5 Tips to Grow and Keep a Healthy Beard

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Guest Post by Wesley Oaks

Men everywhere are taking better care of themselves than they used to. We’re paying more attention to our grooming and long gone are the days where men were never seen getting a manicure or pedicure. One male grooming feature we’ve become obsessed with above many others are beards.

More men are growing beards and making sure it looks great. If you’re wanting to grow a beard we’ve put together some tips for you. We’ll have you joining the ranks of the bearded and teach you how to take care of your manly mane with the 5 tips below.

 

 

Before We Begin: Beards in Today’s World

Beards have been a huge growing trend that have grown more popular year after year. Judging by the growing trend and widespread adoption around the world I think it’s safe to say beards will be a popular part of men’s culture no matter the race or origin.

Growing a beard takes patience and dedication. There’s going to be times when you want to shave it off either due to beard itch or because it doesn’t look how you want it to. The key to success will be your ability to stick it out and give your beard enough time to fully grow in.

To help you on your beard journey we’ve put together 5 core tips that’ll help you grow a beard and to also keep it healthy. You’ll benefit by being able to avoid mistakes others have made and hopefully your beard journey will be quick and smooth.

 

#1 How Long Will It Take?

A large part of your ability to grow a beard will come down to genetics. You should give yourself 6 months of consistent beard growth to have a decent beginner level beard. During this time do not shave or try to shape your beard. This phase of beard growth is often referred to as the “bum stage”.

Your facial hair is going to appear wild and unmanaged but it’s important to give your facial hair time to grow out naturally. After 6 months you will know if you have the genetics for a natural beard.

Unfortunately, not everyone is going to be blessed with the ability to grow an amazing looking natural beard. If you’re one of them you can seek the help of supplements that boost beard growth. These supplements often use Biotin to aid in facial hair growth.

The second most common issue other than weak beard growth are bald patches. If you experience bald spots while growing out your beard you should use a product called Minoxidil. It’s a core ingredient in Rogaine and you’ll apply it to your bald patches to promote hair growth. It’ll work wonders for catching the bald spots up to the rest of your facial hair.

 

 

#2 Choosing a Beard Style

Avoid falling into the trap of choosing a beard style to early. This one gets a lot of men and it forces them to shave and start all over because they chose a style to soon, and when you go to shape your beard without enough facial hair it only takes one mistake to be fatal.

Just as there are hairstyle tips there are beard style tips, and this is one you want to stick with. It falls back on giving your beard time to grow. I recommend waiting a whole year before choosing to trim your beard into any style. Until then it’s best to stick with the full beard.

 

#3 Avoid Touching Your Beard

Once you achieve some beard growth it’s going to be tempting to stroke your manly mane. However, touching your beard will strip it of natural oils and if it becomes a habit it can prevent beard growth. It’s a bad habit that a lot of men fall victim to.

Have you ever noticed a bearded man that has a beard with longer sides and shorter in the middle? It’s likely because he often touches his beard hairs right under the chin. Over time it has decreased his beard growth in that area and has causes hairs to fall out.

If you’re already having an issue with this try to break the habit as soon as possible. Then I would recommend trimming the longer parts of your beard to match the shortest spot. From there you should be able to continue your beard journey but don’t fall back into old bad habits!

 

#4 Begin Using a Beard Oil

You can begin using beard oil right from the beginning but it’s a must use once you achieve some level of beard. In the beginning your skin will be able to produce enough natural oil to treat your facial hair. Once your beard grows to a certain point, typically at the 6-month mark, it becomes more difficult for your natural oils to be enough.

You’ll want to use beard oil to provide the extra oil your beard needs that your skin won’t be able to produce. This is going to keep your beard healthy from its roots to the tips.

It only takes a couple drops to cover your beard. The more beard you have the more drops you should use. When applying beard oil make sure to get the oil down to the base of your beard and underneath your beard.

If you’re skeptical about beard oil I encourage you to give it a shot around that 6-month mark and you should notice a significant difference in how it makes your beard, feel. It’s a powerful product that any beard grower should be using.

 

#5 The Right Beard Products

If you’re going to keep your beard healthy it’s important to use the right type of beard products. There’s all sorts of options out there in nearly any category you could think of. For example, there are beard shampoo & conditioner, beard combs, beard pomade, and many other items designed to be used for your beard.

You may be wondering why not use the normal versions of these products. The reason you don’t want to do that is because your beard hair is different than the hair on your head. Hair shampoo has things in it that’s bad for your facial hair. It’ll dry it out and cause your beard to have split ends or be brittle.

Another example would be combs. A lot of men will use a small black plastic comb for their beard, but the teeth of that comb has small rigid edges that split your beard hairs. This will cause your beard to slow down in growth. Beard combs are typically wooden with wider solid teeth and are much better for your beard.

There are certain products that can be used for both hair and beards such as hair straighteners for your beard. Just make sure to do your research and if you’re buying something for your beard see if there’s a beard version of it available.

 

Conclusion

I hope you decide to grow out a beard and try it. I think every guy should try growing a beard at least once in their life. It’s apart of our masculinity and if you end up not liking it then it’s easy to shave it right off.

If you have any beard tips or suggestions, please leave them in a comment below. Thanks for reading!