Let’s just be honest, a beard looks awesome from any angle. It doesn’t matter if it’s thick and rugged or trim and styled, a good beard will leave you feeling confident and looking manlier.
A beard not only boosts your confidence but studies also show that it makes you more attractive to women.
No wonder so many men seek advice on their ability to grow one.
Unfortunately, not every man is naturally gifted in the beard growth department due to a number of different factors ranging from genetics to hormones.
But rest assured, there are ways to stimulate the development of your beard, however, it will take time, patience, and a goal-orientated mindset.
This ultimate beard growth guide will help you with the knowledge you need when it comes to facial hair and teach you ways of growing it faster and naturally.
So let’s start from the very beginning…
What stimulates beard growth?
The growth of your beard is stimulated by a few factors, genetics being one of them.
Genes
Chances are you have noticed that some guys have full beards by the time they are in high school while others have to wait until they reach adulthood.
This is primarily a result of genetics. Our genes for the most part determine how and when our facial hair grows.
Thanks to our genetics we are all born with a certain number of hair follicles on our bodies, including facial hair follicles that activate at different times.
This is why for some men it may take 1 – 2 months to grow a full beard while others see a few hairs in the same amount of time.
So if you are curious about how your beard will grow, look at the males in your family; your father, uncles, and grandparents to see how their facial hair develops.
Hormones also play a major role in the rate at which your beard grows.
Hormones
Facial hair growth is stimulated by a hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which is a byproduct of testosterone.
DHT helps in the development of male characteristic features including the male physique, deep voice, and facial hair.
Therefore, the higher your testosterone levels the more DHT your body will produce and the faster your beard will grow.
At what age will your beard fully develop?
The growth of a beard typically begins in the early puberty years, right around the ages of 13 to 16 when boys become teenagers.
It then fills in becoming thicker and lush as you get into adulthood, usually up until the age of 35. This however doesn’t apply to everyone; some men are blessed with full beards in their teenage years.
Beard growth and age
Age 13 – 18
This is the mustache age and begins in your early teens. Hairs start growing above your upper lip and become denser as you reach 18. Take a look at high scholars.
Age 18 – 21
At this age, your mustache is a lot denser and fuller. Hair starts growing around the sides of your face, under your lower lip and chin, typically growing as scattered strands of hair.
Age 22 – 26
This is the patchy phase, the “your beard doesn’t connect yet” phase. At this age, your beard has started to thicken in certain areas while other areas have little to no hair. These areas are mostly around the sides, neck, and under the chin.
Age 27 – 35
Here the patches start filling in, connections happen and your beard grows to its full glory. Looks thick, lush, and strong.
Now have you ever wondered…
Why do men grow facial hair and women don’t?
Interestingly enough, men and women have the same amount of follicle cells on their faces, meaning that they both have the potential of growing facial hair.
The only difference is that men normally have more testosterone than women which is a major contributor when it comes to facial hair growth.
Remember that testosterone produces the male sex hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which is responsible for stimulating hair growth and other male characteristics such as deep voice, muscle mass, etc.
So what’s the purpose of a beard? What does it actually do?
This an age-old question indeed with many theories, but there are some surprisingly practical reasons that are backed by science. Let’s take a look at the two major ones.
1. Protects your face
A study published in Oxford Academic discovered that men may have developed facial hair for the protection of their jaw and facial bones against physical attacks. Typically from other men during competitions for mates.
This would be similar to a lion having a mane to protect its neck during a fight with other lions or animals.
2. Makes you look more mature and attractive
Another study in the Journal of evolutionary biology showed that men with well-groomed beards are usually perceived as being more attractive, masculine, and mature.
Women also tend to associate facial hair with social assertiveness, physical strength, and formidability.
Growing your beard
Growing your beard doesn’t just happen overnight or within a week, it takes time and you should always have the end goal in mind and practice patience.
With that being said, growing a beard usually happens in 4 different stages.
What are the different stages of beard growth?
For your beard to fully grow out it can take 8 to 16 weeks with the hair growing at a rate of 0.3 to 0.5 millimeters each day.
During this time, your beard will go through different stages of growth. In all the stages you need to keep it clean, moisturized, and nourished by using beard shampoo, conditioner, and oils.
This will keep it strong and prevent it from getting brittle, breaking, or falling out easily.
Stage 1 – The stubble
Stage 1 normally happens within the first week as hair starts making its way through the skin along the jaw lines, above the upper lip, on the sides of your face, and chin.
This period is usually a bumpy one because you are prone to feeling itchy and having ingrown hairs.
The itch comes as a result of skin irritation caused by the sharp end of your whiskers as they push through the skin.
Ingrown hair is commonly caused by shaving against the natural way that your hair grows out.
If you have been shaving for a while you might be tempted to shave in order to escape the uncomfortable feeling but remember the goal and stick through it like a man.
There are products that you can use to lessen the itch such as beard oils.
You might also find this interesting: All YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BEARD OIL IN 2023
Stage 2 – The Patch
This takes place in the second to third week. Your beard starts growing out more in some places than others, making it look patchy.
You might find that your hair grows faster above your lip and jawline while taking its time on your neck, cheeks, and chin.
It might be tempting to trim and shape it at this stage as well, especially if you have a bit of OCD but resist this in order let it grow properly.
Stage 3 – The Thickness
In three to six weeks your beard starts shaping up and becoming noticeably thicker. A majority of the patchiness from stage 2 starts filling up, leaving your beard looking a bit fuller.
At this stage, you can start trimming some parts of it to keep it within bounds. For example, you can trim your mustache if it starts growing to the point of tickling your nose or if stray hairs start irritating your upper lip.
You can also trim the hairs on your neck when they start growing further down just to keep it neat.
Stage 4 – Hey Daddy
Here you start seeing the fruits of your patience, at six to eight weeks your beard is now reaching its full stride, beautiful, lush, and thick with hardly any patches in sight. After eight weeks it’s just about grooming and maintenance.
This stage is where you need to start controlling and grooming your beard because it can get out of hand with stray hairs popping out, while others curl up and have dry ends.
This stage requires a beard trimmer or scissors and a brush or comb. A beard trimmer or scissor will take care of the stray hairs, style, and maintain the length of your beard.
While combing or brushing your beard regularly will get the curly hairs straightened out and distribute the oils evenly through the beard.
Alternatively, you can book a weekly session with a good barber and let them work their magic.
Understanding these stages of beard growth will help you to focus on the goal, be patient, and not give up easily.
6 ways to naturally grow your beard faster
As you have been reading this guide you have probably noticed something about beard growth.
And that is the fact that your genetics and hormones play a major role in the growth of your facial hair.
Even though there isn’t much that you can do about your genetics, there is something you can do about your hormone levels.
The hormone in question here is testosterone. The higher your testosterone levels the faster your beard is likely to grow.
Fortunately, there are a number of natural ways to increase your testosterone levels and grow your beard faster.
A beard diet
A well-balanced diet that is rich in protein, vitamins B and D, Iron, Zinc, and Keratin is good for faster beard development.
This is why:
Protein – Your hair is made of keratin which is a kind of protein, therefore protein-rich foods like fish, meat, nuts, and eggs will provide your body with the necessary building blocks to grow your hair faster.
Biotin (Vitamin B7) – It helps in the creation of red blood cells which are responsible for carrying nutrients and oxygen to hair follicles.
Biotin also increases hair follicle growth by producing keratin which makes up the building blocks of hair. Biotin-rich foods include bananas, eggs, sweet potatoes, almonds, and milk.
Vitamin D – This vitamin is important for the stimulation of new and old hair follicles. Vitamin D can be found in oil, tuna fish, salmon, milk, sardines, beef liver, and egg yolk.
Iron – It is responsible for the production of hemoglobin in your blood. Hemoglobin increases the circulation of oxygen to your hair roots which stimulates faster hair growth by growing and repairing damaged cells.
Iron-rich foods include red meat, liver, organ meats, legumes, beans, lentils, and oysters.
Zinc – It is required for the creation of Keratin, which makes up your hair. It also helps grow and repair hair tissue as well as ensures the efficiency of oil glands around the follicles.
Zinc-rich foods include; red meat, poultry, shellfish, legumes, nuts, and seeds as well as dairy products like milk and cheese.
Keratin – As mentioned before keratin is a major ingredient in the makeup of your hair. Therefore, eating foods that are high in keratin will improve your beard growth.
Keratin-rich foods include; eggs, beans, fish, mangoes, garlic, kale, sweet potatoes, onions, and sunflower seeds.
Good Exercise and Weightlifting
Regular exercise is not only good for your health but it also helps with faster beard growth.
A good cardio workout helps improve your blood circulation which in turn ensures that more nutrient-rich blood can flow to your beard area providing the necessary nourishment to your hair follicles.
Studies show that weightlifting and resistance exercises cause the body to produce more testosterone.
This is because testosterone promotes muscle growth in order to increase muscle strength as a response to resistance training.
The boost in testosterone levels means an increase in dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels which stimulates facial hair growth in men.
A good exercise routine can include a 10 – 20 minute cardio warm-up (running, cycling, swimming) followed by 30 – 50 minutes of weightlifting or body resistance training four times a week.
Healthy sleep cycle
A good 6 to 8-hour sleep not only does wonders for your health but also helps your beard grow faster and stronger.
This is because your body primarily releases most of the beard-building hormone – testosterone – while you are in deep sleep.
Drink lots of water, beer doesn’t count
Keeping your body hydrated helps in efficient blood circulation resulting in the distribution of the necessary vitamins and nutrients to your facial hair.
Our bodies are roughly made up of 60% water, therefore, lack of water can slow beard growth and result in a dry and brittle beard susceptible to breaking and falling off.
This is because the body will prioritize water distribution to essential organs like your brain and heart.
You might be thinking “hey I drink a lot of beer so technically I am well-hydrated because it is like water right?”
Yes, drinking beer can hydrate your body however, drinking too much of it has the opposite effect. It ends up leaving you dehydrated because it increases the level of cortisol in your body.
Cortisol is a stress hormone that lowers your testosterone levels. Therefore, make sure that you drink lots of water, about 8 to 10 glasses of water a day to get that healthy, full, and thick beard.
Lower your stress levels
Stress increases cortisol levels resulting in the slow production of testosterone.
It also constricts blood vessels causing hair follicles to receive fewer vitamins and nutrients necessary for growing a beard fast.
You can reduce your stress levels by doing one or more of the following once a day:
- Exercise
- Meditation
- Reduce your screen time
- Reduce your time on social media
- Connect with people and talk to them about your problems
Take care of your skin
Exfoliating your face twice a day – in the morning and at night before bed – helps in washing away grime, dead skin, oil, and dirt from your pores resulting in fewer ingrowns and unimpeded hair follicle growth.
Take away
- Your ability to grow a beard is affected by 3 main factors; genetics, hormone levels, and Age.
- Men grow beards because of their higher levels of testosterone compared to women who have lower levels.
- According to science, men grow beards for the evolutionary purpose of protecting their faces and necks from attacks from other men and for attracting women.
- Growing a beard can take up to 16 weeks which requires patience and having the end goal in mind. During this time your beard will grow in different stages.
- You can stimulate your beard to grow faster through natural ways such as, eating right, exercising, sleeping right keeping hydrated, and taking care of your skin.
