Men typically go bald due to their genetics instead of a personal style choice, and as unexpected as it is, the same hormone (DHT) that causes balding on the top of the scalp, also stimulates the growth of facial hair.
It’s almost like nature trying to tell balding men:
“Hey, you might be losing some hair on the head, but here’s something better, a thick growth of beard!”
In our humble opinion, bald men with beards simply look better than bald men without beards – no matter what shape your face is.
We think that any beard style from stubble to a wizardly beard is better than being clean-shaven if you are balding.
Want some proof of that?
Vin Diesel no beard vs. beard (which is a fake beard, but still):
Bruce Willis without a beard and with a beard:
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson without and with some facial hair:
If by some magic you are not yet convinced that every bald man should be growing a beard, then allow us to present you with some further supporting facts…
Women Dislike Bald But Love a Beard
Although we think you should never grow a beard to please anyone else other than yourself, it’s still true that women appear to dislike hairless scalps…
But also like bearded faces.
There’s a mounting pile of evidence supporting the fact that on average, women tend to prefer bearded faces over clean-shaven faces, and even though it isn’t studied whether being bald would impact this, we like to believe that it does.
So instead of stacking the odds against you by being both bald and beardless, at least you can most likely grow a mean-looking beard to improve your looks.
And the fact is that bald men usually grow better-looking beards than their non-bald peers.
Why?
Because balding is primarily triggered by the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in men who are genetically predisposed to losing their hair.
Yet that same hormone – DHT – also stimulates the linear beard growth, along with testosterone (another male hormone which is also often elevated in balding men).
“So even though you may be shedding up top, it’s likely that you can grow athick and impressive beard as a trade-off.”
(If that isn’t the case, then I’m sorry, but at least our guides to growing your beard faster and getting a thicker beard should be able to help you out).
Okay, so are you finally convinced that you should grow a beard to support your bald face? Great. Let’s look at some good beard styles for a bald head. ↓
Best Beard Styles for a Bald Head
The way to determine your optimal beard shape usually starts from figuring out your face shape (ie. diamond, round, square).
We do have a guide on beard shaping here which discusses this, but for the sake of this article, let’s take a look at some of the common beard styles that will almost always suit a bald head – no matter what shape your face is.
Bald with a Full Beard
There’s simply no better beard style for a bald head than the full beard. It’s a universal style that suits any face shape, and it allows you to play around with different styles with a lot of room for error.
All you really need to maintain this look would be good quality beard scissors, a beard trimmer, and a buzz-cutter for your head.
Some of our top recommendations would be these Japanese stainless-steel scissors from Amazon, and the Philips Norelco 3500 series adjustable beard trimmer (not those new ones with multiple guards), which you can use to trim your beard and also to cut down the sides of your head.
Bald with a Stubble
The stubble beards go perfectly with a balding head, and various lengths of stubble beards are also most preferred by women as a beard style, so you can’t go wrong with that.
Whether you should go for a full beard or stubble, has to do with the strength and shape of your jawline.
If you have a weak or round jaw, then a full beard might be better, but if you have a defined jawline that you would not like to hide, then a stubble would work better for you.
Maintaining a stubble is very easy, just get a stubble trimmer (we recommend this one especially since it has a contouring head and plenty of length-settings).
Bald with a Goatee
Some absolutely loathe the goatee beard with a bald head style, as it can look pretty wonky if you have some extra weight and your jaw aesthetics aren’t on point.
But on some men, it looks just plain great.
This also goes hand-in-hand with the ubiquitous “dad style“, all you need to complete it are some white New Balance sneakers, white shirt, and crisp jean shorts with a grill chock-full of some BBQ.
We have a big guide on growing a trimming a goatee here, and to highlight one helpful product, in particular, we would suggest the funny-looking “Goatee Saver Template”.
Conclusion
Should you go with a clean-shaven face if you shave your head completely bald?
We think you should not.
And above, we have presented a whole lot of evidence to support our cause that the bald with beard style is the best choice to go for.
If you’re losing your hair and it has gotten to the point where it just makes sense to let it go, then before you buzz it all off, get a beard going so you don’t look like a bowling ball with a skin coating.
