Some guys have to be clean shaven for work or other reasons, but if you have the ability and opportunity to grow out your scruff, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. Many women (and men) find scruff sexy, but it always looks best when done right.

I’ve picked up some great tips and advice for doing it right, and I’ll share with you what I’ve learned. First, though, it’s necessary to talk about who really shouldn’t grow any stubble.

When Scruff Is A Bad Idea

This is highly subjective information, and you may not agree with all of it, but I feel compelled to explain some situations where scruff doesn’t really look good. Don’t let this discourage you if you’re set on maintaining a casual and carefree look, but consider not having scruff if any of the following are true:

Your facial hair is patchy. When your facial hair coverage is uneven, scruff may not look good. You need complete coverage for the best possible look, and patchiness can simply make you look unkempt. You don’t want that.

You have a fat face. I’m sorry to say it, but stubble on a chubby face doesn’t always work. It seems to just draw attention to the wide face or the double chin. If this is the case for you, shave daily or let your beard grow to a medium length so the shape of the beard can help redefine the shape of your face.

Your hair color varies. If you have a blond beard and darker hair, stubble may not give you the look you desire. And if your facial hair is darker or redder than your head hair, you can look a bit uneven overall if you grow out your scruff.

It’s also a good idea to avoid scuff if you’re a khakis and button-up shirt kind of guy. Having facial hair indicates you’re casual and can’t be bothered to dress up, and it won’t look good on you if your wardrobe or haircut suggests otherwise.

How To Grow Great Scruff

There are a couple of ways to get good scuff. One is to shave at night and look for great results in the morning. For some guys, overnight stubble is just enough for the look they desire. For most guys, however, that doesn’t provide enough hair growth for noticeable and appealing results.

Good results often require growing for two or three days. But then how do you maintain the perfect look? Some guys shave so that they have optimal scuff length on Saturdays or whatever days they get to go out. But some of us like to go out several nights a week and want to always look our best.

For that, you’ll need the best scruff trimmer you can find. While some beard trimmers will work, a scuff trimmer is specially made for the purpose and has an adjustable blade guard that allows you to get the exact length you want.

Here’s another piece of advice: don’t try to shape around the edges of your scruff very much. This defeats the purpose. Having a shaved neck and stubble on your cheeks makes it look like you’re trying to hard. When it gets long enough to be considered a beard, you need to clean up the edges. But stubble is meant to be carefree.

If, however, your facial hair grows right up to your eyes, you have stray hairs on your cheeks or your facial hair connects with your chest hair, shaving a few bits can make a difference. If only a few hairs are involved, you can pluck those out with tweezers for long-lasting results that no one will notice as much as they’ll notice shaving around the edges.

Some Final Thoughts

Scruff is very popular, so it makes sense to give it a try. If it doesn’t look great on you, you can keep growing for a beard length that fits your face or shave to get a clean-shaving look that’s classic and has been popular for decades.

Being clean shaven will never go out of style, but scruff seems to be here to stay. If you can manage it and make it look good, it can be a great way to express your personality and improve your sex appeal too. Experiment a bit and see how you can make scruff work for you.