If you feel like watching your beard grow is a bit like watching grass grow, take heart: it really is growing, you just can’t always see it. There are ways to grow a beard faster! It takes time, but just like you can make your grass grow faster and better by doing things like watering and fertilizing it, you can grow a beard faster too when you incorporate the right beard growth tricks into your lifestyle.
5 Reasons Why It Seems Like Other People Grow Beards Faster
Did you know that all human hair grows at the same rate, regardless of genes, age or other factors?
All hair, both facial and head hair, grows about half an inch per month. Yet, it probably seems to you like some guys are able to grow a full beard practically overnight, while yours appears to be taking its time.
There are a few reasons that it may look as though others can grow a beard faster than you can.
1. They have more hair follicles.
Every person, male and female, is born with a set number of hair follicles. Each follicle produces a single hair, and those on a man’s face will eventually become a beard if he stops shaving. The reason some guys seem to be able to grow a beard faster than you may be because they have more hair follicles.
2. Their follicles are denser.
By having more dense follicles, they are simply closer together and more concentrated. Although the hair is growing at the same rate, it will appear thicker in those areas.
3. They have thicker hairs.
The average human hair is about 100 micrometers in diameter. It’s possible that some guys might simply have slightly larger individual hairs, making it seem as though their beards actually grow faster when they don’t.
4. They have darker hair.
Darker hair is easier to see against lighter skin. If your hair is brown or blonde, it probably looks like it takes longer to grow in comparison to someone with dark brown or black hair.
5. Timing
Every hair is at a different stage of growth. Every single hair goes through three stages of growth, followed by a resting period where the follicle remains dormant. Next, the hair will fall out and a new one will start to grow in its place. Therefore, one man might have more follicles in a dormant stage than another, making it appear to grow faster.
Since all hair grows at the same rate for every person, is there anything you can do to make your beard grow faster? You can’t change the speed at which your hair grows, but you CAN stimulate your follicles to grow thicker, healthier individual hairs as well as re-awaken those follicles that have been dormant for a long time. You can also shorten the time between the resting phase and the new growth phase of follicles. Check out our full guide on growing a thicker beard.
How to Grow A Beard Faster and Get an Edge
Now that you know you need to target your beard at its follicles, here are five tricks for becoming THAT guy, the one that all the other guys envy for having a full, lush beard:
1. Start with a balanced diet
It seems simple, yet it’s not always easy to do. A healthy diet includes meat (or other proteins like fish, beans and nuts), vegetables, fruit, dairy, and grains. The number of daily servings you need depends on your age and level of activity. (See the USDA daily dietary recommendations for specifics.)
You can also check out these beard boosting foods that are proven to help.
2. Boost your diet with extra protein
Protein is important in growing healthy hair. In fact, hair is made up of protein! So, along with a balanced base diet, add some extra protein. This will boost follicle production and create healthier individual hairs. Just be sure to choose lean protein sources.
3. Supplement with biotin
This nutrient is also sometimes called “vitamin H” or vitamin B7. It is one of the B complex vitamins and helps to maintain healthy hair. It will make follicles more productive and will prevent follicle death and hair loss. You can also use a beard vitamin which are formulated for beard growth.
4. Keep skin clean
Wash your beard a few times per week with a beard wash that’s formulated for your particular skin type. Clogged and dirty pores can create ingrown hairs which will stop hair growth and make your beard appear thin.
5. Moisturize Your Beard and Skin Underneath
Follow up every beard wash with a specific beard moisturizer to nourish your skin and facial hair. Once your beard starts to grow in, moisturize it with a quality natural beard oil which will moisturize both hair and the skin underneath. One of the uses for beard oil is that it helps to reduce itching which could also lead to loss of hair.
If you’re feeling desperate, you can dye your beard darker to give the illusion of a thicker, fuller beard. No need to go jet black (unless that’s your style). Simply going a shade or two darker than your natural hair color will be enough to turn heads.
Watch the video below for more info on growing a beard.
Conclusion
Although genetics and your physiology is a large factor in how fast it takes to grow a thick beard, personal choices are also factors.
If you don’t change your behaviors, you can’t expect the results to change. So start implementing these tips today, and with some effort, you may notice that your beard seems to grow in faster and fuller.