Do women like beards?

You’ve thought about growing a beard. Maybe you’ve even had one in the past. There’s something intrinsically appealing about growing a beard, and we all experiment with beards at some point.

Many guys fall in love with their beards, and they keep them for life.

But, you’re holding back. You have a single concern, and it’s enough to prevent you from growing out your facial hair and basking in bearded awesomeness.

That concern can really be expressed in a single question: do women like beards?

Not to worry; we have the answer.

What do women really want?

Aren’t you glad you clicked on this one? We have the true answer to what women want!

Ok, we’re leading you on. We don’t have any secret knowledge. Instead, we’re going to point out some painfully obvious truths. That means we have to have a real talk for a minute.

This might surprise you to learn, but there are roughly 4 billion female humans on this planet. From that number, you’ll find some variety in what women happen to want. There is no singular answer, and that applies to all forms of the question.

Women like a lot of things, and it’s up to you to navigate the path to find out what any particular woman wants. That’s the real secret.

So, do women like beards?

Considering the variety of female opinions in the world, can we even seriously ask this question? Of course some women love bearded men. Others can’t stand beards and want nothing more than light stubble. Most fall somewhere in the middle.

Truthfully, it’s not even the right question to ask. A better question is to ask yourself why you’re trying to figure out if women prefer beards. Do you want to grow a beard? Are you having trouble with the ladies? What is your motivation?

We can’t cover every possibility here, so let’s narrow down our thoughts a bit and try to answer another question. What is the best way to grow a beard that women are likely to appreciate? By rephrasing the question, we can kill a few birds with one stone.

If you’re thinking about a beard as a means to be more attractive, it really can do that. If you just want to make sure your beard isn’t a deal breaker with a lady friend, these tips will still help.

That’s our focus. How can we grow a beard that will be popular with the ladies?

What do women want out of a beard?

There are a lot of different beards in the world, and because of that, you’ll find women who want every different possibility out of a beard. Some just want to enjoy the raw masculinity that is on display with rugged full beards. Others want something to tug on. Some want to look and not touch. Some women want nothing to do with a man with a beard.

How can we consolidate all of these contradictory answers into something usable? 

Well, we can really focus on two particular ideas. If you ask enough women if they find beards attractive (and we did), then you’ll find that two answers emerge more often than any others. Women want a beard that feels nice and soft, and women want a beard that looks good on a man.

That’s easy enough, right?

Comfort

Let’s talk about soft beards first. If you don’t take care of your beard, it will be itchy, scratchy, and extremely unpleasant for any type of close physical intimacy. Sure, there are enough women in the world that some enjoy that sandpaper sensation, but the majority don’t.

If you learn how to take care of your beard, you can overcome the stiff, unforgiving scratchy stubble and have a beard that is inviting.

Not to worry, we’re going to walk you through exactly that in a little bit.

Style

First, we’re going to discuss the other thing that women tend to want out of a beard. More often than not, they appreciate a beard that looks good.

That’s simple in concept, but it can be challenging in execution. The simple fact is that there are a lot of different beard styles, and finding the perfect type of beard for your face isn’t always easy. The wrong beard can make you look unattractive or even frightening. The right beard will enhance your attractiveness and give you the confidence that comes from knowing just how good you look.

So, the real trick is finding the right beard. To some extent, that’s going to take thought and effort on your part, but we do have a beard style guide that can jumpstart the process.

There’s another shortcut that is bound to help, but it’s only available under specific circumstances. If there is a particular lady you’re hoping to impress with your beard, you can ask her how she feels about beards and what she likes. It’s like a cheat code to unlock the right style.

The secrets to a great beard

We joked about having the secrets to what women want, but when it comes to beard care, we really do know our stuff. Still, “secrets” might be a strong term. These are certified excellent beard care tips, but they should never be kept secret.

Every man should have the freedom to grow the beard that he wants, so we’re shouting these tips from the rooftops. Here’s how you can take great care of your beard, and maybe even give women what they want along the way.

Clean it

The first step in beard care is getting clean. A dirty beard collects dirt, dust, dead skin cells, skin oils, spiders (this has actually happened), and other horrors you don’t really want to think about.

You know what? This deserves more attention.

If you don’t take care of your beard, things will grow and/or live in there. We can promise you that the vast majority of women are not fans of spider beards. Just assume that’s a nope.

Spiders aside, cleanliness is good in general. It makes you more attractive. It also helps keep the beard healthy and soft and pleasant. Best of all, it’s easy to do. You want to acquire a proper beard shampoo and conditioner. Wash your beard a few times a week, and that will do most of the work for you.

Treat it

On top of keeping your beard clean, you want to treat it with all the good stuff, like specialized beard oils. These help keep things properly hydrated. Your skin can actually get pretty dry under a beard, and beard dandruff is an actual possibility. If you use daily beard oil, you’ll keep the skin moisturized, and dandruff won’t be a problem.

You can also look into balms and pomades. The good ones have nutrients for your beard that keep the hair healthy, and healthy hair tends to be softer hair. Combine these treatments with a good conditioner, and you’ll have a snuggle-safe beard for sure.

Groom it

It’s also important to trim the beard.

Now, this is where your style choices are going to matter a lot. If you’re growing in a full, thick mane, then you don’t want to pull out the electric trimmer and go to town on it. That’s the wrong approach. For such a beard, you want a comb and scissors.

The grooming technique is pretty easy. Brush the beard hairs up and away from your face. Look to see which ones are too long and sticking out. Trim them down to a uniform length. Do this weekly, and it will keep your beard in check.

Then again, you might not be going for a full mountain man kind of look. That’s fine, but you’ll need to trim accordingly. If your beard is short enough, you actually can bust out the electric trimmer. Slap on the right trimming guard, and you can get through your beard pretty quickly. It will keep things in check and looking nice.

Also, don’t forget to clean up the lines of the beard. A simple safety razor (like The Plow® 2.0) is all you need for the job.

All men with facial hair should ensure they have some regular beard grooming routine whether it be keeping it clean-shaven regularly, maintaining heavy stubble, or just keeping the lines of the beard in a tidy fashion.

Style it

You already picked a style before this step. Your grooming ensures that your facial hair adheres to your chosen style.

What we’re talking about here is putting your products (oil, pomade, etc.) to work. You want to use your beard comb (or brush) to tame the mane. Brush things so that the hairs go with the grain, and use your products to really style your beard.

If you’re trying to pull off the look of a literal mustache-twirling villain, you’ll need some product to make the look work. (Also, we’re not sure if most ladies dig that look.)

More seriously, your oils and such are like hair products. They make it easy for you to physically style your beard the way you like it, and they provide health benefits at the same time.

Enjoy it

We’ve covered the real work-related steps for beard maintenance.

The most important thing of all is to enjoy the beard. If you don’t really like it, then you’re going to project that feeling, and other people will be down on your beard, too.

Conversely, if you absolutely love your beard, that beard love will prove contagious. Enjoying your beard is seriously the most important part of this equation, and if you don’t love your beard, don’t force it.

There are plenty of other styles to try. Burn through them until you find your happy place. And, if at the end of your efforts you find that you’re just not a beard person, that’s fine. The beard should make you happy. If it doesn’t, then change it until it does.