To Beard or Not to Beard?

According to a new report it seems the popularity of beards and the three-day stubble look has taken its toll on the sales of male grooming products.

But with the beard being widely adopted by fashion-conscious men in recent years - perhaps thanks to celebrity proponents like Paul Rudd, Ian Somerhalder, Chris Pine and of course Tom Hardy, could face fuzz be here to stay?

Yes! (This makes us feel better for Santa!)

We associate beards with age, masculinity and dominance making the men wearing a beard more attractive to the opposite sex and also perceived as better and more protective fathers. There are other plus points too; as well as saving money on grooming products a beard will help to keep you warm in winter, they’re low maintenance - magic words, and they’re exclusive, as not everyman can grow one!

Check out some of the best celebrity transformations here proving beards can change even the most babyish face into a masculine hunter gatherer.

Our top 5 celebrity beard tamers…

1.     Alexander Skarsgard

2.     Brad Pitt

3.     Ryan Gosling

4.     Robert Pattinson

5.     Bradley Cooper

See what your chosen style says about you here.

No!

A massive 80% of women - much to our disappointment, said that they would prefer to see the return of the clean shaven face!

A huge 77% of women confessed to not kissing a guy due to them having a beard or stubble. Fear of being left with stubble-rash girls? It seems the majority of guys agree - despite this involving considerably more effort and blades on their part, saying a clean shave was better than facial hair for kissing.

Beards also present a few stumbling blocks in getting to that all important kiss too, like the food trap! No one wants to know what you’ve had for your lunch so guys if you insist on keeping the facial hair make sure you check the mirror for unwanted food scraps – or we’ll be skipping the kiss goodbye too!

Here’s what we think…

It comes down to this, beards suit some, and not others. Simple - once you decide which category you fall into that is!

… To beard or not to beard?

This is what the experts have to say: “Those who had been exposed to more beards preferred the shaven look and those who’d seen no evidence of bum-fluff at all found they really quite liked it.”

“It appears that beards gain an advantage when rare, but when they are in fashion and common, they are declared trendy and that attractiveness is over.” - researcher Robert Brooks.

We think overall that the yessss’ greatly outweigh the no’s. Perhaps in the case of meeting your date for the first time or your potential parents’ in-law though, the advice is to tame the mane - 84% of us believe a freshly shaven face is essential. After that you can grow wild!

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