A Guide to Patchy Beards
Growing a beard isn’t always as easy as just letting it be. A lot of beardsmen the world over suffer from patchy beard growth. In fact, it’s one of the most common complaints from beard owners everywhere. It really doesn’t matter where you’re from, how old you are or what your heritage is, you can still experience patchiness in your facial hair and it can be quite frustrating. That being said, younger men do have significantly more trouble growing a full beard than their elders.
There is good news, though. No matter what is causing your beard’s patchiness, there is always something you can do about it. For some problems, the solutions are easy, but for others, they might be a little bit more difficult. Either way, you can work towards a fuller beard in your future. Let’s take a look at the most common reasons why your beard might be patchy:
Reasons Your Beard Is Patchy
- Genetics
- Hormones
- Diet
- Stress
- Dryness
Genetics
The first reason your locks grow inconsistently is the most difficult to overcome: Your genetics. Where and how your beard grows is determined before you’re even born. This can be frustrating but it’s not a lost cause. When men hit puberty, their facial hair follicles wake up from the deep sleep they were taking through childhood. The thing is, they don’t all wake up at the same time. That’s why you may not have been able to grow as full a beard when you were fifteen as you can in your forties. Some hair follicles wake up much later in life, past middle age and maybe even in retirement! This is good news, fellas! If some of your facial hair follicles are just snoozing, you can stimulate them and bring them to life. Healthy blood flow can help promote the emergence of dormant follicles and this can be achieved with regular exercise and a good diet. Ensuring you’re keeping your facial hair and the skin underneath healthy and moisturized is another key way to tell those follicles to wake up. Routine exfoliation of the skin is a key part of this. You might wish to use a home dermaroller as well, which is a handheld tool equipped with a wheel that’s covered in tiny little needle points. This is the home version of micro-needling and promotes collagen production and blood flow.
Hormones
There are a lot of bad habits adults have that can throw off your hormone balance. From poor diet and exercise to lack of sleep and too much work. The great thing about bad habits, though, is that they can be changed. Unlike your genetics, you actually have the ability to change these things about yourself. Men need a certain amount of testosterone to grow a full, luscious beard. If you have a deficiency, your beard may struggle. So balance your hormones with a better diet, regular exercise, proper sleep and self-care!
Diet
As we’ve mentioned in the past two points, diet has a significant effect on how consistently your beard grows. In fact, diet seems to have an effect on every point in this article. Changing your diet to include more whole foods and fewer processed treats can have an enormous impact on every aspect of your life, not the least of which is your beautiful beard. When you ensure you’re taking in a good amount of healthy proteins and fats as well as lots and lots of all the green things, your beard will thank you.
Stress
With the world the way it is today, it’s not necessarily possible to get rid of stressors in your life, but it is possible to change how you cope with them. Stress has a negative impact on hair growth and hair health. We recommend taking a break from the internet now and again and maybe downloading a meditation app to clear your head and ground your soul. Read physical books, spend time with pets, go for a walk. A few minutes of calm and quiet a day can do wonders for your stress levels.
Dryness
It always seems like hydration and diet are the keys to everything, doesn’t it? There’s a good reason for that. It’s because it’s almost always true. Hydration for your beard doesn’t just refer to topical products, either. You need to drink your 8 glasses a day of water, as well. Beard care products with moisturizing and growth stimulating ingredients like jojoba oil are also a must for any Kingsman worried about a patchy beard. Kingsmen Premium’s Beard balm, beard oil, beard butter and mustache wax all have jojoba oil in them, so make sure you’re getting these into your beard!
If you’re eating well, getting regular exercise, taking care of your mind and drinking your water every day, your beard will show it. While none of the solutions we’ve provided for you in this article are guaranteed to produce the beard you want, they will get you that much closer to a full and healthy beard.
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