First off, we want to say congrats on making it to this epic beard growing guide! Whether you have a beard or not, you’ve taken the first steps to be part of this awesome community! Mustache growth.
While you don’t need a reason to start growing a beard, doing it for charity like Movember can be a great starting point if you feel compelled to explain yourself. Make that commitment to grow a beard today, give it time and just start growing!
Beard Terminology
Before we get into all the details of how to grow a beard, let’s knock out some common terminology that will help in your journey. To begin, a beard is facial hair on the cheeks, neck, chin, and upper lip. When most people hear the word “beard” they think of a full beard that is generally longer than 1/2”. That thought process considers a beard a specific facial hair style, whereas the word "beard" could also be a general term like the term “facial hair.” So, you really have a beard if you have any facial hair - from scruff to sideburns, and of course, the full beard.
There are also a few terms we gotta clarify before we dive into this beard growing business. A yeard is a beard that has grown untrimmed for an entire year. Similarly, a tweard is one that has grown for twice that amount of time. The terminal beard is the granddaddy of them all, signifying a man mane that has hit its critical mass and seemingly stopped growing because of split ends forming or hair simply shedding.
There are also two types of hair that grow on your face, vellus (the light, blond, more youthful hair) and terminal (the darker, coarser hair). As you age your vellus hairs will convert into terminal hairs and those are the hairs that become a beard in a traditional sense.
Physical Aspects of Beard Growing
Beards can start growing anywhere from your teenage years to your late 20s and early 30s (and even later for some folks – seriously). Unfortunately, there is no way to control when your beard comes in, how thick it is, or its color or texture. All that is tied in with your DNA, much like your height and hair color. The key to physically growing a beard is patience. Every beard is completely unique and your own, sometimes you just need to wait a few years before it really finds its shape. In a world of instant gratification, we know this can suck. Remember that all of the bearded men you see online and on TV weren’t born with the beard they have now. They too may have been late bloomers, or battled patchy beards in their youth.
Whether you’re a seasoned beardsman or letting your facial hair grow out for the first time, the first month of growing your beard out can be a trying experience for anyone. Depending on the day or the week, your beard can look exactly like you want it to one minute and then do the exact opposite the next.
Beard growth is tied to your health, your genes, and actually your testosterone levels. Unfortunately, the same hormone that grows thick beards also affects the thickness of your head hair in the opposite direction. But those are all things you can’t control – let’s talk about what you can control. You have heard this time and time again, but the reasons to take care of your body continue with beard growth. Beards aren’t at their best when you are stressed out, missing nutrition from your diet, and not properly exercising. For maximum growth, you need to take care of your body, eat right, and exercise.
The Hormones That Affect a Beard
Growing a beard all comes down to your hormones, specifically testosterone and dihydrotestosterone or DHT. Regular testosterone is converted to the more potent androgen hormone DHT. The amount of DHT you have in your reproductive system directly affects your beard and hair growth patterns. Men with higher levels of testosterone and DHT will typically have significantly more facial hair than men with lower levels. If your body is genetically prone to be sensitive to these hormones, you'll likely grow a beard at an earlier age than others.
On the other end of the spectrum, guys with lower levels of DHT have a better chance of keeping their head hair. That being said, just because you are in your 20's and still have a patchy beard, it doesn't necessarily mean you have low hormone levels. It’s about your body’s sensitivity towards these hormones and not the set values of them.
Since testosterone occurs naturally in your body, that means there are ways to increase it without supplements. Lifting weights and exercising is a huge factor in that, and we’ll get into the best workouts you can do later. Along with working out, you’ll want to be getting plenty of carbs, proteins, and the good kind of fats in your body. This ups your energy level, metabolism, and helps with testosterone production. Getting plenty of rest and reducing stress will keep your body healthy and ready to grow a beard as well. So let’s dive deeper into all of that!
Best Foods For a Healthy Beard
The relationship between beard health and body health is a close one. If you have a well-balanced, healthy diet, not only will you reap the benefits, but your beard has a much better chance to bloom. To really in tip-top shape you’ll need to keep an eye on these foods.
Sweet Potatoes - High in Beta-carotene this will help with the cell growth in your beard. What happens is that the Beta-carotene is converted into Vitamin A and this will lead to more cell growth within the hairs located on the beard.
Oysters - One of the best sources of zinc. Zinc is a key mineral which helps the cells which are designed for building hairs. Also, oysters a great source of protein.
Eggs - Rich in protein and are a natural source of Biotin which is known to strengthen hair and is a well-known supplement which helps with beard growth. Eggs also have many minerals in them such as iron, calcium, and zinc.
Spinach - Rich in Calcium, iron, magnesium, protein, and potassium, all major factors in having healthy beard growth. It works great in smoothies if you want to try and mix it with other foods so you won’t taste it.
Liver - High in both iron and biotin. You can also get supplements for both
Cinnamon - Helps flow of oxygen to hair follicles. You don’t need to consume too much of it and you can add it to food to give it a little bit of flavor.
You can also get a few of these natural vitamins in the form of a supplement as well, as we mentioned above. Your beard is really an extension of yourself. Remember those playdoh things where you made the figures grow hair? It’s basically that! The play-doh is your body and beard. If you eat like shit and have an unhealthy diet, then your play-doh will dry out and you’ll grow a shitty beard. Make sense? What you eat makes a difference in how your beard grows, so why not take steps to ensure you have the healthiest beard possible. You can find natural beard vitamins out there. They help pick up the slack if your diet is lacking. They have a huge convenience factor. You can create your own mixture of Men’s Health vitamins, Biotin, Fish Oil, and whatever else you want, but just picking up a beard vitamin takes all the guesswork out of it.
These kinds of vitamins help grow your beard faster and thicker. An important thing to remember is that your body absorbed into your body at different rates. A pill could have 100% of the daily recommended value, but you might only absorb 25% of it, so always look into the different things you are putting in your body. Know that information will help you understand how much of it you may need to take.
Best Exercises for Growing a Beard
Your beard is little pieces of dead you growing out of your face. That may sound like some weird Alien shit for a second, but just trust me it’s cool. It’s a direct result of the hormones your body produces, specifically testosterone and subsequently DHT. So the more testosterone you create, the more DHT you’ll have, and the more likely it is your beard will grow in. We’ve compiled some great tips with help from an article from Art of Manliness.
To naturally boost your testosterone, you’re gonna want to sleep a lot, but only a little more than the national average. So anywhere between 7-10 hours per night will do you a lot of good. Most testosterone is produced during REM sleep, so more sleep = more testosterone. In addition to sleeping more, you’ll want to make sure you’re eating enough as well. Low-calorie diets can take a huge toll on your reproductive system, slowing down your testosterone production. To combat this, consider taking some snacks with you though throughout the day and eat a little more than you think you need.
Now to the actual exercises! Focus on resistance training. There have been a ton of studies that have shown these kinds of workouts stimulate testosterone production, and even increases the activity of androgen receptors to absorb it even more. In fact, having a body fat percentage of 8-14% is perfect for getting a ton of testosterone. But if you’re over that’s completely fine too. Really just get to the gym (or stay in your garage, or wherever you’re most comfortable) and just move around those dumbbells. Just lift some weights, and it’ll increase your testosterone. Remember to stick with it though.
Growing a Thicker Beard
One of the most common questions we get asked is, “How do I make my beard thicker or fuller.” Well, our suggestions are normally based around maximizing your own beard’s genetics. You do that by boosting your natural testosterone – which means eating right, exercising and lifting weights, taking appropriate supplements like biotin and fish oil, and lowering your stress and other poor habits. Check out the above section for some tips and tricks to boost testosterone and the right foods to eat.
Simple beard styles
If you’ve absolutely maximized your beard growing potential and you are into your 30’s then maybe you can start to consider options that will help give you a fuller thicker beard. You have pretty much two options, one is to take minoxidil (aka Rogaine) and the other option is to get hair implants.
With minoxidil, any hair that grows when you take it will fall out when you quit taking it. It also comes with some side effects; like any other drug. With a beard implant, you’ll find the cost to be pretty expensive. I’ve heard it can be anywhere from $5k to $20k to get the treatment done. Of course, those come with a lot of pains of surgery. As always, our best suggestion is to embrace who you are and the genetics that you’ve been dealt. Your beard is truly unique to you and makes you who you are.
Like we mentioned before, the best way to how to grow a thicker beard is to exercise to increase your testosterone and eat right, but there are a few tools that will definitely support the growth you’re looking for. Do you own a beard brush? What about a comb? If you answered no to both of those questions, then we highly suggest you change that as soon as humanly possible.
Besides growing at different lengths from your cheekbones to your chin to your jawline, beard hair also grows in different directions, often times leaving your beard looking like you slept on it awkwardly regardless of the time of day. Using a brush or comb to more evenly distribute your facial hair and therefore making your beard appear inherently fuller. Will it feel a little strange at first? Most certainly, but before long combing your beard out will be second nature and it’ll be looking better than ever.
No matter what kind of beard you have, we’ll always support you in your attempts to grow it fuller, thicker, and longer. However, there comes a time for some when all of the products, tools, and patience simply outsmart genetics. This isn’t a fun realization to have, but just because you can’t grow the most epic beard of all time doesn’t mean you still can’t be part of the community! Like we always say, being a beardsman is all about being confident and believing in yourself so however you feel most comfortable.
Growing a Beard Faster
Let’s face it, we’ve all monitored the clock, our watches, and the calendar days go by while trying to grow a beard. Shaving your beard will NEVER make it grow back faster or thicker, it’s an urban legend. The ability to grow a full beard is something that most men, both beardsmen and those who shave regularly, covet. Whether they actually act on this desire is a whole other story, but regardless, most men want to know that they could grow a thick and dense beard if they so desired. In reality, beards are almost never perfect and although we all wish our beards were perfectly distributed and fertile enough where you can’t see the facial skin below, these desires are simply not the reality for most beardsmen.
That being said, there are some ways how to grow a beard faster - to help produce a fuller beard and we can say under good authority that this can be achieved in as little as thirty days time. let these be some tips and suggestions for establishing long-term results that can be tracked on a month-to-month basis. There will be no potions consumed or any kind of ritual sacrifice required. What these steps will do is assist you in grooming a fuller and healthier beard, along with a more confident you.
1. Stop Looking in the Mirror
As with all issues we each find with our beards, the more you stare at it, the more flaws come to light and the more you judge your lack of bearded perfection, something that is really out of your control. By constantly judging your own beard, you’re only bringing yourself down and as your harshest critic, that can take a much larger toll than most might admit to. Try to remember that no one else who observes your beard is picking you apart like you do and the issues you see in your own beard will be greatly diminished if you can learn to not make hourly notes on your beard growth by constantly looking at its reflection. Moral of the story, the less often you look at your beard, the less you’ll be critical of it, and the more progress you’ll see when you do take a peek.
2. Quit Picking at It
Minus morning grooming and the occasional long stare into the sea’s horizon while contemplating deep thoughts, a beardsman should keep his hands away from his beard at all costs. Yes, it can be fun to play with. However, hell hath no fury to one’s beard like a wandering hand. The more time you spend fiddling with your beard, the more destruction that occurs. Picking at scabs or acne, plucking occasional beard hairs, all of it leads to less healthy facial skin and non-natural beard patchiness. We know it’s impossible to keep your hands off your beard at all times, but if you can reduce the amount you do it over the course of a month, you’ll definitely see improved results in no time.
3. Clean it Up
Repeat after us: a clean beard is a fuller beard. Much like your head hair, when you keep your beard clean it will appear much fuller than if you let it become too oily or completely dried out. Striking the right balance is important and our suggestion is to invest in some good beard wash and softener to help keep your beard clean without completing torching it. Establishing the right beard grooming routine is key to ensuring your beard stays full and healthy and if you can get into a routine for the entire month, you’ll definitely be able to see the results after a short amount of time.
4. Moist
Much like our suggestion to keep your beard clean, making sure both your facial hair and skin are well lubricated and moisturized will help ensure a fuller looking beard over time. By using beard softener and beard oil as part of your larger grooming regimen, your skin and facial hair will avoid the irritating dryness that creates beard dandruff and the build-up the clogs pores and reduces facial hair production. Aesthetically too, using beard oil and softener can help make your beard simply look fuller because of their abilities to help evenly distribute the denser parts of your facial hair throughout your beard.
Growing a Beard as a Teenager
Long story short, it's the same as growing it as an adult. You just don't shave. Put the razor down. Those of you who want a little more detail, it's emotional and physical. Being a teenager is difficult. You're wrapped around hundreds of other people. Even Eric dealt with it in high school, since he was a late bloomer, constantly analyzing himself for facial and body hair. It can be challenging to deal with at first, cause we all grow at different rates and hit puberty at different times. The hormones can take control of your life. They make you think about things that don't make a lot of sense.
As you get older that's just not the case. The main thing is that most times as a teenager, you feel impatient. You don't want to wait. You want it right now. But that's the biggest part of growing a beard, as you age your beard will grow in fuller and thicker. There's almost a scale. When you start puberty, you grow small stuff here and there. Then at 18-20, it starts to grow in much thicker. Heck, even Eric wasn't able to grow a full beard until about he was about 28. If you're 14 and want a beard right now, that might not happen as fast as you think. Even at 18, it's not all that common. Even in our videos, Greg is in his 50s, Carlos Eric & Jeff in their mid-30s. They all have the patience to grow their beards, cause that's how long they took to reach that point.
There's gonna be a lot of companies that will take advantage of your impatience. There are no pills that give you a fuller thicker beard. There are vitamins that will speed up the process, but only as much as your diet is lacking. Don't fall into all the myths you hear. Do your research before believing anything. Shaving doesn't grow your hair back thicker. You're growing up, and shaving is only the difference of time. There's a lot of companies out there that say you're only a man if you grow a beard, that you're only masculine if you've got a super beard. Your beard doesn't define your masculinity, neither does your body shape or amount of muscle you have. You're your own person. Don't fall into their trap. You don't have to look how they want you to look. You're an awesome dude no matter what they say! Just love what you have, and love who you are!
The best practice here is to grow what you got. That means if your chin comes in well, grow it out. If your mustache is rocking, grow it out! If you have some mutton chops, rock those too! Keep the areas that are a little thinner at a short length. You can rock the stubble or the shadow. Whether that's the beard stache, scruffy goat, or just mutton chops, then it'll leave you with a really unique style. Grow it out for a few months to see what you have, then trim the other areas to rock what you have! High school will not be your peak. You are going to continue to grow, and your beard will get better.
Mental Aspects
Yes, your beard lives on your face, but it’s not sentient. It doesn’t control you. There’s still a person behind the beard. Whether you’re growing a beard, have one, or choose not to have one, you’ve probably experience some sort of criticism about your facial hair. It can be about how your beard looks, the patches, people not understanding why you’re growing a beard/mustache. It can also be an internal process; beard envy is a real thing. So, let’s dive into these issues so you can combat them and keep on growing!
Dealing With Criticism
There might be some people out there who are less than thrilled that you’ve decided to grow a beard. They may not like the color, or the style you’ve decided to go with, or even things out of your control like the length at the moment or any patches you have. There’s a short answer with a long explanation; it’s your beard, and on your face, so why should anyone be telling you how they feel about it.
As long as your beard makes you happy then that’s all that matters. It’s important to know that you are in charge of your own beard. If it makes you happy, keep it. If your friends don’t support you through the growth process, get new friends. Sometimes this criticism could be because your beard hasn’t had the chance to grow out full and reach its full potential. Give it time to grow and ignore the haters!
Convincing People You’re Growing a Beard
You can’t just will a beard to grow and throw caution to the wind. There are a ton of guys out there who give a shit about what people think about them, and that’s ok. You want to have the confidence to grow a beard but don’t to burn the bridges of your relationship. Life is all about compromising where you need to.
If you’re growing a beard for the first time, try to tie it in with No Shave November or some sort of charity growing cause. It’ll give you an immediate response to all the haters who try to put you down. A lot of times the people you need to convince is your significant other. It’s a lot more personal this time. They bought into the relationship when you were completely shaven, or rocking some designer stubble, and they were comfortable with that. We all change throughout our lives and throughout a relationship. You evolve your style, your clothes, and your hair, so why not do the same with your facial hair. It’s a great point to bring up to them, and drive home that it’s an internal drive and you want to try new looks.
Usually, the final nail in the coffin for those who are really struggling to convince their SO is to educate them about the process and the products. But if that still doesn’t work, then play on the commitment side of things. You want to stay with them, and you’ve been with them for a while, and you want to just try this for a few months, or a year. That way you both can test out the look, and see what you both think of it.
The ultimate thing is that no one is entitled to your life. No one is entitled to be your friend, to be your boss or employee. Ultimately you are in total control of how you live your life. Life is too short and too full of stress to draw the line of what’s acceptable at facial hair. If wearing a beard makes you happy; if wearing a beard is part of who you are, then fuck it – grow your beard and don’t look back.
Dealing With Beard Envy
There are a ton of guys out there who have some amazing beards. You’ve seen them all over Instagram and YouTube. They are almost inescapable to see at this point. You may feel like they have the best beard in the world and that you can only aspire to grow one as awesome as theirs. I’ll let you in on a little secret though, they’re only human. They have bits and pieces of their beard that they don’t love too. It’s okay to look up to someone for the type of beard they have. You can look at the color, thickness, style, and so much more. Just don’t idolize them for their beard. It’s not healthy to actively compare yourself to the beards you see. Focus on your own beard, and what you’re able to grow. Who knows, maybe someone looks up to your beard too.
Stressful Situations
Your body responds to the things you do in your life; what you eat, what you drink, and how your mind responds to different activities. Your body chemistry and the hormones it produces changes when you’re stressed. The hormones produced get reallocated into what is most necessary, and most times testosterone get pushed lower down that list. Don’t worry though, it's natural levels in your body will return once your stress dissipates.
As much as we’d like to think stress is as easy to get rid of as wishing it away, but that’s just not the case. Our advice to remove stress in your life is to take a 10-minute break every once in awhile during the day, or when you feel your stress the most, to focus on your passions. Maybe take a walk and think about puppies, spend some time doodling, or maybe just take a short nap. Just try to get outside for a bit. Your body needs vitamin D to maintain your natural hormone balance.
Issues With Your Beard
There’s no such thing as a perfect beard. We’re our own worst critic, so there will always be something you will find “wrong” about your beard. That’s ok though. It’ll keep you humble, and encourage you to support the people around you who want to grow their facial hair out too. You may not be able to solve every issue you find, but we can definitely help you with a few of them. Strap in, cause we’re going through itchy beards, dandruff, patches, split ends, and losing your beard hairs. Most of it goes down to how you care for your beard and the products you use.
If you have insecurities about your physical appearance, and you want to step it up, then maybe you can find styles that fit your crappy beard. Here's the thing, a patchy beard or one that grows in clumps, at a short length, you can still pull it off. You can pair together with the part that grows in thick. If you grow in a full mustache, keep that up and trim your beard to a short length. Highlight the parts of your beard that are your strengths, and stay away from the negative parts.
Dealing With an Itchy Beard
It’s hard to believe it at first, but it will eventually stop. Some never get past the itching phase because they “just can’t handle it.” It’s sad but true. But believe me, after one or two months, the itching completely stops. One of the things that help your facial façade stay on point is beard oil. The main thing beard oil does is condition your hair. As a result, your beard is healthier, softer, and your skin is less dry. The application process is rather important. Working the beard oil down to the skin will give you the best results. For an in-depth explanation of beard oil, I highly recommend watching this video.
Easing the Itch and Irritation
Your hydration routine begins with using products specifically designed for your face and beard and not products designed for your scalp. Your scalp has about 100k hair follicles and your face only about 30k. A beard wash will be more gentle and less likely to cause dryness on your face. In addition to that, by using Beardbrand beard softener over a hair conditioner you will be using a product that is silicone free and won't build up over time. That silicone builds up on your beard can cause dullness to your beard as well as some silicone flaking.
Once you hop out of the shower you'll want to follow with your traditional beard care routine which should involve either a beard oil or Utility Balm. Read this article which goes into greater detail about how to use and apply beard oil. It helps keep your skin and beard moisturized, so the new hairs growing out of your face and through your skin don’t have to work as hard to break through. The harder they have to work the more irritation you’ll have. It’s ok to apply a couple times a day.
Electric Shaver vs Razor Blade
Just because you have a beard doesn’t mean you can throw out your sharp objects. First of all, you might poke someone’s eye out just tossing those around. Razors or trimmers are still useful even after you’ve achieved your beard. They can line up your cheeks, trim your neck, or taper the sides if you’re confident in your handiwork. The tool you use can make more of a difference than you think.
It might be a microscopic difference, but electric trimmers and razors give you a completely different shave. An electric trimmer will leave your ends with a sharper finish, which can lead to a lot of irritation and itchiness. This can also lead to split ends. Since the separation of hair is so sharp, it splits your hair and leads to more split ends. Whereas when you trim your edges with a razor instead, it still cleans up that line but also ruffles the ends which promote more natural growth of your hair follicles.
How to Get Rid of Beard Dandruff
Beard dandruff is caused by the micro-organism Malassezia globosa and it's feeding on the natural oils produced by your skin. Those oils are called sebum. The Malassezia globosa break down the oils into an oleic acid and some people have a sensitivity to the acid. People have a sensitivity which produces skin cells at a higher rate and this overproduction of skin cells is what causes dandruff. So it sucks to have beard flakes, but it's a pretty common issue for people.
To help clear up these excessive skin flakes and dirt you'll want to exfoliate. There are a few different ways to exfoliate - through physical means and through chemical means. A physical exfoliator will be something like an Alpha Fit, a scalp brush, or a boar's bristle brush. A chemical exfoliator uses ingredients like glycolic acid or lactic acid to loosen the bonds of the dead skin. You'll want to exfoliate before (or while you are in) your shower. The key with exfoliation is to be gentle with your skin. You're not going to want to rub your face raw or red. Let the products work for you and treat your skin with kindness.
What to Do About a Patchy Beard
For some guys, the day they decide to let their beards grow, they are met with the beginnings of a full, dense mane of hair on their faces. And for others, they find the process to be slightly less encouraging. Sparse and wiry hairs, and hairless patches can thrust doubt into the mind of a beardsman, but we're here to tell you that just because you're sporting a patchy beard doesn't mean there aren't things you can do to make it look fuller, denser, and more badass.
First of all, give it some time. Some guys will spend a month skipping the razor and letting their beard grow only to find that it looks sparse and thin, which leads to them losing hope and shaving it off. But the truth is that time may be the best remedy. If you can stick it out through the four to five-month mark, a lot of times you're going to notice that your beard starts to look fuller and denser. You can even use the longer hairs to cover up the sparser areas by combing and styling it into place.
The number one complaint from guys with supposedly patchy beards usually arises after only a month of letting their beards grow in. We all have this false vision of bearded glory appearing four weeks after putting down the razor, but in reality, beards take a lot longer to appear full than you might think. Just because your beard doesn’t fill in uniformly after a few weeks doesn’t mean that anyone will be able to notice two months later. That’s the thing with beards: the longer they get, the more equally distributed they appear. We aren’t saying that the process of letting your beard grow out won’t come with some awkward moments, but if you can take those in stride and simply let your beard do as it does, your facial hair will appear much fuller after less time than you might expect, based on how patchy your beard looks after just a few weeks.
Like each supposed flaw of the self that we notice, beard patchiness is significantly more apparent to the beardsman himself, than to the onlookers. Similar to thinning hair or embarrassing scars, the beholder spends much more time looking at, acknowledging, and thinking about beard patchiness than anyone else does. Onlookers will notice you have a beard and will most likely not give it a second thought. As with so many things in life, handling supposed beard patchiness is all about confidence and not dwelling on things that you simply can’t control. If you can accept it and move on then so will anyone else who takes notice.
Even for those of us with signs of dense facial hair, we still might not let our beards grow out in fear of uneven growth. It doesn’t matter who you are, there isn’t a single beard out there that naturally grows out in perfect uniformity from side to side, top to bottom, or chin to cheek. To think otherwise is silly and will put you on the fast track to disappointment. This gents is why we have beards trimmers and electric clippers, to help even out unruly corners of our facial hair and achieve the desired looks that we want for our beards. The only way you’ll know how your beard grows is if you let it do its thing and then adapt. Your beard is unique for a reason, it’s time to make peace with it.
We understand that there are some cases of beard patchiness that will never ever be remedied. However, that doesn’t mean that you need to opt for the completely shaven look either. Although we don’t suggest this to many, the best way to combat persistent beard patchiness is to simply opt for a shorter length of facial hair, going as far as what many simply consider “ scruff.” Much like baldness, it’s much less noticeable when your facial hair is already at a short length so the areas that simply don’t grow hair become less apparent in comparison to those that do.
So You Have Split Ends
Split ends happen when your hair follicles become too coarse or brittle, and the ends fray and, well, split. There are a ton of different reasons this can happen. Luckily we’ve got the perfect video for you on how to fix it! Basically, the root cause is a lack of moisture in the follicles of your beard!
One of the main causes of split ends in your beard is a lack of sebum oil, which is a natural oil produced by glands in your body. These glands can only be so big and produce the same amount every day. Every guy is different, but at some point, your beard will get so big that there won’t enough sebum oil to cover it all. This causes the tips of your beard to miss out on those sweet nutrients. To help combat that, you can use some beard oil to keep the whole thing moisturized and help mimic what your body is already trying to do.
Another cause could be that you are trying to dye your beard. The chemicals in hair dye dry out the follicles and your skin. Using it frequently can cause a lot of damage to your beard. That doesn’t mean you can’t dye your beard. It just means that you need to properly take care it each time you do it, and on a regular basis. You also don’t want to be using a shampoo meant for your hair in your beard. They don’t have the same ingredients, and it can really damage your beard as well.
We’ve talked about using a blow dryer in our videos, but usually, it comes with a bit of a disclaimer to keep an eye on it and use it in moderation. If used too much it could dry up those follicles and cause split ends. To combat this, you can hold the hair dryer further away from your beard, use a medium heat setting, or even use the cool setting. All of this will help make sure your beard doesn’t get damaged. Just make sure you’re using an oil or balm to keep it moisturized after it’s dry.
Losing Beard Hairs
Let me just put you at ease since you’re here, it’s completely normal to loose beard hairs. We lose hair from head to toe every day all year long. Beard hair is much thicker and coarser, so it will show up much easier on your pillowcase. You don’t need to shave your beard off. What you can do to prevent it from accelerating is decrease the amount of time you spend combing or brushing your beard. Make sure it’s a high-quality one so it won’t snag and pull out your hairs.
Go easy on your beard. You don’t to always be touching it, grabbing at it, brushing, or combing it. Let it breathe. Cotton sheets and pillowcases can also be a cause of the friction pulling at your beard, so maybe consider satin sheets. They are much smoother and less likely to lead to those lost hairs you find in the morning.
Black moustache styles
How to Live With a Beard
It’s not all about the growth process. You gotta maintain your beard after you grow it out. So now you’ve reached the length you’re going for or you’re getting close, or maybe it’s becoming a bit more to handle and getting in the way. Have no fear, we’ve got a ton of help and advice to make life a little easier when you have a beard. After all, no one wants to grow a beard just to shave it off cause it get’s in their mouth when they eat.
Reaching Terminal Growth
Think of your arm or leg hair. If you were to shave it off, it would grow back, but after a certain length it stops. This is when you have hit terminal length. On a beard, different parts of your face hit terminal length at different stages of growth. For example, your sideburns typically hit terminal length faster that the area around and below your chin. This is the reason why beards tend to have an oval shape when left untouched. Your mustache will also hit terminal length before your beard. This is especially true for the middle section of the stache.
Kissing With a Beard
So you have a beard, or know someone who does and want to get to kissin’? We’ve got you covered, cause beard burn is a real thing and a mustache can really get in the way sometimes. Beard burn can happen at any point in your growth process, but it more common in the early stages usually with a shorter beard. It’s when you make out with a someone for a bit, and your beard rubs against your partner’s chin causing it to become raw and irritated.
The trick to solving the issue for you is pretty simple. You need to keep it moisturized with either beard oil or some beard balm! It not only keeps your beard moisturized and smooth, but also your skin. Keeping the entire area moisturized will keep your whiskers from irritating your partner’s skin as well as your own. If the damage has already been done, just do the same thing you’d do for a sunburn and put some aloe vera on it to soothe the redness.
Now time for the actual kissing part. Everyone is different and no matter who you are kissing, they’re gonna have a different preference. Odds are you’ll probably get hair in your mouth, and they’ll get hair in theirs. That’s just the nature of the beast. But, you’re probably not kissing 10 hours a day. You’re a busy guy with other shit to do. One way to do it, is to just go right in. This is for those quick pecks, and you’re gonna get a little bit of mustache in there. The other way to do it is to just lift up your stache and split it down the middle. Lastly, you can come in at a downward motion to essentially play your hair on their upper lip instead of getting it in their mouth.
Resources
There’s some much information about beards out there, so things can get confusing if you see it all written out. Don’t worry though, we’ve got the perfect collection of constantly expanding content covering everything you need to know about beards, and more, from dedicated channels, blogs, and community forums!
YouTube Channels
Our channel covers everything from haircuts, to how to eat with a beard. We take community feedback on what you want to see most, then talk about it for an upcoming video. Watch a video about shaping and trimming your beard, then check out how growing a beard is different as you age!
Hosted by George Bruno, a barber with several decades of experience, the channel covers a wide variety of topics; from getting your neckline just right, to finding a mentor. This channel is great to learn little bits to improve your life.
With a focus on patchy beards and making them look fuller, Drew reviews products, tools, DIY tips to improve the overall look of your beard. He does a vlog style video every once in awhile, but don’t worry his beard is still there.
Formally known as Scuba Tube, this channel talks about up and coming products on the beard market as well as how often you should be using certain products. He also throws a vlog or lifestyle video in the mix every once in awhile. They definitely a great resource to keep an eye on when a new product enters the scene.
Communities
If you’re ever in need of support along your growth process, or want to find an amazing barber near you, we have a community forum made for just that. We’ve got fans and followers all over the globe who can help you keep on growing and get that perfect trim!
Any and all questions you have about growing a beard, no matter how strange you think they may be, Jeff’s Beard Board is a great place to ask them. It’s full of friendly beard growers who have been in your shoes and would be happy to help.
Essentially a Facebook for guys with beards. Make bearded friends, like photos of beards, and be part of a community that looks after each other’s beards!
Anywhere you need to need to go for bearded answers, Reddit beards will give it to you and then some. You’ll get the answer, some advice, and even what to do next! It’s a friendly community that loves everything from stubble to stache to a yeard! Plus there are a bunch of other questions and guys showing their progress.
Minoxidil Beard Spot
The Minox Beard Spot (TMBS) is a closed Facebook group which was created on June 3rd, 2015. Now hosting thousands of members, the intention of the group is to discuss the usage of minoxidil for the purpose of growing more facial hair.
From men with little to no facial hair at all, to transgender individuals, to men that just want to improve the growth they already have, TMBS has seen minoxidil journeys from a large variety of people.
We put all our videos in writing as well, that way we can give background and go into more detail where the video didn’t. We also cover grooming tips, dressing up with a beard, and even how to care for it in different seasons. Anything you need to know about beards, grooming, or our products can be found here.
Our friends over at Tools of Men do a really great job at covering a wide variety of topic for men. Face creams, watch reviews, the different types of razors and oils to use, and so much more than we can’t even begin to describe. You just gotta check it out yourself! Hell, maybe you’ll learn a thing or two.
The good folks at Balding Beards have created a site where manliness and beards thrive in harmony. It’s a great resource for information, tips, and products for facial hair, hair loss, personal grooming, and even manly entertainment. They focus on long, thorough articles, reviews and guides which are regularly updated.
In case you’re too lazy to read everything until this point, or just in a rush, I’ll wrap it up for you. There are a ton of resources out there to answer any bearded and unbearded questions you may have, but to help your beard you need to be healthy, be patient, and buy Beardbrand.
Comments
There are no comments for this post "How to Grow a Thick Beard Fast: The Only Guide You’ll Need Beardbrand". Be the first to comment...
Add Comment