Zayn Malik became famous as a band member of One Direction. His beard is a really big part of his look. If you have darker hair like him, he’s a great choice to copy.
How long is Zayn’s beard?
Research shows that women find a beard length equal to 10 days, or “heavy stubble”, as the most attractive. The researchers concluded that heavy stubble conveys manliness and maturity, with less aggressiveness implied by a full-on beard. This 10 day heavy stubble equates to about 4-5 mm of beard length on average. However, the test subject used in the actual study appeared to grow hair faster than normal or had darker hair, meaning that it took less growth to become noticeable.
The heavy stubble picture was rated the best by women for short term relationships. Zayn Malik’s beard looks like it’s anywhere from 5 to 10 mm. in length.
As you can see, Zayn’s beard matches the test subject at the heavy stubble stage. Basically, depending on how light your hair is, you want to grow it out until you can actually see it from far away like you can with Zayn or the test subject. If you have a lighter beard color though, obviously you won’t look like Zayn.
How does Zayn style his beard?
Zayn’s beard isn’t always the same length or style, but we’ll focus on the heavy stubble look that he rocks since that’s the best according to research.
You need a trimmer that allows you to easily switch between length settings.
First, we can see that he uses a longer guard on his chin, and uses a shorter guard on his cheeks, to still show off his facial structure.
The main thing you need is to get full coverage on the beard. Zayn’s beard is basically a full beard, and is very thick and full, especially on his cheeks. He’s either very gifted in his beard genetics, or supplements with minoxidil (Rogaine) topically. As for me, my beard is thicker than Malik’s on the chin area, but just doesn’t grow where my beard meets my sideburns or under my ears. This is key because Zayn’s sideburns just seamlessly blend into his beard. I also have a patch on my left side. Instead of minoxidil though, I’ve purchased natural treatments and I apply them topically to the deficient areas twice a day.
It will take 3 to 6 months with both minoxidil or natural oils for your beard to improve. But the full thickness and coverage is very important. It simply won’t look the same if you’re patchy or can’t get a beard on your cheeks.
Zayn’s beard appears very angular because of the downward slope on his cheeks. Try to copy this angle while you’re shaving. It also helps to draw an imaginary line from the top of your ear to the middle of your chin. Classic beard grooming advice suggests you shave above this line so that you don’t have straggly hair on your cheeks so that your beard looks clean.
You can also see that the sideburns are thicker along the back and run down his jaw, giving his face more definition. The hair by his ear is trimmed, and at an angle that makes his jaw look more square.
Apart from that, Zayn’s beard is pretty standard. Make sure to shave maybe a cm. or two tops just above the Adam’s apple for the bottom of your beard. Whatever you do, don’t go past this or shave all the way up to your jawline. It’ll look like you have extra neck fat instead of a sharp jawline. Remember the cardinal rule of beard trimming: start with a longer guard and go to a shorter one. It’s far easier to remove hair than to add it back after you’ve already shaved it off.
Remember to shave your neckline in a curve to make your jawline pop out and look more prominent. Do not shave along with your jawline like you do on your cheek.
The other task you have is to keep your beard clean-looking. Avoid the caveman look by using clear shave gel to shave above your cheekline, below the neck/jawline area and around your sideburns. Use grooming scissors to clip off longer straggly beard hairs.
And that’s basically it. Apply beard oil, maybe throw in some pomade to comb your beard if it doesn’t look as neat, and you’ll be fully beard-maxed just like Zayn.
