Being able to grow a luscious beard is a target that many hope to achieve. Apart from enhancing one’s physical appeal, growing a healthy beard with an enormous amount of density is extremely beneficial for the wearer as it protects the layer of skin underneath all that scruffy hair. It also retains the skin’s natural moisture, protects it from minor infectious diseases, and also fights against acne scars.
While many people believe in relying on their patience to grow a thick and voluminous beard, a lot of them incorporate grooming practices to enhance the thickness of their existing hair follicles. Amongst the most popular practices lies the activity of shaving your face on the regular to increase the fullness of your facial hair, and eventually have a beard that one can only dream of. However, contrary to popular belief, the practice of shaving for increasing density, which has surely been a grooming practice for centuries now, is unfortunately nothing but a myth.
To prove our claim, in this article, we will provide sufficient evidence on how shaving the face on the regular WON’T help with beard growth. To console the existing believers of that myth, however, we will be providing a set of techniques that have proven to help with beard growth, which is mentioned in the second half of this article.
Till then, we hope you enjoy the read and find out about the myth that has taken over the heart of the grooming industry, but has yet to prove its main point of helping with beard growth.
Shaving For Faster Beard Growth – A Fact Or A Hoax?
While the sensation of gliding a razor through your upper and lower lip, your jawline, and underneath your chin might feel a bit empowering and hopeful, if you’re shaving solely to grow thicker facial hair, perhaps you shouldn’t build your hopes up any further.
While the growth of facial hair does change in color and seems a bit sharper than usual at first, the change in appearance solely occurs due to the contrast, not because of a change in texture. In simpler words, although the hair does seem darker and thicker at first, once the strands are fully grown, the strands go back to the initial texture they had before they were chopped off.
In conclusion, even though the myth of shaving for having a thicker set of beard will never cease to exist, the technique of it will never help one with having a fuller set of facial hair or a better looking beard, as the final outcome of that is solely dependent on other factors.
The Real Factors That Determine The Growth Of Facial Hair
Now, we know that coming to terms with the harsh reality of the ever growing grooming myth is anything but easy. To make up for that, however, listed below are the actual factors that determine the growth of one’s facial hair and its thickness, texture, and color.
Genetics
Perhaps the biggest factor amongst the entries, the growth of your facial hair lies in the hands of your genetics. For instance, if your father, grandfather, or even uncle rocked a beard when you were younger and is rocking an even thicker beard to this day, chances are that you’ll probably have a Rapunzel-like beard once you’re older. However, if you’ve always noticed how none of the men in your family prefer growing their facial hair out, take the hint and seek useful methods that will allow you to break the family tradition of being clean-shaven.
Take matters into your own hands by reaching out to a dermatologist or a trichologist that will supply you with useful oral medication or injections to enhance the growth of your existing facial hair.
Age
Wisdom comes with age. Luckily, so does facial hair!
Since men usually face a sudden increase in the density of their facial hair between 20 and 30, chances are that you’re probably expecting too much and getting startled for nothing. If you’re 17 and expecting a beard by the time you’re 18, give yourself a break. Your beard will thicken as you age. Embrace the baby face that you have while it lasts, ‘cause you won’t get it back once the thick facial strands decide to take over.
Ethnicity
Surprisingly, your ethnicity might also be a reason behind your underwhelming growth of facial hair.
For instance, Asian people tend to have the least body hair amongst the existing ethnic groups, which could explain why most of them struggle to grow a full beard. On the other hand, European people tend to be viking-like and have more hair on their body than most ethnic groups, which definitely explains the luscious beards and the highly rich textured ponytail they rock most of the time.
Testosterone levels
Testosterone is one of the reasons why we have hair to begin with. The higher the testosterone levels, the thicker the facial hair.
If one has higher levels of testosterone, they will see more body hair, and facial hair as a result. They will also see a more toned physique, since higher testosterone levels also aid muscle building.
On the other hand, if you feel fatigued, are losing hair, and are noticing an increase in your total body fat, perhaps your testosterone levels are lower than usual, which is the reason behind your botched attempt at growing a beard.
To resolve that issue, one can incorporate multiple healthy habits to their routine, or can also turn things around through the assistance of a specialist.
Methods to Follow For Better Beard Growth
While the factors mentioned in the previous segment do determine the final outcome of the texture and thickness of your facial hair, there are loads of techniques you can incorporate to your daily routine to give yourself an upper hand. From changing up your diet to going to bed early, here are the many proven methods that will drastically improve the growth of your beard.
Follow a healthy diet
They say that you are what you eat, and if your eating habits are as poor as your facial hair, perhaps you need to make changes to it.
Incorporate a diet that is full of greens and proteins. Cut out the consumption of processed food and replace it with nutritious food items that won’t just make you healthier, but will also allow you to grow facial hair!
Eat a balanced diet that consists of fresh fruits, veggies, fish, clean dairy, lean protein and complex carbs to enhance the growth of your facial hair. To avoid midnight cravings, ditch your bag of chips for a bag of popcorn, nuts or trail mix, even. Not only is it low on saturated fat, but nuts contain zinc which promotes the growth of thick and healthy hair. So, next time you think of having a cheat day, remember your aim of having a luscious beard and throw the cravings away.
Get plenty of sleep
If you stay up all night wondering why your facial hair isn’t progressing, perhaps it could be due to the exhaustion that is being caused due to the small amount of sleep you’re getting.
To put things into perspective, a person who is well-rested will always have better levels of testosterone, which is a crucial factor that determines the growth of one’s facial hair. In contrast, a person who stays up till dawn and wakes up 4 hours later to go on about their day will not really have the same testosterone levels as the previous example, which could hamper the growth of their facial hair.
So, to control this issue indefinitely, aim to get at least 8 hours of sleep every day. If getting 8 hours of sleep seems impossible, take it one day at a time. Start with 5 hours, and gradually work your way up to 8 hours. Not only will you feel more fresh with each day, but your facial hair will also look noticeably thicker as time goes by.
Work it out
Diminishing stress will also allow you to have more facial hair with a fuller texture. To unlock that, hit the gym! Start playing a sport that involves maneuvers with high intensity. Not only will you release more endorphins, which are also called stress hormones, but your testosterone levels will also increase. This will reward the person with better facial hair, and a better mood.
Avoid the consumption of harmful substances
If your goal is to have more facial hair, consider dropping the thought of partaking in substance abuse, which usually involves the act of smoking, and drinking. Not only does it hamper your mind and your body, but it also hampers your skin by dehydrating it, allowing it to form acne as a result. It also hampers the growth of facial hair, as it compromises your immune system.
Give it time
As stated earlier, one only sees a noticeable change in the growth of their facial hair between the ages 20 and 30, so give yourself time. Retain your composure and take it one day at a time. You don’t have to grow a beard instantly. Enjoy your youthful look while you can, and start your beard journey when it’s time to do so.
On another note, if you’re already in your 30s and haven’t yet made progress, perhaps you should look into supplements like biotin, finasteride and minoxidil to kick start the journey. If they don’t work either, consider reaching out to a dermatologist.
Bottom Line
All in all, while shaving DOES NOT help with growing thicker strands of facial hair, there are multiple methods one can consider and changes one can make to their lifestyle to unlock that feature. Remember to also tackle this with patience, as you might just be a late-bloomer!
Furthermore, if you’ve enjoyed this piece and would like to learn more about the art of grooming, make sure to scroll through the rest of the content on our website! From debunking grooming myths to revealing the best equipment for achieving the cleanest shave, our website has everything that you need to amp up your daily grooming habits!