Designer stubble – not quite a beard, but a rugged way of adding style to your face, while maintaining a well-groomed masculine look. Made popular during the 1980s by actor Don Johnson and singer George Michael; designer stubble is still a trend today and has become even more fashionable over the past few years. So, if you’re looking add a bit of maturity and sex appeal to your look, without the need to sport a full beard, follow these tips below.
How to Achieve the Stubble Look
Grow your facial hair. It is important to grow your facial hair to a length that you can work with. Normally 3-4 days worth of growth is enough but this can vary depending on the style you’re going for and the color of your hair. If you’re like me, and have light facial hair, you may want to grow it a little longer, as men with darker hair can look more defined with shorter stubble.
Have a style in mind. There a various different styles, so make sure you know what style and shape you want before you start shaving. Here are some ideas:Shape your style. Gently cut in the shape and style of the stubble using the edge of the trimmer without the comb guide. Then shave away any excess hair around the face and neck.
Shave. Once you’ve shaved away and tided up the bits you don’t want, you should have the basic shape remaining. Set the trimmer to the desired the length. If your hair is quite long, thick and course, pre-trim the hair using a longer length setting, such as 5mm.
For a short, shadow stubble look, set the comb guide to 0.4mm trimming length. For a longer, designer stubble look, set the comb guide to 2mm trimming length. Move the trimmer upwards through the hair, cutting a little at a time, shaving in the direction of hair growth. To avoid patchy, uneven stubble, try not to apply too much pressure.
Wash your face. Rinse your face with cold water as it helps reduce the chances of whiskers forming ingrown hairs.
Apply post-shave balm. Applying a post-shave balm helps keep your skin soft and reduces skin irritation.
How to Maintain Your Stubble Look
Now don’t think that going for the stubble look means minimal effort because you no longer need to shave every day. To avoid looking scruffy, the stubble look needs regular upkeep. Here’s how to do it:
Revisit every 2-3 days. Maintaining a stubble look requires regular grooming. To ensure that you don’t get a scruffy or uneven appearance, it’s recommended to trim every 2-3 days to keep your stubble from growing into a full beard. Pay attention to how quick your facial hair grows. The faster you can grow a beard, the more often you’ll need to trim your stubble to ensure it stays shaped. Upkeep is essential and an ongoing process, so you can’t just shape it and leave it.
Cleanse and exfoliate. Make sure you wash your face two times a day with a facial cleanser, and apply a facial scrub 2-3 times a week to keep your skin looking fresh, and the stubble conditioned.
Recommended Tools
To get the perfect stubble look you need the right tools. Trimmers that are designed for stubble control are best and I highly recommend and personally use the Conair GMT900 iStubble Facial Hair Trimmer. It has 15 different length settings ranging from 0.4mm to 5mm. Whether you’re looking for a short shadow or a longer stubble look, this trimmer is the ultimate in stubble control, and it’s under $40.00!
