Growing a full, thick beard is a grooming goal for many men.
Unfortunately nobody wakes up to miraculously find themselves with a beard that can rival that of Zeus or Thor.
Growing a beard takes time and patience. And if you’re someone new to this, you might have no idea what it takes to embark on a beard growth journey.
That’s why it’s rather unfortunate that so much misinformation being circulated about how to grow a beard quickly.
Well, don’t worry! In this article we’ll debunk some myths around growing a beard, and share actual steps you can take to grow your beard faster.
Stages of Beard Growth
It’s important to know that your facial hair isn’t going to immediately grow into a thick, healthy, bushy beard.
Instead, it will grow in five distinct stages:
Stage 1 – Stubble
If you’re starting off with a clean face, the first sign of beard growth you’ll notice is stubble, also known as the five o’clock shadow.
You’ll notice it within the first week of your hair growth journey and your face might feel rough, especially along the jawline and upper lip.
Although the rough and often itchy new hair growth can seem tedious, you need to power through on to the next stage.
Stage 2 – Patchy beard
The next stage is usually the stage most men find the hardest to move past.
It’s the patchy stage, and you’ll notice patchy hair growth across your face. This means you’re more likely to grow hair from certain areas than others.
This phase tends to happen from the second to the third week of growth.
Stage 3 – Short beard
This is the stage when things actually start to get fun! You notice even more beard growth as your facial hair starts taking shape.
At this point you’ll also be able to notice what parts of your face are better at growing facial hair than others.
Most men will be able to form a complete goatee at this stage. This stage occurs from week 3 to week 6.
Of course, this isn’t the final result most people set out for, so it’s not the time to quit.
Stage 4 – Growth period
This is the stage when you need to do more for your beard than simply apply beard oil. Your beard will be long enough to require regular grooming and better handling.
Use a beard brush to comb out your beard and remove food particles or other gunk that might have gotten stuck. Beard shampoo will also come in handy.
Although this might seem counterintuitive, regular trims can also encourage beard growth.
The fourth stage is when you can truly begin to enjoy all the splendor that comes with having a beard. It can take almost two months for you to get here.
Stage 5 – Fully formed beard
Finally, all your patience and hard work has paid off! Your beard has reached the level that will strike envy in the hearts of other men.
The entire beard growth stage is complete and the beard of your dreams sits gracefully on your face. This can take 2-4 months or even longer.
Although you’ve conquered the growing pains that come with growing your beard, now is definitely not the time to slack off.
Instead, continue to regularly groom your beard by oiling and shampooing to keep it looking neat and healthy.
What Impacts Beard Growth?
Growing a beard won’t be the same experience for everyone. And it’s not because you didn’t finish your plate of greens when you were a kid.
Instead, there are many other reasons why your beard might be growing faster or not as fast as the next person.
Here are 5 factors that have an impact on the rate of beard growth:
1. Genetics
Genetics are a major factor that determines how fast your beard will grow and the density of your beard.
If a parent or grandparent had slow poor hair growth, then there’s a possibility you might experience the same thing.
2. Stress
Stress induces the production of cortisol, and cortisol affects the sex hormone testosterone and DHT which are responsible for beard growth.
3. Nutrition
A rich diet filled with protein and vitamins is necessary for healthy beard growth.
4. Environmental factors
This might come as a shock but research has shown that beard growth is slower during the winter. If you reside in a consistently cold climate, your beard might have a harder time growing than if you were in a warmer climate.
5. Skincare
Your skin is the surface that the beard will grow from, so it’s only natural it has a part to play. The skincare you use therefore plays a large part in helping your beard grow faster.
Myths About Growing Beards Faster
If you’re just starting your beard growth journey, you’re bound to hear many “professional tips and tricks” that promise to help you grow your beard even faster.
Unfortunately, much of this information is actually a myth as they have no proven impact on the rate of your beard growth.
Here are 6 myths about growing beards faster:
Myth 1: Shaving often leads to faster beard growth
Except in certain cases such as illness, your body hair will continue to grow at the same rate. Shaving will not make your beard grow faster.
Myth 2: Shaving leads to thicker hair growth
The myth of hair growing back thicker after you’ve shaved is something you have probably heard of way back in high school. And it’s absolutely false.
Shaving is a surface activity. That means it occurs on the outer layer of your skin and in no way affects what happens in the hair follicles which are in the inner layer of the skin.
Myth 3: Beard oil will make your facial hair grow faster
This myth isn’t entirely false. The major determiner of how fast your beard will grow is genetics; however, beards that aren’t properly groomed are prone to breakage.
So while a facial oil won’t magically make your beard grow faster, it can help in retaining length by keeping your beard hydrated.
Myth 4: Your beard should be filled in by age 21
Some men can have their beards completely filled by the age of 19, while others can experience new beard growth late into their 20s.
Age is not a criteria, and if your beards aren’t filled by the time you’re 21 there is no need to panic – you could just be a late bloomer.
Myth 5: Some beard products will increase thickness and coverage of beard growth
Your sulfate-free beard shampoo isn’t going to do anything to improve your beard thickness, and neither will your beard oil.
What these products are for is to maintain the beard and keep it looking healthy.
Myth 6: All areas of your beard should grow at the same rate
To be honest, nobody can blame people who believe in this myth. In fact most men’s beauty ads feature men with perfectly even and healthy-looking beards.
But the truth still remains that everybody is different, and you can’t expect every square inch of your facial hair to grow at the same exact rate.
12 Ways to Grow Beard Faster
Now that we’ve debunked some myths, it’s time to discuss what can actually help you in making your beard grow faster.
1. Improve diet
Grow your beard from the inside out by adding important vitamins to your diet.
Vitamin D (found in natural foods fish, eggs), Vitamin B, including Biotin (found in whole grain bread, milk, nuts), and other vitamins like Vitamin B12 (found in meats and fish).
Not only can this strengthen your beard and stimulate its growth, but it can also improve your immune system and stimulate collagen for better-textured skin.
2. Cleanse
Speaking of skin, the surface that your beard will sprout out from should be kept clean to avoid dirt from clogging your pores – this can affect beard growth.
Wash your face and beard regularly with a product like Clean Slate. Our gentle, sulfate-free beard wash deep cleans without over drying.
3. Reduce stress
As mentioned above, stress increases the production of cortisol which affects your body’s hormone levels. This means your body will not be producing the necessary hormones testosterone and DHT.
On your journey to growing your facial hair ensure you take time out to relax.
4. Exfoliate
This removes dead skin cells that can block your hair follicles. Plus, exfoliating can improve circulation within the area which is great for stimulating these follicles.
Try True Grit, our detox face scrub which contains charcoal to detox pores, and peppermint to stimulate circulation.
5. Exercise
As you exercise, your body produces testosterone which helps in building muscle.
High-intensity interval training has been shown to increase natural testosterone production, which can help DHT production. DHT promotes linear hair growth.
6. Massage
Not only are massages relaxing, but they can also increase facial hair growth. This is because they stimulate the area causing better blood flow. You can massage your face while cleansing and exfoliating.
7. Micro-needling
Microneedling works by causing tiny punctures, which in turn stimulates blood circulation in the area. Increased blood flow to hair follicles deliver nutrients for faster, healthier beard growth
8. Moisturize
Keeping your beard hydrated will ensure that length is not lost due to breakage.
We recommend Prime Cut, our beard and shave oil. It contains natural oils and extracts to nourish skin and facial hair.
9. Take supplements
Studies have shown that a biotin deficiency can slow down the rate of beard growth. Meaning that taking biotin supplements can help in improving beard growth rate.
10. Stay hydrated
Water improves blood circulation allowing nutrients to be circulated throughout the skin and body. And if your skin is healthy, it can mean greater chances of hair growth.
11. Rest up
Getting plenty of regular rest can help stimulate healthy testosterone production levels. Higher testosterone means more DHT production, and less testosterone means less DHT which inhibits healthy hair growth.
12. Quit smoking
Quitting smoking allows faster natural hair growth through the reduction in blood vessel damage and inflammation.
Conclusion
Growing your beard takes time and patience, but it’s worth the effort. We mean hello, macho man!
As we’ve already mentioned, genetics are a major factor in your rate and density of beard growth. But, you can still enhance your beard growth journey with these products from JESSE JIMZ:
- Clean Slate – A sulfate-free face wash and toner that deep cleans the face and beard without over-drying.
- True Grit – An exfoliating scrub that deeply cleans the underlying skin while leaving your beard flake-free.
- Prime Cut – A beard and shave oil to condition hair and skin with natural oils and nourishing extracts.
