Beard gang: many want to join, but few can get in. Whether it be from lack of maintenance, growth rate, age, or simply genetics; the road to a nice, full beard takes time, work, patience, and understanding. This guide will show you how to grow and maintain a healthy beard for “No Shave November” and the coming winter months.
1. Moisturize & Massage
Your beard, just like the hair on your head, needs moisture. What products you use is up to you, however, we do recommend using all natural oils such as Jamaican black castor oil, coconut oil, or tea tree oil twice a week to get noticeably visible results. You can also use beard oils sold online or in stores, but we suggest you start with the all natural stuff to play it safe. Massage the oils into your chin and cheeks to stimulate the cells that create new hair.
2. Brush & Comb
Good grooming goes a long way with hair, the same can be said about facial hair. Brushing and combing out your beard regularly is essential in maintaining healthy, attractive beard. Your beard should be combed daily to prevent tangles and matting, and brushed on the days you moisturize. Brushing your hair helps to train the way it lays as it grows, making styling and upkeep significantly easier.It’ll save you a lot of pain in the long run. Trust us!
3. Wash & Condition
We know it might sound a little silly to wash and condition your beard, but it’s crucial to maintaining it’s health. As you apply products to your beard, such as moisturizers and styling products, they accumulate a build up that must be cleaned regularly. Shampoo and condition your beard to ensure it is clean, and promote healthy and lustrous hair. This process needs to be done no more than once every two weeks (twice a month). Don’t overwash and condition hair for the fear that it’ll dry your hair out and strip it of it’s own natural oils. The same rules apply to the hair on your head as well.
4. Trim
Seems counter-productive, right? Wrong. Semi-regular trimming is actually beneficial to keeping your beard healthy. The longer your beard gets, the more prone you are to split ends. Split ends cause thinning, breakage, and can halt your beard’s growth. Get trimmed once every two months or whenever you feel it needs to be shortened. ough, scruffy, and/or beastly looking facial hair is usually a good indicator of when you need to get a trim.
5. Vitamins
Not many people tap into this resource, but vitamins are an extremely effective way to maximize hair growth. Vitamins such as A, B, C, D, and E give your hair the nutrients they need to become their healthiest and strongest. If you’re unsure which vitamins to start with, we suggest biotin (vitamin B) and vitamin E in unison;not only will they promote healthy hair, they’re both good for your nails and skin as well. This is especially effective for people who have a slower hair growth rate and/or genetically don’t grow hair in abundance. When it comes to adding vitamins into your grooming regimen there is no magic formula, use trial and error to find the best combination of vitamins for you.
6. Time & Patience
“All great things come to those who wait”. No matter what your circumstance, you have to be patient and trust the process. You’re not going to do all these things Monday night and have a full blown beard on Tuesday morning, that’s not the way it works. You have to put in work everyday to maintain that healthy, attractive beard and it certainly won’t happen overnight. So don’t worry, stop torturing yourself, and don’t compare your beard to others, focus on your own beard goals and one day soon, you can join the club too!
Make a Difference, and have fun doing it!
No Shave November, also known as “Movember” is more than an excuse to grow your facial hair. The Movember Foundation urges men to sport a beard this month to raise funds for men’s health, bring awareness to the risks of prostate cancer, testicular cancer and men’s mental health. Join the conversation about men’s health and try a new style all in the month of Movember.
