Keen to get that rough n’ ready lumberjack look?
These days, beards are one of the most stylish and popular ways for a guy to accessorise. The right style instantly turns even the most baby-faced guy into a replica Greek god.
The only problem? Growing a beard is a lot like growing the perfect head of hair.
The kind of beard you’re going to get will depend on a lot of stuff, including your genetics, hormones, and even how much you exercise.
While some men are more predisposed to growing a fuller beard than others, that doesn’t mean that you should give up and stick to a life of wispy whiskers.
If you’ve come this far, then you’re already on the right path to success.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about how to grow a full beard that looks and feels incredible.
How to grow a full beard: An introduction
Beards can begin to grow in your teenage years, or you may find that you don’t get any hair on your chin until you’re in your early thirties. It all depends on your genetics.
A lot like any other hair, whether you can grow an epic beard or not will depend on your biological makeup. For the most part, beard growing is linked to testosterone.
Unfortunately, the same hormone that helps you to grow a thicker beard is also the one that reduces the thickness of the hair on your head.
The good news?
While there are things you can’t control about your follicular future, there are some tips to grow a full beard that most guys can follow. For instance, you can look into ways of ramping up your exposure to testosterone or DHT.
Testosterone occurs naturally in the human body, which means that you can learn how to increase it without relying on medication.
There are also certain foods and activities that can contribute to growing a fuller beard too.
Let’s take a quick look at how you can improve your routine.
Step 1: Eat the right foods
The health of your hair and beard links strongly to the health of your body.
If you’re a lazy person with a massive gut and a terrible diet, then you’re not going to have the best beard. On the other hand, if you’re eating a diet that’s packed full of great nutrition and vitamins, then you’re giving your beard everything it needs to grow.
Some foods are particularly good for growing a fuller beard, such as:
- Sweet potatoes: These beta-carotene rich foods support better cell growth in the beard. The beta carotene also converts into vitamin A, leading to more cell growth within the hairs on your beard too.
- Oysters: Oysters are a fantastic source of zinc, a vitamin that supports the cells designed for hair growth. What’s more, oysters are also an aphrodisiac, and a great source of protein.
- Eggs: Eggs are a fantastic addition to any diet because they contain vast amounts of protein. Additionally, they also include iron and calcium too.
- Spinach: Pop-eye might have been bald, but he only had a bare chin by choice. Spinach is rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, protein, and iron. All of these things contribute to excellent beard growth.
- Cinnamon: Fancy a touch of sweetness? Cinnamon supports the flow of oxygen in hair follicles, helping your beard to grow!
You can even look into taking supplemental vitamins for hair growth if you like. Check out options that include biotin, fish oil, and anything else that can support hair growth, (including zinc).
It’s best to do your research on the kind of vitamins that will work best for you before you start spending all your cash though.
Step 2: Be nicer to your skin
Healthy skin has an impact on your ability to grow a thicker beard too.
After all, if you think of your beard as a field, then your face would be the soil, right?
Cleaning and washing your face properly with exfoliators will stimulate circulation and remove dead skin cells that might prompt ingrown hairs. Regular washing also opens your pores and helps your beard to grow more freely.
When your beard does begin to grow, make sure that you’re applying beard oil regularly.
A beard oil with jojoba oil will help your beard to feel fuller and thicker over time. At the same time, oils moisturize both your skin and facial hair at the same time.
A light layer of beard oil applied first thing each morning will also stop the sun from drying out your hair and causing breakage.
Speaking of drying out, don’t forget to keep yourself hydrated too. Water isn’t just great for your skin; it also helps to flush toxins from your body that might cause hair loss too.
Step 3: Get some exercise
There are already tons of reasons to add plenty of exercise to your routine.
However, if you needed another excuse, then how about the fact that exercise helps you to grow a fuller beard?
Yep, exercise banishes the excess weight that could be causing your body to perform at less than its best. What’s more, cardio workouts and strength exercises also increase the levels of testosterone in your body. As we mentioned above, testosterone is the stuff that promotes beard growth.
Exercise also increases blood circulation, which means that your beard gets more of the nutrients it needs to grow thicker and sexier.
Remember, when adding workouts to your routine, start slowly, and make sure you don’t push yourself too far straight away. Check with your doctor if you have any conditions to think about.
Make sure that you get plenty of rest in between workouts too.
If you want the increase of testosterone in your body to remain consistent, then your body needs to sleep. Rest helps testosterone to regenerate, and it reduces your stress levels too – which takes us to our next step…
Step 4: Stop stressing
We all get stressed from time to time.
It might be the stress of work, or an issue with your relationship. Either way, if you’re stressing about everything in your life, your cortisol levels are probably increasing.
Increased cortisol means reduced testosterone development.
Stress also constricts blood vessels throughout your body, making it harder for the nutrients in your blood to reach the hair follicles in your face.
So, what do you do about stress?
Well, that depends. In the short-term, a little yoga, some exercise, and a good night’s sleep will work wonders for any anxiety or worry you might have.
If you have more long term issues or a specific problem that you need to overcome, it’s best to speak to a doctor about your options. There are even handy meditation apps that can guide you through the process of relaxing each day.
Step 5: Maintain your beard properly
As your beard begins to grow, there’s more to learning how to thicken beard hair than applying plenty of oils. Most articles on beard growth tips will tell you that you also need to look after your beard just as you would your standard haircut.
That means taking the time to shampoo and condition your beard with a specially-created product. Conditioner will make your beard feel smoother and silkier, while strengthening the follicles. Shampoo will mean that you keep your skin and hair clean.
Don’t forget to trim your beard regularly too.
After you’ve been growing for at least four weeks, you can visit an expert to get some help snipping off the dead-ends. You can also try using a beard-trimmer yourself but be careful. Remember, you can always shave more, but you can’t add hair back on.
Avoid trimming your beard while you’re still in the shower, as moisture can make it difficult to figure out how much you should be cutting. You might end up with an accidental baby face.
Oh, and while you’re at it, ditch the myth that shaving will make your beard grow back thicker and faster. That’s a load of crap.
Shaving just removes your beard and means you have to start from scratch.
How to grow a full beard: You can do it
While it’s true that some guys can just grow thicker beards than their friends, there are a lot of steps you can take to thicken and enhance your beard too.
The tips to grow a full beard that we covered above will help you to strengthen the follicles in your face, and also access some extra benefits too – like less stress and leaner muscles.
For the most part, learning to grow a thicker beard is just a matter of becoming a healthier version of yourself. If you can look after your mental and physical health, then your hair will reward you – whether it’s the stuff on your head, or the curls on your chin.
How’s your beard growth journey going?
Check out our other blogs for more top tips on shaping up your style.
Blitz yourself better!
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