In today’s guide, I am going to explain to you how to grow a beard, what to do when you are first starting out and common issues you might face in the process. With these 10 natural beard growth tips, you can experience luxurious beard growth and soon join the ranks of famous bearded men!
1. Follow a good beard regime
When you first stop shaving, you will experience discomfort, itching etc. Do not let this stop you. Your journey to a magnificent beard is not going to be easy and you must commit to a daily beard care regime. This includes daily oiling, massaging, cleansing and brushing.
ou will also need to shave the areas of your face where you do not want sparse hairs to grow. So get into a habit of follow a shaving, cleansing, and moisturizing routine daily. You can use a mild beard shampoo or cleanser for washing beard hair.
Note that most commercial cleansers and shampoos contain SLES (sodium lauryl sulfate) an ingredient found in detergents. This harmful ingredient strips the beard off its natural oils making it dry and frizzy. So look for beard specific cleansers containing natural ingredients.
Also moisturize your beard with oils each night before bed. Many beard oils can stimulate hair growth to give you a luxurious beard.
2. Know your beard products
The main products to use when growing a beard are: beard shampoo, beard conditioner, beard balm and beard oils. Beard shampoo, as explained above, is ph balanced and suits the ph of hair and skin.
A good quality beard shampoo will cleanse the beard gently without stripping off natural oils. Look for shampoos containing ingredients like rosemary, tea tree, lavender etc. These curb dandruff and also condition and cleanse the beard.
A beard oil is best used at night before bedtime, though many non greasy oils can even be used during the day to condition and protect the beard. They contain essential oils and you can make your own beard oil blends by using the recipes given on this site.
Beard balms also contain essential oils along with beeswax and/or butters like shea, cocoa butter etc. These tame unruly hair and ensure that your beard stays in place.
You could also use shaving oils before shaving to seal in the moisture and create a smoother shave.
3. Follow a healthy diet
Your beard needs food rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals. Eat protein with a few carbohydrates during each meal. Go for beans, eggs and lean meat and also eat different colored fruits and vegetables to get vitamins and minerals. These are a must for strong, healthy hair.
Avoid filling up with junk, deep fried or packaged food. Choose foods closest to their natural state as much as possible. I also recommend taking a nutritional supplement with vitamins and minerals. Here are the recommended nutrients with dosage:
- 30-50 mcg of Biotin (also called Vitamin B 7 or Vitamin H). It is a must for healthy hair, skin and nails. You can also get biotin through meat.
- 1000 mg of Vitamin C daily.
- A tablespoon of flaxseed oil to supply you with Omega 3 essential fatty acids.
Make sure you also include plenty of nuts, seeds and fatty fish in your diet.
4. Get rid of stress
Stress increases cortisol and DHT which lead to hair loss. Excess stress is bad for your hair-on the scalp and anywhere else on the body. So use de-stressing techniques like mindfulness, deep breathing, meditation or yoga.
Stop excessive worrying which is the root cause of dandruff, hair loss and other skin and hair problems. Exercise daily to release feel-good endorphins in the body that stimulate hair growth and reduce stress hormones.
5. Exfoliate once a week
This is one of the best natural beard growth tips you must use to grow a healthy beard. Exfoliation removes sebum from skin pores, prevents acne and accelerates hair growth.
To exfoliate, use a scrub once a week all over the skin and facial hair.
You can also make a natural exfoliating scrub with following ingredients:
- 1-2 tsp olive oil
- ½ tsp brown sugar or rock salt
Mix the ingredients and using circular motion, scrub the beard gently. This mildly abrasive action will remove ingrown hair to prevent folliculitis and razor bumps.
6. Stay hydrated
Water eliminates toxins from the skin and also prevents dryness, itchiness and flaking. You should ideally consume 10-12 glasses of water daily, and even more on hot days or when you exercise. Water is an often overlooked ingredient when it comes to beard growth.
7. Trim the beard from time to time
This tip might surprise you, after all you are looking for tips to help your beard grow! Regular trimming however, is a must to ensure luxurious and faster beard growth. Trimming eliminates split hairs which prevent the beard from growing to its full potential.
Invest in a good quality trimmer and in the first few weeks when you start out, use the trimmer on its lowest setting all over the beard. This will prevent patchiness. You can also use scissors to shape and trim the beard hair to your desired length.
8. Shape your beard
Choose a style you want to keep and, accordingly, give a definite shape to your beard. When you notice hair outside the zone, trim it or use beard scissors on it. If you are unsure of the style of beard to keep, you can consult a stylist, or take a look at this article.
You could also grow your beard fully first and then decide how to shape it. With this in mind, you can trim the sideburns on a lower setting and shape the beard in accordance to that.
9. Take care of the itch
When you first start growing a beard, your skin will feel like sandpaper and you will be very itchy. This is the time to use a boar bristle brush to remove ingrown hair and brush away dead skin. Brush in a downward motion to remove dandruff and also stimulate hair growth. Moisturize an condition the beard with beard oils and beard balms to stop itchiness.
10. Be patient!
There will be many obstacles for you to overcome before you actually start seeing results. Do not give up and be patient. With commitment to a daily beard routine, you too will soon be the owner of a fabulous beard that increases your charisma to untold heights!
