Growing a beard that matches the look of a man’s face is every man’s dream. Learning how to grow a beard gives a man the ability to get a perfect-looking facial hair style. As we all know, everything comes with continuity, so to maintain the beard growth, following some better guide is a necessary thing today.
These tips below will help keep your beard looking clean and healthy. They are also good rules of habit to follow in your everyday life to promote and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Keep a Clean Face – Make sure you wash your face daily, keeping your skin clean. Try using warm water when you wash your face because it promotes hair growth while opening your pores.
Wash your Beard – Along with keeping your face clean and washed, you should also wash your beard regularly, two to three times per week.
Regular Trims – Even if you are growing out your facial hair, you still need to maintain regular trims to promote healthy hair and growth.
Exfoliate – Try to exfoliate regularly, about twice a week, to avoid breaking out during beard growth. Dead skins cells that accumulate can block the natural and fast growth of facial hair.
Beard Oils – Using beard oils and moisturizing creams can keep your facial hair soft and promote hair growth.
Have a Good Diet – Eating the right foods and getting enough vitamins not only promotes a healthy lifestyle, it also encourages hair growth and health. Eat a healthy mix of fruits, vegetables and meats daily to meet all of your nutritional needs.
Water – Drink plenty of water and hydrate in addition to keeping a healthy diet.
Vitamin Supplements – If you cannot always eat proper, healthy foods, you can take vitamin supplements such as Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, or biotins. Other good vitamins that support facial hair growth and healthy hair are vitamins B1, B6, and B12. You could also try flaxseed oil or beta-carotene. Before taking supplements, it is important to consult with your physician to make sure these are right for you and to note the correct amount to take.
Sleep – Get the right amount of sleep each night and minimalizing your daily stress will regulate your hormones which promotes healthy hair and hair growth. Getting at least eight hours of sleep a day is recommended.
Eucalyptus – Try and make sure this is included in your daily moisturizing cream. Eucalyptus helps keep skin moisturized and hydrated, while also removing dry and rough patches. If you skin is soft, your facial hair will grow faster.
Exercise – Exercising regularly helps to reduce stress and produce testosterone which boosts hair growth.
Protein – Including protein in your daily diet will also increase your facial hair growth. The best sources of protein are meat, eggs, lentils, nuts and beans. Whether you are vegetarian or not, you should be able to intake protein regularly.
Massage – Massage your facial skin frequently to improve blood circulation and promote hair growth. You can do this using special oils meant for beard and facial hair growth.
Hormones – Testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) are the hormones that affect your facial hair and hair growth patterns. If you have higher levels of testosterone and DHT, you will have much more facial hair. There are ways to increase your hormone levels without using supplements. You can work out with exercise and lifting weights, and also eating healthy will promote natural hormone stimulation.
Patience – The key to growing a beard is patience. Every beard is unique in its growth. As noted above, your facial hair may come in quickly or it may come in slow or it may come in sparsely or denser depending upon your genes.
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Tips for a Patchy Beard
If your facial hair grows lighter or sparse in places, it is not the end of the world. There are many beard styles that work well with thin hair. You can also follow the tips above that promote facial hair growth to try and grow more hair in your bare spots.
Embrace It – It can seem problematic, but if you truly embrace it, a patchy beard can be worn with confidence and look great and natural.
“Fake” It – Comb your facial hair upwards and outwards. Start at the neck and comb towards the chin and cheeks. This will make your beard appear fuller by separating the hairs more.
Grow It Out – Just because there are a few patches in your facial hair does not mean you should not try to grow it out. Most guys have some patches in their facial hair, some just may not see it under their hair growth.
Give It Time – Beards take time to grow in completely, so as a teen your facial hair may appear sparse in growth, but it may grow in thicker and less sparse as you get older. Be patient! Also, the longer your facial hair gets, the more equally distributed it will appear.
Take Care of It – Even if it is sparse and thin, all facial hair needs to be taken care of and maintained properly. If you apply beard oil, balm and other beard-focused products to your beard on a regular basis, it will increase the overall health of your skin and hair. A sparse and patchy beard will show your facial skin more prominently, so it is important that you have a good skincare regimen in place.
Selective Beard Styles – There are a variety of beard styles that look great and help embrace sparse facial hair. One style that looks great with sparse facial hair are the thin strap beard which you can combine with a goatee. Another option is a small chin beard or just a shorter stubble beard.
Go Bare – If all else fails, you can always wear the clean-shaven look and no one would ever know you have sparse or patchy facial hair.
Tips for Maintaining a Beard
Once you have your selected style of beard in place, you will need to take care of it and maintain its shape. You never want your facial hair to be rough or appear dirty. A clean beard will have nice, clean skin underneath. A healthy beard will be soft and well-maintained. Below are a few tips for beard maintenance.
Neckline Shape – Your beard neckline shape should resemble a “U” shape. To get this shape, take your index and middle finger together and place them above your Adam’s apple to determine the baseline for your beard. You can then shave a “U” shape from the back of both ears, behind the jawline.
Neckline Fade – Your neckline should also be faded. This creates a soft contrast from your bare neckline to your beard and is recommended especially if your facial hair is thick or you have a full beard.
Rest Your Face While Trimming – It is important to rest your face while trimming your facial hair, especially the moustache area. If you maintain a normal resting face while trimming, it will assure that your facial hair is even with all facial expressions.
Use Proper Tools – Make sure to use the proper tools while trimming and caring for your facial hair. A moustache often requires a specific type of moustache scissors instead of electric clippers (if your hair growth is longer). A small comb is also a useful tool to help comb hairs away from the face and determine how much length needs to be trimmed.
Beard Oil vs. Beard Balm – While both produced can nourish your facial hair, oil is for softening and hydration, while balm is more suited for styling. Beard oil is for moisturizing and conditioning. It can also help stimulate growth. Beard balm on the other hand, is more of a styling agent that can add volume or help you shape your beard. Beard balm can also help deodorize and lock in moisture in your beard.
Tips for Using Beard Oils
Beard oil is meant to keep your beard shiny, healthy and tangle free. It is basically a leave-in conditioner that softens your beard. It can also help promote facial hair growth. To maintain a healthy looking and feeling beard, while also keeping your skin and beard moisturized, you should use a beard oil.
Ingredients – Since this goes into your skin and pores, you will want to look for a good beard oil that contains natural ingredients such as jojoba oil, argan oil, almond oil, or other natural oils. You also want to find a lightweight blend so that the oil will not weigh down your beard or cause your skin underneath to have clogged pores or become greasy. If you do have naturally oily skin or acne, be sure to consult a dermatologist on suggestions for beard oil ingredients that will help promote healthy skin underneath your beard.
Dosage – The length and thickness of your beard will determine how much beard oil you will need to use. A small amount will go a long way. The average beard requires six drops of oil daily. If you are clean shaven or have approximately one month of beard growth, 3-4 drops of oil should be used daily. If you have 1-3 months of growth, then use 4-6 drops of oil. Likewise, 3-12 months of beard growth should use 6-10 drops of oil daily. If you have over a year of beard growth, it is recommended to use ten drops or more daily to keep your beard looking healthy.
Pouring – Sometimes it can be tricky to get the oil out. The key is to turn the bottle over and tap gently into your open hand. The goal is to not waste any of the oil. If you use a dropper bottle of oil, make sure to put the droplet directly back into the bottle after use to prevent contamination of your oil.
Application – Once you have the oil on the palm of your hand, rub your hands together for even distribution. Then work the oil into your skin and then onto your beard. Make sure to also work your moustache area. It helps if you apply the oil when your skin is still warm and damp after a shower so that the pores are still open for the oil to work itself into your skin. If you have leftover oil on your hands after working it into your facial skin and beard, you can also rub the excess oil onto your neck, hair and elbows.
Frequency – If your beard is on the shorter side or if you live in a more humid climate, you should use beard oil every few days. If you live in a dryer climate or have a longer beard, you may need to apply beard oil a few times daily. Also, if you use a beard oil that contains fragrance, the fragrance may fade throughout the day and need re-application.
Tips for Using Beard Balms
Beard balm is great for styling your beard. It can help add volume and shape when used correctly.
Ingredients – You should make sure your balm is lightweight so that it does not weigh down your beard. It should give your beard a natural hold and tame your hair without looking like you have product in your hair. There are some balms strictly meant for styling usage, while there are others on the market that are meant more for conditioning your beard.
Dosage – Similar to beard oils, a little bit will go a long way. A dollop the size of a quarter is recommended. The more you use, the thicker the application, which will add weight to your beard.
Application – Apply right after a shower while your beard is still damp. Once applied, use your beard brush or comb to style it.
The Best Foods for a Healthy Beard:
The health of your body and hair is directly related and both require a nutritious diet. The foods below will help promote a healthy beard.
Sweet Potatoes – These are high in Beta-carotene and will help with the cell growth in your facial hair.
Oysters – These are the best source of Zinc, which helps the cells that are designed for building hairs. They are also a great source of protein.
Eggs – Rich in protein, eggs are a natural source of Biotin. Biotin, as noted above, is known for strengthening hair and growth.
Spinach – Spinach is rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, protein and potassium, all of which promote healthy beard growth. You can add this to a smoothie which will help mask the taste.
Liver – High in both iron and biotin to promote hair growth and hair strength.
Cinnamon – This helps the flow of oxygen to hair follicles. A little bit will go a long way, and you can simply add this to foods for extra flavor and get the oxygen boost your hair needs.
The above list of beard styles is merely a sampling of the different beard variations out there. Once your facial hair grows in to its full potential, you can try out and experiment with even more styles and variations. Always be sure to maintain a healthy lifestyle and to clean and care for your beard regularly. If you have healthy skin care and eating habits, it will promote a well-groomed and polished looking beard. The tips above will help your beard grow to its fullest potential and look its best in whatever style you choose to wear.
Patience is truly key in growing out your beard during your teenage years, and remember that your facial hair may come in quickly or it may take longer to full grow. Growth and thickness of your facial hair will largely be dependent on your genes and health.
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