How to grow a beard

 

 GENERALS :

The speed of beard hair growth is pretty much determined by your genes. Every hair on your body follows a specific cycle of phases in which hair grows, falls out, and regrows until one day it stops growing altogether. This usually happens when you get older.

Beard hair growth is determined by the enzyme 5-alpha reductase. This enzyme turns your body’s natural stores of testosterone into another hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT then attaches to receptors on each follicle of your beard hair to make it grow.

But this doesn’t mean that more testosterone means more beard hair. Beard hair growth is actually more determined by how sensitive your follicles are to DHT. And this is primarily based on your genes.

No artificial testosterone intake or any other supplement has been proven to help beard hair grow — or any other body hair, for that matter. And taking DHT can also make your hair grow slower.

Let’s get into some natural ways you can help grow your beard, what you can expect from your beard growth after you try some of these natural techniques, and when you should see a doctor for hair growth issues.

Does shaving every day speed up beard growth?

 No. This is an old myth that has no research to support it.

 

 Your beard hair may look thicker when you shave because you’ve trimmed off the thinner tops of the hairs and exposed the thicker, darker base near the follicle. But they won’t grow any faster.

 What makes it hard to grow a beard?

For most men, genetics is the limiting factor for their beard growth. The following may also play a role in the appearance of your facial hair.

 

•  Alopecia areata. This autoimmune disorder causes your body to attack hair follicles and leads to patchy hair loss on your head or in your beard. There’s no cure, but there are treatment options, such as minoxidil (Rogaine), dithranol (Dritho-Scalp), or corticosteroid creams.
•  Clinically low testosterone. Clinically low levels of testosterone may inhibit your beard growth. If your testosterone levels are low, you’ll likely have other symptoms such as irritability, low sex drive, and erectile dysfunction.
•  Age. Most men find their beard continues to get thicker into their 30s. If you’re still in your 20s or younger, you may notice that your beard continues to get fuller as you age.
•  Nutrient deficiencies. A deficiency in an essential mineral or vitamin has the potential to limit your beard growth. Extremely low levels of proteinTrusted Source may inhibit your body’s production of testosterone and interfere with beard growth.
•  Race. Your race is a genetic factor that may affect your beard growth. ResearchTrusted Source has found that Chinese men generally have sparser hair growth on their cheeks and necks than Caucasian men.

 What can affect beard growth?

Many factors influence how fast or thick your hair grows in, including:

 

• Genetics. Your hair follicle growth is built into your genes, so if your parents or grandparents on either side had difficulty growing a beard, you’re likely to have a similar problem.
•  Genetic conditions. Conditions that damage follicles, cause a lot of buildup in your pores, or result in low levels of hormones like testosterone (hypogonadism) can inhibit beard growth.
•  Stress. Cortisol from stress can make your hair fall out and affect your hair health overall.
•  Skincare. Different skin types have different needs. But moisturized, healthy skin nourished by additional nutrients from natural skin care products is more likely to grow healthy hair than dry, cracked, untreated skin.
  

How to grow a beard naturally

 Here are some natural ways that may help you grow longer or thicker beard hair and keep it healthier for longer.

 

  Diet and beard growth foods: 

Some vitamins may be able to help follicles that have already stopped regrowing hair become active again.

Try to get plenty of vitamin D in your diet. It may reactivate receptors in follicles that no longer grow hair. Sources of vitamin D include:

• •  fish
    

  • eggs

  • fortified plant-based milk

B vitamins have also been linked Trusted Source to healthy hair growth, including:

•  biotin in whole grain bread, dairy, and nuts
• B12 in meats and fish

Exercise:

There’s no research that suggests that exercise can directly influence hair growth.

 

 But exercise, especially high-intensity interval training (HIIT), can boost testosterone. This may in turn help encourage hair growth.

 

  Sleep Quality:

Not sleeping enough or not having enough high-quality sleep has been linked to a reduction in the testosterone that your body naturally produces.

This means less DHT for the receptors on your beard hairs, causing your beard hair to grow slower.

 

 

  Washing and moisturizing: 

Clean, moist skin is more conducive to healthy hair growth.

Wash your face with gentle, natural soap. Moisturize your face with a lotion or oil, such as castor oil or coconut oil, after you bathe.

 

Quitting smoking:

Smoking has been linked to hair loss. Many chemicals in tobacco smoke cause inflammation and DNA damage to the blood vessels that nourish hair follicles.

Quitting smoking may allow your beard to grow by reducing blood vessel damage and inflammation. Quitting can be difficult, but a doctor can help you create a cessation plan that works for you.

 

Microneedling:

Microneedling is done by poking tiny holes in your face with extremely small needles. Microneedling is purported to help with hair growth by increasing blood flow to your follicles and encouraging healthier hair.

A 2013 study trusted Source found that combining micro-needling with the use of minoxidil (Rogaine) can help reduce male pattern baldness in about 12 weeks. It may work for beard growth as well.

 

 

When to see a doctor?

Talk to a doctor about using prescription-strength medications like minoxidil (Rogaine) to regrow hair that you’ve lost as you age. A doctor may also recommend a hair transplant if you want to restore large areas of hair quickly. See your doctor if you’re losing large chunks of hair quickly and suddenly.