It’s so dang curly.

Instead of that long, flowing Viking mane, you were going for, you’ve got a round, bushy beard instead.

What’s the deal? And is there any way to “fix” it?

Don’t you worry, our bearded friend. Because not only are we going to show you how to straighten a curly beard, we’ll also fill you in on what makes some beards curly – and why it may not be such a bad thing after all.

Keep reading to learn three ways to straighten your beard.

Why are some beards curly?

Before we get to the ‘how’ of straightening your beard, let’s take a quick look at the ‘why’. As in, why are some beards naturally straight, while others are naturally curly.

There are a few main reasons for this, ranging from genetic to hygienic.

For starters, there’s the shape of your follicle. That’s the tiny little cavity that your hair grows out of.

There are all kinds of different follicle shapes, from those that are roughly 90 degrees or perpendicular to your skin to those that run nearly parallel to your skin, with varying positions in between.

The straighter your follicle, the straighter your hair. The more curved or parallel the follicle, the more wavy, curly, or kinky your hair.

And the shape of your follicles often differs across different parts of your body. For instance, you might have straight hair on your head and a curly beard. Or straight hair on your arms and curly hair, ahem, down there.

The shape of your hair itself also plays a role. Yes, believe it or not, hair does come in different shapes, from round to oval to flat oval. The rounder the hair, the straighter.

Unfortunately, both your hair shape and your follicle shape are mostly genetic, so there’s not much you can do to change them.

But there is another less permanent reason for increased curliness or waviness in your beard, and that’s dryness.

What causes beard dryness?

Washing your beard too much is a common one, especially if you use harsh shampoos. On the other hand, letting your beard get too dirty can cause dryness too.

And there’s also the issue of hydration. A dehydrated body means dehydrated skin, which leads to a dryer, rougher – and yes, sometimes curlier – beard. So, make sure to drink your water!

Also, invest in good beard oil. Not only will it keep your beard hydrated, but it’s also great for your mane’s overall health and appearance too. It’s a must-have for any beardsman.

Finally, whether it’s the hair on your face or your head, the longer it is, the straighter it lies. As if you needed any more excuse to keep growing out that glorious beard.

Advantages and disadvantages of curly beards

If you’re reading this article, chances are you’ve already got a beef or two with your curly hair.

But we figure it’s a good idea to lay out all of the pros and cons of curly beards upfront, so you’re completely informed before you start grooming.

Here are the advantages of wavy or curly beards:

• Healthy, masculine appearance
• Thicker and fuller than straight beards
• Easy to straighten; but it’s difficult to make a straight beard curly

These are some of the reasons that a lot of guys with straight beards actually envy their curly bearded bros. But as they say, the grass is always greener on the other side.

Because there are disadvantages of curly beards too. Here are a few of the biggest ones:

• Can be harder to care for (tangles, food crumbs, etc.)
• Hair sits closer to the skin, which can cause irritation or even acne
• Up to three times shorter than straight beards, despite growing at the same speed

Are you sold on the straight -bearded look? We’ll tell you how to straighten your beard below.

3 Ways to straighten your beard

Alright, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. Here are three ways to straighten your beard, from least to most effective. We’ll start with teaching you how to straighten your beard naturally – but we’ll also show you how to straighten your beard with a straightener too.

1. Using a brush and/or beard balm

If you’re a laid back kinda guy – or you’d rather not use heat on your beard – this first method is perfect for you. It’s the most natural way to do things, allowing you to straighten your beard without heat, and it also requires the least equipment.

In fact, all you need is a good beard brush, a good beard balm, or preferably both.

For best results, you might want to consider a beard balm with specific relaxing properties, like Bossman Relaxing Beard Balm.

Not only will a quality balm help get your hair straight, but it’ll also help keep it that way.

Just keep in mind that, overall, this heat-less method will provide the least straightening of the three we have listed here.

Once you’ve got your toolbox together, here’s what you should do:

1. Give your beard a good wash, using a well-made shampoo or soap.
2. Towel dry your beard – or let it dry naturally if you prefer, you madman.
3. Apply beard balm or relaxing cream evenly and work it into your beard.
4. Get to brushin’. Start with the sides of your beard, before moving down to the front and bottom. Apply some tension and a little elbow grease, but don’t go overboard.
5. Touch your beard up with a little extra balm or oil after your straightening session for extra hold.

2. Using a brush and a blow dryer

If you want your beard straighter than you can manage without heat and you already have a blow dryer lying around, this next method is worth checking out.

You’ll still be using a beard brush and balm, but the addition of the blow dryer will provide much better – that is, straighter – results.

That being said, it’s not quite as effective as method #3, which you can read about below. But on the plus side, it doesn’t require any special equipment, and you won’t be applying heat directly to your beard.

Before we get started, a word on temperatures. The hotter the blow dryer setting you use, the straighter it’ll get your beard. But it also has the potential to cause more damage to your hair.

One study showed damage at 95°C / 203°F. And yet the damage was actually comparable to letting the hair dry naturally after shampooing.

So, it’s ultimately up to you on what temperature you use.

With that out of the way, here’s how to properly straighten your beard with a blow dryer:

1. Using a shampoo or soap made specifically for beards, give yours a good wash.
2. Pat your beard down with your towel, until it’s still damp but not dripping wet.
3. Add a little beard balm or oil to the mix. Work it in there good.
4. Turn your blow dryer on. Check the comments above before deciding on a heat. But hotter settings will provide better straightening.
5. Begin moving the blow dryer back and forth over your beard, trying to keep it in constant motion and around 6 inches or 15 centimeters away from your beard.
6. Starting at your cheeks, brush your beard hair downwards. Keep your strokes short and smooth.
7. Once the sides of your beard are looking good, you can move down to your chin and neck.
8. Adding a little more balm after you’re down can help lock in that straight look for longer.

3. Using a heated brush or flat iron

For the straightest possible beard, with the least amount of work, we’d recommend using a heated brush. It’s the overall best way to straighten a beard.

You could also use a flat iron, but honestly, it’s a lot of extra hassle. Why? Because they’re actually made for straightening women’s hair, which is a lot longer and a lot fuller than even the bushiest of beards.

For that reason, it uses a larger, flat surface to straighten hair, and this can be really difficult to manage and maneuver on your beard, especially if you don’t want to burn your face off. And we’re assuming you don’t.

Of course, if your girlfriend (or your mom) already has a straightening iron you can use, you can give it a try.

But we much prefer using a heated brush – and think you will too. They’re super easy to use and super effective. There are even some made specifically for use with beards, like the KUSCHËLBAR.

Using a heated brush to straighten your beard isn’t much different from using a normal brush, but we’ve provided some steps to follow below for best results:

1. Start by washing your beard. Make sure to use a good beard shampoo or soap.
2. Dry your beard. Since you’ll be applying heat, it doesn’t have to be perfectly dry. In fact, leaving it slightly damp will make it easier to straighten.
3. Work your beard balm or relaxing cream into your beard. Don’t be shy.
4. Turn on your brush to the desired heat setting, allowing it to heat up. Studies have shown 185°C / 385°F to be pretty much the sweet spot for maximum straightening without damaging hair.
5. Again, start from the cheeks and brush downwards, using short motions. You should brush about 25% of your normal brushing speed but keep the brush moving. It should only require a couple of passes. Anything more risks damaging your hair – or making it too straight.
6. Now, move on to the chin, using a downward motion for short to medium beards. Fellas with longer beards can consider brushing to the side.
7. Don’t forget the neck. Get down there and give it a good brushin’.
8. Once your hair’s all straight like, you may want to go back with your normal, unheated beard brush and touch it up to give it the overall shape you want.
9. Reapplying a bit of beard balm can help add some extra hold to your new ‘do.

Frequently asked questions

Here are some quick and easy answers to the most common questions we receive about beard straightening.

How to straighten short beard hair?

The shorter hair is, the curlier it tends to be, so the easiest and most effective way to straighten a shorter beard is by using a heated beard brush, like the KUSCHELBÄR. It’s a lot easier to use than a straightening iron.

We walk you through the process step by step in the section on ‘Using a heated brush or flat iron’ above.

It’s possible to tame your short beard hair at home, as long as you have the right tools. You should be able to straighten a short beard in three easy steps:

1) Wash and clean your beard thoroughly with a gentle shampoo and conditioner

2) Comb your beard hair and apply heat protectant spray

3) Use a flat iron to straighten the hair slowly, section by section

How to straighten your beard without heat?

You can achieve a straighter beard with just a beard balm, combined with a good brushing. Depending on your hair type, it probably won’t be as effective as using heat, but it’ll still make a big difference.

We cover both methods in detail above, under the ‘3 Ways to straighten your beard’ section.

Will heat damage your beard hair?

If you apply too much heat or for too long or too often, yes, it can damage your hair. However, when used properly, using a blow dryer or heated brush on your beard shouldn’t cause any major issues.

The hair on your head is usually a different texture than the hair on your face, so don’t use the same temperature setting you would for your head. If you want to be extra careful, try using a lower temperature first.

You can always increase the heat if it doesn’t work well enough. Also, be sure to use a heat-protecting product before applying the heat. This can help reduce the chances of damage and also make it easier for your beard to straighten smoothly.

How often should I straighten my beard?

The more often you straighten your beard, the straighter it’ll be, obviously. But applying heat to your beard every day can cause damage. So, it’s best to use heated straightening sparingly, maybe once a week, and then maintain with natural methods.

See the sections above for a step-by-step guide to both heated and natural straightening methods.

Do I have to wash my beard before straightening?

A freshly washed beard will be slightly more pliable and thus easier to straighten. And we wouldn’t recommend straightening a dirty beard. But it’s not totally necessary to wash right before straightening, as long as it’s relatively clean.

Conclusion

So, there you have it: everything you need to know about straightening your beard, from why your beard is curly in the first place to both natural and heated methods for beard straightening.

Put these tools to work and your newly straightened, lengthened beard will be the envy of all your bros.

What’s your favorite way to straighten your beard? Let us know your favorite tips and tricks in the comments!

From actually producing the follicles to cultivating them into something approximating a style, every step of the beadsman’s journey presents persistent challenges. And that’s why so many men make terrible mistakes with their facial fuzz.

The cruel thing about beard mistakes is they’re very often unapparent to the poor sap who’s making them; every day you see someone wandering around with a neckline that’s too high, and think to yourself ‘how does he not see the problem?’

But the truth is, we’re all liable to make these mistakes – and there are absolutely tons of them!

So if you’ve ever had any doubts about how you should be managing your beard – if you’ve ever wondered ‘should I shave my neck when growing a beard?’ but had no real way of answering – we’ve got you covered.

In this article, we’re going to cover the 12 most common – and most disastrous – beard mistakes we see on a pretty much daily basis.

But not only that:

We’re also going to give you plenty of solid advice as to how to avoid these mistakes, or at least fix them once you’ve made them.

So without further ado, let’s jump right into the very most common mistake – impatience!

12 Common Beard Mistakes You Should Avoid at All Costs

1. Being Impatient

Too many men are under the impression that they simply aren’t capable of growing the kind of full, luscious beard that they desire. After a few months’ patchy growth, they get discouraged and defeated, chop the whole thing off, and pretend they never wanted a beard in the first place.

We get it: it’s frustrating.

But the truth is, you’re not alone.

The average beard growth is ½ an inch per month – hardly what you’d call fast. The speed at which you grow a beard depends on all sorts of factors, from your age to your genetics to the amount of testosterone in your system.

But even if you are on the slower side of things, there are plenty of things you can do to promote faster, thicker growth – from changing your diet and exercise routine to grabbing yourself some Minoxidil.

But the only thing you really need to avoid is impatience.

As the old saying goes, if something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing badly until you can do it well. And that’s definitely true of growing a beard: perseverance is always necessary, and if you can manage to stick with it, very few men truly ‘can’t’ grow a perfectly solid beard.

2. Careless trimming

Just like impatience, carelessness is a serious problem for many a beardsman.

Let’s be real:

Maintaining a really good beard does take time and effort. And for lots of us, that time is tough to find in our tight schedules.

That, however, is no excuse.

Maybe you’ve woken up and noticed a slight asymmetry in your sideburns; maybe you’ve got a couple of excess whiskers on your upper lip you want to get rid of. And you think, ‘oh, I’ll just have a quick trim and it’ll all be good’.

But the truth is, it won’t.

So many beard mistakes happen simply because a lack of care was taken in a relatively simple task – from accidentally shaving off the sideburns to leaving random patches in your cheeks.

The best way to avoid this is simply to put aside plenty of time every morning – even if you don’t need to shave every day – in order to correct any problems or do bits of detailing where necessary.

3. Using a shaver for everything

This is particularly pertinent for those who are prone to impatience or carelessness: using a shaver to try and get rid of outlying hairs.

While you might have a really great quality shaver – though that’s another point to discuss below! – you simply can’t rely on it for everything.

Getting a good pair of beard scissors will make little bits of upkeep like this way easier, and help avoid that horrible moment when you accidentally take off quite a bit more hair than intended…

The days of having to use one tool for everything are long over. It’s true that your electric shaver is great for trimming your beard when you’re in a hurry, but it’s not going to give you the precision and control that you need when it comes to shaping your beard.

The reason is that a shaver will cut at every angle, which can leave you with an uneven beard if you’re not careful.

4. Shaving too high on your neckline

We’ve all seen this one: the beard neckline that’s a touch too high and makes the man look utterly ludicrous.

The problem is, it makes sense that people do this: it seems like the ‘clean’ thing to do, to just ‘neaten up’ the inevitable growth on your neck.

At best, it looks a little shapeless; at worst, it’s like you don’t have a jaw.

One way to remedy this is to thin out the whole beard and start again; while not ideal, it will save you some real embarrassment.

To avoid it happening in the first place, you need to imagine a curved line between both of your ears – passing underneath your chin – and use it as a guide when figuring out where to stop trimming on the neckline.

5. Not learning the skills

Crafting yourself a beard that really suits you requires skill, and many simply never develop it.

This is a particularly common mistake for first-time beardsmen: not actually practicing the skills involved in maintaining a beard.

It’s all very well to assume you know what you’re doing with a razor. But the reality is, nobody is born able to beautifully detail or achieve an immaculately clean shave.

While it might seem silly or time-consuming, actually looking up proper techniques and practicing them will be about as good an investment as you can make.

The mistake here is really growing a beard without the ability to properly shape and style it; this leads to all sorts of unfortunate looks, where men who really ought to have a very carefully chosen beard just have a sort of wall of fuzz hanging off their face.

Though of course, which skills you need depends on what kind of equipment you use…

6. Using poor equipment

This is another rookie error: the assumption that tools don’t matter.

There is such a huge variety of products on the market, it can be completely paralyzing trying to figure out which ones are right for your needs, and which ones are best for your budget.

The mistake is just saying ‘screw it’ and deciding to stick with simple, ineffective tools that don’t cost much but which you don’t have to think too much about.

Apart from being less effective, bad quality equipment tends to get damaged and decay more quickly and makes the whole experience of looking after your beard far less pleasant.

Finding good quality reviews will help you whittle down your search and understand exactly what it is you need and how much you ought to be paying for it.

And having the right equipment will totally transform your beard routine.

7. Not brushing/combing it

Brushing your beard is not simply about keeping it neat.

But that assumption leads a ton of men to just ignore the need for brushing and assume their ‘wild’ look doesn’t need it.

I’ll let you in on a secret: even men who want that ‘unkempt’ look need to brush their beards.

You need to make sure you have the right comb for your needs, and that might be a small investment.

But it will be worth it: brushing helps train your hairs to grow downwards, making the beard easier to maintain. And it helps combat dandruff and general uncleanliness.

But perhaps most pertinently, it really helps evenly distribute and make the most of your beard oil…

8. Not using beard oil

Like having the right equipment, having the right care products is also essential. And perhaps even more easily and commonly overlooked.

Beard oil – when applied daily – helps keep the skin underneath your beard clean and moisturized; improve the appearance of your beard to make it shiny and healthy-looking; makes it easier to shave and maintain; and reduces itchiness and irritation to almost zero.

However, many men seem to think beard oil is an optional add on – or worse, a con!

The mistake here is really assuming that your beard is fine by itself, and doesn’t need any support or maintenance beyond your shaving routine. And that’s a real killer because the skin beneath your beard is just as important as the beard itself…

9. Thinking about your beard as independent

One of the easiest mistakes to make is thinking of your beard as somehow independent from the rest of your aesthetic.

Plenty of men put tons of thought into their beard and how to cultivate it correctly, but never actually realize that their beard totally doesn’t gel with their hair, or their facial shape, or their clothes.

People don’t atomize your appearance – they experience you as a complete package. And therefore you’ve got to take into consideration everything you’re presenting.

Too many men have great beards with completely uncomplimentary hair cut; plenty have wild, hipster beards with a vaguely corporate aesthetic.

There are absolutely no rights and wrongs – it’s just important not to have a total mismatch going on.

Getting advice here is crucial: ask your friends whether they think your beard really matches the rest of your look.

You’ll be able to tell what they think just from their reaction.

10. Washing incorrectly

There really is nothing more important than hygiene. Yet many budding beardsmen seem to think their beard is not part of that equation.

We’ve all seen men with great, well style beards which, despite the evident effort to detail and shape them, just look kind of gross.

And while some claim that this is intentional, that it’s ‘part of their look’, it’s hard to really believe any man wants to look unclean. You might as well leave food crumbs in it…

Washing your beard is especially important if you spend a lot of time exercising or working outside. But even if you’re stuck inside all day every day, your beard will still accumulate dirt, grease, and all the rest.

Now, many men make the related mistake of washing their beards with normal hair shampoo.

The problem there is that the shampoo tends to strip the beard of its natural oils, leaving the underlying skin irritable and itchy.

While using beard oil will partly remedy this, it is generally best to find an actual beard shampoo, and use it at least once a week.

11. Neglecting the mustache

The mustache, for many, is the least glamorous facet of facial hair.

While many a man has rocked an exceptional ‘tache…

Plenty more have inflicted unholy monstrosities on us with their upper lip fuzz..

Because of this, many men simply overlook the mustache entirely, focusing on their beard and just sort of matching their ‘tache to that.

This is a mistake, because the mustache actually offers a range of possibilities to add a little extra subtly and style to your beard.

At the very least, it ought to be considered a key part of the day-to-day styling and maintaining of your beard.

But ideally, men should really be utilizing their mustaches in fun and interesting ways.

That is, as long as it suits them to do so…

12. Pretending to be someone you’re not

Great grooming is all about accentuating your strongest features.

But too often, men style their beards as if they wish they were someone else.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with trying to reinvent yourself or experiment with your style. The problem comes when it seems like your beard is doing the heavy lifting, and nothing else about you is changing with it.

With such a huge variety of beards to choose from, there is always going to be a beard which suits your specific features and your specific personality.

When you find the beard that does fit who you really are, it will always look better and more naturally than whatever trendy style you’ve decided to emulate.

Ultimately, grooming should be a way of embracing and enjoying who you are, not masking it. So rather than thinking that a beard is some kind of man makeup that will hide who you really are, you need to focus on finding a style that allows you to channel the best aspects of yourself.

Conclusion

So there we have it: the 12 biggest beard mistakes we see people making.

Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list: we’re sure plenty of you have your own pet peeves, and we’d love to hear about them below.

What beard mistakes have you made in your journey to become a true beardsman? What advice would you give your younger, less beardy self? And how do you make sure you avoid these mistakes in your own life?

Let us know in the comments below, and please feel free to send this article over to anyone you know who could use a little help avoiding the pitfalls of beard-dom.

Well, sort of.

While growing facial hair certainly gives you a look with more style and character, letting that hair go wild may give you a bit too much character.

Getting that well-groomed look means keeping your hair in check, and not just the hair on your face.

Grooming tips for men include keeping track of any body hair that threatens to break out and do a little dance of its own.

Let’s face it, people will notice if you are making grooming mistakes, and it is much better to find that nose hair on your own than to have your significant other point it out to you.

Don’t worry, you don’t need to spend a day in a man spa, or even a lot of time getting ready in the morning to make sure you have that well-groomed look.

All you need are a few minutes now and then to follow these 8 easy grooming tips to make sure your hair doesn’t have a mind of its own.

#1 Trim Your Mustache and Beard

Remember when you didn’t have a mustache or beard? You probably had to shave every day. Well, guess what? Your facial hair is still growing, and it still needs a weekly trim to keep it in check.

Messy beards may work for the Duck Dynasty guys, but most of us do better with a neat and trim look.

Nothing fancy required. Just use a beard trimmer to go over everything lightly and cut it all the same length (or you could leave the goatee area a little longer). Make sure the edges where the hair ends are neat and crisp.

#2 Control Your Eyebrows

I bet you haven’t even noticed whether your eyebrows are out of control. Real men don’t pluck their eyebrows, so don’t worry, these grooming tips for men aren’t going to make you get out your tweezers.

However, at least once a month you do need to take a look at those things above your eyes and see if they look like clean, fully separated eyebrows or bushy caterpillars that are threatening to scare the neighbor children.

Don’t let your eyebrows become more frightening than Frankenstein’s. Keep them in check by trimming them with a small pair of scissors once or twice a month or so.

#3 Banish Nose Hair

Though it’s a small detail, trimming your nose hair is one of the most important steps you can take to maintain your appearance. But it’s a tricky area, so be careful when you’re using scissors or a clipper. If you use the wrong tool, you could experience discomfort or even pain if you accidentally come into contact with the septum (the tissue that divides the two nostrils).

The best way to trim nose hair is to use a specialized trimmer, like the Gillette Styler. This device features a guard that prevents injuries and ensures easy and safe grooming.
Top grooming tip for men: no one finds nose hair attractive. Moreover, just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean other people can’t.

Most people probably look up at you from below, especially if you are tall. You don’t want them paying more attention to your nose hair than your smile.

So get rid of it. Get a nose hair trimmer and it is gone in less than a minute. Just do it.

#4 Ear Hair Be Gone

The older men get, the more prone they are to growing hair in odd places, like their ears.

Unfortunately, you may not even notice hair on your ears unless you look. Grab a side mirror and take a close inspection. If you don’t, someone else probably will. Luckily, you can use the same trimmer you use on your nose.

What should you trim?

Pretty much anything you can see. Check both the inside and outside of your ears but don’t dig into your ear, just trim until you can’t see the ends of hairs.

#5 Have a Naked Neck

Now this is one of those grooming tips for men that you can easily forget because whoever does your hair probably trims the hair on your neck too.

However, those neck hairs grow back just as fast as a beard. Unless you get a weekly trim, you need to neaten up that neckline at least a couple of times a week.

How?

You can shave with hair clippers or trimmers in less than a minute, or you can shave it with a regular or electric razor just like you would a beard. Shave from the bottom of your hair to underneath your collar for a neat look.

#6 Don’t Stumble over Stubble

According to 2013 Australian study, women found “heavy stubble” of about 10 days growth to be the most attractive type of facial hair.

While the unshaven look may make a man seem dashing and carefree, you actually may have to work harder to keep stubble looking good than you would a beard.

If being a babe magnet is your aim, spend some time with a stubble trimmer and scissors to trim that four o’clock shadow to keep it from looking sloppy.

#7 Get the Right Tools

Another chance to buy tools. Not that a nose trimmer is as exciting as a chainsaw, but you still owe it to yourself to get some quality equipment for manly grooming.

Every guy knows that when you have the right tools the job goes a lot easier.

So invest in the tools you need for following these grooming tips for men.

What should you get? A good investment would be a nose and ear trimmer, some scissors, a beard or stubble trimmer and a razor for your neck.

#8 Find a Routine

Set up a routine to make this work. The goal should be to make it fast and easy.

What is a good schedule?

That depends on how thick your androgenic hair grows–but a general rule is to trim your beard and mustache twice a week, nose, ears and the back of your neck weekly, and eyebrows once or twice a month.

Just like your car runs smoother when you do regular maintenance, your style will be smoother when you follow these grooming tips for men to:

• Get the right grooming tools and find a routine.
• Trim your mustache and beard twice a week, or shape your stubble.
• Neaten your eyebrows bi-monthly.
• Eliminate ear and nose hair weekly.
• Shave the nape of your neck once every week or every other week.

Fortunately, products such as beard balm help provide a foundation for savvy beard grooming. A quality balm serves a variety of functions, as we’ll discuss in this post about to how to use (and apply) beard balm.

The best balms, such as the Honest Amish Beard Balm and Conditioner  are an invaluable resource to include in your grooming arsenal.

While there’s nothing overly complicated about how to apply and use beard balm there are ways to use it that maximize its benefits while making your beard look and feel better. Let’s take a look at the steps involved in the process:

Here are some things you should keep in mind before using a beard balm

All things considered, beard balm is an effective and affordable way to care for your facial hair. It can be used in conjunction with any other products you may already use, and it doesn’t take a lot of maintenance or effort to see results. While you might not see a dramatic transformation overnight, if you’re going the DIY route, it’s certainly worth a try.

How to use a beard balm in a way that maximizes its benefits includes a variety of factors.

For one, we recommend using balms that include all-natural rather than synthetic ingredients.

Synthetic ingredients – such as sealants – can irritate your facial skin and damage beard follicles.

Balms that contain all-natural ingredients and sealants such as shea butter, lanolin, and beeswax will help hold your beard in place, soften beard hair and reduce skin irritation.

A good balm also moisturizes your skin and beard without sealing in dryness or making your beard brittle and prone to split ends and breakage. If your beard is patchy or thin, a balm that contains shea butter is a good choice because it helps beard hair appear thicker.

Why your beard’s length is important when you apply balm

Beard balm is thicker than most other beard grooming products, which is easy to tell just by looking at it.

Because it’s thicker, beard balm – in general – works ideally on thicker, longer beards. By longer, we mean when your beard’s follicles are at least 1.5 inches in length.

One of the reasons beard length is that the thicker and longer the beard, the more you need a product that provides a firm hold.

That’s not to say the beard balm isn’t as effective on shorter beards, however.

Far from it.

Balm offers many of the benefits of beard oil – such as providing moisture and relieving beard itch – and the shea butter found in most balms provides a superior hold regardless of beard length.

In general, however, beard balm is your go-to product when your beard becomes thicket-like, more prone to stray hairs, and harder to tame when you’re going for a sculpted look.

But can I use beard balm and beard oil together?

There’s some debate among grooming experts regarding whether it’s wise to use beard balm and beard oil together.

Some say you should use one or the other, but not both, while others say a combination of balm and oil packs a powerful one-two punch that’s hard to beat. So, we’ll let you decide whether they can work hand-in-hand, but here’s how to use beard oil and balm together.

• Begin by applying beard oil shortly after you’ve finished showering. How much you apply depends on the length and thickness of your beard but, in general, a few drops should suffice at the start. You can always apply more if needed.
• After you’ve rubbed the oil between your fingers and massaged it into your beard (and down to the skin underneath) use a quality beard brush – preferably boar bristle – or beard comb to distribute it throughout your facial hairs evenly. The bristles of a beard brush will penetrate every layer of your beard while exfoliating the skin to get rid of dead skin cells. A comb will massage the skin beneath your beard and stimulate better blood circulation to that area of your face.
• Your next step is to apply beard balm to your beard and mustache. Work the balm through your beard with your fingers and then use a beard brush or comb to distribute it evenly. The balm adds additional moisture and tames stray beard and mustache hairs, and even adds a touch of shine.

Another way to use both beard oil and balm on your beard is to use one in the morning and one at bedtime. Beard balm offers a great solution for when you wake up with bed-beard – you know, the one with pillow dents and unruly stray hairs.

While you can also use beard oil in the morning, and many men do, you can choose to apply it just before you go to bed to keep it soft and moisturized as you sleep.

Beard oil is also a good option when you’re going on a date because most of them come in great scents (so does beard balm, for that matter, although a balm’s fragrance may not be as strong as beard oil).

Be careful to make sure the fragrance isn’t overpowering because A) subtle is always better, especially if the scent isn’t particularly to your date’s liking, and B) some people have allergic reactions to fragrances, including headaches.

If things get, ahem, particularly romantic (and physical) with your date, you may need to use a balm in the morning to re-shape your beard into its original style.

When To Apply Beard Balm is Another Important Step to Keep in Mind

Is there a right and wrong time to apply beard balm? Strictly speaking, no – but most men’s grooming experts say that applying your balm after you first get out of the shower is the ideal time.

You’ll want to gently pat some of the excess moisture out of your beard with your towel, but you also want to leave it slightly damp because that allows you to work the balm into your facial hair and skin more easily.

Once you’ve reduced your beard’s moisture to the “damp” stage, comb or brush it to remove tangles and knots, or stray hairs that have already fallen out.

Note: A multitude of loose hairs isn’t a reason to panic. It’s normal to lose facial hair every day. If you feel like you’re shedding more hair than normal, then try using a comb instead of a brush.

Whichever grooming tool you use, however, do yourself a favor and use a brush with bristles made of boar’s hair and not a comb that’s not handmade – such as the plastic kind you can purchase almost anywhere for a few bucks.

Mass manufactured combs and brushes often wreak havoc on your beard.

The How-To of Applying Balm to Your Beard (A simple, illustrated guide)

STEP 1:

Once you’ve combed your beard to get rid of tangles, it’s time to get out your container of balm and get down to business.

The first thing to keep in mind is that – like with many grooming products – less is more when applying balm, although how much beard balm to use can vary from man to man and beard to beard.

STEP 2:

In any case, use your thumb or index finger to scoop out a small amount balm, about the size of your fingernail or a marble. You can make the balm more pliable before removing it from the tin by rubbing your index finger over it in circular motions until it softens.

STEP 3:

Next, melt the balm by rubbing it between your hands until it has almost the consistency of oil. Make sure you coat both palms and all of your fingers.

STEP 4:

You also want to make sure that the balm reaches your skin as you’re applying it.

You don’t need to bend your fingers like a claw to “dig” the balm into your skin, but instead keep your fingers flat and rub deeply.

Using your fingertips and fingernails to rub in the balm as if you’re itching your face can damage beard hairs and cause split-ends.

STEP 5:

To apply the balm, start at the base of your beard and work your way up to your sideburns while making sure every area and hair of your beard gets coated with the balm.

You can use any excess balm that’s left in your hands in a variety of ways, including as a lotion or body moisturizer if you so choose.

Some men even use it to moisturize their tattoos (an important step for keeping your tatts looking fresh and colorful).

STEP 6:

Use a beard comb, preferably one made of wood, to evenly distribute the balm throughout your beard while also helping to shape it into your preferred look.

How Often Should I Use Beard Balm?

Some grooming products, like beard shampoo, aren’t meant for daily use because they can strip your skin of its natural oils.

That’s not the case with beard balm, however, and the question of how often to use a beard balm isn’t at all complicated: you can, and should, use it daily.

After all, balm helps moisturize your beard and facial skin, which addresses the issue of robbing your skin of needed oils, and keep your beard soft and manageable.

How often you use a balm may also depend on your individual need, the length of your beard, your motivation, and so on. But a daily application of balm will enhance, and not hurt, the overall health of your beard.

Why Use Beard Balm? Because it Comes With Many Benefits

We’ve already touched on some of beard balm’s benefits while discussing how to use and apply it. But it never hurts to take a deeper look. Here’s a look at some reasons why you should use beard balm:

Beard balm helps to soften those dry, brittle whiskers

You’ll often hear beard balm referred to as a leave-in conditioner because it handles the same duties as conditioners for your hair, i.e., it conditions, moisturizes, softens, and helps style your beard.

All are essential for maintaining a well-kept beard, not the least of which is softening your facial follicles.

Balm is one of the best products for softening your beard while keeping it from looking dry and frizzled. It also helps prevent split ends that can negatively affect your beard’s look and its overall health.

The carrier oils and butter used to make beard balms work together to keep your beard soft and healthy-looking.

Carrier oil comes from several types of plants, including jojoba, which closely replicate sebum oil while compensating for its loss.

If your skin is frequently dry, or if you live in a cold or dry climate, you may have a hard time keeping up with your skin’s natural depletion of sebum oil.

Beard balm is a good weapon to have in the fight against beardruff

There’s no reason to become alarmed if you notice white, dry, pesky flakes on your beard and the skin underneath when you first grow a beard.

After all, beardruff is a common occurrence, albeit one that’s a source of aggravation for many men.

Beardruff happens, in part, when the beard follicles deplete your supply of sebum oil, which is naturally produced by your skin and keeps things lubricated.

The longer your beard gets, the higher your odds of getting beardruff because your follicles need more oil and moisture to keep up with the beard’s length.

Fortunately, beard balm contains butter and carrier oil, among other ingredients, which serve to moisturize your beard and keep beardruff at bay. Both contain ingredients which closely resemble and mimic sebum oil.

Beard balm will help eliminate the itching that’s driving you crazy

Itching skin underneath your beard can occur at any time, but especially during its early growth stages.

The itching can become so unbearable that some men decide to abort the mission and shave.

But there’s no need to take such drastic measures, gents, because a product like beard balm treats your skin, not just your whiskers.

Indeed, the butters used to make beard balm provide long-lasting hydration while beeswax provides an additional layer of protection the seals the moisture into your skin and hair.

Beard balm will help you to keep your stray beard hairs at bay

While beard balm doesn’t have the holding power as beard wax, it does provide a decent hold and is suitable for use as a light styling gel.

Some men use hair gel on their beard, thinking that it will provide the same type of hold but, the fact is, beard hair and the hair on your scalp are two different things.

Many hair gels contain chemicals that may damage and irritate the skin on your face and sap its moisture, neither of which make them an attractive alternative to beard balm.

Besides, your beard hair is of a different texture, so hair gel isn’t going to provide anything near the firm hold it provides to the hair on top of your head.

But, to be clear, its “hold” isn’t beard balm’s primary selling point.

Thanks to beeswax, however, it can help keep unruly beard hairs, and your preferred beard style, in place. If you’ve ever wondered how the complex construction of a beehive stays in place without falling apart, you only have to look as far as its beeswax.

The stuff is strong.

Another benefit of the beard balm is that it gives your beard a healthy gloss – but not so much of a gloss that your beard is a shiny as a pompadour – and it helps add volume to your whiskers.

Tired of those knots and tangles in your beard? Try beard balm

If you have a beard of normal length or more, you know the sensation of running a brush or comb through whiskers that have become knotted or tangled. It’s not a pleasant experience, unless you’re into that sort of thing.

But, because it helps to soften your beard and make it more pliable, beard balm can eliminate gnarly tangles and eliminate the potential discomfort of styling your beard.

How it smells is another reason to love beard balm

Not all beard balms share the same scent but most of them smell pretty damn good.

Essential oils provide most of a balm’s aroma and come in a wide variety of scents – everything from woodsy fragrances to peppermint to, well, you name it.

The shea and cocoa butter used to make beard balm also have their own scent, although they’re less noticeable than essential oils.

The highest quality balms are often scented with natural essential oils, and not with chemical-based ingredients that can irritate the skin and leave your beard feeling brittle and dry.

Beard Balm, Beard Oil, Beard Wax – What’s the Difference?

Don’t worry about options if you want to start using products on your beard to help make it look and feel its best.

Beard balm, beard oil, and beard wax are all different products that help you maintain your beard and keep it looking great. While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, these products can be used together to achieve a well-groomed look.

There are several types of products you can use, including beard balm, that handle everything from cleaning your beard (like beard shampoo) to holding it in place.

Beard balm, beard oil, and beard wax can serve similar purposes but are decidedly different products.

Let’s take a closer look at each product, including its purpose, ingredients, and advantages.

Beard balm

You’ll often hear beard balm described as the lovechild of “oil and wax.”

The primary reason for that is that balm combines the conditioning ingredients of oil with the hold of a wax. The balm is kind of like putting wax and oil in a blender and mixing them.

Most beard balms include beeswax and butter – usually shea or cocoa butter.

It has the consistency of lip balm or lighter hair wax, and comes in a paste that’s easy to shape in your hands before applying it to your beard.

A beard balm’s list of ingredients also includes essential and carrier oils, hence the similarities with beard oil.

But while beard oil conditions and moisturizes your beard, beard balm has the additional benefit of helping to hold your beard’s “style” in place after you’ve shaped it with a beard brush or comb.

Beeswax keeps the balm in a solid state and provides the bit of hold that helps set balm apart.

Balm doesn’t have the same holding power as beard wax, mind you, but it can tame those pesky stray hairs that stick out like a sore thumb on an otherwise well-sculpted beard. The more beeswax a balm has, the stronger its hold.

Beeswax also helps hold moisture in, which is helpful when your beard becomes longer and its follicles deplete your skin’s natural oils.

The butter used to make balms helps provide needed moisture to your beard and the skin underneath it, while it also makes balm easier to spread.

Shea butter, for instance, can reduce wrinkles on the skin while also softening it. In turn, that leads to less itching and irritated, dry skin.

Cocoa butter serves a similar purpose in balm as shea butter, i.e., it moisturizes and heals irritated skin. You’ll also find aloe butter in many balms and it, too, hydrates the skin while healing irritation.

As mentioned, many men’s grooming experts say that beard balm works best on longer and thicker beards. But you can use balm on shorter beards because of its moisturizing qualities.

Beard oil

The primary difference between beard oil and beard balm is that oil doesn’t provide “hold,” but instead nourishes your beard while making it smoother and softer to the touch.

A quality beard oil sinks deeply along a beard follicle’s shaft – all the way to its root and the skin.

If your beard itches, a common occurrence in the early stages of its growth but also anytime when your skin becomes dry and irritated, beard oil is your go-to product. Oil also is a good-to option when you want to smooth your beard and make it less unruly.

Beard oil consists of essential and carrier oils that will, among other things, help you maintain your beard.

Essential oils provide additional nutrients and minerals that aid your beard’s overall health and provide its scent, while carrier oils handle the heavy lifting of moisturizing and softening your beard.

Beard oils can vary widely in scent depending on the type of oils found on their ingredient list.

It’s important to be judicious in how much beard oil you apply, however. Too much oil can make your beard look greasy, which probably isn’t the look you want.

Beard oil works on any length or style of beard, although it’s generally more effective on short beards. Balms can weigh down a shorter beard and may not give you your money’s worth if your beard is in its infancy stage.

While beard oil provides a lighter feel and shinier look for any beard length, a beard balm can serve a similar purpose on a longer beard – especially when it comes to providing extra moisture – while having the added advantage of providing a firmer hold.

Beard wax

One way to understand beard wax is to compare it with hairspray. Women and men use hairspray to keep their scalp hair firmly in place; beard wax serves the same purpose for your facial hair.

Another reference point is to compare beard wax with mustache wax. Both serve the same basic function and if you’ve ever seen a handlebar mustache held in place, then you understand the holding power of wax.

All that said, beard wax ensures that your beard’s unruly hairs won’t fly out of place while ensuring that you’ll have a strong enough hold to survive even gale-force winds. Wax is strong – super strong – and beeswax is among its most common ingredients.

While wax doesn’t provide the conditioning and moisturizing qualities of balm or oil, it does include nutrient-rich essential oils that and moisturizing agents to aid in the fight against beard itch and dryness.

In short, beard balm is a must-have product if you truly want to keep your beard healthy and to look its best.

Conclusion

How about you? Do you use a beard balm? What’s your favorite balm? As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions, and we’d love to hear from you.

We hope the information above has been useful to you. Beard balm is an excellent natural product for your beard, and it can facilitate faster and fuller beard growth if used properly. We’ve provided a simple how-to guide that should help you use and apply beard balm like a pro. If you still have questions or concerns, feel free to ask them in the comments below, we’d be happy to help!

All of those great looking beards out there; you want to be a part of it and who can blame you?

And while it seems easy enough – just put down the razor and let it grow – it’s not that simple.

Fact is, growing a beard requires a routine and discipline like most anything else.

Just sitting back and letting nature take its course isn’t really an option (at least in the long run), and you might find that it’s harder than you think. But there’s also no reason not to start now.

Here’s a guide to help you as you dive into the world of full facial hair – how to grow a beard successfully for the first time in 6 easy steps:

1. Accept What You’re Working With

Let’s get started by giving a quick nod to genetics.

That is, not everyone grows facial hair at the same rate, thickness, and overall look.

In other words, you can only work with what you got, which very well may be different than that guy in your office who looks like a well-groomed lumberjack.

Beards have been with us since, well, forever, but so has the fact that everyone’s biology is different. If your father or grandfather had great facial hair or a baby face that seemed to resist all growth, you probably will, too.

The point is, learn to accept what the beard gods gave you and proceed from there. Don’t give up because it seems like you aren’t making progress. Instead, develop a clear understanding of what you can and cannot do and proceed from there.

2. Decide the ‘Why’ Of It

Like anything you set out to achieve in your life, it’s good to know your intentions and goals before you decide to grow a beard.

Maybe it’s because you want to look more masculine and believe that a beard will help you project that.

Maybe you’re just fascinated by the process and want to give it a try.

Maybe you’re trying to cover scars or other imperfections on your face. Maybe your love interest is urging you to go for it. Or, maybe you just think it will give you a more confident look.

Beards are sexy. And if you’re reading this, you’ve probably decided that you want one. Whether it’s a full-on lumberjack beard or a hipster mustache, beards have a certain appeal to men that women find irresistible.

In any case, know what your end prize is and focus on it as you go through the process.

3. Week 1 Survival

If you’ve never grown a beard before, the first week is going to be interesting, to say the least. First, that initial growth of facial hair is going to not only look strange – hello, scruff – but also feel strange.

What can you do?

Well, nothing. Sure, you can do something, but resist the temptation to shave it just because it looks weird and itches like crazy. You’ll also need to resist the urge to scratch it at every opportunity because that can even bring on an infection.

There are a variety of other ways to stop beard itch, and investing in a good beard oil is a great place to start. So is washing it at least every other day, preferably with a shampoo/conditioner especially made for beards.

While the itchiness may come back from time to time as your beard matures, it’s probably not going to be of the same intensity as when you were first starting out. And by then, you’ll be trimming it, and even an expert at making it softer.

But why, you might be asking, does my new growth itch so much?

There are several reasons, including skin dryness under your new facial hair, and the fact that regular shaving – because it doesn’t cut the hair straight – results in pointy edges that touch the surface of your face as you grow.

You’ll need some patience when the itchiness is as aggravating as a mosquito buzzing around your head at night, but it too will pass. Again, beard oil is your friend during this phase. If nothing else, you need to stay strong during this part of the process.

Yes, people are probably going to comment on your new facial hair but don’t let their observations throw you off track. Besides, many of the comments will be positive – use them to help you keep striving for your goal.

In fact, some studies have shown that women are particularly attracted to the stubble that appears in the first ten days of growth.

While you may want to stop there – and be sure to invest in a quality stubble trimmer, if you do – our goal right now is to help you see that beard to its full fruition (and, we promise, she’ll still love it).

Let’s face it, however, if you’re really serious about growing a beard, you’re doing it because it makes you happy. You’re never going to please everyone, anyway. End of story.

4. Give It Time!

We’ve already touched on the fact that a great-looking beard, like Rome, can’t be built in a day.

OK, maybe a cliché, but one worth emphasizing because the temptation to impatiently shave off your initial stubble can be very strong.

It sounds simple, but a great piece of advice as you go through the early stages of beard growth is this: you can’t grow a beard by shaving it.

The bottom line is that you need to let your beard grow for at least four weeks if you’re serious about the process.

Don’t trim it or shape it during this time, because chances are you will overdo it and cut off more than you intended (remember, you’re still new to the game).

Four weeks allows you to grow your beard to a respectable length as well as get to the “decision” stage.

After a month’s time, you can either decide to keep on letting it grow (which will help earn your respect among your new fellows in the bearded community), or to groom it for a more “respectable” look.

Either way is fine, but if you’re going for the presentable look you’ll need to have the proper tools, such as a quality beard trimmer.

If you’re serious about becoming a properly-bearded man, then you can’t jump the gun.

Give your facial hair four weeks and then proceed from there. If you’re still not satisfied after a couple of more weeks, then – and only then – should you consider abandoning the project altogether.

Also, if you’re in your early 20s, it could be that you’re a late bloomer.

Your time is yet to come and what you see now isn’t necessarily what you’re going to get later. While you’re at it, forget the urban myth that shaving your beard will make it come back stronger. It’s simply not true.

Remember, the true measurement of a beard is months, not inches. Besides, most of the best things in life take time. You can even set a target date for yourself, say six weeks when you’re going to make the decision whether the beard stays or goes.

5. Now It’s Time to Get Serious (A simple, illustrated guide)

The itch is gone, or at the least has subsided. Your beard is starting to take shape, and you have a good idea what it’s going to look like in the long run. Your significant other began to take a real liking to it, as she (or you) thought she would.

But now it’s time for you to join the process in a way that entails more than just sitting back and letting nature take its course (while resisting the itch).

Here are some things to become familiar with, including some we’ve already touched on briefly, to help your beard reach its full growth potential.

Wash It

It’s been said that beards, not unlike neckties, are nature’s napkins. Food, dirt, lint, you name it, can end up trapped in and under your new beard, and you’ll have to get used it.

That doesn’t mean you’re powerless, however.

You need to shampoo it like the hair on top of your head, making sure to dig deep down to the skin, and then rinse it thoroughly.

You must start with a clean slate. Be sure to give your beard a thorough wash, then dry it and rub it with a towel. Apply some beard oil or a styling product to keep your face moisturized and give your facial hair a bit of texture.

Condition It

Conditioning your beard with a quality product made specifically for the job will hydrate your beard, relieve itchiness, and help your beard come in fuller, not patchier. If you want to take it another step, apply beard balm – which essentially is a leave-in conditioner.

Did we already mention the importance of beard oil?

We have, but discussing its virtues never gets old when it comes to talking about growing a beard.

Simply put, beard oil needs to become part of your daily beard-care regimen for many reasons, including taming wild hairs, subduing itchiness, eliminating beard dandruff, spurring new beard growth, as well as helping you smell good.

The stuff works.

Applying beard oil isn’t that complicated, either. It’s best to apply it to a beard that’s still damp from your shower, not when it’s dry.

Put a couple of drops of oil in your hand and gently rub it into your beard while making sure to go skin-deep, because the oil is also good for your skin.

Trim It

At this point in the process – remember the four-week rule – you can start trimming your beard unless you plan on growing your beard until it can’t grow anymore (there are limits).

Chances are you’ve already been shaving the face and neck areas you don’t want to be covered by beard hair, but now it’s time get it looking its best.

By now, you’ve probably proven that you can “grow” a beard, but you need to add the finishing touches that place you in the ranks of a true beardsman.

That said, you’ll want an electric shaver or razor to make sure you get the job done right. Here are some key points to keep in mind:

The shape of your face – One fundamental rule here is that a square beard on a round face will help define the jawline. So, trim accordingly.

Neckline – Every trimming job should begin at the neckline (the area of the bottom of the beard around the neck). Truth is, this is best handled by a professional because shaving here on your own can be tricky.

But if you insist on doing it yourself, use a beard trimmer to get rid of the excess hair, define the neckline, and then use your razor or electric shaver to free your neck of the remaining stubble.

Keep in mind that you can trim the neckline too high, especially as you’re initially defining the shape of your beard. Generally speaking, the neckline should be where the neck meets the head.

Cheek Line – Your cheek line represents the upper limits of your beard on the cheeks.

The rule of thumb when it comes to this is ‘leave it alone.’ Unless your beard is encroaching dangerously close to your eyes, you shouldn’t worry too much about shaving or sculpting this part of your face.

Other thoughts – Like the process of growing your beard, getting the hang of trimming your beard requires similar patience.

After a couple of months, you’ll be able to tame and shape it in the way you want – and in a way that highlights the uniqueness of your facial hair.

It’s helpful to understand going in – that is, right from Day 1 of your beard-growing journey – that maintaining a beard may require more time and effort than you originally thought, and you’re going to need the right tools to do it.

Finally, less truly is more when it comes to trimming your beard. You can’t go back when you trim off too much. Leave some to trim another day.

6. Help Yourself by Taking Care of Yourself

While genetics will play a big part in your beard growth, there are other things you can do to help it achieve its maximum potential.

Exercise

Yes, you’ve heard about the many benefits of exercise when it comes to your mind and body. But it also can play a role in your beard growth:

• Losing excess weight helps you increase testosterone, which, in turn, helps promote facial hair growth.
• Shorter, but intensive workouts like High-Intensity Interval Training have also been shown to increase testosterone.
• Exercise improves blood circulation, and blood carries proteins and vitamins to your hair follicles, enhancing growth.

Diet

Diet, exercise – excuse us if this beginning to sound like an advertisement for your local gym, but all of this helps. A healthy diet is another way to boost testosterone, particularly a diet high in protein.

Some good foods to add to your diet, if you don’t already eat them, include spinach, nuts, olives, broccoli and olive oil. You can also add a vitamin supplement to your diet, including biotin or a multi-vitamin that contains zinc, vitamin B6, and magnesium.

Rest

Sleep is not only essential for your health and well-being, but also for growing a healthy beard. Strive for 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night.

Stress

Last, but not least, stress can play a vital role in your quest to grow a beard. Stress can not only mess with your male hormones but can also constrict blood vessels and cause your hair roots to receive fewer nutrients.

True, reducing stress is sometimes easier said than done, but there are many ways to go about it, including meditation and exercise.

Conclusion

While growing a beard isn’t rocket science, it’s not as easy as it looks. But don’t let rough patches, pun intended, intimidate you. Adhere to the tips mentioned above and guidelines and there a good chance you may even amaze yourself. Best of luck in the process.

So, what has your experience been when it comes to growing a beard? We’d love to hear from you.

But your eyebrows are among your face’s most important features and making them look their best will enhance your overall appearance. A sloppy, unkempt set of ‘brows never looks good, which is why we’ll devote this space to how to groom men’s eyebrows.

We’ll discuss the various methods for eyebrow trimming, how to choose the right eyebrow shape for your face, and look at some ways you can make your eyebrows thicker.

How to trim your eyebrows in 7 easy-to-follow steps (A simple, illustrated guide)

Some of you may remember Andy Rooney, the television writer and commentator who rose to fame thanks to his weekly appearances on the 60 Minutes news program several decades ago.

If you don’t remember him for his witty, frequently cynical views of modern society, you probably remember him for his eyebrows.

To say Rooney’s ‘brows were bushy and overgrown is a vast understatement. Birds could’ve nested in them had they wished. They protruded above his eyes like well-worn strips of a Brillo pad.

Rooney’s eyebrows became part of his persona, not unlike Superman and his cape. And why that’s all well and good, we don’t think most men would dare leave the house with mega-brows such as Andy’s.

So, unless you want to be like Rooney, here are some steps and tips for keeping your eyebrows trimmed and the nesting birds at bay.

1. Trimming your eyebrows should be part of your regular grooming routine

Keeping your eyebrows trimmed and looking their best should be a priority. Make ‘brow grooming part of your routine to keep them in check and nicely shaped.

However, you don’t want to trim them too much or alter their natural shape. That’s why it’s crucial to know the tools and techniques you’ll need.

It’s also important to get to know your eyebrows, i.e., their shape, how far they stretch across the bridge of the nose, their general thickness, etc.

Trimming your eyebrows should be part of your regular grooming routine, just like shaving and shampooing your hair. We promise it’s not as scary as it sounds, especially if you follow our easy how to guide below — including step by step illustrations that make it even simpler to understand!

2. The general rules of the road for shaping your eyebrows

Here are four things to keep in mind for keeping your eyebrows well-trimmed:

• The two should look the same

Symmetry is important for men’s eyebrow grooming. Each eyebrow should be a mirror image of the other.

• Keep them apart

The uni-brow look is, well, not a great way to rock your appearance. You want two brows, not one, so make sure there’s visible skin between them.

• Wider than tall

Don’t let your eyebrows become too “tall.” They should arch over your eyes, as if framing them, and you’ll achieve this look if they’re more wide than tall. That true for all men’s eyebrow shapes.

• Uniform length

Make sure that the eyebrow hairs are of the same length, if possible. Don’t let them become too long but don’t trim them too short, either.

3. Choosing your eyebrow trimming option

There are several methods for how to shape men’s eyebrows, all of which we’ll discuss next.

Which one you choose depends on several factors, such as your tolerance for discomfort, how long you want the results to last, how much money you want to spend – and more.

Be wary of shaving your eyebrows, however. Shaving them as you’d shave your beard will leave your eyebrow hairs with rough, blunt ends, and you risk shaving off too much hair.

There are two main ways to trim your eyebrows: using scissors or using a razor. You don’t need to do both, so decide which option is best for you.

If you have thick eyebrows with big brows, you may want to consider a trimmer with guard sizes. The guards will help you control how much hair you’re cutting off, and if you have thick eyebrows, the guard will make it easier for you to see what you’re cutting.

If your eyebrows are thin and sparse, scissors are probably the better choice because they’ll allow you to trim the hair more precisely.

Let’s move on to the various methods for how to trim eyebrows.

4. Eyebrow tweezing

For many men, basic eyebrow tweezing – in which you pluck individual hair from your brows with a tweezer – is sufficient for keeping things trim and neat. This is mostly because men don’t need to get that perfectly groomed eyebrow shape to look good. A little bit of shaping and maintenance can do wonders to create a professional look.

Among the many advantages of eyebrow tweezing is that it involves removing one hair at a time. That makes it fairly simple to maintain the shape and appearance you prefer.

Moreover, because it only requires a pair of tweezers, it’s an inexpensive option when compared to others.

On the downside, tweezing can take time and it’s not all that comfortable, if not a bit painful at times.

But, if you need only to remove minimal hair, particularly the stray follicles that stand out from the rest of the ‘brow, then tweezing is a good option.

Some rules for how to pluck your eyebrows include:

• Start by warming your face – Apply a warm washcloth on your eyebrows.  The warm water will open up your pores so the hairs will come out easily.  
• Draw a line – If you are afraid of over-plucking then you should start by drawing your eyebrow line. To do this, grab a sharp eyebrow pencil and draw straight lines along your eyebrow edges. This guideline will help you identify hairs that are outside of your desired eyebrow shape, and it will keep you from thinning your eyebrows out too much.  
• Start from the bottom – Tweeze from the bottom of your eyebrows up so that you don’t alter their natural shape.
• Use the right tools – Always use a high-quality pair of tweezers, such as Pefei’s Professional Tweezers , or even a precision eyebrow trimmer – such as this one made by Conair.
• Comb first – Use a comb or your fingers to stroke the eyebrow hair upwards so that the stray hairs stand out from all the rest. That makes it easier to identify those that need plucking.
• Unibrow prevention – Plucking is a great way to get rid of any hair that may grow between the brows and, if left unguarded, will form a never-desirable unibrow. Most people advise using your thumb as a guide for the needed gap.  Place your thumb in the middle of your eyebrows. Pluck all hairs that fall in this region. 
• Wash and rinse – It is important to wash your eyebrows after plucking. This will keep germs and bacteria out of the damaged follicles to prevent them from becoming inflamed. You can also apply a soothing gel to the area when you are done tweezing.

5. Trimming with scissors or a trimmer

An eyebrow trimmer, such as the one we just mentioned, is an excellent tool for reducing stray hair and excess thickness. Many of the best mustache and beard trimmers are good for trimming eyebrows, and may even include an attachment designed for the job.

Trimmers work best for controlling the depth of your eyebrows, although they’re not as good for shaping their outline.

You can also buy scissors dedicated to the task of trimming eyebrows, such as Tweezerman’s Brow Shaping Scissors, and they work well for snipping the stray, scraggly hairs that grow apart from the rest.

Before you trim, take a hot shower or apply a hot, wet washcloth to your eyebrows to loosen and soften the hair and open up skin pores. Next, use a fine-tooth comb to comb your eyebrow hair upward.

You can also use the comb to hold stray hairs in place before you trim them.

Start trimming from the outside end of your eyebrows and cut the longer hairs along the top line of each.

Once you’ve finished, comb the hair straight down while checking for longer hairs that point toward your eyelids. Trim those hairs until they line up with the rest of the bottom of the eyebrow.

For precision shaping you can also use an eyebrow pencil to map out your eyebrow shape.  Now take your trimmer and remove any hair that extends beyond these guides.  

Trimming is not recommended for eyebrow shaping. This is because eyebrows and other hair on your body grow back thicker and darker when the hair is cut. Your eyebrows might come out shaped correctly now, but can grow back thicker and wilder after a few days.  

6. Eyebrow waxing

While waxing may not be for the faint of heart, it’s a standard – and effective – method for hair removal. It’s also useful for grooming eyebrows.

Waxing involves layering a strip of wax over the affected area of hair growth and stripping it off quickly in the opposite direction. The strip may be heated and the wax soft or hard, and you can sometimes use it more than once per area.

Cold wax, which is taken directly from the container and applied to the skin, is another option, although it’s not as easy to get a thin layer as it is with heated wax. Some people find cold wax to be more painful, as well.

Which leads us to the white elephant standing in the middle of the room; yes, waxing is often painful fellas, just as you’d expect from a process in which a strip of wax is ripped from the skin as it pulls hair out from its roots.

On the other hand, women frequently use waxing as a hair-removal technique and, hey, they can handle the pain. Why not men, too?

All cringing aside, waxing has its advantages. It pulls out multiple hairs at a time and usually provides clean, neatly-defined, results that last a long time. You may not need to repeat the process for a couple of months, depending on your natural hair growth. Many people also feel that hair that grows back after waxing is thinner and lighter. If you wax your eyebrows frequently the hair will grow back finer and softer until there will be no need for you to keep waxing.

Waxing is particularly effective for men who have an abundance of eyebrow hair, including a lot of growth between the ‘brows. Indeed, you can easily wax away your worries of developing a uni-brow.

You can even buy home-waxing kits, which many use, but keep in mind that refining your waxing technique may take time, and errors may be evident for all to see. Instead, you invest your time and money in the services of a professional technician.

7. Eyebrow threading

Threading is another option for removing eyebrow hair. Its origins trace to the Middle East and South Asia and its techniques involve a relatively simple process.

The traditional method of threading, which remains popular today, uses twisted cotton threads that catch and pull out hair in a smooth line. It allows for more control than waxing, and some say it’s less painful – although pain is in the eye of the beholder, so to speak.

Threading’s precision is a definite plus because, unlike waxing, you can target individual hairs without damaging the skin around it.

Keep in mind that threading isn’t a DIY project. Over-trimming is very common if you use the eyebrow threading technique because it can be so easy to pull out the wrong hairs if you don’t have proper guide markers in place. You’ll need to seek the services of a professional if you want the best results. Prices and results may vary from technician to technician, so it pays to do your research before you set up an appointment.

Some final thoughts on eyebrow grooming

No matter what eyebrow grooming technique you choose – plucking, waxing, threading, trimming – you always want to be careful not to overdo it. Start slow and avoid taking too much off.

Remember, you can always trim more hair if your ‘brows are still a bit long and bushy, but you can’t put it back.

Another crucial step is identifying where your eyebrows begin and where they end.

You don’t want your eyebrows to be too close together or too far apart; instead, make sure that they start proportionally to the bridge of your nose. Your eyebrows should end, generally speaking, at the outside corner of your eye.

As you age, your eyebrows require more care to keep them looking their best. Eyebrows tend to get bushier as we age and, unless you want them to become bird’s nest or a place to plant a garden, you’ll want to be diligent about keeping them trimmed.

It’s also OK to leave a few gray hairs in your ‘brows. Plucking too many of them can leave things looking a bit sparse. Besides, some gray hair can give you a distinctive look. The bottom line is that your eyebrows should match the color of your hair.

Choosing the best eyebrow shape

Not all eyebrow shapes fit work for every man and it comes down to face shape. We’ve talked at length in previous articles about the importance of face shape and choosing the proper beard and hairstyle and similar rules apply to eyebrows.

Here’s a look at four basic face shapes and the eyebrow styles that suit them best:

Oval face

Men with oval faces – which are very common – have a chin that’s narrower than the forehead. An oval face has balanced proportions and usually features high cheekbones.

Flat eyebrows look good on oval faces, and the straighter you keep them the better because it makes your face look rounder and more balanced.

Round face

A round face shape features full cheeks and very few angles, if any, and usually has the same length and width.

If you have a round face, go for an eyebrow shape that features angles, because it will balance out the roundness of your face and make your eyes stand out. Soft, angular eyebrow shapes work best.

Square face

A square face has strong jawlines, a square chin, and a broad forehead. The width and length of the face are proportional.

Rounder eyebrows suit men with square faces because they help to balance the overall shape. To achieve a round shape, keep your eyebrows in line with your frontal bone while tapering them slightly at their ends.

Be careful not to give your eyebrows too sharp of a round shape, however, because that’s a look best suited for women.

Heart face

A heart face features wide cheekbones and a broad forehead that narrows to a small chin.

You can do a couple of things with your eyebrows if you have a heart face: you can trim them so that they have softer curves and smooth lines, or add a slight bend to them. But don’t make the arches too high.

9 ways to make your eyebrows thicker

Many men feel that thicker eyebrows give them a more masculine, rugged look. While bushy eyebrows come naturally to some men, others need to put in a little effort to make their’s thicker. The good news is that they’re not that difficult to achieve.

Here are some tips for “bulking” up your ‘brows.

1. Use a brow gel

Eyebrow gels are great for filling out some gaps in your eyebrows instantly. Men do need to be careful when using makeup products like gels if they want to maintain a natural look. Eyebrow gel is ideal for covering up bald patches or for making your eyebrows seem fuller, darker, or thicker.

2. Get male eyebrow transplant

Hair transplanting is becoming a pretty popular procedure since there are so many men who struggle with male pattern baldness, but hair transplanting isn’t just suitable for your head.  Eyebrow transplanting is also becoming quite popular. 

For this procedure hair grafts are harvested from above your ears. The entire hair and follicle is transferred to the eyebrow region. A typical eyebrow transplant takes about 2 – 3 hours, but it can be expensive. It can take months for hair follicles to “take” to their new location.  

3. Avoid hair removal

OK, makes perfect sense right? If you want thicker, bushier eyebrows, then you should avoid any method of hair removal, whether it’s waxing, plucking, or tweezing.

Not necessarily forever, mind you, but not until you’ve let your eyebrows grow out to their fullest – which may take a month or more.

Only after a month, or however long it takes, should you snip away stray hairs that make your eyebrows look out of shape. Use scissors to trim the strays but don’t remove them by their roots. The goal is to allow the hair to keep growing while trimming only for shape.

4. Castor oil

Castor oil is a versatile product used to treat a variety of issues, including hair loss. It contains the necessary vitamins, antioxidants, and proteins that enhance hair growth and increase thickness.

To apply it, dip a cotton swab in castor oil and massage the oil into your ‘brows for a couple of minutes each day. You should notice positive results within a month.

5. Coconut oil

Coconut oil is another natural remedy for treating thin eyebrows and, not to mention, sparse beards. It contains vitamins E and K, among other ingredients, as well as iron.

You can apply coconut oil to your eyebrows with the same method you use to apply castor oil: soak a cotton swab or Q-tip in the oil and then gently apply it to your eyebrows. You can apply it at bedtime and leave it on overnight before washing it off in the morning.

You should apply it at least three times a week or, for best results, daily.

6. Olive oil

Add olive oil to the list of natural remedies for thickening eyebrows. Olive oil is high in antioxidants and helps to protect hair from cell damage, and it even helps to make hair darker.

You can apply olive oil to your eyebrows with your fingers or use a cotton swab or Q-tip and massage it in for two to four minutes. Apply it daily for best results.

7. Vitamin E oil

Like coconut, castor, and olive oil, vitamin E oil contains antioxidants that prevent damage to hair follicles that lead to hair loss.

You can extract the oil manually by piercing a vitamin E capsule and then massage it into your eyebrows. Use it daily, preferably at bedtime (and leave it in overnight).

8. Lemon juice

The vitamin C found in lemon juice strengthens the hair and also removes excess oils which, in turn, helps enhance the flow of oxygen to your follicles.

Rub the lemon juice on your eyebrows for two to three minutes – be careful not to get any in your eyes – and then rinse it out with warm water.

9. Onion juice

Onion juice, particularly the juice of red onions, is rich in sulfur that helps to promote hair growth. The bad news is that it has a strong smell, but you can dilute it with lemon juice, water, or coconut and olive oil.

Apply the onion juice to your eyebrows with a cotton swab and let it sit for an hour before washing it off. You can use lemon juice to wipe it off if the odor is too strong.

Hair growth products: Spectral.Brow & Rogaine

Men who suffer from hair loss may have – and even should have – tried hair growth products such as DS Labs’ Spectral.Brow.

Combing a variety of potent ingredients like Nanoxidil and Adenosine, Spectral.Brow stimulates the hair follicles in your eyebrows, producing faster, thicker growth as well as improving the overall.

And they use a special Nanosome technology to ensure the formula penetrates the skin deeply, allowing the ingredients to activate at a higher concentration.

But while Spectral.Brow is unique in its effectiveness for eyebrows, there are still plenty of other hair growth products to try, too.

For example, many use Rogaine (minoxidil) to treat the issue, often with good results.

Recent studies show that Rogaine may even generate eyebrow hair growth.

While age is a factor for reducing the thickness of eyebrow hair, some men have health conditions such as hypothyroidism and hypotrichosis (sparse or thinning eyebrows) that make it difficult to achieve the bushy ‘brow look.

One study compared Rogaine with a placebo to see if it helped enhance eyebrow growth over four months. Researchers determined that, at the end of the study, participants who used Rogaine saw better results overall.

Finally, a hair transplant is another option, albeit an expensive one. Hair follicles removed from the back of the head are transplanted into the eyebrows in a pattern that makes them look normal and natural.

Conclusion

The most effective men’s grooming routines involve an all-encompassing approach that addresses all parts of the body – and the eyebrows are no exception.

A well-trimmed and shaped set of eyebrows enhances a man’s overall appearance and shows a commitment to the best grooming practices.

If you’re willing to make that commitment, you’ll have a choice of eyebrow grooming options, which we detail above. We hope this guide helps.

As always, we’d like to hear from you. Do you maintain an eyebrow-grooming routine? If so, what does it entail? We welcome your feedback.

But these days, eyebrows are a big deal: jobs like ‘Global Brow Expert’ are a real thing, and men and women across the world spend 100s of millions of dollars every year trying to figure out how to get thicker eyebrows.

This makes sense:

Your eyebrows shape a large part of the immediate impression people get from you, as well as being an important way of reading your face – just think of how expressive the Rock’s eyebrows are!

A study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that eyebrows are actually as (or more) important for facial recognition than eyes – even if we don’t realize it.

From Cara Delavigne to Chris Pratt, full, thick, full eyebrows have become the ideal in today’s grooming game. And that makes things tough: the growth cycle of eyebrows is 4 months, so you can’t always just grow your eyebrows fast.

Whether you’ve been tweezering too often and decided you want to fix your thin brows, you’ve got naturally patchy brow growth that you’re sick of, or you just want to give your eyebrows a little extra weight, there’s hope for us all.

In this post, we’re going to lay out the scientific evidence in support of the different brow growth strategies – we’re not just going to show you how to get thicker eyebrows. We’re going to explain why it works and help you understand all the options available.

There are tons of eyebrow serums on the market nowadays, and that can make choosing between them difficult. But the reality is, most of them feature very similar ingredients, and achieve similar results:

They contain peptides (to promote healthier hair follicles and a foundation for healthier hair growth); vitamins like biotin and panthenol; amino acids (the building blocks of protein, which hair is made of); and oils that soften the brow hair and keep it from falling out.

On top of these ingredients, which do strengthen and condition your hairs to give the appearance of thicker, fuller brows, most serums add a formula specifically to promote hair growth.

These formulas are often developed by specific companies and patented. So to avoid confusion, we’ve narrowed it down to what we feel is the very best serums for growing thicker eyebrows for men and women.

But we haven’t stopped there:

Serums are far from the only scientifically verified way of getting thicker eyebrows, and we’re going to dive deep into several other strategies that might be right for you.

We’re also going to give you some important advice about how you should approach your brow building journey – general principles you need to keep in mind before you go spending top dollar on a serum or getting a hair transplant!

8 Effective ways to grow thicker eyebrows

When it comes to eyebrows, everyone has their own preference. Some people prefer thin, others thick. However, if you are naturally gifted with thick eyebrows or you’ve always had thin ones, the good news is that there are ways to help your eyebrows grow thicker!

Your brows might not look as thick as they could because of over-plucking, waxing or threading. These processes all damage hair follicles and can actually prevent them from growing back in the right way. Also, other factors like aging and genetics can affect how thick your eyebrows are. Luckily, there are many ways to encourage eyebrow growth and improve the thickness of your brows.

Here are 8 science-backed ways you can use to make your eyebrows thicker:

1. Nanoxidil in Spectral.Brow

Nanoxidil first came onto the scent in 2011; it was presented by Divine Skin Inc. as an alternative to minoxidil for treating hair loss.

While it is very similar to minoxidil chemically, the differences are key: Nanoxidil’s molecular weight is lower, which leads to better penetration and absorption.

Nanoxidil has fewer known side-effects (Minoxidil can cause unwanted hair growth and skin irritation, among other things) and can treat all areas of hair, whereas minoxidil is really only used on the scalp.

The science of Nanoxidil

The fancy term for chemicals like Minoxidil and Nanoxidil is ‘potassium channel opener’ – they widen blood vessels and improve blood flow to the scalp. This, in turn, allows more blood, oxygen, and nutrients to get to the hair follicles, helping make them healthier.

The result is that thinner hair sheds and is replaced by thicker, fuller hair.

While Nanoxidil is yet to gain FDA approval, it has been scientifically tested: studies have demonstrated; that using Nanoxidil to treat hair loss can achieve up to a 28.6% increase in hair growth in just three months.

DS Laboratories claim that trials have shown 93% of people using Nanoxidil saw a decrease in hair loss, and according to a 2009 KoreMed study, treatment with Nanoxidil (5 %) showed significantly higher hair regrowth rate compared with other groups.

What makes Spectral.Brow so effective?

Nanoxidil, as should be clear now, is an absolutely brilliant ingredient that promotes hair growth – a great way to grow sparse eyebrows thicker. But on its own, Nanoxidil would just be making your brows grow, and Spectral. Brow does more than that.

It contains several extra ingredients which help

• Lysophosphatidic Acid

A water-soluble phospholipid, which helps moisturize your brow and promote healthier hair to grow.

• Piroctone Olamine

A compound sometimes used in the treatment of fungal infections; in Spectral.Brow, it helps promote thicker hair growth and maintain the health and cleanliness of the hair.

• Copper Peptides

Three amino acids linked, which help rejuvenate and repair damage, as well as strengthening existing hair.

• Adenosine

An anti-inflammatory agent which promotes biochemical processes like energy transfer and signal transduction. It basically fights against patchiness in your brows by regulating the expression of growth factors in dermal papilla cells.

• Retinol

Vitamin A: it helps normalize the oil glands and hair follicles.

• Azelaic Acid

An antibacterial acid that helps clear the skin and promotes keratin production.

• Hyaluronic Acid

Helps fight against dry scalp and hair.

The combination of these numerous ingredients helps promote faster, effective brow growth that will not only make your brows thicker but healthier, cleaner, and easier to shape and groom.

How to use Spectral.Brow

You apply Spectral.Brow twice a day: morning and evening. You trace the brush slowly across your brow, before letting it dry for a few minutes in your brow. Finally, once it’s dry, you can just get on with your day!

2. Use natural oils

There are serums – like Province Apothecary’s Full Brow Serum – which consist almost exclusively of natural oils and plant extracts, making super effective

But to grow thicker eyebrows naturally and at very little cost, directly applying a natural oil of your choice is a great approach.

This method will require a regular application and can take several months to start producing results.

Many men and women swear by natural oils as the very best way to approach eyebrow growth, especially those particularly concerned with nature.

While there are absolutely tons of oils people claim help grow eyebrows thicker, we’ve narrowed it down to the very best and most popular options for you:

Castor oil

Castor oil comes from the beans of castor trees; it is filled with rich proteins, antioxidants, fatty acids, and vitamins, all of which help nourish the hair follicles.

Castor oil helps improve blood circulation around your hair follicles, which creates a cleaner, healthier environment for hair to grow naturally.

While there are no official studies on the effect of castor oil on hair growth, its largest chemical compound ricinoleic acid has been shown to aid balding men to regrow their hair.

All you need to do is apply a small amount of the oil to your eyebrow roots each day; massage it gently in, then leave it for about half an hour before wiping it and washing your face as normal.

Most people start to see results around 2 months in.

There are some considerations here: some people are allergic to castor oil, so you’ll need to do a patch test if you suspect you may be. And there is no guarantee it will produce thicker eyebrows for everyone.

It is, however, a hugely popular way to grow thicker eyebrows naturally: our pick for a good quality bottle is Sky Organics.

Olive oil

Olive oil is a brilliant choice – not just because it is a natural way to promote hair growth, but because you’ve likely already got some lying around the house!

Olive oil is full of vitamins A, E, and K; each of these vitamins is amazing for hair growth. It also contains linoleic acid (polyunsaturated Omega-6 fatty acid), which is vital for hair skin regeneration and hair growth.

Applying olive oil to your brows – much as described above with castor oil, but left for a few hours rather than 30 minutes – unquestionably promote healthier hair as well as encouraging it to grow.

It also tends to produce results quicker than castor oil – often in a matter of weeks!

As with castor oil, it’s very important to clean your skin thoroughly after using olive oil – otherwise, your skin is liable to get very oily indeed.

Vitamin E oil

Vitamin E is incredibly important for hair growth: It is rich in a natural antioxidant called tocotrienol, which assists with maintaining existing hair growth, as well as reducing the oxidative stress which causes follicle cells to break down and improving blood circulation.

Once again, all you’re going to do is gently massage a small amount of the oil into your brows. However, this time, you’ll need to leave the oil in overnight.

The best vitamin E oil for eyebrows comes straight in from PURA D’OR.

3. Change your diet

Diet, as with so many things in grooming and life generally, is an underappreciated aspect of hair growth.

If you aren’t getting the vitamins and nutrients – both micro and macro – that your body needs, it’s unlikely your body will repay you by growing luscious, thick eyebrows.

Of particular importance for follicle growth are zinc, iron, and protein.

• Iron

Helps your red blood cells carry oxygen around the body – which includes your hair! You can get it from a healthy batch of green veggies, lean cuts of meat and fish, or a good glass of milk.

• Protein

Keratin is a structural protein crucial to the makeup of an awful lot of your hair follicles (as well as your nails.)

Eating plenty of protein is generally important for health (think eggs, meat, nuts), but it is also especially important to keep a proper supply of Keratin to help grow your eyebrows!

• Zinc

Plays a major role in hair tissue and growth repair (alongside its side Hussle helping protein folding and gene expression!)

Many people with a deficiency of zinc experience mild hair loss, and increasing the amount of zinc has been proven to decrease hair loss. You can get plenty of zinc from lentils, beef, and spinach.

Beyond these, there are a host of vitamins and minerals you need to be making sure you get enough of:

Vitamin A (sweet potatoes, carrots) helps produce sebum, the body’s natural oil, which promotes healthier, faster hair growth.

Vitamin E (almonds, spinach) boosts the roots of the hair, creating darker, thicker eyebrows.

Omega-3 fatty acids (avocado, salmon) is an anti-inflammatory,

And finally, perhaps the most important vitamin for growing your eyebrows is biotin, which you can find in red meat, eggs, nuts, and much more…

4. Take biotin supplements right now

Some people have issues with changing their diet – maybe you have challenging constraints and don’t have the time or facilities for eating well all the time, or maybe you just have trouble stomaching certain healthy foods.

Well, fear not!

One of the great benefits of living in 2020 is the existence of wide-ranging, safe, and affordable supplements for virtually every kind of dietary problem, meaning you can find pills to manage all of the nutritional challenges your hair growth faces you with.

You need to remember to be consistent with supplements, and it’s important that you don’t simply rely on them to provide your body with everything it needs and revert to eating McD’s three times a day.

It’s actually best to take supplements with a meal to help your body fully absorb them naturally.

So what is biotin?

Biotin is often known as Vitamin H – as in, Vitamin Hair. That’s how important it is for hair growth. It’s regularly used in eyebrow growth serums, and Biotin deficiency is often linked to hair loss.

It is water-soluble, so it won’t stick around in your body if it’s unneeded or unwelcome. And it helps metabolize carbohydrates, fats, and protein into energy, making it an all-round important vitamin to have in your body at all times!

One of the key proteins in hair is Keratin, which is composed of amino acids. Biotin helps produce protein more efficiently, meaning it strengthens the hair shafts, improves hair texture, and stops your hair from thinning.

You can get a multi-vitamin, which will contain a bunch of other good vitamins for hair growth – like vitamin E and iron – but this 5000mcg bottle of pure Biotin from Sports Research is great value and will help promote eyebrow growth brilliantly.

5. Drop all that stress

The good news is that there are a plethora of stress-reducing activities – such as exercise, meditation, or even just taking needed breaks during a busy day. You’ll be more productive, clear-headed, and less frazzled.

The World Health Organization has termed stress the ‘health epidemic of the 21^st Century’ (though, of course, it’s got a competitor or two currently!)

We work non-stop, are sleeping less than we should, and are so overstimulated that even the good times are often stress-like today.

So cutting down on stress is probably a good idea anyway.

High levels of cortisol (the body’s main stress hormone) are known to contribute to almost innumerable diseases and ailments, in part because it weakens the immune system and in part because it actively overloads the body’s flight-response.

Inevitably then, your hair is also likely to suffer seriously if you’re under too much stress. It restricts the flow of vitamins to your hair follicles and causes some people to actually lose their hair!

The problem with stress is trying to ‘destress’ can itself be very stressful – especially if it isn’t going well! But there are many great ways of getting your stress to pipe down:

Exercise has been shown to reduce stress, so you could sign-up to the gym, join a sports team, or start a jogging habit. Equally, meditation is a well-trodden path for the stress alleviator, and there are tons of free apps available to get you to start.

If neither of those is your bag, simply turning off your phone and spending some quality time with friends and family is often enough to keep the cortisol at bay. And that will have a great knock-on effect, improving the growth of your eyebrows.

6. Dye your brows, so they look fuller

For some, simply growing their eyebrows so that they’re thicker is only half the battle – they still need to make sure their brows are actually visible!

Very light, fine hair can be beautiful, but for eyebrows, it’s often a liability. Your eyebrows could be as full and thick as you like, but if nobody can seem them, it’s all for nothing.

While it’s great if you can grow thicker eyebrows, as with so many questions of grooming, the perception is as important as the reality. And dyeing your eyebrows may just be the best way to deal with your thin, light eyebrows and get them looking like Colin Farrell’s.

You’ll need to ensure the dye matches your other hair and complexion – though that’s not to say they have to be exactly the same!

You’ll need to be careful not to assume thin brows will look super thick just because they’re darker. But dyeing is a very effective method, particularly in conjunction with other strategies on this list.

Dye generally lasts 3-8 weeks, and is rarely very expensive – another reason it’s a great supplementary strategy!

Whilst you can get a professional to dye your brows – and it can be a really pleasant, relaxing thing to do! – but you’re just as well off getting a home-dyeing kit like this Comb-in Colour for men from Just For Men.

7. Eyebrow transplants – no, really!

As strange as it sounds, there is an ultimate solution to sparse eyebrows, and it’s surprisingly common these days!

The process is very similar to the traditional hair plant – a cosmetic surgeon creates a hair graft from your own hair (they generally take the hair from behind your ears (a surprisingly large repository!)) and implants it onto your brow area. This makes it look very natural.

How long does it take?

While the actual process is fairly stress-free and straightforward (taking roughly 2-3 hours), it’s important to note that you’ll have some prep beforehand.

You may be in recovery for a fair few weeks, during which you’ll likely have the alarming experience of seeing your transplanted hairs fall out (don’t worry – it’s normal!)

How much does it cost?

Generally, between $3,000-6,000. But there is huge room to maneuver, and the very best surgeons will charge considerably more than that!

Will I be satisfied?

Scientific research has been done into the psychological impact of cosmetic surgery on patients, and it’s generally been found that people who undergo surgery are satisfied with their results and finish off happier than they started.

It’s important to manage your expectations:

If you go into an eyebrow transplant expecting more than an improvement to your eyebrow thickness and shape, you may end up pretty disappointed. And given the cost (both time and financial), that would be a massive bummer.

The flip side of this, however, is that as long as you go in with eyes open, eyebrow transplants are an incredible thing – a permanent fix for your eyebrow anguish. Though some may prefer a less permanent solution…

8. Microblading

Microblading essentially gives you a semi-permanent tattoo underneath your eyebrows, which helps reshape them and create an appearance of thickness.

It obviously won’t help you grow your eyebrows in reality, but if you’re struggling to get them to pop naturally, microblading might be for you.

It’s a very fast and efficient way of improving the thickness of your brows – rather than having to fill them in every day, you’ve got a semi-permanent underlayer, which does the same job of thickening your brows as an eyebrow pencil but with greater convenience.

How microblading works

Instead of a tattoo gun, micro blades utilize tiny, fine-point needles to scratch the epidermis (the outer tissue of your skin) and deposit pigment underneath it.

Because the needles are so small, microblading can be incredibly precise, allowing you to shape the brows exactly as you wish and achieve an amazing level of symmetry.

Microbladers generally use feathery, lash-like strokes to ensure the pigment really blends with your actual brows.

You’ll generally need to take a consultation before undergoing the full operation and then have a follow-up session 6-8 weeks later. Once on, the tattoo lasts between 12 and 18 months.

Before the actual tattooing, you’ll need to avoid doing anything to your eyebrows in the days leading up to the procedure (like tanning or plucking) and steer clear of alcohol (!) and caffeine(!!!) for at least 24 hours prior.

There is usually a numbing agent used during the actual tattooing, which means any discomfort during the process is rare, and during the consultation, you’ll be able to talk through exactly what you’re trying to achieve with your brows.

How to know if microblading is right for you

Microblading is a costly procedure, and of course, you can’t go back on it if you suddenly decide it isn’t for you! So if you’ve got any reservations about the procedure, we’d suggest you take that as a sign.

For women (and increasingly men) who enjoy indulging themselves, there’s clear value in microblading, so it’s definitely worth taking a consultation if you’re intrigued by the idea and think it might be for you.

Listen to people who’ve had the treatment: there are plenty of reviews, articles, and videos out there of people very honestly appraising their experiences.

While we’re not going to share any specific one here (we don’t want to bias you!), it’s all just a Google away!

The most important thing is just not to rush into anything – this is 18 months of your life you’ll have to live with the decision.

It’s also important to note that some people may be allergic to certain pigments, and you need to be aware and cautious during your consultation.

While the risk of infection has been demonstrated below, you do need to ensure you go to a fully qualified expert and are vigilant in checking their credentials in preparation.

Home remedies to grow thicker eyebrows naturally

The science behind growing thick eyebrows lies in providing the proper nutrition and growth-enhancing components to your eyebrows. 

However, it’s not necessary that these elements be obtained only through artificial chemicals. Natural ingredients have several elements that can spur hair growth, but you must be patient with these natural remedies as they can be time-consuming.

Here are four natural ingredients that are known to increase the hair growth rate and give you thick, beautiful eyebrows:

Aloe vera

Aloe Vera is rich in a compound known as aloenin. Researchers believe that these compounds are one of the primary factors that significantly impact your hair’s natural growth rate. So you can use the gel from a natural Aloe Vera plant on your eyebrows to thicken them.

All you’ll have to do is scrape off a little aloe vera gel from the leaves, apply it on your eyebrows, massage for 5 minutes, and leave it undisturbed for around 30 minutes. After that, wash it off with water and pat dry. 

Repeat this process several times a day, and you’ll begin to see results.

Egg yolk

It’s a well-accepted fact that biotin has magical effects on the growth rate of hair. It’s the natural protein of your hair and certainly can make it grow faster. Egg yolk is one such natural ingredient that has a high source of biotin. You can use it to get thick eyebrows at minimal costs.

Just separate the yolk from the egg white and beat it until there are no lumps. Then, take a small brush and apply it along the length of your brows. Leave it there for 20 minutes, and wash it off with warm water.

Repeat this process 2 to 3 times a week, and you’ll soon start seeing results. However, if your skin is sensitive and prone to acne, you should avoid this method. Egg yolk has the potential to block pores which can lead to acne. Only use this method if you have normal skin.

Fenugreek seeds

Fenugreek seeds have countless benefits. When it comes to your hair, they accelerate the growth rate and nourish it naturally. This fact is backed by a recent study conducted to see the impact of Fenugreek seeds on hair growth.

The process is, however, a little complicated. You need to soak about ¼ cup of Fenugreek seeds in water overnight. After that, you need to make a paste out of it and apply it to your eyebrows with a soft brush. Leave it there for 20 minutes and then wash off with normal water. 

Repeat this process twice a week, and you’ll soon start noticing an increase in the thickness of your eyebrows. 

Also, just like any other method, make sure you do a little patch test before you proceed. Reports of allergy to Fenugreek seeds are rare. However, make sure the paste suits your skin before you apply it to your eyebrows. 

4 Important tips before you start growing eyebrows

As we’ve seen, there are a number of ways to help your eyebrows grow nice and thick. But simply reading about a particular method and liking the sound of it is not enough. There are five important things you should do before getting at it:

1. Stay clean and healthy

A through-line across most of the methods we’ve discussed is the importance of health and cleanliness:

Having the right vitamins, minerals, and nutrients in your body, sleeping and living a healthy lifestyle, and keeping your face (particularly the brows!) clean to promote growth and healthy-looking hair.

It’s therefore important that, regardless of how you approach trying to grow your brows, you are being as healthy as possible, staying as clean as possible, and not thinking in too binary a fashion.

It will probably end up being a combination of the methods we’ve listed here, which will end up producing results for you.

By the same token, it’s important to note that some of these methods are mutually exclusive – if you’re using Spectral.Brow, you’re unlikely to get any benefit from also applying castor oil separately!

2. Do your research

We’ve included as much scientific and biological information as possible, and only included methods which we believe to be genuinely effective.

But nobody knows your hair or body as well as you, and it’s important that you fully read up on the method you choose so that you have a full understanding and can make an informed decision.

The internet is full of useful reviews, scientific analysis, and product information that will be absolutely essential to you if you’re looking to find a microblading expert, learn to cook more eyebrow-inducing meals, or whatever else it will be.

3. Always be cautious

Many of these methods are extreme – particularly hair transplants! And therefore, it’s very important that before taking such measures, you think very seriously about the cost, risks, and implications of the method.

Depending on the method, you might need to bear in mind potential allergies or side-effects. You also don’t want to throw money away on methods you’re not actually doing to follow through with.

If you’re going to change your diet, for example, it’s important that you’re cautious and steady – changing everything overnight is only likely to lead to a relapse.

4. But be willing to experiment

The reality is, everybody’s hair is different. And that means that no matter how many studies have shown the effectiveness of a particular serum, it won’t necessarily work for you.

Why?

Because the majority of clinical trials that demonstrate the efficacy of pharmaceuticals and the like are based on statistical significance – it isn’t that every person in a trial exhibits a certain effect, it’s that enough people do.

So your hair may simply not respond to a particular method – and that’s okay!

The absolute most important thing is that you stay motivated, and you are willing to keep trying and experimenting.

If growth serum doesn’t work for you, you can change your diet; if your diet doesn’t have the desired effect, you can start using natural oils.

Conclusion

So that brings us to the end.

We’d love to know what you think – which method has worked best for you? Did we miss an important technique you think people would like to know about? And how do you feel about your eyebrow thickness in general?

Let us know in the comments below.

And that’s okay.

For many of us, the hard, jagged, and often unruly whiskers we grow are a point of pride – they feel manly, impenetrable, and tough.

Yet from styling with ease and avoiding rashes to being intimate without itching your partner’s skin, a soft beard has a great deal to recommend it.

In fact, the softness of your beard is actually a very good indicator of its overall health.

So in this article, we’re going to explain exactly how you can soften your beard and why it’s such a good idea to do so.

But as with so many grooming issues, things aren’t quite that simple: there are many ways you can go about making your facial hair softer, and chances are it will be a combination of methods that ultimately produce results.

If you really want to gain the benefits of a softer beard – and trust us, there are many! – a certain amount of discipline, dedication, and willingness to experiment will be required.

The results will be worth it: you’ll have less itching, an easier time styling, a healthier looking beard, and a happier partner.

But before we get into how you can make your beard softer, it’s important to properly understand exactly why your beard isn’t soft already.

Why Your Beard Isn’t Soft Already

Chances are if your beard is particularly wiry or tough, something is going wrong: while there’s nothing inherently wrong with less-than-supple facial hair, it is very often a bad signal.

While your beard hair is naturally disposed to be coarser than the hair on your head, it shouldn’t be unmanageable or harsh on the skin beneath it.

Hair has to grow healthily and be maintained properly to stay soft, so numerous elements go into making your beard hair – from nutrition and care to your temperature and moisture levels.

However, in our experience, there are three extremely common problems which are likely to be the cause of the majority of your beard’s brittleness:

Poor Beard Care

Whether it’s not using proper products, not having a proper routine, or just not really understanding what it is you need to do to maintain your beard’s health, the number one thing making your beard too rough is not keeping it clean and healthy.

Think about it: you touch your beard all the time, and it’s probably getting hit with dust and food and all sorts throughout the day.

If you’re not washing it properly, all of that stuff is going to make it dirty, greasy, and ultimately unhealthy.

Ob the other hand, washing your beard daily is too frequent for most men. This will strip the natural oils from your skin, causing your body to over-produce oil in response. By shampooing every other day or so, you can maintain the natural balance of oils so your face doesn’t over-compensate by producing too much oil which will weigh down your hair and make it appear greasy.

Dehydration

It seems obvious, but when your facial hair lacks moisture, it becomes dry, rough, and more prone to breakage.

Now, your skin does produce natural oils to keep your face moisturized and your beard clean.

Dehydration can also lead to other problems, such as dandruff (beard druff).

But many men are stripping their beards of that moisture by using soaps or hair shampoos to ‘clean’ them.

The result is your beard doesn’t have the moisture it needs to survive and therefore, ultimately gets tired out, loses health, and hardens.

This is why stubble is often tough and unwieldy: it’s the remnants of hair that has been left to get unhealthy and hard.

Split ends

When hair first grows, it tends to be quite soft – it hasn’t had time to be exposed to harsh weather, poor care, or have its moisture robbed.

However, once it has grown out, many men experience split ends in their facial hair – often without even realizing it!

Split ends occur when the protective layer of a cuticle at the end of your hair is destroyed – it makes the hair look ragged and tired, and it causes the layers underneath to suffer too.

The causes of split ends are manifold: it may be that you’re not getting the right nutrition; your beard trimmer might just not be sharp enough.

The overarching point is that facial hairs need to be maintained and kept fresh; soft beards are healthy beards, and if you really want to make your beard softer you need to focus on growing and maintaining healthier hair in general.

So wow that we understand what’s behind your wiry beard, let’s look at how exactly you can make it softer.

Hard Water

If you’ve been washing your beard with hard water, you may be finding it challenging to grow a soft beard. Hard water contains a greater proportion of minerals, so your beard is likely to get tangled and rough when rinsed with hard water. 

Hard water means there’s a high concentration of minerals in your tap water. This can cause irritation, dryness and build-up on your beard.

Cleaning agents also cannot properly function with hard water. If hard water is your problem, ensure that you use soft water while cleaning your beard.

Temperature

Exposing your beard to any kind of extreme weather conditions isn’t advisable, whether it’s heat, humidity, or cold temperatures. Harsh conditions will cause your skin to become dry and brittle, making it look and feel worse than ever.

Moving around with a dry beard is extremely uncomfortable. Apart from that, extreme hot or cold weather can lead to dandruff.

To combat this, be sure to moisturize your beard. If you’re using a hairdryer to style, make sure to set it to the lowest heat possible.

Some people even prefer to straighten their beards using a straightener. However, there are also quite a few ways to style your beard without exposing it to the heat of a straightener.

It can be extremely damaging to your beard and in the long run, it might affect the growth rate as well. So, if you live in a place where the climate is particularly harsh, do try to use a hat or cap as often as you can.

10 Ways To Soften Your Beard

1. Use Beard Shampoo

Washing your beard is clearly essential – not just for making your stubble softer, but for achieving basic hygiene!

Washing your beard properly helps keep it healthy by removing dirt. But too often, men forget there is dedicated beard shampoo which is far better for their beard than normal soap or shampoo.

Using it every day – even for a week – will produce visible improvements, not just in your beard’s softness but it’s overall health and appearance.

It’s important that you wash the skin beneath the beard as well, as excess grime can build up there, and if you don’t get rid of it when you’re washing your beard it is likely to undo the progress you make when shampooing your beard.

Pro tip: When you’re shopping for a beard shampoo, try to look for one with plenty of natural essential oils – this will help add extra moisture to your beard.

2. Use Beard Oil & Conditioner

When you wash your beard, there is a danger of it getting dried out – either by the hard water or the tough towel.

Try applying beard oil or conditioner twice a day: it penetrates the hairs and softens them with all sorts of vitamins and nutrients.

This, in turn helps the hair relax, look healthier, and become easier to style.

The hair will also be less rough against your (and your partners!) skin.

Ultimately, it’s up to you whether you’d rather apply beard oil or a conditioning cream or lotion.

Both can have great effects, and there are great versions of both on the market.

Whichever you choose, it’s important to massage it into your beard gently but also make sure to rub it into the skin beneath your beard.

Pro tip: never use beard oil on wet hair – it won’t be absorbed properly, and it won’t spread properly across your face.

3. Use Beard Balm

Beard balm is generally used as a styling tool – it helps give you more control over your beard’s shape.

But they’re also loaded with nourishing ingredients that soften the hair and skin, as well as providing protection from the elements.

The key is to use a small amount and apply it with gentle upward motions that get at the very roots of your hair.

Many men see balm and oil/conditioner as an either/or, but the truth is – as long as you don’t cake it on – you can use them in conjunction beautifully, and will likely get better results if you do!

Pro tip: There are plenty of great beard balms on the market, but you might need a good quality round-up review to find the very best for your needs.

4. Comb and Brush it Properly

As simple as it seems, regularly brushing your beard helps keep your hair vibrant and provides a good spot check for any stiff or stray hairs which might need to be gotten rid of.

Once you get into the habit of keeping your mane in check this way, it will start to grow more healthily.

Plus, the actual act of brushing will help distribute the natural oil across your beard, therefore helping make it softer.

Pro tip: Make sure you don’t brush it too rough or dry it out – that will leave it dehydrated and cause it to harden.

5. Keep It Trimmed

As we’ve discussed, unhealthy, tired out hairs are always going to rear their heads.

The important thing is to get rid of them as quickly as possible.

And that means making sure your beard is constantly well maintained and carefully trimming it regularly.

While this won’t in itself make the hair softer, it will contribute to overall beard health and avoid the softer hairs being crowded out by harsh ones.

It will also help avoid split ends and generally make your beard more attractive.

Pro tip: Having good quality scissors will help make cutting easier, quicker, and more pleasurable.

6. Try Home Remedies

There are many home remedies, and to be honest, their success rates massively vary.

However, one that really does seem to work is applying olive oil to your beard:

Not too much – just a couple of teaspoons gently massaged into the beard works like magic.

It makes sense: olive oil has fantastic moisturizing properties and promotes healthier growth, too.

You can even leave it on overnight if you like.

Pro tip: just make sure to wash it off carefully with lukewarm water so as to avoid harshness.

Another product you can use is coconut oil which has a similar effect to olive oil. It will make your facial hair grow faster and silkier!

Try melting a teaspoon of coconut oil and rubbing it directly on your face. Start from your forehead, slowly moving down to your face.

Your strokes should follow the shape that you want your beard to be. You can also take different vitamins and supplements that will help make your beard softer!

7. Improve Your Diet and Exercise

As should be clear by now, the key to a soft beard really is keeping it healthy. And there’s no way to improve the health of your hair like changing your lifestyle.

Having the right nutrients – in particular, Biotin (sometimes known as Vitamin H, because it’s so vital for hair growth!) – will help your hair grow fuller, stronger, faster, and, most importantly, healthier.

You can get it by improving your diet – increasing your consumption of eggs, nuts, red meat, and seeds – or you could simply take a daily biotin vitamin to give yourself a little boost.

Not only do you need to have the right nutrients – you also need to have a healthy body. So as strange as it sounds, exercise can actually help you grow better, softer facial hair!

Pro tip: Set yourself clear, manageable goals – it will help turn health into a habit.

8. Apply Aloe Vera Gel

If you’re someone who loves to use natural remedies, you’ll be surprised how aloe vera works for a soft beard. 

Aloe vera removes dandruff from beards that’s responsible for a degraded beard quality. Simply purchase aloe vera gel and follow the instructions while applying it to your beard. Repeat the process twice a day to ensure lasting softness. 

As a bonus, aloe vera has zero side effects and causes no harm to facial hair.

9. Apply Honey and Lemon Juice

Honey is one of the best natural ingredients that suit your beard. This ingredient readily enhances the growth of facial hair while softening the texture. To obtain better results, make sure to add lemon juice to the honey. Use cold water to thoroughly remove the honey from your beard.

10. Get a Beard Wash

If you’re obsessed with your beard, make sure to use a hydrating cleanser. While you clean your beard, it will condition the hair, and each hair strand in your beard will be moisturized. Using a beard wash is also effective in removing excess oil, grime, and dirt. 

A beard wash provides the much-required deep cleaning to your beard. Using a beard wash, you can clean your whiskers and remove things that don’t belong in your beard.

If you decide to go with a bar of soap over liquid, opt for a hydrating one designed for soft beards. This ensures that the hair won’t dry out. Using harsh soaps can ruin your beard consistency and make it difficult for you to maintain.

11. Buy a Mustache Wax

For a charming appearance, your mustache should be in sync with your beard. You can use mustache wax to keep your mustache in good shape. 

Given that your mustache would be closer to your mouth, you should treat it with extra care. 

When you apply something on the upper lip, make sure not to use anything harsh. To prevent reactions, you should always choose a quality product. These products are designed to hold facial hairs just like a beard balm. However, the ingredients are generally softer, which prevents irritation around your mouth.

Conclusion

So there you have it: 7 simple and effective methods to improve your beard’s health and make it softer.

It’s important to remember that these are not mutually exclusive methods: you should try at least a few of them simultaneously and figure out what works best for you.

We hope you’ve found the guide helpful, and we’d love to hear how you get on with them:

Which methods helped the most? How quickly did you start to see progress? How many of these methods had you used before?

Let us know in the comments below!

In this post, we’ll discuss how to fix a patchy beard, from trimming it to beard implants, as well as some of the causes of it. Rest assured, a patchy beard, in most cases, isn’t a lifelong diagnosis. It’s fixable – and that’s just some of the good news.

Let’s kick it off by looking at some of the causes of a patchy beard and then get into the ways you can fix it.

Why Do I Have a Patchy Beard?

While our focus will be on the many ways to deal with a patchy beard, let’s start with a quick primer on some of the patchy beard causes.

• Genetics

You don’t have much of a choice – or fight – regarding genetics.

You know the science: if your father and his father could grow a full, un-patchy beard, the chances are that you can, too. That’s how it works for a lot of things – tall dad, tall son, etc. – although it’s not that way in every case.

The bottom line, however, is that there’s not much you can do against genetics. Not that all hope is lost, as we’ll discover later.

• Alopecia Areata

Only a small percentage of the population suffer from alopecia areata.

Also known as “spot baldness, alopecia areata forms a coin-shaped bald spot on hair-covered areas of your body, including your beard.

There are ways to treat this condition; moreover, it may disappear without any treatment.

• Hormone Imbalance

A decrease in hormones that influence certain male characteristics is another potential cause of your patchy beard. Testosterone is one such hormone.

Dihydrotestosterone is an active form of testosterone, which has a significant impact on your beard’s fullness. 

It affects a lot of body functions, especially in men, including erectile dysfunctions, reduced bone mass, sex drive, and even hair growth! Some men lose their hair, and some begin to grow a thin beard.

If this is the case with you, consider consulting your doctor, who could prescribe essential supplements.

•  Age

Age is an essential factor in beard growth that many don’t like to admit. Men under 20, or even 25, tend to grow their beards very slowly or not at all. 

The brain’s frontal lobe develops properly and reaches a level of maturity only around the age of 25 and continues until the late thirties. Apart from affecting our critical skills and the decision-making process, the frontal lobe affects beard growth, too. It also relates to the level of testosterone, among many other factors. So yes, having a beard is technically a sign of maturity. 

Either way, if you’re younger and don’t have a thick beard, you shouldn’t worry. The chances are your beard will get thicker with age.

•  Grooming

Learning how to groom your beard properly might not seem all that important, but it will definitely affect the way it grows. Make sure to harmonize your face shape while grooming your beard so that it doesn’t look messy. The hairs shouldn’t be scattered all around your face.

It’s also essential to clean and trim your beard regularly. Trimming the beard not only makes it look clean and fresh, but it also makes it thicker! Just like our hair, a beard can have split ends, which significantly slows down hair growth, which regular trims can help avoid.

• Stress, Diet, Lack of Exercise, Etc.

We’ll delve into all of these as we discuss how to fix patchy beards. Too much stress, a bad diet, couch potato behavior supplemented with junk food – all are potential causes.

Maintaining a healthy diet can have a massive impact on your beard growth. Consider consuming various nutrients such as protein, vitamins A, C, and E, omega-3 fatty acids found in nuts and fish.

Apart from that, make sure to exercise regularly in order to keep your body healthy, which is crucial for your beard density. Exercise also helps boost testosterone levels, which boosts beard growth too, so yeah try to live healthy, and also Ttry to avoid stress as much as possible since this is a common cause of hair loss.

That’s the basic Beard 101 version of “Why You Have a Patchy Beard,” but you can always dig deeper into the science of it. It’s our primary goal, however, to discuss the ways to fix your patchy beard.

1. Give Your Beard the Gift of Time

The world, sadly, is filled with men who gave up on their beard too soon.

Beard grows in stages, 7 stages, to be precise. They had reasons, for sure: the beard itched during the early growth stages (an often exasperating beard newbie obstacle), they didn’t like the way they looked with a beard, OR it was patchy.

Well, if you’re only a few weeks, or a month, into growing your first beard and it looks patchy, our first piece of advice is, “Don’t panic!”

Too many men have wandered off the bearded path and picked up their razor because they didn’t attain full-bearded glory immediately.

True, we live in a society that often expects results in the snap of a finger, but growing a beard isn’t the same as going through the fast food drive-thru.

Yes, growing a beard will take you on a journey that may have some awkward moments, including moments when patchiness reigns supreme, especially in the early stages. It helps, during these stages of frustration, to keep a few things in mind:

• You’ll notice it more than onlookers – You’re impatient to achieve full-bearded glory, we get it. Anything that doesn’t resemble that may cause you the angst of thinking everyone sees your patchiness, but you’re probably wrong. Most people will look at you and think, “Hey, he must be growing a beard,” and leave it that.
• Beards get fuller with age – Men mature at different rates. We all remember the kid in high school who sported a full beard. Meanwhile, some of us are still trying to grow a respectable beard after we’ve finished college. If you’re in the latter group, just remember that beards do get denser as we mature. Patience, my friend, is always a virtue, particularly when it comes to growing a beard.
• Everyone experiences some patchiness – OK, the dude in high school who grew a full beard, or the guy you know who has the beard of a well-coiffed lumberjack; chances are better than good that their beards didn’t attain full growth in one simple swoop. They had some patchy spots along the way, too. It’s rare that a beard grows uniformly all over your face, chins, cheek, and neck without a patch or two, however small.

2. Own It

Again, we can’t emphasize this point enough: if your beard keeps coming in patchy, DO NOT pick up your razor and shave it.

Nobody wants to be known as a murderous fool, especially when there are so many solutions to patchiness that don’t involve shaving. Why not just accept your beard for what it is – right now, not forever – and own it with pride?

And one way to own it is by styling it strategically.

For instance, keeping your beard shorter is one way to keep your patchy spots from being too obvious.

The light stubble is among patchy beard styles that take away the bald spots while still giving you a cool-looking beard.

Another is the chin strap, which isn’t much of a beard at all, but is still a somewhat popular style that leaves your cheeks clean-shaven while bringing hair to your jawline and chin. Most goatee styles also work well if you deal with patchiness.

Or, here’s the other thing: no rule says you shouldn’t just accept your patchy beard and rock it just the way it is. Sure, it might look scruffy, but you wouldn’t be the only man who’s attempted – and perhaps pulled off – the scruffy look. After all, you are who you are – own your style!.

3. Groom It

Proper beard grooming isn’t just helpful for making your beard look its best. Or, for that matter, helping to keep it healthy. Those are two important reasons to groom your beard, of course, but grooming can also help you deal with patchiness.

Let’s look at some grooming tips:

Brushing your beard

Women brush their hair because it adds volume.

Why not do the same for your beard?

Using a beard brush – not the same brush you use on your hair – will create a fuller look.

It lifts hairs to increase the volume, or at least the look of volume, of your magnificent beard. Brushing your beard also increases blood flow to the skin beneath your beard which, in turn, promotes beard growth.

Disclaimer: only use a brush if you have a decent volume of facial hair. Brush your stubble? Nah. There’s no need pouring water on a rock, just let it be.

Great example — Beard Brush by ZilberHaar 

Apply beard oil

Beard oil is a wondrous product that should be part of every beardsman’s grooming kit.

Loaded with essential oils, which treat the skin, hair follicles, and enhance healthy beard growth, beard oil is important to full beard growth.

Many essential oils have anti-microbial properties and provide deep cleaning, while also making your beard easier to manage.

You’ll like how your comb glides through your beard hair after an application of beard oil.

Moreover, beard oil helps clear away dead skin cells that not only itch, but may inhibit hair growth, and helps to get rid of the dreaded beard itch.

Great example —Jack Black Beard Oil 

Apply beard balm

Beard balm is another grooming tool you should have on hand as you transform your beard – yes, even your patchy beard – into something that’s worthy of envy.

While it doesn’t stimulate facial hair growth like beard oil, beard balm certainly aids in styling it (and making it seem fuller).

Balms contain wax to give you the kind of “hold” that locks your beard style in place.

While we’re at it, let’s not forget beard shampoo, another essential part of your beard-grooming routine.

Shampoo cleans away dirt, debris, and dead skin cells, and keeps it soft and manageable.

Just remember to use a beard shampoo, not the same shampoo you use on your hair and scalp. Beard shampoos don’t mess with the natural oils of your face that are essential to beard growth.

Not that you have to shampoo your beard every day, however, because daily washing increases the risk of drying out your beard.

Great example — Honest Amish Beard Balm 

4. Use Products

Now that we’ve talked about beard products such as oil, shampoo, and balm, let’s talk about “products” of another kind. Namely, the type of products that are said to promote hair growth, both on a person’s head and beard.

Let’s begin by saying a couple of things about hair growth supplements:

1) they’re for men who want a full-grown beard, not stubble (it’s safe to say that most men can grow stubble

2) the FDA approves hair growth supplements for the hair on a human head, but supplements that promote hair growth on the beard.

That doesn’t deny, however, the fact that many men report positive results from using supplements to enhance beard growth. So, by all means, give supplements a try as you explore different ways to deal with a patchy beard.

One you’ve probably heard of is Minoxidil.

Minoxidil, a.k.a Rogaine 

Minoxidil originally was used to treat high blood pressure, and still is. One of its “side effects” was that it caused hair growth on early users of it – not a bad side effect, indeed.

The FDA approved it as a hair-growth product in 1988 and then marketed it under the Rogaine name.

When you think about it, men trying Minoxidil on their beards wasn’t much of a stretch.

“If it works up here, why not down here where I have a scruffy, patchy, beard that doesn’t want to realize its full potential?”

Ok, so maybe not those exact words, but you get the picture.

So, how does the stuff work?

Without getting too scientific, Minoxidil acts as a potassium channel opener that stimulates blood circulation in the hair follicle.

Improved blood flow to the hair follicles helps promote hair growth by allowing more hormones and nutrients to reach the hairs’ roots.

Another thing Minoxidil is purported to do is that it stimulates an enzyme called prostaglandin synthase-1 via the immune system.

Many scientists believe another cause of hair loss has something to do with the functioning of the immune system.

Minoxidil also prolongs the anagen phase of hair growth. Anagen is one of three phases of hair growth, the other being catagen and telogen, and is the phase that promotes new hair growth.

While the jury is, technically, still out on Minoxidil and its success in promoting beard growth (the whole FDA-approval thing), many bearded men have sung its praises.

There’s not much harm in giving it a try – it may cause dry skin and may lower your blood pressure – and who knows, it might help you in your fight against patchiness.

Vitabeard 

We’ll talk in a bit about proper nutrition and its role in promoting a healthy beard, but let’s mention a product called Vitabeard first.

As its name suggests, Vitabeard is a mix of vitamins that boost the growth of hair and improves its overall quality.

One of the key ingredients in Vitabeard is biotin, a B-complex vitamin that is good for the hair and skin and is considered important to the process of hair growth.

Vitabeard’s list of ingredients includes vitamin C, a protein which repairs and prevents split hairs. Moreover, there’s also zinc, another nutrient that’s good for hair.

As with Minoxidil, the pressing question in regards to Vitabeard is, “Does it work?” Again, many users report positive results, i.e., a thicker beard that isn’t plagued by patchiness.

A quick note: Taking a supplement such as Vitabeard is particularly helpful if your regular diet falls short nutritionally.

Obviously, we hope it doesn’t, and a healthy diet should provide you with most of what you need regarding vitamins and minerals, but it’s true that vitamins support a thicker, healthier beard.

5. Diet/Nutrition

The saying, “You are what you eat,” applies to many aspects of your life, not just your waistline.

You know, if you eat junk, your health is probably going to be junk.

It even applies to your beard. If you eat a healthy diet, one that includes the proper vitamins and nutrients, your beard will benefit.

Some experts would argue that proper nutrition is the most important factor in fixing bald spots while creating a fuller beard.

Needless to say, that double cheeseburger and fries don’t constitute proper nutrition – at least not the kind we’re talking about here – but your beard-healthy diet should include:

• Plenty of protein

Without protein, your beard doesn’t stand a chance.

Why?

Because protein consists of keratin, which is a kind of protein made of amino acids.

Our bodies can’t produce amino acids on their own, so we need to get them from other sources, i.e., sources rich in protein. If you’re looking to add protein to your diet, eat fish, lean meats, poultry, eggs, etc.

• Vitamins C and E

Both vitamin C and E produce sebum, the body’s natural oil that moisturizes and lubricates facial hair to create a thicker beard. Spinach, citrus fruits, and sunflower seeds are excellent sources of vitamins C and E.

• Vitamin A and Beta A Carotene

Vitamin A and Beta A Carotene promote better hair growth because they’re good for repairing skin tissue. Carrots, kale, spinach, and egg yolks are good sources of A and Beta A Carotene.

• Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Fatty fish such as salmon, walnuts, and flaxseed oil are good sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acids, which promote overall hair growth while preventing it from becoming dry and brittle.

• Vitamins B6, B12, and Biotin

B vitamins and Biotin are said to prevent hair loss caused by stress while also promoting new skin and hair growth.

• Lots of water

We’ve all heard about the virtues of drinking a sufficient amount of water each day.

There are many reasons why, including the fact that a properly hydrated body will produce enough moisture to aid beard growth and a fuller, thicker beard.

On the flip side, consuming large quantities of alcohol will lead to dehydration (of your entire body, that is).

So, as fun as indulging in alcohol can sometimes be, “moderation” is always a good mantra to keep in mind.

• Stop Smoking

Smoking might also be playing a role in your patchy beard situation, as the nicotine in cigarettes constricts the blood vessels, causing very little blood to get to your beard. When your hair follicles don’t get enough nourishment, your beard won’t grow fully. It’s not rocket science.

• Don’t starve yourself

Diets are good for peeling weight off but diets that are too low in calories mess with a man’s testosterone production, which in turns leads to inhibited beard growth.

6. Exercise

Pat yourself on the back if you already work out regularly.

Seriously.

You’re doing every part of you a favor, including your beard. Yep, getting plenty of exercise not only helps to keep unwanted pounds off, but it also boosts facial hair growth.

Here’s how working out and beard growth go hand-in-hand:

• Working out increases testosterone levels and testosterone is a key trigger for facial hair growth. Why? Most importantly, testosterone converts into something called dihydrotestosterone – a sex hormone that’s a key contributor to hair growth, fertility, muscle gain, and more. Men with higher levels of DHT and testosterone usually have more facial hair than men who have lower levels. The only downside, however, is that men with high levels of DHT have a greater sensitivity to a hormone that causes male pattern baldness (MPB). If you have lower levels of DHT, however, and are frustrated about your beard growth or its patchiness, the good news is that you can take natural testosterone supplements.
• Exercising increases the blood flow to your muscles, scalp, and skin – including the skin on your face. The increased blood flow brings more oxygen and nutrients while providing a nice boost to facial hair growth.
• Exercise causes us to sweat – letting us know we’re getting in a good workout – and sweat carries toxins and waste products through the skin’s pores. Sweating helps unclog hair follicles to provide room for new hair to grow.
• Working out boosts your metabolism, which can aid hair growth while aiding your overall health.
• Working out helps your body recover more readily – which helps replenish facial hair and skin.
• Let’s be honest: working out can give you a killer body to go with your killer beard. It’s a lethal combination if you’re not that guy and your girlfriend notices that guy.
• Most types of exercise are good for facial hair growth, although fitness experts suggest that cardio workouts such as running, brisk walking, cycling, dance, and interval training are particularly beneficial.

7. Rest

No one likes it when you don’t get enough rest and you wake up in the morning groggy and irritable. You know, those mornings when the alarm clock sounds like a siren going off in your head. You don’t like it, your significant other doesn’t like, and your beard doesn’t like it.

Numerous studies show that a lack of sleep has a variety of negative effects on the body, including that it reduces testosterone levels.

And reduced testosterone levels aren’t going to help your patchy beard.

A study by the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that a week of sleep deprivation – not getting more than five hours of sleep per night – resulted in a 10 to 15 percent reduction in testosterone levels.

The study, as well others, show that getting a good night’s rest regenerates testosterone levels.

So, your patchy beard could be the result of burning the midnight oil too much and too often.

Moreover, a lack of sleep increases your stress levels – which doesn’t do your beard any favors, either.

8. Avoid Stress

It’s hard to avoid stress because our lives are often consumed by it. Deadlines, relationship problems, health issues, job changes – all bring on stress.

Like your mind and body, your beard feels the brunt of stress. Here’s why – when you’re under stress, your body increases its production of cortisol, a natural hormone associated with the “fight or flight” syndrome.

In turn, cortisol decreases the level of testosterone in the body. Stress also constricts blood vessels, making it harder for nutrients to reach the hair follicles.

No question reducing stress will enhance beard and overall hair growth. People joke about their hair “falling out in clumps” when they’re under a tremendous amount of stress, but it’s not far from the truth.

Fortunately, there’s a myriad of ways to reduce stress – from meditation to exercise to yoga to just hanging out in nature. We strongly recommend finding a stress-reducer that works for you.

9. Beard Implants

If nothing else works, and we think other methods will work for most men, then you may consider beard implants as an option.

Implants are a potential solution for men who’ve struggled to grow a full, healthy beard since adolescence. That said, the number of beard implants has risen sharply in recent years.

The most common method of beard implants involves taking hair from the patient’s head – roots and all – and then surgically implanting them on bare patches of the face. The procedure only requires local anesthesia but often takes several hours.

Interestingly enough, the recently-transplanted hair will fall out in a few weeks, but will come back stronger because their roots are developing (and in it for the long haul). You’ll like the patchy beard before and after photos when you’ve completed the process.

One of the advantages of a beard transplant is that you’ll get the beard you want simply by telling the surgeon how you want it to look. One if their disadvantages as that they range in price from $3,000 to $7,000, which isn’t cheap by any means.

10. Take Care Of Your Skin

In order to have a nice, thick beard, you must first have healthy facial skin. Make sure to wash your face regularly to open up your pores and get rid of the dead skin cells. Exfoliate the skin to ensure that there are no ingrown hairs that would stop your beard from growing.

Apart from that, there are numerous moisturizers for different skin types. Pick the right one to keep your skin healthy. Their role is to lubricate your skin and treat dry skin, imperfections, and improve the texture!

Dry skin under your beard not only makes your beard thinner but also causes dandruff. Dry skin can be caused by numerous factors such as exposure to heat and humidity and will make your beard look messy and unhealthy.

The process might take some time, but you’ll notice a difference in your beard’s density with time.

11. Hormone Therapy

Patchy beard growth may be the result of a hormone deficiency for some men. Hormone therapy comes via hormonal injections, pills, or hormonal creams.

If your hair roots are determined to be hormone-resistant, hormone treatments are prescribed by a doctor to enhance the effects that hormones have on hair roots and follicles.

Generally speaking, hormone therapy hasn’t proven as effective as beard implants and may pose certain health risks.

Is your beard patchy? If so, what methods have you tried and with what success? We always welcome your feedback and suggestions and would like to hearwould to hear from you.

Until next time, bearded friends.

For most people, this is worse than not having a beard, which is why they choose to shave it all off. 

Not all hope is lost if you fall into the latter group, however. There are several methods and products you can try to grow a thicker beard, and many have used them and experienced good results.

While there’s no magic potion that will make your whiskers grow in areas where they don’t – because of genetics or other reasons – you can make your beard thicker and give it an overall appearance of fullness. The health of your beard depends upon a lot of factors, and in this article, we will talk about all of them in proper detail to help you get the look you’ve always admired and wanted. 

Here’s a look at some ways you can enhance your beard by making it thicker.

First, let’s quickly address a couple of key questions before we dive into our beard growing tips:

1. Spectral.BRD and the Minoxidil beard
2. The beard transplant: A permanent solution (Prepare to spend the big bucks for this one)
3. Taking supplements to enhance beard growth
4. Beard oil: The magic elixir
5. Grow a thicker beard by giving it time to grow
6. Exercise and its benefits for beard growth
7. Building a thicker beard through hormone therapy
8. Microneedling and beard growth
9. Using beard dye to enhance your beard’s appearance

How fast does facial hair grow?

How fast your beard grows depends on several factors, including your genetics, age, and race. Most men experience their biggest beard growth between the ages of 25 to 35.

But back to the original question: The average growth rate for facial hair is about a half-inch per month, sometimes less, sometimes more.You might see the rate of growth in beards a lot more in some men than in others. 

To understand how hair grows, it’s important to know that there are three stages to growth: anagen, catagen, and telogen.

The anagen phase is when hair is growing – when the cells of hair follicles divide rapidly to create a new hair shaft – while the catagen phase is when hair lies dormant.

The telogen phase is when new hair starts to push out older or dead hair to, hopefully, kick-start the process all over again. About 10% of all hair follicles are in the telogen phase at any given time.

How long does it take to grow a beard?

It takes around two to four months for the average man to grow a full beard. Again, the growth depends on many factors; one man may grow an inch of facial hair per month while another may grow at the standard half-inch per month, or maybe less.

It also depends on what you think a full-fledged beard is. If you want something that covers the bottom half of your face, you can get in less time than something that’s longer and falls down to your chest. 

1. Spectral.BRD and the Minoxidil beard

Let’s begin with two common and effective ways for growing a thicker beard, both of which have scientific backing.

Spectral.BRD

Developed by DS Laboratories, an innovative company focused on the science of hair growth, among other things, Spectral.BRD is a potent serum designed to reduce the patchiness of facial hair while helping it to become thicker.

A key ingredient in Spectral.BRD is Nanoxidil, which is very similar to minoxidil, but without potential side effects, making it a safer alternative than Minoxidil.

The primary difference between nanoxidil and minoxidil lies in their molecular structures. Nanoxidil has a greater molecular weight than minoxidil because it contains one less carbon chain.

Because it has a larger molecular weight, nanoxidil absorbs better into the skin.

Again, nanoxidil users don’t experience the side effects that may occur with minoxidil, which we’ll touch on later when we take a closer look at minoxidil.

Another important ingredient found in Spectral.BRD is adenosine, which is shown to increase the anagen phase of hair growth. Adenosine also helps increase the hair shaft diameter, which contributes to the overall thickness of your beard.

Scientifically speaking, adenosine increases thymidine uptake, which helps induce hair follicle development from the epidermis.

We can’t mention Spectral.BRD without discussing DS Labs’ unique nanosome delivery system, which enables key ingredients to penetrate deeply into the skin. It encapsulates and allows for a continuous release of active ingredients for longer-lasting results.

The ingredients are encapsulated in nano-sized liposomes that, because of their small size, penetrate deeper into the skin to deliver those ingredients. Here’s an interesting study about nanosomes and their efficacy.

Besides nanoxidil and adenosine, Spectral.BRD has a long list of other ingredients that help produce thicker, healthier whiskers while helping to eliminate the patchiness that plagues some beard growers.

• Caffeine

Caffeine extract, when used topically, counteracts testosterone-enhanced protein that suppresses the growth and division of hair cells while stimulating scalp and facial hair growth.

• Biotin

Biotin is a common ingredient found in many hair growth products, and a biotin deficiency can lead to alopecia, i.e., the loss of hair from some or all areas of the body. A daily biotin supplement may increase hair growth after 90 to 180 days.

• Piroctone olamine

Piroctone olamine increases the number of hairs in the anagen phase. Nearly 90% of people who use piroctone olamine report thicker hair, the other 10% are just plain unlucky.

• Rosemary oil

Rosemary oil strengthens circulation to prevent hair follicles from becoming cut off of the blood supply that’s necessary for them to survive. In turn, this promotes healthy hair growth.

• Castor oil

Castor oil contains the omega-9 unsaturated fatty acid known as ricinoleic acid, which restores moisture in the hair. It increases blood circulation to the site of application, thereby stimulating hair growth.

• Copper peptides

Copper peptides increase hair follicle size, stimulate hair growth by encouraging the release of certain chemicals known as growth factors, and reduce hair loss. They also help to improve hair transplant success (and we’ll talk about transplants later on in this article).

• Hyaluronic acid

Hyaluronic acid helps to promote hair growth by adding moisture to a dry scalp and hair. It can also help increase the diameter of hair strands.

• Nicotinic acid

Nicotinic acid, or niacinamide, is a type of vitamin B3 that increases the density of hair follicles and improves the quality of existing hair shafts. It also aids the synthesis of keratin, the main component of human hair.

Another benefit of Spectral.BRD is that it’s relatively easy to use. You apply six to eight drops of the serum on the affected area and then massage it in until it covers the entire area. Do not rinse it off after application. You should apply it twice a day.

Minoxidil (Rogaine)

You’ve probably heard of minoxidil, or as it’s commonly known – Rogaine. We’re betting that you have.

First introduced as a drug to treat high blood pressure – and it still is – minoxidil is considered an anti-hypersensitive vasodilator.

People who couldn’t lower their blood pressure through standard treatment options and other medications turned to minoxidil and experienced good results.

But here’s the kicker: One of the side effects of minoxidil was that it caused hair growth, a condition medically known as hypertrichosis. For many people, that wasn’t such a bad side effect, since the hair growth was not excessive and disturbing. The rest is history, and by 1988, minoxidil became the first drug approved by the FDA for use as a hair-growth product.

Minoxidil is also backed by science regarding hair growth, as several studies – including this one – show that it’s effective in many cases.

How does minoxidil work?

Oddly enough, scientists aren’t 100% sure how minoxidil works to promote hair growth. They do know that it’s a potassium channel opener that stimulates the blood circulation of hair follicles, which allow more nutrients and hormones to reach their roots.

In turn, the hair grows thicker and faster because it has more access to nutrients that go behind growing a healthy beard. 

It also works by prolonging the anagen phase of hair growth, the phase that promotes hair growth.

Another suggestion is that minoxidil works with the immune system by stimulating the enzyme prostaglandin synthase-1. That’s notable because hair loss, in general, appears to have a connection with the immune system.

Something else worth noting: minoxidil doesn’t revive hair growth on your face in the same way as it does on your scalp.

Men who suffer a lack of facial hair aren’t “balding” in the same way as someone who is losing hair on his head. Instead, minoxidil works to stimulate the follicles already present on your face.

These follicles are just dormant, and not completely dead as you see in the victims of male pattern baldness. 

The types of minoxidil

Choosing the right type of minoxidil, whether you use it on your face or scalp, is important for getting the best results. The two primary types are minoxidil foam and minoxidil liquid.

Minoxidil liquid

Liquid is the original form of minoxidil and can be applied twice a day. It’s less expensive than foam, but it takes longer to dry.

Perhaps the biggest difference between liquid and foam minoxidil is that the liquid contains propylene glycol, which helps transport minoxidil’s ingredients past the skin surface.

It also ensures that minoxidil is evenly distributed over the areas of the beard which need treatment.

The kicker is that propylene glycol irritates the skin in some users, which, for them, makes minoxidil foam a better option. Nonetheless, propylene glycol plays an important role in getting the drug to work.

• 5% minoxidil vs. 2%

Minoxidil liquid typically comes with either a 5% or 2% minoxidil concentration. The stronger the concentration, the greater the potential for experiencing good results, at least for most men.

Some studies show that the 5% concentration delivers nearly 50% more new hair growth, although results may vary from one individual to the next.

• How to apply minoxidil liquid

Both liquid and foam minoxidil are relatively easy to apply:

1. 1. Begin by cleansing your face with a quality cleanser or wash, such as the Ursa Major Fantastic Face Wash. Avoid using a bar soap because it can irritate and dry out the skin.Apply the liquid minoxidil to the area(s) of the beard you want to treat. The typical application is 1 ml of liquid, and the dropper that comes with the solution measures the amount for you.Leave the liquid minoxidil on your face for approximately four hours to allow it to better absorb into the skin. Some people apply it before going to bed to ensure that it’s left in for the proper amount of time.Rinse or wash your face with water after you’ve left the minoxidil on for the suggested period.Use a moisturizer to reducereduces potential dryness and skin irritation. Again, the propylene glycol found in liquid minoxidil may irritate the skin, although that’s not the case for every person.How often should I apply liquid minoxidil?
   You should apply liquid minoxidil to your face and beard twice a day or as instructed. Results may take time – and at least up to six months – but you should notice a thicker, less-patchy beard over time. It’s not a magic elixir, you don’t expect it to grow you a forest of hair overnight.You can stop using it when you’re satisfied with the thickness of your beard. Or, you can slowly wean yourself off of it, as; you may experience some minor shedding during the process.If you decide that liquid minoxidil is your best option, we think that the Kirkland Signature Minoxidil is a great choice. It’s a 5% topical solution that comes in a two-year supply and with two child-resistant dropper applicators.The bottom line is that you don’t need to use minoxidil, whether liquid or foam, for the rest of your life. But don’t stop using it until your beard has reached its full thickness.

Minoxidil foam

Minoxidil foam costs more than minoxidil liquid, but studies show that it’s equally effective for growing a thicker beard. And it doesn’t include propylene glycol, which may cause skin irritation, although it may not absorb in the skin quite as effectively as the liquid.

For many users and reviewers, minoxidil foam produces very similar results to liquid. Deciding which one works best is more a matter of personal preference than anything else.

Rogaine’s 5% Minoxidil Foam is a popular choice among men seeking to stimulate hair growth. It works to boost hair follicle activity and hair protein protection – important factors in the quest for a thicker beard.

• How to apply minoxidil foam

1. Wash your face, preferably with a face wash or cleanser, and not bar soap.
2. Rinse your fingers and hands with cold water. The foam will dissolve too quickly if your hands are warm, so make sure that they’re nice and cool.
3. Dispense the foam onto your fingers. Use an amount that fits into half of the cap, or approximately 1 ml.
4. Apply the foam to your beard and the skin underneath until you’ve used up all of it.
5. Wash your hands thoroughly once you’ve finished.

Minoxidil side effects

Unlike nanoxidil, as discussed in our overview Spectral.BRD, minoxidil may cause side effects.

For example, skin irritation and redness, unwanted hair growth in other areas of the body, or – in more serious cases – abnormal weight loss, dizziness, swollen feet or hands, and chest pain.

While this is incredibly scary, Most minoxidil users experience few side effects if any; but if you experience a more serious reaction, contact your physician immediately.

2. The beard transplant: A permanent solution

For some men, the inability to grow a full, thick beard is completely out of their hands. That’s because they’re genetically-disposed to grow a thin, patchier beard than other men, and their fathers and grandfathers probably faced the same issue.

That’s why a beard transplant, especially for those men, is a viable alternative to a lifetime of patchy beards that only serve to frustrate.

In short, a beard transplant involves taking hair from another part of the body and transplanting it to the face, or wherever a beard or mustache grows. While beard transplants are still a relatively new procedure, their overall results have been good.

And by “good” results, we mean those that produce a thick, full beard that looks completely natural, not contrived.

Let’s dig a little deeper:

How it works

For starters, the hair that’s transplanted to your face typically comes from the back of the scalp, where hair most closely resembles facial hair than the hair on other parts of the body.

The 2 types of beard transplants

There are two major types of beard transplants – Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT). Both types involve removing hair from a donor area.

An FUE beard transplant involves taking individual hairs one-by-one from the donor region and transplanting them to the face. It’s the most common beard transplant procedure, and it leaves only small, white scars behind (which are hardly noticeable).

In a FUT transplant, the surgeon takes a small strip of tissue from the donor area via a microscopic dissection process. The strip is transplanted to the facial area, and the surgeon closes the wound edge of the donor region, leaving a single, fine scar behind.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both procedures:

• The FUE procedure doesn’t leave a linear scar – as with FUT – and it heals faster. The latter is important because, for one reason, the patient can return to normal activity in less time.
• The scars left by the FUE procedure cover a wider area; on the other hand, they’re harder to detect than those left behind by a FUT transplant.
• The FUT donor strip harvests a greater amount of hair, which may make it easier to achieve maximum beard thickness.
• Most patients report little or no discomfort during the FUE procedure.

For a closer look, here’s a video comparison of the FUE and FUT procedures during a hair transplant:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=mc5JiIKmSWU%3Ffeature%3Doembed

Pre-surgery preparation

Transplant specialists advise patients not to take any medication that contains aspirin 10 days before the procedure. Further, patients shouldn’t take anti-inflammatory medications or drink alcohol three days before the transplant, as any of these could alter the body’s metabolism and cause some problems during and after the procedure, and delay healing.

Also, taking a vitamin C tablet once a day for a full week prior to the transplant can help aid the healing process.

Post-surgery

The transplant surgeon may prescribe an antibiotic to prevent infection in the donor area following the procedure. That may include an antibiotic ointment that you apply to the donor area for five days after the transplant.

You may notice hair shedding after the transplant, which is no reason to panic. Instead, it’s a natural part of the process; by three months, you should notice a marked improvement in the thickness and amount of your facial hair, if not sooner.

Also, you should keep the transplanted area as dry as possible for five days following surgery.

Side effects

There are some side effects associated with a facial hair transplant, but nothing serious. They may include:

• Swelling in the donor region
• Mild bruising
• Ingrown hair
• Redness
• Increased sensitivity at the donor and recipient sites

Facial transplant patients typically resume shaving within a week to 10 days after transplant.

The advantages of getting a beard transplant

We’ve already mentioned one advantage, i.e., that beard transplants make it possible to get a full beard for men who are genetically predisposed to have a patchy or thin beard. There are other advantages, as well:

• You’ll get a realistic, natural-looking beard – especially if a skilled surgeon and clinic is in charge of the transplant.
• You can choose the style of beard you want and have the procedure follow accordingly.
• You can also have hair transplanted to your eyebrows and sideburns if you so choose.

The disadvantages of a beard transplant

The primary disadvantage of getting a beard transplant is its cost.

There’s no getting around the fact that a transplant will strain your budget – it may cost $7,000 or more, and even up to $15,000, depending on the quality of the clinic and the surgeon’s talents and experience.

You can always find clinics willing to do a transplant for less, sometimes much less, but make sure that you evaluate them thoroughly while reading the reviews of men who’ve had the procedure performed there.

Some clinics charge on a per-session basis because it may take more than one session to complete the transplant. Others may charge on a per-graft basis in which the total cost equals the number of grafts times the price per graft.

Some surgeons may use or need, more hairs per graft to give the beard a fuller, thicker appearance.

Another factor to consider is that some clinics charge a consultation fee to meet with the patient before the procedure takes place. A consultation fee may cost as much as $300 – but often less.

Another minor disadvantage of a beard transplant is that because the hair comes from the back of the head, it may be harder to match. The hair from your head has a slightly different structure than pre-existing beard hair, which also can make it harder to match.

3. Taking supplements to enhance beard growth

We’ll discuss a well-balanced diet – which is another important factor for stimulating beard growth – a little later because getting the right amount of vitamins and nutrients is among the many beard growing tips.

Vitamin supplements can help in the beard growth process, although results may vary from person to person. They can make your beard look thicker and help it grow faster than men who don’t get a sufficient dose of vitamins in their diet.

Supplements may also help to fill in those patchy spots. Do they actually work? Well, there’s not a lot of credible science backing them, but that doesn’t mean they don’t provide some benefits to patchy facial hair.

There are studies, such as this one, which show that taking a supplement like VitaBeard does improve facial hair growth, at least in some participants.

Vitamins such as copper, zinc, magnesium, vitamin B, iron, vitamin D, and vitamin E may all play helpful roles for growing thicker hair, both on your face and on your scalp.

Additionally, there’s some evidence that vitamin D helps to activate dormant hair follicles, while B vitamins also strengthen and condition hair.

Among the B vitamins, biotin is probably the most important one for facial hair growth. Biotin dramatically boosts the production of keratin, a protein that provides the structural base for hair and nails.

Studies also show that a biotin deficiency can slow hair growth by, in part, causing hair to become thin and brittle.

While biotin is found in foods such as eggs, meat, bananas, and legumes, ingesting it as an oral supplement may be the best method to get the results you desire, or least to make sure you’re getting the right amount of biotin to enhance hair growth.

How much biotin is the right amount? One school of thought says your diet should include 5,000 to 10,000 mcg of biotin to influence beard and hair growth.

The good news is that biotin is water-soluble, and any excess is removed when you urinate, and, besides, it doesn’t have side effects.

Nonetheless, you should always consult with your physician first before taking a supplement or an extra dose of biotin.

4. Beard oil: The magic elixir

No self-respecting beardsmen should be without beard oil in his grooming arsenal. Beard oil, simply put, has too many benefits for you to not include it in your daily grooming regimen, whether you want to enhance your beard’s thickness or not.

What is beard oil? In general terms, it’s a mixture of essential and carrier oils that act as a leave-in conditioner for the beard and skin.

You can begin to use oil early in the beard-growing process and keep using it until you shave your beard off (which we’re not advising, mind you).

What are some beard oil’s many benefits? Here’s a look:

• Beard oil reduces the itchiness that many men experience, particularly in the early days and weeks of growing a new beard.
• It softens the beard to make it more manageable.
• It helps the skin below the beard to thrive while also healing any issues that can lead to patchy growth.
• Beard oil helps eliminate “beardruff,” the facial hair equivalent of dandruff.
• Beard oil helps to enhance your beard’s overall appearance.

But let’s discuss the more pertinent question: Does beard oil help beard growth and to create a thicker beard?

The answer is, no, not technically, because it doesn’t – by itself – change the rate at which your beard grows. However, it can help create the conditions which help the beard thrive, which, in turn, can lead to a thicker beard.

Beard oil treats symptoms and issues that prevent beard follicles from nourishing and growing.

If you’re in the market for a quality beard oil, check out Honest Amish’s Classic Beard Oil. It contains seven important oils that improve hair and skin health.

5. Grow a thicker beard by giving it time to grow

The fact that your beard takes time to grow seems fairly obvious. Of course, some men grow facial hair faster than others – it’s a genetic thing, for one – but “giving it time” requires a bit of patience; perhaps more patience than you’d think.

Let’s spend some time talking about the Four Weeks Rule and how it applies to how to grow a thicker beard. In short, you need to regard time as a close ally (perhaps your closest ally) regarding beard growth and to grow a beard naturally at home.

And it comes down to this: many men think their beard is patchy when it really isn’t. Instead, they may not have given it enough time to grow a beard on your cheeks.

That’s why you need to give yourself four weeks, at the minimum, to grow a thick, luscious beard of which you can be proud. Never evaluate your beard’s status without allowing it to grow for four weeks.

Many men experience the temptation of wanting to throw in the towel – and break out their razor – because their beard looks scraggly or patchy after a couple of weeks of growth. Don’t do it.

To grow a thick beard requires the same kind of commitment that it takes to develop a killer body or to earn an advance degree. And it’s not even the same kind of commitment, time-wise, like many other things that require discipline.

The point is, you need to stay the course even when you counter the inevitable bumps along the way.

Let’s take a closer look at the four weeks:

Week 1

If you’ve never grown a beard before, or even if you have, the first week is the “weird” week. Those newbie whiskers feel strange on your face and even look a little weird.

You may also start to experience the dreaded beard itch during this opening stage of your march to beard greatness. Let’s not dismiss the impact of beard itch and how it’s the reason many men decide to scrap the project altogether, but hold your ground.

Beard itch is another reason why the first week of the growth cycle is a good time to apply beard oil. Beard oil makes your beard look and feel healthier, and has many benefits for the skin underneath, but it also helps to keep beard itch at bay.

Week 2

The second week of beard growth gives you a better sense of the shape of your beard. You’ll probably continue to notice patchiness, with some areas thick with growth and others more sparse, but you may have an idea of what beard style best suits your face.

You still want to focus on growth at this stage, however, so resist the urge to trim your beard’s edges or to clean it up by getting rid of stray hairs, etc. You may want to start using a growth supplement at this stage, as well.

Week 3

By the third week of growth, you should be mostly free of that pesky beard itch. You’ll also really begin to notice how that patch of facial hair is taking shape and starting to look like a real beard.

You can start to trim the edges of your beard at this stage, just don’t go overboard and snip away any hairs you’re planning to keep. If you want, you can begin to brush your beard – with a quality beard brush meant for the task – to start training hairs to lie a certain way.

Week 4

You deserve a hearty pat on the back at this point in your beard growth journey. You may not have the fullest, thickest beard that you desire quite yet, but you’re getting damn close.

You’ll have a clear picture of the final shape of your beard, and you can start to groom it in earnest.

Congrats!

6. Diet

The importance of maintaining a healthy diet cannot be understated, the saying “you are what you eat” supports this. You can also lessen your risk of disease, it helps you to maintain a suitable weight, it can even improve your energy levels and state of mind.

And it can help you to grow a thicker beard.

Supplements, which we talked about earlier, can help you to grow a thicker, less-patchy beard. But a healthy diet also ensures that you’ll get the right amount of vitamins and nutrients.

Vitamins support the growth of a thicker, healthier beard as you move forward, which is the result you want.

Among the many positives of eating a healthy diet is that you have a wide variety of foods to choose from, i.e., you don’t have to eat the same thing over and over again to get the dose of vitamins and nutrients you need.

You can try different foods, dishes, and recipes without being forced to eat something just because it’s healthy.

There’s an old saying that says the healthier the food, the worse it tastes, but that’s far from the truth. You may have to wean yourself off junk food that you think tastes great, but it doesn’t mean you’re forever cursed to eat a bland diet.

Here’s another thing: Men who eat healthy foods lose more weight than those that don’t – no surprise there – and maintain a healthy weight more easily. But losing weight boosts testosterone, the male hormone that has a huge impact on facial hair growth.

Here’s a look at some types of foods that can help you to grow a full beard without patches.

Foods for vitamin A and Beta A carotene

These two vitamins help repair skin tissue, which, in turn, leads to better hair growth. You’ll find them in foods such as carrot, egg yolks, kale, spinach, and sweet potatoes.

Protein-rich foods

Protein is essential to hair growth because, for one, hair consists of keratin – a type of protein that contains amino acids. Your diet is the best source of keratin, and you’ll find it in foods such as fish, lean meat, eggs, poultry, rice, beans, and legumes.

Foods containing vitamin C and E

Vitamins C and E are important to beard growth, and hair growth in general, because they boost the body’s production of sebum – the natural oil that lubricates and moisturizes hair.

Foods that include C and E include citrus fruits, green peppers, broccoli, almonds, peanut butter, spinach, mangoes, and sunflower seeds.

Omega-3 fatty acids

This type of fat is essential to our overall growth, including the growth of facial hair. Omega-3 fats also protect cell membranes that help prevent your beard from becoming dry and brittle.

You’ll find Omega-3 fatty acids in salmon (and other “fatty” fish), as well as in walnuts and flaxseed oil.

Foods containing vitamins B6, B12, and biotin

Vitamins B6, B12, and Biotin promote the growth of hair and new skin cells. Additionally, B vitamins help the body to synthesize protein, and we’ve already discussed how important protein is to hair growth.

Foods such as fish, poultry, nuts, brown rice, eggs, oatmeal, and wheat germ contain healthy amounts of vitamins B6, B12, and biotin.

Another important diet tip is to drink plenty of water. Maintaining proper hydration is important for a long list of reasons, including that it keeps the skin beneath your beard healthy and hydrated.

How much water should you drink each day? It depends upon several factors, including your activity level and the type of climate where you live. But it’s recommended that men drink a total of 13 cups of water – about 3 liters – daily.

7. Exercise and its benefits for beard growth

There’s a ton of reasons why you should exercise consistently, and we’re sure you’ve heard most of them by now. But maybe you didn’t know that exercise can help you to grow a thicker, healthier beard. Here’s how:

• Exercise improves blood flow, which helps to stimulate hair follicle growth.
• Exercise increases testosterone, which can trigger beard growth.
• Exercise boosts your metabolism, which can spur hair growth.
• Exercise boosts your blood circulation rate. Improved blood circulation means that vitamins and nutrients reach your hair follicle more effectively, which, in turn, stimulates hair growth.
• Shedding weight also helps to boost testosterone; it’s like a one-two punch, you exercise and boost your testosterone, you lose weight because of exercising and you boost testosterone again.

Any form of exercise is helpful, but short, intense exercises such as lifting weights and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) help to give your testosterone a turbo-charge. You can focus your weight-training on the major muscle groups, i.e., the legs, back, and chest.

Another way that exercise helps in the beard growth process is that is causes you to sweat. Sweating pushes dirt, grime, and excess oils out of skin’s pores. Beard hair won’t grow properly if your pores and hair follicles are clogged.

One of the most important factors for choosing an exercise program is finding a routine you like and sticking with it. You want to push yourself, but it shouldn’t feel like medieval torture. Create a plan that fits your lifestyle and that you find enjoyable, and stick with it.

8. Reduce stress

Too much stress can have damaging effects on our minds, body, and hair. It can restrict the flow of vitamins to your hair follicles, for one, and hair loss, say many experts, is a normal response to stress.

The good news is that there are a plethora of stress-reducing activities – such as exercise, meditation, or even just taking needed breaks during a busy day. You’ll be more productive, clear-headed, and less frazzled.

9. Getting more rest

There’s nothing quite like a good night’s sleep. There’s also nothing quite like a bad night’s sleep.

Most of us know how it feels when we don’t sleep right: grogginess, trouble concentrating, less productiveness. It’s not doing your beard any favors either.

Among the many negative effects a lack of sleep has on the body is that it reduces testosterone. A reduction in testosterone, as we’ve discussed previously, can have an impact on facial hair growth.

A study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association said that a week’s worth of sleep deprivation, in which study participants got no more than five hours of sleep per night, caused a 10 to 15 percent reduction in daytime testosterone levels.

That number is significant when you consider that there’s only a 1 to 2 percent reduction in testosterone during the normal aging process.

A lack of sleep also raises your stress levels, and stress is another thing that can impact your beard growth negatively. Lack of sleep will also reduce testosterone production in your body, which is another important contributing factor towards hair health.

So, get 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. You’ll not only do your mind and body a favor, but you’ll probably notice less patchiness in your beard, as well.

10. Building a thicker beard through hormone therapy

We’ve talked about the role of testosterone in beard growth already, but it’s worth repeating. In short, one of the culprits regarding a lack of facial hair growth in men is testosterone deficiency. Testosterone promotes beard growth, plain and simple.

It’s also important to note that testosterone levels often decrease with age. The older you get, the harder it can be to grow and maintain the thick, full beard you desire.

This means that you have a much better chance of stimulating your facial hair follicles and engaging in beard enhancement techniques until you’re in your early thirties. 

All of which leads us to hormone therapy. Hormone therapy is another option when your beard is patchy or too thin for your liking – whether you’re young or old.

Also known as Testosterone Replacement Therapy, hormone therapy can help restore facial hair if the underlying cause of thinness and patchiness is a deficiency of male hormones.

The therapy is administered in a variety of forms – injections, tablets or capsules, and hormonal creams.

Men with unnaturally low levels of testosterone may benefit from hormone therapy, although the jury is still out as to whether it’s beneficial for men who experience a decrease in testosterone because of their age.

This can have other benefits, as well, as it is easier to put on muscle if you’re on hormone replacement therapy. You can read up more on the benefits and disadvantages of HRT. 

It’s important to note that hormone therapy isn’t without risks. Minor side effects include fluid retention, acne, and increased urination.

More serious risks include increased cholesterol levels, a worsening of sleep apnea, decreased sperm count, infertility, and an increased number of red blood cells.

11. Microneedling and beard growth

While the idea of rolling tiny needles over your face may seem cringe-worthy, it can help you to grow a thicker, healthier-looking beard.

Microneedling has emerged of late as another good option for stimulating facial hair growth, and it involves pricking your face with hundreds of needles. Not to worry, however, because most users say the process is painless.

The needles are quite tiny and do not pierce the skin too hard or too deep. 

The needles come connected to a roller that you apply to your beard and, particularly, the skin underneath it. It sounds a bit odd, yes, but it works by attracting nutrients and hormone-rich blood to the skin.

It also increases circulation in the face, which helps to reduce scar tissue and wrinkles in the long run, giving you healthier skin on your face. 

When you roll the needles over your face, they create tiny punctures in the skin. The body recognizes that “damage,” and then begins the healing process. As mentioned, blood circulation improves, and more hormone-rich blood rushes to the affected area.

In other words, the repair process helps to create a healthier base from which facial hair can grow. Your beard growth might also be stunted because of the dead skin cells present on your face, which microneedle therapy can help get rid of. 

Using microneedles also helps activate stem-cell growth factors, at least according to this 2013 study. Additionally, the study suggests that using a microneedle roller in conjunction with minoxidil treatments can kick-start beard growth.

To combine minoxidil and microneedle treatments, continue to use minoxidil twice daily except for one day in which you use a microneedle roller instead. You should wait 24 hours after your most recent microneedle session before applying minoxidil.

Some other things to keep in mind with microneedles are:

• You don’t need to apply a lot of pressure for the treatment to be effective. Just because you don’t feel a bit of pain or discomfort doesn’t mean the needles aren’t working, since the needles will still puncture the surface of the skin. This can open up room for infection and other impurities to get into your skin. 
• They come in two types of needle materials – titanium and stainless steel. In general, titanium needles cost a bit more but seem to be more effective and durable, which can make them a better long-term investment. If you choose to opt for a stainless steel needle, make sure you change it periodically.  
• A roller with more needles isn’t necessarily better. Rollers with fewer needles can have the same positive effect and are, generally, gentler on the skin. A harsh roller might cause damage to your skin and also not help your beard grow as well as it should. 
• Don’t use a microneedle roller if you have acne, because it can spread the acne and make the problem worse. The needles in the roller enter the surface of your skin multiple times, and they can spread the impurities in the acne throughout your face, making your skin problem worse.
• It’s also recommended that men with psoriasis and eczema shouldn’t use microneedles. This can cause infections and other related complications on your face, which might take a long time and a lot of medications to fix. 

While there are potential side effects of microneedling, they’re typically mild. They may include bruising, infection, some bleeding, and the formation of scar tissue. But the odds of experiencing those side effects are low. Make sure that you check the instructions properly and do it the right way to minimize the possibility of these side effects. 

There are many quality microneedle devices available, including the StimuROLLER Face by DS Laboratories.

12. Using beard dye to enhance your beard’s appearance

OK, so beard dye won’t help you to grow a thicker beard, but it can make your beard appear thicker. It works best for men with beards of a lighter color, and many men suggest that beard dye – when properly applied – makes a beard look more robust.

A darker beard, in general, tends to look thicker but has nothing to do with beard density, which refers to the number of hairs per square centimeter of your face.

Sure, beard dye is a bit of smoke and mirrors when it comes to creating a thicker beard, but if you can make your beard look healthier and fuller through coloring it, why not give it a try?

Among our favorite beard dyes is Godefroy’s Professional Tint Kit. You can use it on beards, mustaches, sideburns, the temples, etc. It features 20 single-application pre-measured capsules.

Conclusion

Man’s quest for a thicker beard is both challenging and rewarding. It may take time, but the benefits are many. Beard products are not the only answer to this, as leading a healthier lifestyle, getting enough exercise, eating the right foods, and keeping your skin hydrated are also major contributors to what goes behind growing a healthy beard. 

Perhaps the biggest challenge is choosing a method that delivers the best results for you. We hope you find the tips we provide helpful and informative. We’re confident that you’ll find one that helps you to grow the kind of beard you’ve always wanted.

We’d love to hear from you, too. What method or methods have you used to grow a thicker beard? What kind of results have you experienced? We always welcome your comments. If you’re interested in similar topics about beard care products and other tips, please feel free to check out our other articles, as well!