Have you been waiting for your beard growth to happen? The average growth for beard hair is about ½ inch per 30 days, but it may take longer depending on your age, genetics, diet, and shaving routine. If you want a fuller beard, it may take months to a year of patient waiting before you grow a thick, mature beard.
To speed up beard growth, there are a few techniques to stimulate beard growth and thicken your facial hair. These methods include science-backed beard pills, oils, and shaving techniques.
So are you ready to start growing a bear today? This guide gives you the most successful ways to grow a beard thick and healthy.
Can Everyone Grow a Beard?
While it’s true that everyone’s facial hair grows at different lengths, speeds, thickness, and angles, a full beard takes time for everyone to grow. Even those who grow facial hair quickly acknowledge that their beards have patches or need more grooming, making it more difficult to keep it sharp and stylish.
Everyone can grow a beard, but it’s easier for those who are older. Studies show that young men under the age of 20 have to wait a longer period of time because they may not be through puberty.
You may not be able to develop a full, thick beard until your late 20s or 30s, but the rate of growth depends on the following:
Beard Growth Factors
Diet
Are you iron or biotin deficient? Do you take B-vitamins and vitamin D? If you aren’t regularly eating protein, spinach, and strawberries, you should start. Some studies have proven there are vitamins for beard growth and food for hair growth that help your hair follicles.
Hormones
Everyone’s hormones change at some point. Once you get through puberty, you’ll have an easier time growing hair, but it still may be patchy. If you have a testosterone deficiency or feel fatigue along with poor hair growth, you should consult a doctor as there may be underlying medical conditions causing your slow rate of growth.
Genetics
Know your family genetic history. Can the men in your family grow facial?
You should expect to develop beards similar to the other men in your family. Again, studies show that genetics and hormones go together. If your father has a full beard, but you can barely grow any hair. There could be another issue.
Age
Most men can’t grow a full beard until their 30s, and in one survey, men also stated that they didn’t grow a thicker beard until their 40s.
There are a few myths surrounding facial hair growth, such as “Does Shaving Help Grow a Beard?” (We answer that one below.) However, it’s best to comb your beard and trim it, working with the hand you were dealt than worrying over your beard growth.
How to Grow Facial Hair Faster
We’re dedicated to helping men grow thicker, longer beards and styling their facial hair. Some of our beard style guides can help you work with what you got, but if you want to stimulate beard hair growth now, there are a few techniques that may work.
See our new guide on ways to grow your beard faster.
Change Your Diet
Some evidence shows that foods rich in biotin help with hair loss, as well as zinc, iron, vitamin A, and other vitamins for hair growth.
There have been a few studies on unhealthy eating and hair loss as well. Doctors say that eating a protein-rich diet can bring back your hair if it’s only thinning. However, it may be difficult to re-grow hair from follicles that have completely gone dormant due to male pattern hair loss.
Check out the ultimate list of the Best Beard Growth Products to grow a better beard.
Take Folic Acid Supplements
Some studies suggest that folic acid helps with new cell generation, particularly for hair loss. Folic acid contains B-vitamins, and it’s best to take concentrated folic acid supplements rather than a multivitamin.
In addition, multivitamins with iron, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin D are also helpful. Other studies have seen significant hair growth by increasing the intake of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Try Alpha Beard Growth Supplement for explosive results.
Use Minoxidil Creams
We’ve studied minoxidil for a long time for its hair growth benefits. While you likely know it by the brand name Rogaine, minoxidil is a hair loss treatment that received FDA approval.
The good news – you can buy minoxidil over the counter. While it’s mostly used for growing scalp hair, men have also used minoxidil for beard hair growth, and it’s working.
Try Beard Oil
If the condition of your beard hair is dry and coarse, you may need to use a face moisturizing routine with Beard conditioner or beard oil. Both products include vital nutrients to increase the strength and shininess of your facial hair.
Check Your Thyroid
When someone has thyroid disease, their hormones are completely off balance, which can lead to significant hair loss. Most men notice round patches of hair missing from their beards and head. A simple blood test from your doctor and medication can nip this problem fairly quickly.
How Do You Start a Beard?
Do some guys just decide they want to grow a beard one day, and it just happens? Well, not exactly. Before deciding to grow a beard, many men start off with stubble and see if they like the idea of having a beard.
In addition, you should also check out beard style guides and see what facial hairstyle matches your face shape. For example, you may want to try a wider goatee or full beard if you have a square face shape.
Here’s some guidance if you want to grow a beard the right way:
1. Wait Up to 2 Weeks for First Growth
For new beard growers, you may not see a lot of growth at first. That’s why we say it may take up to 14 days to see more stubble and longer hair coming in along your chin, upper lip, jawline, and cheeks. Before you shave and shaping this hair, you should give a chance to come in properly.
Beard combs can help shape and stimulate hair growth, so if you have an idea for what style of beard you want, you may want to start brushing your starter beard hair in the right direction.
2. Prepare Beard Grooming Supplies
No, you don’t need anything to grow a beard. If you wanted to wait a month, you probably would have significant growth that you can style or trim any way you like. You can also leave it completely alone and let it continue to grow out.
However, if you want to give your beard hair the best chance for shiny, smooth healthy growth, then use the best beard care supplies.
Top Beard Care Supplies
- Best Beard comb
- Best electric trimmer or shaver
- Multiple guards (#1, #2, #3)
- Barber shears or scissors
- Beard oil or beard balm
- Beard conditioner
Additionally, you may want to look into biotin creams and shampoos if you are experiencing slow beard growth.
3. Start Shaping and Shaving Your Beard
If you want to take charge of your beard style and growth, then you can use an electric beard trimmer, shaver, or razor to get started. For instance, you may want to shave the perimeter or start shaving the areas that will be clean around your beard hair once you decide on a beard shape.
Some popular beard shapes include:
- Tony Stark beard
- Ducktail beard
- Yeard beard
- Van Dyke beard
- Johnny Depp beard
- Bald with beard
- Short beards
- Long beards
However, one of the most important things to shave and maintain is your neckline and cheek lines. Before getting started, find your beard neckline and shave around it to avoid a neck beard.
4. Comb and Apply Beard Oil
As your facial hair grows in thicker, you can use a beard comb after you shower and wash your beard. Combing your beard helps the hair remain smooth and silky, while also stimulating growth in areas and directions that you want your hair to grow.
After combing through your beard, you can use a natural beard oil to add strength and shine to your strands. Typically, natural oils are unscented, while others have a light fragrance or musk.
5. Trim It Up and Maintain Growth
Using those barber shears (and possibly a beard shaper tool), start adding some definition to your style by trimming your beard. As your beard and mustache hair grow longer, you’ll be able to trim away stray hairs and shape your beard even further using the shears.
We suggest following a beard shaving guide to get started and looking at different beard styles to see what’s the best way to cut your facial hair.
Does Shaving Help Grow Beard?
While it seems like shaving can be a battle between you and stubborn hair growth, it doesn’t actually help grow hair in areas that are growing slowly or not at all. Shaving will also not help your beard grow in thicker. It’s best to moisturize, change your diet, and talk to your doctor if you feel like your beard is growing slower than average.
Do Beard Pills Work?
There are several brands of beard growth vitamins that great for targeting facial hair growth. While these aren’t exactly miracle overnight pills, if you’re lacking in biotin and vitamins, these supplements may be able to help.
Do Beard Oils Work?
For moisturizing your facial hair and promoting healthy follicles, beard oil for beards does work for most. Some ingredients work better than others, such as those with biotin or salmon oil.
However, it’s best to try out different beards and see how your skin reacts, as you could open a new can of worms with products that use chemicals instead of natural ingredients. You may also want to look into beeswax for beard hair as an alternative.
You also don’t need a lot of beard oil to reap the benefits. We think a pea-sized amount rubbed into your palms and gently massaged over your beard is best. You should avoid touching beard oil to your skin.
Have You Recently Started Growing a Beard?
Does your routine match what we described? There are all different ways to style your beard, but this is the simplest way that works with all beard types. If your beard is growing in slowly, we hope that these tips and our other articles on beard growth can help you maintain a fuller, healthier beard.
