How to Grow a Beard: A Guide for the Beardless

So you want to grow a beard.

It’s important to remember that everyone’s beard is different, and what works for one person may not work for another. Finding the right beard care routine that works for you may take trial and error, but don’t get discouraged. With patience, consistency, and the right care, you can grow a beard that you can be proud of.

Recent History & Popularity

Beards have been growing in popularity over the last five to ten years, especially since friends Travis Garone and Luke Slattery thought it would be a good idea to start bringing them back in 2003. They started with 30 Mo Bros in 2003 and grew to more than 6M in 2019. Their movement, Movember, has been embraced worldwide, from the average working man to celebrities. They’ve raised over $700,000 by 2019 and funded over 1200 men’s health projects. Movember helped raise awareness about men’s health issues around the globe, all while bringing back the beard.

Initially, many men jumped on the bandwagon to help raise awareness, funds and some just because it was the cool thing to do (sometimes a good excuse to avoid shaving for work, their wife and so on ). The two men from Melbourne, Australia, had sparked a movement and started a trend that shows no sign of slowing down.

The Movember movement encouraged men to grow beards for November and donate to the cause.

From Social Movement to Cool and Stylish

With its newfound popularity, the beard and moustache revolution began. For many men, this was their first time letting their facial hair grow past anything more than a five o’clock shadow. This led to confusion for some and relief for others.

As beard growth took hold, so did style trends and the popularity of properly groomed beards that men could be proud of and their spouses loved too. Gone are the days of a scruffy, sloppy-looking beard that itches and looks like you’ve been stranded on an island for months on end. Ok, so some dudes still look like that – but not if we have anything to do with it.

So now you know the recent history of beard popularity. Now you might be wondering…

Can I Grow A Beard?

So you might be thinking. Can’t every man grow a beard? Well, most can to some extent, but not everyone can grow a thick beautiful mane that’s the envy of the pride. Some men really can’t, but that’s ok.

Here are some key indicators on if you’re in good shape for Movember this year.

Age. Your age will play the biggest role in whether you’ll be able to grow a beard. As you become a man, your body starts producing testosterone. This is needed to grow that hair on your face. Once your body starts producing testosterone as a young man, facial hair will be one of the last changes you’ll see. Many men will be able to start growing facial hair when they are 17 or 18, but it will be a few more years when they’re able to reach their full facial hair growing potential.
Genetics play a huge role. This is also the one thing you can’t change (well, perhaps technically you could do some genetic engineering along the way – but we don’t recommend it). A look at the men in your family over the past few generations may be an indicator that you’ve got good beard-growing genes.
Assuming you’re already producing testosterone, one of the best indicators is body hair in other places. If you’re a hairy guy everywhere else, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll be able to grow a decent beard.
Lastly, poor health and some medical conditions can effect beard growth.

How to grow a beard.

Growing a beard is as easy as not shaving, right? Technically, sure. For the purpose of this article and growing a beard worthy of going out in the daylight, it’s going to take a little bit more effort than not shaving. In fact, if all you do is not shave…you may end up quitting before you start.

Step 1 – Grow the facial hair.

Ok, you got me. Not shaving is the first step of growing your beard, but there’s more you need to know about out.

You should start by giving yourself a fresh clean shave with a single blade razor (safety razor unless you’re brave and skilled enough for a straight blade). A proper shave with the right razor will help keep those ends from being as scratchy on your face for the first bit. Do not use an electric razor or clippers. Also, make sure you’re face is clean and you have no ingrown hairs.

Sit back and let it grow. Start applying beard oil every day, this will help reduce the itchiness, moisturize your skin and nourish the new hair growth. Be sure to wash before applying that oil.

Patchy Beard, Itchy Beard: The awkward stage.

Oh no! It’s not growing in thick and beautiful. Hold on, don’t go booking an appointment for a beard transplant yet (yes, it’s a thing). Welcome to the awkward stage. This stage is where many, many men give up. DON’T GIVE UP!

Not everyone can have a thick full beard. If it’s not coming in thick right now, don’t fret. Let it keep going, as the beard gets longer it will look less patchy and you’ll have an opportunity to trim and style it to reduce the patchy thin look.

It’s easy to get frustrated at this point. Just remember, it’s only a stage. Brush off the jokes your friends have been cracking, tell your wife/girlfriend/boyfriend/mother to be patient. It’s not going to be comfortable, but it will be worth it. Make sure to use that good beard oil and a good beard brush. The beard brush will align all the hairs so they aren’t all poking back at your skin and the bristles will feel good on that itchy face.

Step 2 – Make it look and feel great.

Congrats, you made it. Once you’ve got a good inch or two of beard growth, it’s time to figure out how you want to style and maintain it. You could spend hundreds of dollars a month grooming your beard, but you don’t need to. There are two things minimum you’ll need.

Good quality, all-natural beard oil. This will help nourish the beard and the skin below. Which will reduce itch, keep the skin moisturized and reduce flaking and help keep the beard looking good and feeling soft. Remember, a good quality beard oil will moisturize and nourish your beard and should have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
Natural Bristle Beard Brush – This is a must-have. It’s going to keep your beard neat and tidy, feel good on the skin and apply that oil throughout your beard. Using beard oil without a beard brush is like buying premium paint and then applying it to the wall with your hands.

Now that you’ve got that rad beard, go show it off to the world. If you’ve done all the work and it still looks bad. Get a second opinion, see a barber or ask a friend with a beard what they think. They might have some wisdom to get you back on track. If not, it wasn’t meant to be. Head over to our shop and grab an If You Must Shaving Soap and hit the reset button. If you’re desperate, start that Go Fund Me and get a beard transplant.

You did it. Now What?

We are so proud of you for sticking it out and seeing it through. The world is your oyster, you’re a new man and opportunities are abound. Now it’s time to show it off. Take those selfies, post that handsome beard on Instagram for the world to see (tag us so we can see it too).

Above all, when you see a beardless man in need or a bearded man that looks like he’s been living on a desert island, show him the way.

Remember, behind every beard is a chin, and behind every chin is a man with a story. Go boldly into the world, adventure and enjoy life.