I keep hearing the phrase "heavy stubble" and I'm curious to know what is meant by that. I'm divided on whether it means the follicle of the hair is larger which makes it harder to cut, or the concentration of follicles per set area is greater, thicker would be a better word for it. Which would make shaving more difficult and which is usually meant by that phrase? Also, please don't be the jerk who says both. I get that both can occur which could qualify as heavy stubble but there should be a term for thicker follicles and thicker concentrations of hairs specifically.
I have a heavy beard, what I consider thicker than average, but I think my growth is incredibly coarse and stiff. Like that kind of coarse that if I need a shave my wife doesn't want my face to come within ten feet of her for fear I will scratch her somehow. Like coarse enough I can make scratch marks in the skin on the back of my hand. If I say heavy growth, I guess I just mean more than a day's worth.
Good point. There's also the time factor in what is called heavy stubble. My facial hair does that too, and I've had girlfriends comment on how rough it can be even after a day of not shaving. Is that a sign of a thicker follicle, making it seem more coarse that is?
No idea, honestly. I used to curse my heavy beard. Now that I actually shave for fun (who ever would have thunk it), I think I'm lucky to be able to shave every eight hours.
With my medium coarse beard it takes two days to get to a point I would call "heavy stubble". I also seem to get my best shaves at this point.
I like the stubble look every now and then, but I definitely get better shaves with a shavette and more growth.
I've always referred to the thickness of the hair follicle as "coarse" or "fine" and the concentration per set area as "thick" or "thin" but I could be completely wrong on those designations. Because my hair is fine (small diameter follicles) I wouldn't refer to any of my stubble as "heavy" even with a few days growth and even though I have a good concentration on my chin. It's just not coarse and stiff enough to ever feel like what @PickledNorthern describes his stubble feels like. I tend to think of heavy stubble as belonging to someone with both large diameter follicles and a high concentration who is somewhere past two days of not shaving and still a day or two short of starting a beard.
I agree with @Troy M for me after 3 days of growth. My youngest son can shave at 6am and by 12pm looks like he needs to shave again, thick, heavy beard. He must've gotten that from his mom.
I would call that "designer stubble." AKA "I'd rather use a beard trimmer than shave." I've always thought of 5 o'clock shadow when I hear people refer to something as heavy stubble.
I always think of someone like Fred flintstone. The perpetual 5 o'ock shadow. Though it was a long time ago, I always remember an acquaintance of mine in high school. He got sent home all the time for a "beard". He didn't have a beard, per se, he just had the type of follicles that even after he shaved, his face had a blackish-gray glow (from the dark hair stubble protruding through). No amount of shaving would help him, lol. I, on the other hand, have a thick beard...but my beard is red....so unless I grow it for 2 or 3 days...it might not get noticed. For me, however, is is scratchy as all get out after about 8-12 hours
