Beard or No Beard? Here is How You Decide

Feb 2, 2024

Why Do Men Have Beards?

Men have and grow beard due to several reasons such as

Hormones: Beards are an active sign of the presence of testosterone in male bodies. Testosterone and DHT are homes responsible for the growth of the beard.
Genetics: Genes play a vital role in the appearance of beards. Those with ancestors with thick beards develop similar beards and those who don't have family members with much facial hair are most likely not to have a beard as well.
Fashion trends: Some men have and maintain beards to keep up with ongoing fashion trends. A beard is an accessory and compliments one’s style.

Beard or No Beard: Which Is Better?

Beard or No Beard Which Is Better Reasons as to why one should grow out a beard

Symbol of masculinity and attractiveness: For centuries, having a beard has been a sign of masculinity. Growing out a beard will boost the man’s confidence and make him look attractive. Studies and research have time and again proved the attractiveness of a clean-shaped beard.
Protects skin from sun damage: According to research, beards are proven to protect the skin from sunburn and sun damage. Beards block up to 95% of harmful UV rays emitted by the sun and minimises the amount of rays reaching the skin.
Provide warmth: During cold winters, beards provide warmth and insulate the face. There is no necessity to use a muffler or a scarf to keep oneself warm when there’s a beard. This in turn reduces the chances of having dry skin.
Acts as a natural moisturiser: The skin has a natural moisturising agent known as sebaceous glands which secrete oils to keep the skin moisturised. Beards help keep these oils intact with the skin and prevent it from stripping away.
Prevents bacterial infections: Beards work as a filter, they prevent pollen and dust from getting into the nose and respiratory system. This is highly beneficial to those with asthma as the hair prevents allergens from entering the system.

Reasons why one should clean shave or not have a beard:

Makes one look younger: Having a clean shaved look removes dead skin cells off the skin and provides a clean and young look. In contrast to those with beards, individuals with clean-shaved faces look much younger.
Improves skin quality: Having a beard can be taxing on the skin as it accumulates a lot of dirt and dust. Maintaining a clean shaved look requires regular shaving, which is a means of exfoliation and clears up dead skin off the skin and improves skin quality.
Easy to manage: A clean shaved look is easy to maintain as it requires minimal effort, all one needs to do is regular shaving and they’re good to go. Growing a beard on the other hand requires months of hard work and effort.
Keeps away skin problems: Beards accumulate dust and dirt. When not taken care of or cleaned properly it may lead to skin problems such as dandruff, acne and itchiness. Having no beard, on the other hand, keeps all these problems out of sight.
Easy absorption of skin care: When any product is used on the face, a beard may hinder the skin from absorbing the skin care product. A clean shaved look opens up pores and allows the skin care to be absorbed and provides the best results.

Trending Beard Styles In 2024

Viking Beard

A Viking Beard has been one of the most popular beard styles in recent times. This style has existed since the Scandinavian era in the 11th century and was a style donned by Scandinavian warriors. It is a long and full beard that is often decorated with beads and braids as per the individual’s desires.

French Fork

A French fork is a type of ducktail beard that splits into two halves at the chin. This style is achieved either by separating the beard by using hair wax or by cutting it into the desired shape with beard-trimming scissors. In some cases, one may braid two halves of the beard separately to achieve this look.

Goatee

Goatee A goatee dates back to the 14th century, it is a beard style that involves growing facing hair only on the chin and sometimes the upper lip. Besides, the upper lip and chin, the rest of the facial hair is shaved off.

Goatees include different styles such as long, short, and chin puff.

Van Dyke

As the name suggests, Van Dyke is a beard style inspired by the artist Anthony Van Dyke. This beard style involves a chin puff beard and a handlebar moustache. This type of beard style is best suitable for individuals with a round face.

Full Beard

A full beard is a classic beard style. This style can take a lot of time to grow but however requires minimal effort with styling and shaping, it can help highlight the facial structure and sheds prominence on the cheekbones even if one does not have prominent cheekbones.

Ducktail Beard

A ducktail beard is an old-fashioned beard style that resembles a duck tail, hence the name. One can experiment with the length when it comes to this style of beard, however, the short ducktail is a classic style. This type of beard style consists of a v-shaped beard.

Garibaldi Beard

A Garibaldi Beard style is a mixture of old times styles and modern elements. Besides that, the most convenient part about this beard style is that it is suitable for all face types. It involves a full beard, trimming the full beard in a round shape is known as a Garibaldi Beard.

Balbo Beard

The Balbo Beard was popularised by Robert Downey Jr. This is a goatee beard that requires more styling and maintenance than usual. The Balbo Beard consists of a moustache, a small patch of hair right under the button lip and a chin puff extending to the sideburns, the strip gets thinner as it exceeds.

Shaped Stubble

A shaped stubble involves minimal beard growth. It is known to suit all face types and emphasise on the jawline. Here, the beard is trimmed short and covers all areas of the face that a normal beard would. Adding in a moustache would help elevate this look.

Beardstache

As the name suggests a beardstache is a combination of a moustache and a beard. It is when the moustache is longer than a beard. This type of beardstache can take many forms such as a short stubble beardstache, a walrus beardstache, and a hipster beardstache.

Beard or Clean Shave Look In Different Scenarios

Beard or No Beard Interview

Many workplaces have strict dress code policies hence, no beard is advised. It is best to clean shave before an interview to avoid any further consequences. Especially in sectors, where the job requires one to interact face-to-face with customers, a beard is strictly advised against. Do check with company policies before making a decision on whether to keep or shave a beard.

Beard or No Beard for Wedding

This entirely depends on the person and the spouse, regardless of whether one has a beard or not for their wedding, it is important to look tidy. If one decides to keep the beard proper shaping and cleaning has to be done from time-to-time. If one wants to maintain a clean shaved look, one has to shave right before the wedding and remove any appearance of stubbles.

Passport Photo Beard or No Beard

Since Passport photos are used for identification purposes, it is best advised to take the picture clean-shaven. Although there is no hard and fast rule that it must be shaven, it just helps prevent any kind of hassle that may arise with identification.

Beard or No Beard for Government Jobs

Many aspire to get into government jobs but could beards be a hassle in such scenarios? No, it is not. Although a clean shaved look gives a professional look, one can maintain a beard as well. But the only restriction is that one cannot maintain funky beards instead has to have a clean, short beard that is well shaped.

Beard or No Beard for Acting Professions

Having a beard and not having a beard in the acting industry varies from time to time. Depending on the role taken up, one may be required to clean shave to fit the character best or in some cases, one may be required to have a beard to represent the character well.

Beard or No Beard for Students

It is strictly advised against having a beard in school. But however, those in college are free to make a personal choice on whether to have a beard or not. Having a beard is acceptable for students as long as it is maintained well and looks clean. An unkempt beard is strictly not advised, a no-beard look is however appreciated.

Beard or No Beard for Healthcare Workers

Healthcare workers such as doctors and nurses are advised against having a beard. Doctors, especially surgeons, must avoid having a beard. Beards collect toxins and bacteria that are retained even after washing it, this may in turn lead to infections while treating the patients,

Beard or No Beard for Firefighters

Firefighters are not allowed to have beards due to safety reasons. Fighters are required to use masks and air packs, having a beard may hinder and compromise the seal of the masks required for survival. However, in recent times, some fire departments have allowed firefighters to maintain short beards and moustaches at the most.

Beard or No Beard for Food Service Industry

Beards are discouraged in hospitality and food service industries as this may cause hair to fall into the food that is served to customers. However, in recent times, one is allowed to maintain a short beard and make use of beard nets to prevent mishaps. Those individuals who work with food preparation however face a strict beard ban due to hygiene reasons.

Beard or No Beard for Industrial Jobs

Industrial Jobs that require wearing a respiratory mask or equipment strictly do not allow beards. Beard may cause issues with the fitting of the equipment and may put the individual in danger. Hence a clean shaved look is mandatorily required.

Conclusion

Men often ask, which is a more attractive beard or no beard and should I shave my beard. However, a clean shave or a beard look doesn’t suit every situation since each situation demands a different appearance.

Furthermore, a beard or no beard doesn’t go well with every attire, which is why men need to understand the scenario and situation before clean shaving. In some cases, it’s a personal choice of the man to keep the beard look or shave it completely depending on their comfort level, weather conditions, or what their partner prefers.