How to Grow a Beard: Best Natural Ways 2024

If you have trouble growing a beard, you’ve come to the right place! Growing a beard might seem like a fairly easy task. However, several factors, such as nutrition, sleep, exercise, and a good skincare routine, can affect growth. 

Facial growth starts during puberty. And, while some men don’t seem to have trouble growing a full beard, others might struggle more. Remember that when it comes to facial hair, everyone has a different growing speed. 

Here, we are going to go over every factor you need to know about that affects beard growth. And, in the end, we’ll understand making a beard grow faster is possible. 

How To Grow A Beard

Waiting for a beard to grow can be frustrating. Hair growth is just like grass growth. It seems like it can take forever to grow, especially if you are young. The younger you are, the longer it might take facial hair to grow. 

The hair follicles start to develop when you reach puberty. How long does it take to grow a beard can vary from each person. While some people might have a fully developed beard once they turn 18, others might get into their early or late twenties, still having issues with hair growth.

So, growing a beard or how fast it grows depends entirely on your genes.

To grow a beard, first, you need to understand your hair follicle. This doesn’t mean you need to be fully bearded to understand your facial hair pattern. When you shave, you can already know where your hair grows and how far down your neck. 

Factors of Beard Hair Growth

As we’ve discussed, facial hair growth depends on genetics. You cannot change your genes, but there are some lifestyle changes you can make to make that facial hair grow faster.

There is a strong relationship between testosterone levels and hair growth. 

Evidence suggests that there is a link between testosterone levels and beard growth. It seems that lower testosterone levels can reduce hair production, and it can affect how thick a beard can get. 

So, some factors can affect testosterone levels, which can help stimulate hair growth (or inhibit it). 

• Exercise. When you exercise regularly, it can stimulate blood flow. More blood flow going to your organs can help supply more oxygen and nutrients, leading to increased hair growth.  
• Nutrition. A high body fat percentage can affect your hormones. According to a 2014 study, there seems to be a reduction in testosterone when there is a higher fat percentage. 
• Sleep. During your sleep, you recover, and there seems to be a higher peak of testosterone. Research shows that lack of sleep can significantly reduce testosterone levels. 
• Stress. High-stress levels increase cortisol, which can affect other hormone production. Additionally, stress can affect how your body uses essential vitamins and minerals, which affects healthy growth.
• Skincare. Moisturizing your skin can add more nutrients which can boost beard growth. Dry or cracked skin is less likely to allow a healthy beard to grow.   

Best Natural Ways To Improve Beard Growth

Now that we know what factors affect beard growth, we can now understand what are some things we can do to improve its growth. 

Here are some tips on how to grow a beard fast. 

Stop Shaving

To make sure your beard grows, you need to let it grow. While it might be tempting to cut it, especially if you have patches, just let it grow for at least two months. Once the two-month mark has passed, you can now start trimming it. Based on your face shape, make the beard lines, and use a beard trimmer to give it some shape.  

Also, shaving can let your skin underneath all that hair breathe and take a break. Shaving might increase the risk of getting a rash or ingrown hair. So, letting it rest can create an ideal environment for its growth. 

Trim Beard

Some people say that trimming a beard can slow progress. However, the fact that you need to trim your beard shows a sign of improvement. After all, the beard is growing!

If you are growing your beard and don’t want to wait two months to finally give it shape, you can cut the straggly hairs that stick out. Or you can also trim some of the uneven areas.  

Using Beard Oil For Healthy Beard

Using beard oil can help keep your beard moisturized and healthy. Options like argan, jojoba, or grapeseed are excellent choices to use. While beard oils are essential to keep your beard healthy, ensure you also pay attention to other skin care products.

Invest in other options like beard wash, beard balm, or face moisturizer to keep your beard and skin healthy. 

Make Lifestyle Changes

Make sure you are following a healthy lifestyle. 

A healthy diet with all the food groups (carbs, proteins, and fats), provides you all the essential nutrients the body needs to stay healthy. Additionally, a healthy diet allows you to have a healthy weight which can impact testosterone levels, as seen before. 

Besides your diet, make sure you are also paying attention to exercise. Strive to reach the recommended exercise of 150 minutes or light to moderate weekly exercise. 

Finally, make sure you are getting 7-8 hours of high-quality sleep and search for ways to help control stress. Meditating, practicing yoga, walking, and doing art therapy can be good ways of reducing stress and promoting a good night’s sleep. 

Facial Hair Growth Stages

There are four stages to hair growth. 

• Anagen (growth phase). Here, the hair growth forms and grows. Now, the duration of the anagen stage varies for each person. On average, it might take two to four months to grow, but remember that it all depends on your genes.
• Catagen (regressive phase). When the anagen phase is completed, you enter the catagen phase. In this stage, the compartments of the hair follicles begin to shrink. The regressive phase allows the follicle to evolve and grow again with a good stimulus. 
• Telogen (resting phase). After several months of working, it’s time for the hair follicles to take a rest. The resting phase can last up to several months. 
• Exogen (shedding phase). Here, some hairs fall from the follicle, meaning they fall out. 

Conclusion

Growing a beard can be a challenging task. However, it doesn’t have to be. You only need to pay attention to certain factors, such as having healthy habits, using the right products for your face, and having a good trimming technique. 

If you still have trouble making sure your beard grows, check with a specialist so they can give you a clear idea of why you do not have the thick beard you want.

Frequently Asked Questions