Clean-Shaven Vs. Stubble: Which is Better For Date Night?

Date nights? Dress to impress and wear your best face. But should you go for a clean-shaven face or a stubble look?

When we say clean-shaven, we do not mean the 1990’s hit thriller film Clean, Shaven about a schizophrenic man trying to get custody of his daughter. Clean-shaven, as we define it in the shaving world, is having a well-shaved body area that looks clean, smooth, and completely hair-free. For men, it is the total opposite of a bearded face.

Date nights, whether there is an occasion or not, should always be unique and memorable. But preparing for one is not as easy as it sounds. Aside from the clothes and perfume you wear, you should also consider if you need to tame your whiskers or not. After all, women's preferences on facial hair have always been varying.

If you are planning for a date night, you would want to put your best face forward. What if you have not shaved for a day or two? Should you keep the stubbles on your face or go for a clean-shaven look?

Here are the things you should consider before making your choice:

• Beards Define a Man
• Stubble Vs. Beard
• How to Get a Stubble Look?
• Clean-shaven for a Clean Look
• Patchy Beards
• Using a Straight Razor

Beards Define a Man

Facial hair can have a significant impact on perception. Proper grooming serves as a visual cue to highlight your personality. Several studies also showed that having a beard conveys masculinity and maturity, which is a great thing to know, especially if you’re out on the dating scene.

The problem is: growing a beard is not easy. It takes time.

Unless you have a distant Norse ancestor somewhere in your family line, which guarantees you a kick-ass Viking beard, it will take months before you can have the minimum amount of facial hair that you can groom into a decent beard.

The fuller the beard, the more attractive it is for women and the more compliments you'll get. It gives the idea that you have better parenting skills than most men. It technically makes you a husband material—at least for women looking for marriage.

Stubble Vs. Beard

Stubble gives off a very manly aura that is appealing to women.
Photo: ©️ Kiuikson via canva.com

It takes three months on average for facial hair to grow decently on your face. You would not want to shave off the few that have already grown just for date night, right?

Probably, not really, no.

In the end, you are stuck with stubble and not a full beard. But as it turns out, that might even be a better situation for you.

A stubble is better than a full beard, especially if you only look around for potential dates. A study says that women find men with stubble more attractive than those who have beards and clean-shaven faces, which is welcome news for anyone seeking to increase his odds at the local dating pool on a Friday night.

• Manliness
  
  

  Stubbles are not too overbearing as a full beard. It conveys the right amount of maturity and manliness without the macho aggressiveness that comes with a full beard. As proven in some studies, men with full beards are generally characterized (perhaps, unfairly) as more aggressive. You would not want to scare away a potential lifetime partner. Instead, it would be best to give yourself the best possible impression by dialing down the testosterone.

• Better jawline
  
  Another benefit to going with stubble is because it accentuates your look. A stubble can give your jawline structure by creating a shadow that casts dimension and depth to the face.
  
  In an interview with Vogue, Sam Buffa, founder of Fellow Barber, says, “The beauty of having a beard and one of the main reasons guys grow one is that they can accentuate their natural features,” that is the jawline.
  
  Most creative types prefer this look to a clean-shaven one. For those with baby faces, stubble will give them a sexy, roguish charm that seems to turn on ladies. Ryan Gosling would be an excellent example. Check out his beard styles pre and post-La La Land, and see what we mean.

Style tip: A well-trimmed stubble is the key to having the deadly effectiveness of charming your date for the night.

How to Get a Stubble Look?

Clean-shaven for a Clean Look

Good intentions are often associated with a clean look which would be very helpful in impressing your date.
Photo: ©️ Sam Barnes Photography via canva.com

Indeed, stubble gives off an ideal balance between machismo and suave. But if you want to appear extra friendly, sporting a clean shave by shaving daily is the best way to go. After all, a clean-shaven mug tends to convey youthfulness and openness to mingling with people.

A few decades ago, it was mandatory to shave on a date night. Shaving gave the impression that you made an effort to clean up and look your best for your date. But, these days, beards are becoming a staple style trend. Hence, shaving on a date night is no longer necessary. Yet, a significant portion of the female population still prefers their dates to come clean-shaven.

If you want to give out the best impression for better chances at scoring more follow-up dates, get a close shave so that your date can see how baby smooth you are under all that facial hair. Who knows, it might even be her jam.

Patchy Beards

Not everyone has a God-given facial hair gene. If that is the case for you, it is understandable that you may be dealing with patchy beards, all the more reason to opt for a clean-shaven look vs. stubbles.

Patchy beards do not give you any favors. Instead, it will make you look unkempt and lazy, or worse, silly. It does not provide the best impression you want to make on a date night. If it is any consolation, it will grow back anyway in a few days.

But if you do not want to let go of your scruffs, especially if the patchiness is not much, there are styling tips that you can try. For example, you can use eyeshadow to contour the areas—only if you have access to eyeshadow. To add texture to your whiskers, a more manly option is to apply a beard wax or a balm, like Naked Armor’s Aftershave All-Purpose Balm With Hemp.

Using a Straight Razor

Whether you want to trim your beard into stubble or go clean-shaven, nothing beats the quality of close shave that you can get when you use a straight razor.

Whatever you decide on, there is only one accessory that can help groom yourself to look your best on a date night. And that is a high-quality straight razor.

Straight razors have an excellent reputation for being able to give close shaves. Forget the marketing pitches on multi-razor blades; nothing beats the reliability of a good old-fashioned, cutthroat razor.

Yet, aside from getting the closest shave ever for a clean-shaven look, straight razors also happen to be the best tools for trimming that stubble. A straight razor’s blade is narrow and maneuverable enough to use for contouring the cheek and neckline of your stubble. More importantly, the edge is sharp enough to give you an easy and comfortable trimming experience. Hence, you are less likely to get razor bumps.

Straight razors are also cost-efficient and eco-friendly, which should count for something. After all, in this age of global warming, everybody has to do their share of reducing their carbon footprint.

At Naked Armor, we elevated the wet shaving experience by producing world-class straight razors that give the best in form and function. Made with Japanese steel or Japanese stainless steel and valuable wood and stainless steel handles, Naked Armor guarantees a smooth and luxurious shaving experience for everyone.

Check out our fantastic razors here.