Trying to grow a beard is a process that can frustrate even the most impressively patient among us. While a lucky few seem to have a full face of hair by the time they’re 16, for most of us it’s a far longer journey that’s hardly ever linear in nature.
If you’re wondering how long it might take, then you’re in the right place. While there’s no single clear-cut answer, we’ll take a look at some of the factors that contribute to how long it might take, along with some eco-friendly ways to help speed that process up.
Stages of growth
It’s important to note off the bat that the following stages of growth will take a different amount of time for different people, depending on the factors detailed later on in the article. That being said, these are some general guidelines on how long it can take for different kinds of facial hair growth to appear.
-
Stubble
With most people who can grow at least a small amount of facial hair, stubble will start to come through after a day or two. This can thicken up over a week or so, and for some people who can’t grow much facial hair, it might remain the only stage they’re able to achieve.
-
Short beard
After a month or two, if you’re able to grow enough facial hair you should be able to see some initial signs of a beard. It might be patchy, and it probably won’t be very thick, but it should be long enough to call a beard.
-
Full beard
For those who can grow sufficient facial hair, a full beard should be present in around 3-6 months. This will likely be long enough that it needs caring for, potentially even washing and combing. By this stage, you’ll also likely be able to start thinking about how you want to style it.
What determines beard growth?
These are the main factors that determine how long your facial hair will take to grow.
-
Genetics
The first thing to note about growing a beard is that it largely depends on your genetics. As a result, a good indicator of whether or not you’ll be able to grow a beard quickly is whether your father and grandfathers were able to do so.
Ultimately, it’s a combination of your genetic make up and the presence of certain hormones such as testosterone that will determine the rate at which your facial hair can grow. While you can’t change your genetics, you can to a certain extent influence the hormones that are present in your body.
-
Diet
As mentioned above, your lifestyle can have some influence over the kinds and quantities of hormones that are produced by your body. To stimulate facial hair growth, one of the eco-friendly tactics you can try to adopt consists of eating a diet rich in important minerals and vitamins - especially protein and biotin.
This doesn’t involve using any nasty chemicals, you just need to make sure that you’re eating a varied range of different foods every day. Not only will your facial hair benefit, but you’ll also be looking after your health more generally.
-
Exercise
Another lifestyle factor that you can change to increase your facial hair growth is how much you exercise. Regular exercise helps to stimulate more blood circulation, which can have a positive effect on hair growth.
Not only that, but it can also help to stimulate the production of certain hormones, among them testosterone! Again, not only will you be doing your facial hair growth a favour, but you’ll also be contributing to your general well-being by following a healthier lifestyle.
-
Age
How fast your beard grows often changes a lot with age. While you might take weeks or months to grow even the tiniest bit of thin stubble in your teens, your facial hair will likely start growing faster as you progress into your 20s and even your 30s.
So if it takes you months to grow even the thinnest of beards at the moment, and you’re still in your late teens or early twenties, the only thing to do might be to wait and see how your hormones change over the coming years. We know it might not be the answer you were looking for, but it’s likely that time will have the biggest impact on how long it takes for your beard to grow.
Limited control
While these factors can have an impact on how quickly your beard will grow, ultimately in some cases it will be beyond your control. No matter what the service providers promise they’ll be able to achieve with their harsh, toxic chemicals, some of us simply aren’t destined to grow facial hair.
If you’ve tried every solution you’ve come across but have found your facial hair stubbornly resisting, then it’s likely time to accept that you’re not destined to have a beard. Embrace the look you’ve been graced with, and make it work for you.
