Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette! Today, I'll be talking about how to grow
facial hair and beards. Why grow facial hair? Throughout history, the sight of a
man with facial hair or full beard commanded respect. Beards have been
seen as a symbol of masculinity. In the modern world, we see
men with clean shaven faces in business or leaders and politics, however, a well
trimmed beard has been seen as a professional extension of a man's style.
There are a number of different benefits to having facial hair or beard, one of
which is a general sign of masculinity. If you take a young boy, for example,
who's around ten years old and then look at him when he's about 20 years old,
you'll see certain differences as he ages. His voice will change, his height
will change, facial hair growth is just one other way to show that he is turning
from a boy into a man. Having facial hair or beard has also been seen as a sign of
fertility. Also, by having facial hair or a beard, you'll also notice that people will
sometimes view you with a sense of leadership or wisdom. Take me, for example,
I certainly notice a big difference in the way that I am both approached and
treated when I'm clean-shaven or if I have a full beard. On multiple occasions,
I have seen people approach me differently simply because I have a
beard. Sometimes they seem to think that I have knowledge about something that I
don't or that I'm managing an apartment that I
don't manage. One added benefit of having facial hair or beard is I instantly will
look older if you have a young face. This added facial hair adds a complete
different level of maturity. Also, older men might start to look younger. For an
older gentleman, having a beard or facial hair might help take the viewer's eye
away from those unique features and help them to pay attention to the gentleman,
overall. Now, for more information on how to better grow a beard or facial hair
properly, check out our in-depth guide here. In the beginning of first letting
your beard grow, you might notice a few things happening.
One of the first things that some gentlemen will notice when they first
start to let their beard or facial hair grow in is that it starts to look a
little bit patchy. Has this ever happened to you when you first started letting
your facial hair grow in? If so, guess what? There's nothing wrong, your beard
is just growing. Here's the deal, beards take time to grow and everybody
is different. Now if you know from previous experience of letting your
beard hair grow that your beer tends to grow and a little bit more slow, we would
recommend that you would let your beard hair grow in without shaving a good week
or two before going on a vacation or in the upcoming holidays. Ideally, by doing
this, once you return to work, you'll look much more distinguished with your facial
hair rather than looking disheveled and like you just forgot to shave the day
before. During the first month of not shaving, you might start to notice that
your facial hair will grow in without the patchiness. This, for a lot of
gentlemen, will be happening within that first month period. A month is average
but please remember that we are all different and it might take a little bit
longer before you start to see a fully formed beard. Now, beard growth is
something that requires commitment. If you're looking to turn heads with that
beard, please stick with it, it will take time! Itchiness, it's the worst. I promise
you, it's extremely frustrating. Having coarse hair, your significant other will
not like it. I remember when I first started growing facial hair and I was giving a
hug to a relative and I nearly stabbed them in the face by how coarse and tough
my hair is feeling. Also, you might have to deal with a few onlookers and people
who just can't keep their comments to themselves about how you've lost
yourself or you look a little rough around the edges but after you made it
through those awkward weird stages at first beginning to let your beard grow
in, there are some steps you can take to make sure that it always looks healthy.
Number one, wash it regularly. Keep your beard hydrated but don't over wash it.
Use a beard specific wash, especially one that's got some great organic
ingredients. This will be beneficial to nearly everybody, especially if you are a
person of color. Organic washes contain fewer harmful chemicals which are known
for breaking down hair. Number two, begin applying beard oil.
Stuff is incredible! I love this stuff! The beard oil helps add a shine and a
softness to the touch to your overall beard. I also find though it helps me
make sure that my beard looks darker and fuller. Beard oil also will
help make sure that you don't feel excessive itchiness throughout the day
on the skin underneath your beard. Next, you can always use a beard balm. Now, a
beard balm is something that's going to be really beneficial to somebody who has
medium to a longer length beard. The beard balm can also aid in moisture
retention. Next, use a proper beard comb or brush. We don't recommend using the
same brush or comb you might have used on your head. Typically, the products you
use on your head shouldn't be used on your face or vice versa. Also, you
wouldn't want to spread germs from your head to your beard and as far as
products go, the scalp is usually able to withstand more than the face can,
therefore, you should always make sure that you're using things on your face
that are intended and geared specifically for the face. Depending on
the texture of your hair, you might find a comb or a brush to be better suited to
help you make sure that your beard and facial hair look great. Now, some of you
might find a brush to be a great way to make sure that your beard growth is
still falling in line the way that it should and that you can also avoid
tangles. We recommend using a brush while your beard hair is shorter and using a
comb when your beard hair is on that medium to longer stage. Now, I happen to
have thicker, coarser hair in my beard so I tend to use both tools. I found that
when I let time go by or I forget to comb or brush my beard hair out when it
is longer, it can easily start to look matted and feel extremely painful with
the itching and the scratching but depending on the beard style that you're
going for, you can do what's called the lineup. Once a week, you can take a pair
of hair scissors or a beard trimmer and line up just along your lips around the
mouth and also at the base of your cheeks. Just remember, don't over trim,
growth is the goal. It's okay to get the stray hairs you might notice at the top
of your cheeks or at the base of your cheeks or around the mouth but growth
is the goal so we don't want to over clip and trim and cut, we're trying to
get this to grow full and grow long. Now, there are some common myths that are
attributed to beard growth. One of which is people thinking that the beard is
growing too slowly. No, your beard is not growing too slowly, it typically is
growing at the same rate of everyone else's unless you have some kind of
outstanding skin condition. Also, sometimes, people tend to think that the
patches that they're starting to see during the initial part of beard growth
is due to the thickness of their hair. Well, this isn't true either. Here are
some of the reasons why your hair might appear darker or denser in certain areas.
Now, for those of you who might feel that your hair looks a little bit thin, if you
happen to have lighter colored hair, it might appear thinner on your face than
it would on someone who happens to have darker hair. And then check the hair on
your head, as well, is the hair on your head thick or thin? Thicker hair
always tends to look a little bit fuller. Now, there's no known way to make your
hair grow faster but you can do things to make it look a little bit fuller and
a little bit thicker. Number one, stop shaving. No, not forever but contrary to
the myth, shaving your beard does not make it grow back thicker or fuller. The
only way to really let your beard grow and make it grow the way you want it to
is simply just to let it grow. Number two, exercise. Exercising and losing weight
helps you increase blood circulation and raise testosterone. This has an effect on
overall facial hair growth. Short and intense workouts will help boost your
testosterone levels. Number three, go to sleep. We are not Energizer bunnies and
our bodies do require rest to be able to fight off illness and be able to grow. A
study performed in 2011 by the Journal of the American Medical Association so
that if you sleep five hours or less, your testosterone levels could drop by
as much as 15%. Number four, do your best to minimize your stress
levels. High stress levels have been shown to constrict blood vessels and
also lower your testosterone. Now, this kind of stress and anxiety can prevent
beard growth. Number five, make sure you're eating well. A healthy diet is a
major factor in proper and healthy beard growth. Remember, what you put in your
body is always going to be reflected on the outside. Vitamins, minerals, and
protein are all key factors in making sure you have a long thick full beard.
There are some supplements on the market right now that are geared for beard
growth. Please remember, always consult your
doctor before taking any supplements. Make sure you give yourself a break.
Remember, genetics play a major factor in beard growth. Genes play a very big role
in determining our height, how long the beard might be, our eye color. Did you
know, hair loss is actually determined by your mother's genes? Don't stress
yourself out regarding beard growth or trying to compare your beard
growth to someone else's. It might take a while to grow that Gandalf styled beard
you've been dreaming of but stick with it, you can get there! If you're not
growing any facial hair, this could be a medical issue and you should always
consult your doctor. Now, some of you might be thinking how do I fix these
obvious patches that I have on my face right now? If you happen to be an
impatient person like sometimes I know I can be and you have those patches, you
can always choose to trim your beard down to the lowest patch on your face
and then let your beard grow in from there.
By doing this, this will prevent the hair from growing that much faster but it
will help improve thickness and overall density. For an in-depth look at the
products we recommend to aid in beard growth, those are listed here. In
conclusion, remember beard growth takes time for some gentlemen. It might take
upwards of two to three months before they start to see a full beard begin to
form. Don't give up! Remember, give it time half
patience and you will get there. Today, I'm wearing a navy suit jacket with a
notched lapel and functioning buttonholes with this really unique
burgundy lining with blue polka dots. There's a matching navy single-breasted
vest that I'm wearing below that and a white dress shirt. I've got this great
burgundy tie on from Fort Belvedere and this really unique grid pattern slacks
from Penguin. I'm also wearing black wingtip boots from Cole Haan.