Skip to Content

What Is a Heavy Stubble? (Everything You Need To Know)

Light. Medium. Heavy. No, this isn’t an article about feminine products or the meteorological forecast. How do you know when your beard has reached “heavy stubble” status? It’s all about the length.

A heavy stubble beard style is characterized by 5mm, or ⅛ inch, hair length. This style is often referred to as the “10-day beard” since it takes about ten days to grow facial hair to this length. 

Read on to find out everything you need to know about growing a heavy stubble beard!

What counts as heavy stubble?

Do you need to grab the ruler to determine your beard style? If you want an engineer’s precision, go for it! Otherwise, wait about 10 days and you should have reached the heavy stubble mark.

Beard hair that reaches a length between 4mm and 5mm counts as heavy stubble. Stubble in the .5mm to 1mm range counts as light stubble and the lengths in between make up a medium stubble beard.

Average facial hair growth is ½ inch per month. Based on this rate, it will take you 10 days to grow a heavy stubble beard, two days to reach a light stubble, and four days to sport medium. 

Once you reach heavy stubble, grab the trimmer or your beard will quickly fall into short-boxed beard land.

The pros of growing a heavy stubble

Turn on the television, scroll through social media, or stroll through town and you are certain to run across at least a few guys with heavy stubble. This beard look is popular and hard to dodge. Its popularity alone should be an indicator that there are definite pros to the look.

A heavy stubble beard style has several pros, including:

  • It’s a hit with the ladies
  • It looks good on almost everyone
  • It’s easy to maintain

Women like heavy scruff. They claim “it’s sexy and rugged” and “screams masculinity.” A heavy stubble looks good on almost every man. There are a couple of face shapes that can make this style tricky, but otherwise, it’s ultra-flattering. In the grand scheme of beard maintenance, heavy stubble is relatively easy to maintain.

The cons of growing a heavy stubble

As with anything, there is always a flip side. Ready to grow a heavy stubble beard? There are potential challenges to look out for.

Growing a heavy stubble can have a few cons, such as:

  • Patchy growth will be visible
  • It can cause friction
  • It requires regular trimming

If you have patchy, thin beard growth, bare spots can be more pronounced since the hair will be thicker and darker. This doesn’t mean you can’t stick with heavy stubble.

Want to know what to do about a patchy beard? Check out this article.

Stubble can cause friction during intimate moments, so your partner may complain about beard burn.

While a heavy stubble beard is pretty easy to maintain, it does require some attention every few days depending on your hair growth rate.

How do you grow a heavy stubble?

One reason stubble beards are so popular is that they are achievable by almost everyone.

To grow a heavy stubble simply let the hair grow for ten days, brush it, and customize your look with trimming once it hits the desired length.

  • Leave it alone
  • Brush it
  • Have fun

Leave it alone

For the first ten to twelve days, let your beard grow.

During this time resist the temptation to trim or alter it in any way. You’ll get to see the progression from light to heavy stubble and decide which style looks the best on you.

Brush it

Once you hit day two or three, you should have enough stubble to give it some brush love.

Brushing helps stimulate hair follicles and keep them healthy. It can also offer light exfoliation and distributes natural oils.

Have fun

Once you’ve hit your heavy stubble goal, it’s time to make this style your own.

Keep a stubble ‘stache or add a fuller one. Get creative with trimming to make the style flatter your features.

How do you care for a heavy stubble?

Even though stubble styles look effortless, they really aren’t. While not as time-consuming as full beard styles, they do require upkeep to avoid a lazy vibe.

Caring for a heavy stubble requires trimming, shaping, and a few maintenance steps. The good news is that you don’t have to trim your beard every day to maintain the look.

Once trimmed, maintaining is easy with frequent brushing and moisturizing.

Trimming and shaping heavy stubble

Trimming and shaping are critical if you want to keep your beard looking stylish as opposed to an afterthought.

When trimming and shaping heavy stubble, you should:

  • Trim often to maintain the target length
  • Don’t forget the neck and cheek area
  • Individualize your look

Make sure to keep your neckline and cheeks trimmed to avoid an unkempt look. Stubble done right can enhance the areas you want it to and detract from those you don’t.

Maintaining a heavy stubble

All of the stubble styles show off some skin. In addition to caring for your beard, it’s important to maintain both healthy skin and hair.

To maintain a heavy stubble look, you should:

  • Brush it often
  • Keep skin and beard hydrated
  • Apply beard oil

Regular brushing distributes natural and applied oils to keep your stubble shiny and hydrated. Using a moisturizer for both your skin and facial hair will decrease dry, flaky skin.

Face shapes ideal for heavy stubble

Do you know your face shape? This is a handy bit of knowledge to have when it comes to choosing a beard style. Read more about different facial shapes in this post.

The face shapes ideal for heavy stubble are:

  • Square
  • Oval
  • Oblong

A heavy stubble beard softens sharp lines without hiding the angles completely and adds fullness to thinner areas of the face.

Round faces will benefit more from a heavy stubble hybrid where the chin is kept longer to bring the eye down instead of out. Since stubble beards are fast-growers, you’ll know quickly if the style is for you.

Is a heavy stubble attractive?

A heavy stubble beard is not only quick and easy to grow, but it also enhances your attractiveness. 

According to women, a heavy stubble beard is the most attractive beard style when compared to lighter stubble and full beard styles. 

Researchers surmise that lighter stubble can be too patchy and full beards can trigger thoughts of aggressiveness. A heavy stubble beard is a happy compromise. Surveys also say that 75% of men feel more confident when they have facial hair and that confidence is attractive.