The best thing about beards, foamy-moustache funtimes aside, is their impermanence. Maybe you’ll grow one and forever shall it remain. Perhaps you’ll sample stubble and then go running for the razor. Either way, it’s a switch-up to your style that’s intrinsically transient. No two days of bearding are ever the same. It’s perpetually changing. And if you don’t like it today, yours is the power to remove it.

So for those feeling in need of an image change, facial hair is a sound investment. It’s cheaper than overhauling your wardrobe, for starters. Plus, safer than cutting your own hair and infinitely less risky than trying something ‘new’ on your head. Patchy stubble is simple to hide. A failed rockabilly pompadour, less so.

Before you start your bearded journey, however, learning to lay down the ideal beard length is essential. So to that end, whether you grow robust wire like a human Brillo pad or struggle to sprout a mere few strands, this is your essential beard length guide for the ages.

STUBBLE BEARD

A stubble beard, also known as the five o’clock shadow, used to be seen as slovenly and was a sign that you don’t take care of your personal hygiene. Luckily, times have evolved and now the stubble beard is on trend as a way to make yourself appear more manly without having a full face of hair. A stubble beard length is anywhere between 0.5mm to 4mm, with 2.5mm being the ideal length for this beard type.

Who should rock a stubble beard?

If you do the 9-5 in an environment where this is possible, stubble is a good option if you have a larger, rounder face. It’s an easy way to give your baby face a more masuline edge, even if you aren’t gifted in the hair growth department. By sharpening up certain lines around your cheeks, you can give more angles to your face – think of it as make-up for men. But, y’ know, not.