One of the most common questions we get at The Midland Downtown Farmers Market and other Texas trade shows is: Will your beard oil help with faster beard growth? It's a hot topic among my fellow beardsmen so today I’ll be sharing my favorite tips on how to grow a beard faster.
Shaving less, exfoliating more, maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, getting plenty of restful sleep, taking care of your skin, and keeping your stress low. These are all vital steps for faster beard growth.
How Long does it take to grow a full beard?
It typically takes 3 to 8 months to achieve a full beard depending on what you consider “full” obviously. On average it takes a month to grow 1/2 an inch and the average beard grows to a maximum of six inches.
Gentleman, it’s 2022 and beards have never been more accepted and in style. Let's be honest, beards will never go out of style. I've personally rocked long beards, short beards, bushy beard, trimmed beards, and everything in between. Recently I’ve been growing my facial hair like it’s no shave November. I just wish I didn’t have to rock a gray beard at the age of 35. Oh who am I kidding, it was gray before I left Midland College.
The classic corporate beard style works best for me and for my face shape. It accentuates and slims my round face, plus it's easy to maintain. But everyone is different and that's just something you're going to have to accept when it’s time for you to grow out your beard. Some men are cursed with a patchy beard while other men are blessed with a full beautiful beard. But most men are somewhere in between.
Everyone's beard grows at a different rate. Some men are gonna have a full beard by senior year of high school and lose all the hair on their head by freshman year of College, while other men are gonna be stuck with a baby face their entire life, forever fantasizing about that one magical day they will finally have the chance to stroke their beard as they ponder their existence.
My point is there are many factors that can affect facial hair growth and beard growth rates, including: genetics, hormones, age, testosterone levels, ethnicity, stress, and overall health.
Okay, lets get right into these 6 beard growth tips so you can grow a beard faster than you can say Paul Bunyan.
Stop Shaving!
This may seem obvious but for the love of god stop shaving your face. If you want a faster beard just let it grow. Don’t worry if you look like a goblin as it grows in. If you're serious about growing a legendary beard or mustache just give it 6-12 months to grow before you even begin to trim it! This will allow you to see what you fully have to work with. After all, you can’t mold a majestic sculpture without first acquiring the clay. If 6-12 months seems too long, give your face at least 2 months to push out whatever beard hair it can before you go butchering it.
Exfoliate 1-3 Times Per Week
Exfoliate your skin at least once a week to stimulate hair growth. When you exfoliate your skin you get rid of dead skin cells and prevent a lot of ingrown hairs and beardruff. Exfoliating prevents acne, unclogs pores, Helps Other Skincare Products Penetrate Deeper, evens skin tones, Boosts Circulation and Lymphatic Drainage, Increases Cell Turnover, and Stimulates Collagen Synthesis.
Look, whether you rock a full beard, mustache, goatee, stubble or clean shaven face, exfoliating is something that you should be doing regardless as part of your skin care routine. Get a man's exfoliating cream.
How to exfoliate your skin to promote hair growth.
1. Use warm water to wet your face. Make sure it's warm not hot.
2. Apply a quality face exfoliating scrub anywhere there is not a beard.
3. Scrub in a circular motion in each area for no more than 15 seconds.
4. Rinse off your face. Pat dry with a towel.
5. Apply a good beard moisturizer like beard oil to your skin and hair.
This technique should take no more than 2-4 minutes.
How often should you exfoliate your Face?
When I asked my Dermatologist here in Midland: Is exfoliating every day bad for your skin? He said yes. The reason is because exfoliating too much can make your face and skin raw. Scrubbing too hard or too often can damage your skin leaving you blotchy, inflamed, and in pain. Realistically you shouldn't exfoliate more than three times a week.
I've also heard that moisturizers with eucalyptus will actually help speed up the growth of your beard but this is one of those rumors that some men swear by it and others don't believe it. I say it doesn't hurt to try.
DIY Exfoliating Honey Sugar Scrub
I know some of you prefer DIY and that's totally cool! This Honey Sugar Exfoliating Scrub can easily be made at home for half the cost and it's delicious.
- Melt 1 cup of coconut oil
- 1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup of local raw honey
- A few drops of essential oil for fragrance.
- Mix in a bowl and Bob's your uncle!
Follow the Patrick Bateman method.
The Patrick Bateman method is a skin care routine I picked up from a wealthy 27 year old New York City investment banking executive. Not sure how well it helps with beard growth but hey, you can’t grow a healthy beard without healthy skin.
The routine goes something like this “In the morning if my face is a little puffy I'll put on an ice pack while doing stomach crunches. After I remove the ice pack I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower I use a water activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub, and on the face an exfoliating gel scrub.
Then I apply an herb-mint facial mask which I leave on for 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an after shave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion.” - Patrick Bateman, American Psycho.
Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
If you really want to speed up the process of growing out your beard and prevent hair loss try improving your diet and exercise routine. A healthy balanced diet of organic whole foods and lots of protein is best but taking quality multi vitamins and Omega 3s to fill in the gaps will work wonders for your skin and hair.
Low iron levels can result in stunted hair growth or loss, so make sure your diet has plenty of iron-rich foods. Increasing your vitamin A intake will help your body make sebum which provides a natural conditioner.
Your hair is very indicative of your diet and that goes for the hair all over your body not just your facial hair. Now, growing a beard shouldn't be the 1st reason you’d want to be healthy but hey if it's gonna get you over the hump by all means go for it! Use that beard as motivation baby!
Use Beard oil and Beard balm.
Once two months have gone by and you notice some serious stubble coming in you have to take really good care of that hair and skin. Keep it soft, hydrated, healthy, and smelling great by using a quality moisturizer like beard oil and beard balm.
God forbid you go on a steamy date and hit it off with the person of your dreams only to be turned down from that glorious first kiss you've been daydreaming about because your face was scratchy and smelling less than its best.
Beardcare products like beard butter or beard balm will also prevent any dryness, flakiness, and itching. Get rid of Beardruff for good by adding these products to your daily grooming routine. Your partner will be grateful you did. If you don't want to spend the money on a quality oil you can just use a conditioner and that will help as well.
Brush Your Beard
Don't forget to brush your beard. Otherwise it will grow wild and all over the place. You've got to constantly brush your beard in order to train it to grow and stay in the position you want.
Get More Sleep
Testosterone is vital for helping to produce a thick, masculine beard. One of the best ways to increase your body’s testosterone level is by giving it time to rest. A recent study points to a lack of sleep as the cause of a significant drop in testosterone levels in men. Sleeping gives your body a chance to regenerate the hormone.
Other Ways to Increase Testosterone Levels Naturally
- Follow a Healthy Lifestyle
- Minimize Stress and Cortisol Levels
- Take Vitamin & Mineral Supplements like zinc & vitamin B
- Eat Plenty of Protein, Fats & Carbs
- Exercise
- Get Some Sun or Take a Vitamin D Supplement
- Take natural testosterone boosters that are supported by scientific studies like ashwagandha.
From the age of 25–30, a man’s testosterone levels naturally start to decline. This is a problem because strong research shows a link between low testosterone and obesity, increased disease risk, premature death, and hair loss.
Other ways to improve your beard include beard implants where they actually take hair follicles from the back of your scalp and put them where you might not be able to grow hair. Some men even go as far as using Rogaine on their faces, however I certainly don't recommend that unless you've done extensive research and you understand what you're getting yourself into.
Follow these simple tips and you’ll be stroking that long mystical beard you've been dreaming about in no time. You'll be shocked how much faster your beard hair grows when you follow these tips.
3 Beard Growth Myths
Myth: Facial hair grows faster when it is shaved off.
Fact: Facial hair grows at the same rate whether it is shaved, trimmed or grown out.
Myth: Shaving facial hair makes it grow back thicker.
Fact: There is no scientific evidence to prove that shaving facial hair makes it grow back thicker than before.
Myth: Facial hair grows slower than scalp hair.
Fact: Head and facial hair are both made up of 95% keratin meaning they grow at about the same rate.
Does male hair grow faster than female?
Hair growth is determined by the balance of two hormones: testosterone and estrogen. Women have more estrogen than men do because they need it to produce eggs and maintain their menstrual cycle. Too much estrogen can slow hair growth or even stop it from growing altogether.
Men, on the other hand, have more testosterone than women do which is why they often have faster hair growth than women do at certain times in life such as puberty.
Have anything to add? Corrections, concerns, or questions? We would love to hear from you in the comments or on social. I hope you enjoyed the article. For more content like this follow, like or comment on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Before you go check out our most popular Men's Grooming Products.
Author: Lance Reis
Respect Thy Beard