How to Grow a Beard Faster and Fuller

April 09, 2017
by Andi Murphy
- 1 comment

So, you want know how to grow a beard.

Great! You’ll be joining the grizzled ranks of some of mankind’s most respected leaders, thinkers, lovers, and badasses (rank and share your favorite historical beards in the comments below). Unfortunately, beard growth isn’t equal-opportunity. You might want to grow a chin curtain as epic as Travis Frederick or Hemingway, and you might want to know how to grow a beard FAST, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to. Here is the not-so-encouraging reason why:

Biology Affects Facial Hair Growth

We won’t bore you with the details but the gist of it is testosterone plays a HUGE role in how FAST you can grow your beard, how THICK your beard is, if you end up with a patchy beard, or if you’re ABLE to grow a beard at all. The fact of the matter is if you weren’t born with the right set of follicles on your face or if you have low T, you won’t be able to grow that epic beard naturally. Simply put, testosterone will make or break your beard growth. Biology has dealt the cards, and you’ve gotta play with what you’ve got whether or not it’s a winning hand.

"Natural" Beard Growth Creams are Bogus

Some of you can (and do!) grow epic beards like it’s nobody’s business, but as for the rest, well, you may have to learn to live with that wimpy scruff. And no matter what the snake-oil salesmen tell you, there isn’t any natural beard growth oil or beard growth cream you can spend money on to make your beard naturally grow faster, or make your beard naturally come in thicker. Sure, you might be able to find some crazy synthetic chemical topical cream to slather on your face that’ll alter your ability to sprout bristles…but do so at your own risk. Avoid these peddlers at all costs; they’re just looking to cash in on your hopes and dreams...and ruin them in the process (in the old days, frauds like that would be run out of town on a rail!). But if you must, we recommend checking with your doctor first to make sure there won’t be adverse effects. But hold up, don’t get discouraged! There is some good news. If you want to grow a beard, grow your facial hair faster and fuller by making sure your follicles are getting the testosterone they need to grow. Here are two ways you can improve beard growth:

1. Keep a Healthy Diet to Boost Beard Growth

Boost your testosterone by eating foods rich in the minerals needed to get T production started (remember, your follicles depend on it!). Certain foods can help this by removing the estrogens that reduce T levels (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage). Avoid low-cholesterol and low-fat fad diets. Research suggests healthy consumption of fat and cholesterol actually increases levels of testosterone in men. Bottom line: avoid crap food, it doesn’t have the nutrients you need to promote beard growth.

2. Spur Beard Growth by Keeping it Clean

Encourage beard growth by keeping those hair follicles clean and your face moisturized. This will remove dead skin cells and anything else that might be holding back your scruff. You want to give those follicles a fighting chance at producing the best hairs possible. A natural beard wash shampoo will keep you clean and a good beard oil will help you keep your skin moisturized and healthy (having trouble choosing one? Try our Full Beard Oil Sampler Kit to find the right one for you). Bottom line: take some time to maintain the mane; you won’t regret it. Good luck and keep us posted on your bearded ventures! For more information about beard washes and beard oils, check out our tips on caring for a winter beard.

1. Cultured dermal papilla cells from androgen-dependent human hair follicles (e.g. beard) contain more androgen receptors than those from non-balding areas of scalp, http://joe.endocrinology-journals.org/content/133/1/141.short 2. Effect of Testosterone Administration on the Beard Growth of Elderly Males, https://academic.oup.com/geronj/article-abstract/4/3/200/591484/Effect-of-Testosterone-Administration-on-the-Beard 3. Alteration of character of male beard growth, https://www.google.com/patents/US4885289 4. Testosterone and cortisol in relationship to dietary nutrients and resistance exercise, http://jap.physiology.org/content/82/1/49.full