Ever wonder ‘why did my beard stop growing’? It’s something most men don’t want to talk about, but beard growth slows down for a variety of reasons. There may be ways to rejuvenate your follicles.
Even if it’s taken years for your current growth, there are ways to speed up or thicken your beard. One common reason for slow growing beards is dry skin or even acne under your beard. In other cases, such as with a patchy beard, facial hair simply grows in areas for longer periods of time. Keep reading.
Why Your Beard Doesn’t Grow
If your beard has stopped growing, you may be freaking out about what’s going on with your hair follicles or wondering if you’re headed for a patchy beard like Keanu Reeves.
The truth is if your beard growth has slowed for one of these reasons below, there are beard growth kits available that many users have used to speed up follicular growth.
Age and Beard Growth Stages
It’s typical for you to have slower beard growth as a teenager and into your late 20s. Most men start growing thicker beards in late 30s.
Your beard follicles shrink over time because of your age and hair life cycle. All hair follicles go through a similar life cycle as you age, entering different growth phases as follows:
- Anagen Phase: Initial active growth to long-term growth, 2 to 4 years
- Catagen Phase: Period of 2 to 4 weeks where hair falls out
- Telogen Phase: Prepares for new growth
There are some beard growth products that speed up this life cycle, including beard growth oils. Adding these to your beard care routine may invigorate your hair follicles to produce thicker, denser beards.
Dry Skin Underneath Your Beard
Think about these three things:
Do you have…
- Flakes in your beard?
- Beard itch?
- Red patches of irritated skin?
You may be dealing with dry skin underneath your beard, which can lead to beard dandruff and frequent beard itch. Once dead skin cells cake up on your top skin layer, it can lead to dry skin.
The more you scratch, the more you damage your hair follicles in patchy spots. The best way to fix this is with a beard oil or face moisturizer that you massage deeply into your beard so that your skin absorbs it and repairs faster.
Here are some different options:
- Beard oils
- Jojoba oil for beard
- Beard balms or skin moisturizers with aloe vera or eucalyptus
Split Ends and Brittle Hair
This is similar to the above, but the difference is if you notice your hair is super coarse and brittle, breaking so easily that it looks like your hair is falling out.
Over time, if not combed or moisturized, beard hair becomes dull and wiry. There are several reasons why your hair is drying out so fast, but the best way to remedy this is with a beard balm that includes jojoba oil or sweet almond oil (better for dry skin, but not oily skin).
Try our DIY beard oil recipe for dry skin relief.
Poor Diet
If you need to, use our diet for hair growth. A balanced diet can remedy a ton of men’s skin and hair problems, like slow or patchy beard growth
I believe wholeheartedly that what you put in your body plays itself out in your skin and hair health, but science also agrees.
Studies show that if you aren’t getting enough of the following vitamins and minerals, your hair follicles are likely to slow down production of new strands or may stop producing entirely.
- Vitamin D
- Zinc
- Selenium
- Iron
- B-Complex vitamins
- Vitamin C
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Multivitamins may help, but if you truly want to improve hair through your diet, you can [get a vitamin and mineral deficiency test] to see what’s truly going on.
Most of us have iron deficiencies. If you like meat in your diet, eating a ribeye offers 6 mg of iron. Studies show humans need between 11 and 17 mg of iron per day.
Low Testosterone
This topic is best served by a doctor. Only a physician can order blood tests to see if you have low testosterone that’s affecting your health.
All men should be mindful of their testosterone levels throughout their lives, as it’s directly linked to several men’s health problems, including male pattern hair loss.
A new study revealed a link between plasma testosterone and beard growth.
While you’re waiting for that doctor appointment, you can still support your testosterone levels with these foods:
- Tuna
- Egg yolks
- Oysters
- Beets
- Crab or lobster
- Steak and beef
- Chickpeas, lentils, and baked beans
Fun fact: Beets are rich in boron, which is essential for testosterone production.
Of course, multivitamins also work, but trust me when I say your body will thank you for including any of these foods in your diet.
Other Factors
Again, your doctor can help you diagnose issues that go beyond these reasons. For example, you have a health condition that’s causing a deficiency or hormone problem, such as alopecia barbae. This condition causes beard hair loss specifically.
It could also be your hair genetics, and the saying goes that it’s the men on your mom’s side who show what your future hair growth will look like.
5 Ways to Improve Your Beard
It takes a few weeks to grow thicker beard hair from scratch, but if your beard simply hasn’t grown in after months or if you have a patchy beard, try these simple tips first:
- Comb your beard or brush your beard with a boar bristle brush
- Apply a beard oil with jojoba or biotin
- Change your beard wash routine, especially if you have dry skin
- Try minoxidil for beard (medicated option)
- Look into diet for hair growth and vitamins for beard growth
