How To Create A Designer Stubble Beard Using A Straight Razor

How To Create A Designer Stubble Beard Using A Straight Razor

Naked Armor

Forget about grooming forecasts saying that we’ve long reached the peak of the beard.

Published by Naked Armor

They’ve been saying that years ago and yet here we are. Beards are still popular; just look at Chris Evan’s post-Captain America adventures. Even workplaces are now more accepting of beards among their employees.

A beard is also a man’s best facial accessory. Just ask Ryan Reynolds. Or John Hamm. These guys know that a beard can accentuate their best facial features.

But what’s a guy got to do if he doesn’t have the genes to grow a decent beard? Or for some other reason, doesn’t want to grow a beard at all?

Well, the next best thing to do is grow some designer stubble.

Call it maximizing your natural resources. If you can’t grow hair thick enough for a boxed or full beard, there’s no reason why you can’t do something with whatever amount of facial hair your genes can come up with.

A designer stubble is actually the perfect beard style all around. It won’t clash with whatever hairstyle you have. It’s also the style of choice for stylish men like Tom Ford or Jason Statham because it can help contour the face to A-list proportions that is worth every compliment.

History of the Designer Stubble

For that, we have to thank British pop icon George Michael.

During his heyday in the 80s, the designer stubble was actually known as a 5 o’clock shadow. The term was a throwback to a 13th century etymology referring to the stalks of grain left after harvest.

Michael pioneered this look. It exuded a carefree image with a touch of rebellious and masculine streak. This calculated, unkempt aesthetic was reminiscent of bad-boy anti-heroes portrayed by actors such as Clint Eastwood and Kurt Russell. It looked sexy and it was cool.

Perks of a Designer Stubble

But more than being pleasing to the eye, there’s a lot of benefits that can be obtained from choosing to wear a stubble.

Benefit 1 : It can hide your facial flaws

Let’s face it. Nobody is perfect. But we can work around it by using some tricks to mask it. Beards, in particular, are great for hiding imperfections such as uneven skin pigmentation or acne scars.

If you’ve got a square face and you want to look sharp and crisp, a stubble can help you by highlighting your cheekbones. If you’ve got a weak chin, it can disguise it by covering it up. What’s more, a well-defined beard or stubble can highlight your jaw and by virtue of colour contrast, draws attention to your teeth—which is very handy for framing a set of pearlies, assuming they’re well-maintained, of course.

Benefit 2: Makes you look mature in a sexy way

If you’ve been cursed or blessed (whichever way you feel about it) with having a baby face, a stubble will go a long way to making you look mature enough to be taken seriously. Whether this applies to your dating life or your social life, a stubble will nevertheless give you that grown-up vibe that you sorely need so that you don’t get asked for that ID at your local trendy bar.

Benefit 3: Ladies love it

The ladies dig it, even more than full beards and a clean shave. According to several studies, it appears that a stubble makes you more attractive as a sexual partner. Now that’s good news for your dating life. However, if you’re looking to settle down, you’d have to graduate from a maintaining a stubble to growing a beard because men with full beards are more attractive to women who want to start families. That’s because they’re perceived to be more masculine, tougher, and dominant-looking. In the gene pool, dominance matters.

But if you’re not ready to settle down, a designer stubble is all you need to have fun in your personal style and in your social life. So here’s how to do it.

Take some time and do it in layers. Bear in mind that different lengths of stubble at different parts of the face may make for a cleaner look. For instance, a closer shave on the cheeks than along the jaw and mustache can create a more blended look that fades rather than ends dramatically.

— D'Rock, Naked Armor Founder

How to Create a Designer Stubble Beard with a Straight Razor

First you have to grow your beard out. Avoid shaving for several days to let your natural stubble grow to at least 3cm. Or just let your hair grow until it gets itchy.

Now this may take longer if you’re a slow grower of facial hair. It might take as long as 3 weeks for you to have enough stubble to work with. At best, if you’re follicularly challenged, a month’s growth will suffice.

Step 1. Define the Lines

When the stubble has grown, it’s time to look at the mirror. Hold your head upright and look closely at your facial hair. Any hair that you can see below your chin from this angle must be shaved off.

After noting that, tilt your head back a bit and place a finger just at the top of your Adam’s apple. This spot marks the natural dividing line between your beard and your neck. Note this when you start shaving later.

Step 2. Prepare Your Straight Razor

Your straight razor must be sharp before you start shaving. This means that you gotta strop it first before using it.

A straight razor is best for a trimming job like this because its narrow blade can easily carve detailed lines on your beard.

Step 3. Prep Your Stubble

Take a hot bath to clean the beard. If you’re unable to have a shower, place a warm moist cloth on your neck and chin to make the hair soft and ready for shaving. You could also rub a few drops of pre-shave oil to help make the shaving easier.

Step 4. Begin Trimming the Neckline

Remember that spot just above your Adam’s apple? Start shaving with your straight razor there and move downwards. Continue on one side, working outwards from the middle, ensuring you stay under the jawline. Return to the middle and work outwards on the other side. Don’t make your beard neckline too round. A slight upward curve is best.

Step 5. Trim the Corners

Define the corners of your beard by trimming a vertical line below your earlobes to connect with the horizontal line below your chin. For a sharp and crisp look, trim it angular or chiseled. If you don’t want to look too macho, gently round it off.

Step 6. Shave the Rest of the Neck

Now that you’ve defined your neck line, shave the rest of the hair down your neck. A clean neck shave will help define the stubble neckline, making your stubble look clean and neat.

Step 7. Trim the Stubble

If you find 3cm too long, now is the time to start shortening the stubble. You want to have a sharp contrast between your whiskers and your bare skin so that the stubble looks intentional. This way, it will give your whiskers shape—the same way it helps define a beard.

For convenience, one can use a stubble trimmer especially if the hair is more than 3cm thick. Otherwise, a pair of scissors can even the growth out just as well.

Comb your whiskers along the grain and begin snipping the hair off in increments until you find the length that looks good on you. Whatever length you decide will depend on how thick your hair is or how clean you want your designer stubble to look.

Take some time and do it in layers. Bear in mind that different lengths of stubble at different parts of the face may make for a cleaner look. For instance, a closer shave on the cheeks than along the jaw and mustache can create a more blended look that fades rather than ends dramatically.

Step 8. Trim Your Cheekbones

Trim the area of your beard beneath your cheekbones, carefully forming a downward oval shape. Or draw a straight diagonal line from the beginning of your sideburn to the edge of your mustache. Then tidy up the area below your mouth. Always save the chin and the philtrum for last since they're more difficult to maneuver. Use a straight razor because its narrow and single blade will make it easier to pass on the small area.

Step 9. Rinse and Clean

Once you’re done, rinse your stubble with some cold water to close the pores. Splash some aftershave and follow it up with beard oil. Use the beard balm for when you graduate to a scruff or a full beard since it will allow you to style and volume up your beard.

Step 10. Maintain and Trim Regularly

Depending on how fast you grow your hair back, always trim and shave regularly to maintain your preferred length and keep the edges of your stubble beard neat.

Be Beard Chic with Naked Armor

See, it’s not that hard to get a stylish designer stubble. With the proper prep and technique, you’re on your way to getting the same Hollywood A-style beard game just like every male celebrity.

Of course it helps to have the proper tools. Here at Naked Armor, our straight razors is between a half hollow and full hollow grind design so it’s very versatile in trimming and maintaining a stubble.

It’s also made from Japanese steel which makes it doubly hard and sharp, like the samurai swords of old, but it also feels luxurious because it has algum scales, the legendary expensive timber purportedly used in the building of King Solomon’s temple. What better way to get that stubble makeover than by using a luxury and dependable razor as well.

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