Beards are the facial hair in men that spans the chin, jawline, lower lip, upper lip, and cheeks. It is one of the sexual features of an adolescent boy and an adult person who are assigned male at birth which makes them look great. In modern times, there is a gain in popularity of fashionable beard appearance. However, beards also serve some practical purposes:

• Beards protect the face from harmful UV radiations coming from the sun, thereby preventing premature aging and sunburns.
• Beards act as the air filter, it traps the dust and pollens to avoid their entry into the lungs and subsequent respiratory illnesses.
• Beards maintenance is incredibly easier than daily shaving. It saves time especially when people are caught up in their busy schedules. [2]

The growth and density of hair are based primarily on genes. There is a specific hair growth cycle that is followed by every hair all over the body and face involving phases: anagen, catagen, and telogen. With advancing age, the hair starts thinning and falling off.

Beard growth is determined by an enzyme 5-alpha reductase which converts the natural stores of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), thus propelling the beard growth. Whether beard growth is fast or slow, depends upon how sensitive the beard hair follicles are to the DHT hormone. [1, 3]

The Factors That Can Hamper The Growth of Beard:

There are many environmental and physical factors affecting beard growth, including:

• Genetics- The thickness, texture, and density of beard hair is determined by certain genes that one receives from their parents. It depends upon how well parents or other family members grow their hair.
• Aging– Young men who are in their 20s or 30s have thicker, denser, and better coverage of their beard. But as they grow older, their hair growth slows down.
• Low testosterone levels– It has been found that some men who have extremely low levels of testosterone in their body face trouble in their beard growth.
• Anxiety and stress– Men who are under constant stress and anxiety produce a lot of hormone cortisol which results in increased hair fall and affects beard hair growth.
• Medical conditions– Many men suffer from patchy hair loss- an autoimmune disorder called alopecia areata where their hair follicles are attacked by the self-immune cells.
• Skincare– Every skin type has its own needs. However, if the skin is taken well care of and if the healthy skin is well nourished by additional nutrients, it will most probably grow more healthy hair than untreated, dry skin. [2, 3]

How To Naturally Grow Thicker Or Longer Beard Hair?

1. Make dietary changes: A nutritious diet that is packed with a lot of vitamins can help hair that has stopped growing to become active and regrow hair stronger than before as well as much faster. Therefore, men must include sources of food that are rich in vitamins A, B, C, D, and E along with good carbohydrates, iron, zinc, healthy fats, and lean proteins in their daily diet. Some examples of food items that can be incorporated into the diet include eggs, avocados, chicken, fish, whole-grain bread, salmon, fortified plant-based milk, dairy, and nuts.
2. Regular exercise: This may sound weird, but weight training and high-intensity interval training can indeed help in natural beard growth. It is possible as a daily workout boosts the body’s metabolism which may have slowed down weight gain and also improves the testosterone levels in the body. Moreover, it improves blood circulation which is essential for the production of healthy hair cells. This encourages the hair follicles and allows healthy beard hair growth.
3. Regulate sleep: Adequate sleep is necessary for the proper functioning of the body including keeping good hair quality. Sleeplessness or insomnia is believed to be linked with a decline in natural testosterone levels inside the body.
4. Quit smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol: Researchers have found that chemicals found in tobacco can result in inflammation and damage the skin and hair cells. It could even harm the blood vessels and their DNA which helps in the growth of the beard.
5. Take personal care of skin and hair hygiene: Beard hair growth is obstructed when the hair follicles or skin pores get plugged with dirt and excess oils. To kick-start the growth of beard hair back again, it’s recommended to keep the skin and hair clean daily as well as well-moisturized. Exfoliation can also be done twice a week to get rid of dead skin and encourage beard hair growth. [1, 2, 3]

How Long Does It Take To Naturally Grow A Beard?

Beard hair goes through a natural hair growth cycle. Here’s a general overview of the cycle of growth of hair including the longevity of each phase:

• Anagen phase– Every month, hair grows by about half an inch and keeps growing for about 3-4 years, even if they are cut.
• Catagen phase– The hair continues to grow but the hair follicles begin to shrivel up. This lasts for about 2 weeks.
• Telogen phase– In this stage, the hair follicles go into a dormant state for a few months and then start to grow again. The old hair falls off and is replaced by new hair.

This means, constantly the beard hair grows and renews itself, eventually resulting in different beard patterns. [1]

Tips To Maintain And Care For A Naturally Grown Beard

Once a beard is successfully grown, it’s time to maintain and care for it to let it remain longer and healthier than before.

• Keep the beard neat looking by regularly trimming it down.
• Apply good quality hair and skin care products over the beard such as beard gels or oils
• Never ignore caring for the beard. Keep the beard hair clean by washing the face with water and a gentle cleanser and use a shampoo followed by a conditioner to wash beard hair.
• Regularly visit a dermatologist or hair expert to prevent hair falls. [2]

References:

1. https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-grow-beard-naturally-at-home
2. https://blog.cult.fit/articles/how-to-grow-beard-naturally-at-home
3. https://www.timesnownews.com/health/tips-to-grow-a-thick-beard-naturally-article-93144597

Many men and even barbers believe that shaving beard hair can help increase the rate of beard hair growth. But is it true?

Most people are stuck with a dilemma when it comes to their beard growth. There are lot many myths about when it comes to growing beard hair and taking care of it. This article will bust one of the popular myths- that shaving can increase beard growth.

What is Responsible for Beard Growth?

Beard grows differently for every male. The main determining factors for full and fast beard hair growth are genetics and hormones. Other than these, lifestyle and habits can also affect the growth of a beard.

The rate of beard growth is dependent upon the amount of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) hormone produced by the body upon the action of the enzyme alpha-5 reductase to convert testosterone into DHT. Thus, low levels of testosterone or DHT can significantly affect beard growth. Other than this hormone, genes also play an important role. Some genes may result in a patchy or sparse beard while some may make the person more prone to grow a fuller beard. [3]

Does Shaving Help In Growing A Beard Faster Than Before?

No. It is an entirely century-old myth, a misconception of lot many people that shaving can help quickly grow a beard even though a scientific study in 1928 completely debunked the myth that facial hair grows faster after shaving. Many people still reiterate it as a fact or even swear on it, unaware that it is very far from reality. This myth may have shown up from the fact that after shaving the beard hair, the regrown hair is usually different from the earlier usual pattern of hair growth.

So, in reality, when a beard is trimmed, it has a coarse and blunt tip. Initially, when there is regrowth of the beard, men notice a rough, thick base and not the thinner, softer part of beard hair which will later grow back if allowed. Furthermore, the new beard hair aftershave seems to be much darker than earlier. This is mainly because of the thickness of beard hair. It could even be due to not yet exposure of newly grown hair to the factors such as sunlight, air, water, soaps, shaving creams, etc. Men who are fair-skinned may notice a much darker shade of their new beard hair. This is all because of the contrast in skin and hair color of the person and has nothing to do with the shaving process. [1]

What are the Factors That Affect How Fast A Beard Grows?

Although shaving is not scientifically proven to help increase beard growth. One must be aware of the factors that affect the beard growth rate to choose ways that allow them to have faster, natural beard growth. These includes:

1. Diet: Hair follicles are mostly composed of keratin protein. Thus adding protein sources to the daily diet can help men maintain a shiny beard that has grown back faster.
2. Multivitamins: Vitamins A, B, C, D, and E help in beard growth. The most common vitamin that is known to increase the rate of beard growth is biotin (a B complex protein). Most beard supplements have this as their key ingredient.
3. Type of Razor: The technique used by men to shave their beard can also affect the growth rate of the beard. Whether a person shaves daily or once a week is based on how low the beard is being cut. The overall growth of the beard is not affected. It has been noted that men who shave with a cartridge razor having a multi-blade design will have beards grow after long. This is because shaving with such a razor pulls the beard hair slightly up and cuts them. Whereas, shaving done with an electric razor does not give a close cut as other razors do. As a result, it may seem to most people that their beard hair is growing faster.
4. Exercising: Regular exercises can improve blood circulation which could further have an impact on how fast or slow beard hair grows. [2]

Some Tips To Encourage Beard Growth Naturally And Faster

Those men who are seeking natural ways to grow their beard may have sacrificed their potential and amazing beard hair with the hope that shaving would help them grow their beard faster at some point in their lives. Well, not to blame them, this myth sounds so convincing that many men fall for it. But now as most men are aware of the facts of beard growth, let’s learn about some of the ways that can help men grow beards faster.

1. Drink plenty of water– Water is essential for fuller and faster beard growth.
2. Eat a healthy diet– A healthy and nutritious diet must incorporate appropriate vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, zinc, and beta-carotene to help the beard grow. Other than it must include iron-rich foods, healthy fats, lean proteins, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
3. Take supplements– A person may take multivitamin supplements containing iron and zinc too if their diet is lacking them to help in beard growth.
4. Stop smoking– Smoking cigarettes can hamper blood circulation to hair follicles, thereby causing slower than normal beard growth.
5. Keep beard hair clean– Wash the beard with a shampoo and conditioner to keep it dirt and oil-free and make the beard softer and healthier, which could help the beard grow faster.
6. Clean and exfoliate face– Daily wash face with a gentle cleanser and exfoliate it once a week to avoid the build-up of dead skin cells that could plug hair follicles and impede beard growth.
7. Manage stress– Men who take a lot of stress are not able to have smooth and good beard growth as their body starts producing a lot of cortisol that prevents beard growth. By regular exercising and taking proper sleep, men can manage their stress and at the same time allows the damaged cells to repair themselves and encourage beard growth. [1, 2, 3]

References:

1. https://manmatters.com/blog/does-shaving-increase-beard-growth/
2. https://beardoholic.com/does-shaving-make-facial-hair-grow-faster/
3. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-to-grow-beard-faster