Yes you should. Why? Because science. A recent study shows that women find men with heavy stubble more attractive than their clean-shaven and fully bearded brethren.

BENEFITS BEYOND THE BABES

While upping your adoration from the better sex is probably reason enough to put down the razor, there's actually some other benefits you should be aware of. Does your skin react harshly to shaving? Well, this could be a pretty good sign that you should be shaving less often. In retiring your razor there's a solid chance that razor burn and ingrown hairs could become a part of your past. Looking for a new look? Maybe something that demands a bit more respect? Embracing stubble will certainly take your masculinity to new and unknown levels.

THE 3-DAY BEARD

The 3-day beard is a good place to start if you're just getting started. Plus, you have the benefit of being able to take it for a test drive over the weekend, and away from the office and your co-worker's glances. One thing to be mindful of however, is that this level of scruff isn't always so gentle on your partner's skin, so if you have a hot date planned you may want to shave clean or grow it long enough to get past the scratchy stage. Moisturizer couldn't hurt.

Where to start? That's pretty simple actually, don't shave for 3 days, and maybe a couple more depending on how fast your facial hair grows. In this time you should achieve around 2 to 3mm of length, which will give you a rugged, stylish look. The 3-day beard is especially flattering for more angular faces, and works to slim the more rounded of mugs.

As far as maintenance, you're going to want to breakout the trimmers every couple of days to maintain the 3-day beard. Select a guide, again around 2 to 3mm, and simply run your clippers over your face and neck against the grain to keep it tight. To clean up the edges and the hard to trim areas such as your lips and below the nose, simply remove the guide and carefully trim those wild hairs. While you're going to want a natural look, we recommend spending some time to define your neckline and clean shaving below this line. If your stubble grows high on your cheeks, you'll want to clean this up with a razor as well. Again, you're going for a natural look, so take the time to avoid sharp straight lines. And that should do it. Now sit back, relax, and watch the ladies lineup.

YOU’RE NOT DONE YET

Just because you have a bit of a beard doesn't mean that you get to go full-on mountain man - you're going to want to keep it clean. Simply lather up your stubble with the rest of your face when you wash, and apply moisturizer like our NIVEA Men Sensitive Cooling Shaving Gel upon drying, which will help with itching and will soften up your whiskers for anyone who happens to cuddle up, which will likely be everybody.