No matter how fast a beard grows, there’s no man that hasn’t asked himself at least once if it should grow faster.

If you’re one of the slow-growers, you know this pain oh-so-well.

There have probably been more times than you can count you just wished to speed things up and enjoy the thick, full, long beard of your dreams.

But even if your beard grows at a normal rate, you might have thought about how long it will take to grow to your desired length so you can start shaping and styling it the way you want.

Well, today we’ll explain in nitty-gritty details how long does it take to grow a dream beard, how to determine the terminal length of your beard, factors that affect growth and proven methods to maximize it.

We can assure you’ve never read the more detailed guide on beard growing. Read on!

How long does it take to grow a beard?

The simple answer is it takes about two to four months to grow what is considered a full beard. While beard hair typically grows a 1/2 inch per month, some can experience a full inch worth of growth over the same period of time.

Genetics plays an important role in the length and thickness of your facial hair, and the time to grow that beard can vary from two months to six years, depending on how long of a beard you are trying to grow.

While hair typically grows a half-inch per month, the wider you grow the beard, the longer you can expect it to grow.

Understanding some of the characteristics of your hair might help you to better comprehend how long it will take for your beard to grow.

Benefits of Growing a Beard

If you are still deciding whether you should grow a beard, then getting familiar with its many benefits will surely encourage you to give it a go. Here’s how beard growth can benefit you:

Offers Protection From UV Rays

One thing that your beard can do for you is to keep your face protected from the damaging and harsh rays of the sun. It prevents your facial skin from getting too exposed to the sun, causing more wrinkles and leathery skin in the long run.

With the protection your beard offers from UV rays, you can also prevent your face from manifesting wrinkled and saggy skin as well as unwanted spots. You can expect your beard to work in blocking up to 95% of these damaging UV rays. It aids in mitigating sun damage and in lowering your risk of developing skin cancer.

Lessens the Need for Shaving That Causes Acne

Those who have a beard have a higher chance of their skin beneath the facial hair being smooth. It is because you no longer have to shave your face too frequently. Keep in mind that shaving can further spread acne-causing bacteria, so minimizing this task can prevent acne. It can also encourage healthy skin beneath your hair.

Raises Your Confidence

Growing your beard can also help you in developing more confidence. It can improve your feeling of power and masculinity. It also lets you feel good about yourself. The good thing about building your confidence through your beard is that it can sort of increase your chance of attaining success.

Prevents Gum Diseases

Another fantastic benefit of growing your beard is that it aids in preventing airborne bacteria from staying in your mouth. It can, therefore, lessen your risk of developing gum disease. Combined with proper brushing of teeth and other good dental care habits, growing your beard can also provide additional protection from gum diseases.

Moisturizes the Skin

Constant shaving might cause your skin to open up its pores. It can also trigger facial cuts that might result in skin dryness eventually. During the winter and summer, having exposed pores might also cause your skin to lose its moisture. This will result in it starting to flake. By growing a beard, you can lessen such problems. It can moisturize your skin and keep it looking healthy and nice.

Stages of Beard Growth

Your beard can grow properly if it undergoes three important growth phases/stages. These are:

Anagen

This specific stage/phase of the beard growth cycle represents the stage when the hair is still growing. It is the specific time when the cells found in your hair follicles roots’ divide rapidly.

This stage usually takes around 2 to 6 years. In some cases, the duration is longer than that, though. During the anagen phase, expect the root to divide continuously. It is also possible for your strands to grow by at least one-half inch monthly.

Catagen

Considered as the shortest beard growth stage, catagen symbolizes the cycle’s transitional part. It is the specific phase when the growth of your facial hair stops. It also causes your strands to get separated from your follicles and attached to your skin. Furthermore, the supply of blood to your hair tends to get completely cut off. This phase often lasts for 2-3 weeks.

Telogen

Lasting for around 2-4 months, the telogen phase is the time when new and incoming hair works together on pushing the old hair. It results in the old hair falling out. Upon shedding of the old hair, you can expect the follicle to go back to the anagen stage. It then begins the cycle of beard growth again.

Difference Between Facial Hair and Head Hair Growth

Facial hair and head hair growth have major differences, which is why you need to care for them differently, too. The two undergo three growth stages, though – the anagen, catagen, and telogen. However, they differ on how long the cycle lasts. Facial can complete the stages in just a matter of months, while head hair tends to complete the cycle for years.

Another major difference is that facial hair is thicker and has a more wiry texture compared to that found on the head. You will also notice the skin beneath the facial and the head hair being different. The one on your head is oiler compared to facial skin, which is why you need to put on some cleansers that are effective in getting rid of excess oil from the head.

Both also differ on the way they tangle and appear unruly. In most cases, head hair can be seen as straight, while the beard hair has a curly and thick growth. With that, it is advisable to use a different brush for your beard and head hair. Go for a stiff brush when brushing your beard and a soft brush for your head hair.

Determining the Length of Your Beard

If you did nothing to your beard, on average, it would eventually grow to be approximately three feet in length. Again, your genes will dictate if your beard reaches three feet or gets stuck at one foot.

The way to determine how long the beard will take to grow is to watch for the shedding of the hair.

This means that you have entered the third phase of hair growth, and will be in the best position to then tell exactly how long it will take to grow the beard again in the future.

Once the growth phases are complete, the new hairs push out the old, and the process starts over.

This process will not only tell you exactly how long it will take to grow your long beard; it will show you exactly how long of a beard you can grow.

Just remember that not every hair in the beard will enter the final phase at the same time, so some hair might stop growing at a foot while others can push on to three feet or longer.

Pay closer attention to the patterns to get the best read on your individual circumstances.

Factors That Affect Your Beard Length

Every man who decides to start a beard journey almost certainly askes himself at least once about how much time it will take to grow his facial hair to a specific length.

This question is followed by another one: What steps to take and how to get there?

To find out the answers to these two questions, you first need to know which factors are involved in the whole beard growth process.

Knowing that your genes control how long does it take to grow a beard is not comforting at all, but rest assured that there are other factors which determine the length of your beard.

To put it simply, let’s divide all of them into two groups. The first group is the factors that you can’t affect, and the other group is those that are entirely under your control.

Already mentioned genetics, alongside with your age and race is something that you can’t change, no matter how strong you want that. Others like your lifestyle, nutrition and beard care routine are factors that depend on you.

Genetics

By now, you have realized that if your grandfather and father have thick beards, the chances are that you will be able to grow a great beard too.

Based on this fact, some men will never be able to grow a full or long facial hair, and others won’t have a beard at all. Believe it or not, there is something good about that, although it may not seem like it now.

Ironically, men who are struggling to grow facial hair are less likely to lose their head hair. Guys who can grow a beard easier experience baldness sooner.

Genes affect almost every aspect of your beard growth, but this can vary from man to man.

First facial hairs start growing in puberty, but it’s up to your genes to decide when your beard will begin sprouting during the puberty, and how long and strong it will become.

The pattern of your growth is also determined by genetics. This means that some men, although they have a nice beard, can experience a few patches on their facial hair here and there.

These men should just wait for their beards to get longer, and the longer hairs will eventually cover those spots where hairs don’t grow at all. If you are just starting with a beard, you can’t guess how long it will take you to reach your beard goals.

Just as everybody else, the best way to find out the time you will need to grow your facial hair is to stop shaving, throw the razor away and be patient. On average, you can expect that it will take several months for you to grow a longer, fuller beard.

A lot of men decide to start growing a beard just because they think that it needs less grooming than having to shave constantly. This is a common mistake.

Having a beard is a never-ending commitment, and the time you have been spending before on shaving, you will now have to spend in maintaining and taking care of your beard.

Although, you will agree, having a full, thick beard is worth every second of your time.

Age

Age is another factor that has a lot to do with your beard growth. Usually, the first signs of facial hair will be visible when you hit puberty, which means somewhere between 12 and 16 years.

When you get to this age, your testosterone levels will increase. With low testosterone levels boosted, your vellus hairs will transform into terminal androgenic hairs.

This does not apply to every man, and late bloomers will probably have to wait a few more years to enjoy in their facial forest.

Before you rush to think that, now as a teenager, you will be able to grow longer and thicker beard than ever before, bear in mind that you must be patient for a few more years to have the beard you desire.

The best thing most men can expect when in puberty is the growth of mustache and maybe some patchy cheek areas.

Those with great genetics, however, may notice that their beard is growing faster and fuller than the facial hair of most other men.

To better understand how long it takes to grow a beard as a teenager, you should understand that hair growth pace varies depending on your age.

After puberty, somewhere between 18 and 25 years, you will notice that your beard grows quicker, fuller and thicker. This is also the age when most men have higher testosterone levels.

Additional testosterone will make some men’s beards reach their growth potential and fill in all the patches, giving the appearance of thicker and fuller facial hair.

If this is not the case with you, don’t despair and remain patient for a few more years for your beard time to come. This is not what you’re expecting to hear at this point, but it is the only truth.

Finally, between 25 and 35 years you can expect your beard to be the thickest and to grow faster than ever before. At this age, your beard will reach its full potential.

All this may not be the same for every man, but it gives you a better idea of what to expect and the time you will need to grow facial hair based on your age.

Race

Race is the factor that will have one of the most significant impacts on the growth of your beard. It will determine whether you will start growing a beard as a teenager or as an adult man.

Caucasians usually have the thickest facial hair. On the other hand, African Americans sometimes have a lot of problems while growing their beard.

However, black men who can grow facial hair often develop full thick beards.

Asians can develop a beard, but find it the most challenging to have full facial hair, and there are a set of reasons why this happens.

Stress

One of the most common factors that have a major impact on beard growth is the level of stress you are experiencing. High levels of stress should be avoided as much as possible if you want to enjoy healthy beard growth. You have to relax to ensure that you will not have problems growing your beard.

Also, remember that your immune system and the way you manage stress tend to work together during the beard growth process. If you have a poor immune system, then it is greatly possible for you to only have minimal facial and scalp hair growth.

With that in mind, make it a point to do something to strengthen your immune system. Combine it with the practice of stress management strategies, too, like meditation, mindfulness, and yoga.

Protecting Your Skin

The kind of care and protection that you provide the skin beneath your beard also plays a crucial role in its proper growth. That said, it is advisable to use products that can help clean not only your beard but also the skin beneath it. The product should also be able to stimulate growth.

Make sure that the skin on your face is also clean all the time, especially if you are someone who exercises a lot. It is mainly because excess sweat might irritate your skin, thereby affecting the hair growth process. As much as possible, use appropriate and gentle beard wash and beard softener. Both products can protect your facial skin.

Smoking

Smoking can also drastically affect the beard growth process. Aside from its several health hazards, smoking also causes hair loss. Your beard is not an exception. It is the reason why those who want to grow their beard but are smoking at the moment should commit to stopping this unhealthy habit.

Testosterone

Testosterone also has a huge impact on beard growth. It refers to the vital male hormone, which controls red blood cells, fat distribution, fertility, and muscle mass. This hormone influences the health of not only your beard or facial hair but also the hair on your head or scalp. If you have high levels of testosterone, then you have a higher chance of growing longer and thicker beards.

Methods to Maximize Beard Growth

If you have concerns about how fast does facial hair grow, you can take some measures to actually help the hair along with in the growth phases.

The first thing you should do after deciding to grow a beard is to stop shaving entirely and ditch the razor. You won’t need it for at least four weeks.

During that time, let nature take its course, and resist the urge to trim and shape your beard by that time.

Beginners usually can’t stay disciplined and start trimming their facial hair way too early. That’s when a lot of mistakes happen as they cut off more hairs than intended.

Instead, you should let your facial hair evolve through all the growth stages, but especially the anagen stage when hairs must grow interrupted.

If, by any chance, you can’t resist and shave, know that it will take you new four weeks just to grow a short beard again. That being said, after shaving your beard needs four to six weeks to grow to its previous length.

Four weeks have passed, now what? Well, the time has come for you to start taking some steps to ensure that your beard will reach its full potential.

Genetics is not the only determining factor in how fast and how long that beard is going to grow.

Toxins in the body, your stress level, and the foods that you consume on a regular basis will also affect how fast your beard can grow.

Men who are smoking and want to grow a beard should definitely stop this activity, besides being extremely bad for their overall health, smoking is stopping their beard to reach its full potential.

Cutting on smoking will result in growing a thicker and denser beard faster.

Improving Your Diet

Changing your diet will help reduce the time it takes to grow your beard. Eating more healthy foods in place of fried foods will help the hair in the first phase to grow much stronger, allowing it to reach its full potential in less time.

If you are wondering which foods are a good starting point when growing a healthy beard, start with foods rich in vitamins, especially A, B, C, and E.

Magnesium, iron, zinc, selenium, and silica-rich foods are something you will also want to take a look at. Last but not least, there is no thick and full facial hair without proteins.

All men already know that proteins are great for muscle growth. Well, they are amazing for your beard growth too.

Limit the intake of refined sugars and combine this with a high protein, low-fat diet as this will boost the pace and rate of your facial hair growth.

To mention just a couple of foods rich in proteins that can secure you a healthier, better-looking beard: fish, chicken, eggs, salmon, steak, cheese, pork chops, tofu, milk, yogurt, and others.

Vegetables and fruits are also necessary if you want to speed up the beard growth process. Fruits that work best are apricots, apples, strawberries, bananas, peaches, kiwis, pineapples and other citrus fruits.

From vegetables, go with avocado, carrots, spinach, broccoli, lettuce, legumes, tomatoes, peppers, asparagus, and mushrooms.

Exercising on a Regular Basis

Now that you know how to increase and speed up your facial hair growth with the use of foods, it wouldn’t hurt if you back up your healthy diet by exercising regularly.

The benefits of regular workouts are countless. For starters, working out increases testosterone levels. Testosterone is the primary hormone responsible for beard growth.

When this hormone is boosted by exercising, it will help the androgenic hairs on your face grow thicker and faster. Circulation of your body can also be improved if you hit the gym often. Improved circulation is also one of facial hair growth boosters.

Cutting out on stress is important when you are trying to grow a great looking beard. A lot of studies have confirmed that when you are in a state of high stress, you can experience slower hair growth or even hair loss.

Exercising will help you prevent and get rid of stress, thus leading to a faster-growing, better-looking beard.

Sleeping Well

Make sure that you are getting between 7 and 8 hours of sleep each night. It is known that the body’s temperature drops when we are sleeping.

Lower temperature leads to increased blood circulation, which causes faster and increased hair growth during the sleep cycle, and yes, this is true for facial hair too.

Diet, exercise, and sleep are three factors you should make sure to get right. If you don’t sleep and eat well or exercise regularly, it will lead to slower facial hair growth, and that is not your goal.

Staying Committed to the Beard Growth Process

No matter how long it takes to grow a beard, along the way, you will have to face a few problems. When you are just starting with growing a beard, your hairs will have to adapt to the new growth.

At this point, you will probably experience dryness and itching. The key thing is to endure through this stage, as it will soon pass. After all, that’s why beard oils exist, to help you survive the itch and dryness almost effortlessly.

Good beard oil will ease and stop beard itching, but also hydrate your facial hair and prevent it from drying out. You may also want to consider using beard shampoo more often, to prevent the skin underneath your beard from getting dry too.

 

Shaping Your Beard

After leaving your beard alone for 4 to 6 weeks, you should start sculpting and shaping it.

Although it sounds contradictory, trimming your facial hair can be beneficial to your beard’s growth. At some point, your beard may develop split ends, or it may get tangled.

Those split ends should be cut if you want to improve your facial hair growth potential and eventually grow healthier and thicker beard faster.

The shaping of your facial hair should start at the neckline if you don’t feel confident that you can do it by yourself, head over to a professional barber the first time.

For men who decide to trim the beard by themselves, a great beard trimmer will come in handy. The first step should be defining the neckline.

Rookies often fail at this step and shave the neckline too high. To avoid making this mistake, set the neckline at two fingers above Adam’s apple.

By using a beard trimmer, remove all the stray hairs and then take a traditional, straight razor to cut the precise lines. This way, you will shape the neckline without interrupting the anagen phase of facial hair growth.

Right next to the neckline are the cheek lines. The best thing to do with cheek lines is to leave them to grow naturally.

The main reason to trim the cheek lines of your beard is if they start creeping up your face and toward your eyes. Just then, you are allowed to remove these strays to create a neater and better-defined cheek line.

Beard Care Products

To ensure that your facial hair is always growing at the fastest possible rate, consider using quality beard care products, such as beard oils, balms, brushes, and combs.

Beard oils and balms are known as softeners and conditioners that make facial hair softer and moisturized thanks to their ingredients.

Besides helping you overcome beard itch at the beginning of your beard growing journey and making your facial hair softer, healthier and more manageable, these products make your beard grow faster over time.

This, of course, applies only to beard balms and oils made with natural ingredients.

Some men often think that beard care products are not necessary and that the only manly thing to do would be letting your beard grow freely and never having to take care of it.

This can’t be further from the truth. When your beard starts growing, you will experience not only itchiness but also dry skin, which will ultimately cause beard dandruff.

The best way to remove these beard flakes is by using beard oil or beard balm because they act as supplements and keep your facial hair nourished and moisturized.

Choose beard oil wisely, and make sure that it is made with at least one of the following ingredients: castor, argan, coconut, jojoba or hemp seed oil.

All these natural ingredients can affect how long your beard takes to grow, but castor oil and jojoba oil are particularly efficient. Almost nothing can be more useful in shortening the time needed to grow a beard than a beard comb and brush.

Brushing a beard has a lot of benefits, such as making your facial hair appear thicker and fuller. Beard brushes are also great for covering any bald spots in your beard.

If you think that cheap beard brushes will also do the job, think again. You may save a few bucks, but cheap brushes are not of good quality, and chances are they will damage your facial hair follicles.

Beard combs are mainly for styling purposes, and they don’t exactly give you the appearance of a fuller beard. However, both beard comb and brush can increase blood flow to your facial hair and stimulate your beard growth.

A usual mistake when brushing and combing your beard is overdoing it. Not even the best beard comb or brush will work if you pull the hairs aggressively.

In the worst scenario, overdoing brushing and combing your facial hair will damage your beard, and you may even pull out some hair follicles.

 

How to Grow a Beard

Step 1 – Research everything about growing a beard

One thing you have to remind yourself of is that it often takes around 6 weeks for your beard to form. Decide beforehand what style of beard you want to grow. In that case, consider your genetics as well as your beard growth pattern.

Step 2 – Start the initial beard growth process

Avoid shaping it prematurely during this step, though. Keep in mind that initially, your beard will appear scraggly or scruffy but avoid cleaning it up as much as possible as it might only lead to it having an awkward shape. Set solid facial care habits and routines in place, instead, to prevent ingrown hair, irritation, and itchiness while growing your beard.

Step 3 – Be patient during the growth phase

It is because this is the time when you will experience itchiness in the area. You can soothe it with the help of high-quality facial moisturizers. You may also use beard oil to lessen itchiness, provided the amount of hair growth is already decent.

Step 4 – Practice beard care routines

This specific step happens when you have already grown a real beard. Begin researching how you can properly maintain your beard. Some of the things that you can do are washing it regularly, shampooing it several times every week, and using beard oil. It also helps to trim your beard.

How to Grow a Beard Faster

Step 1 – Commit to letting your beard grow naturally

Remember that your genetics plays a crucial role in how fully and quickly your facial hair will grow. Be patient and study some measures and techniques that you think can quicken the process and increase hair growth.

Step 2 – Wash your face two times a day

This step is helpful in unblocking your hair follicles. What you should do first is to use warm water to wet your face. In case you haven’t begun to grow your beard yet, then use a gentle facial cleanser to massage the area.

If there is already a bit of beard growth, then use a mild shampoo, but make sure to apply it only on the facial hair. Use clean and cool water to rinse the shampoo and cleanser. You should then pat the area dry using a soft towel. Do this step two times a day, preferably in the morning and evening, and you can stimulate your hair follicles to grow.

Step 3 – Massage face

Do this two times every day. This step is essential in stimulating your hair follicles and promoting rapid beard growth. Just make sure to massage the area using your fingertips with firm yet not painful pressure. It should be in small circular motions. The massage should take around ten minutes, two times every day.

Step 4 – Exfoliate

Do the exfoliation once every week. What is good about exfoliating your facial area is that it helps in clearing dead skin cells that might block your follicles from growing full hair.

Just make sure to do a patch test on the small part of your chin before putting your chosen exfoliating product on the whole face. The test should take around five to ten minutes. Observe for skin burning or irritation. If it does not happen, then it is safe to use on your facial skin.

FAQs

How long does it take to grow a full beard?

Most men can expect to grow a full beard within 2-6 months. However, take note that several factors contribute a lot to the length of time needed for the beard to grow. One of these factors is genetics.

How long does it take to grow a short beard?

If you only want to grow a short beard, then be aware that some men were able to grow such a short length in 5 to 10 days. It happens if you consider the growth rate of a one-half inch monthly. Also, those who can’t seem to resist the temptation of shaving their beard notice that it takes around 4 weeks for them to experience the regrowth of their short beard.

Can everyone grow a beard?

You can’t expect everyone to have the ability to grow a beard. It is because several factors contribute to its growth. This means that the level of testosterone in your body is not the sole contributor to your ability to grow a full beard. Some other factors, like your lifestyle, stress levels, and genetics, can induce the growth of a beard.

How long does it take to grow a 1-inch beard?

One thing you have to note about growing a beard is that the average rate of growth is around a one-half inch every month. With that in mind, an inch of beard growth might take a couple of months.

What is the terminal beard?

Terminal beard refers to the terminal length reached by your hair once it gets to the end part of its normal lifecycle. It is, therefore, the stage when hair stops to grow. The terminal beard length is also the time when the hair follicle shrinks. It also causes your hair to fall out and form new follicles.

If I just let my beard grow, what will be its maximum length?

You can let your beard grow naturally and allow it to reach its maximum length. If that’s the case, it is possible for your beard to get to a length of around 12 to 36 inches prior to getting to the terminal length. This length is based on the usual facial hair growth of half an inch monthly and the anagen phase that tends to last from 2-6 years.

What makes a beard grow?

Aside from your genetics and level of testosterone, your beard can also be expected to grow depending on your diet, lifestyle, and stress level. Note that you can’t expect your beard to grow if you do not supply your body with proper nutrients.

Stick to a balanced diet composed of fruits, veggies, protein-rich foods, and those foods rich in Vitamins B5, E, C, niacin, biotin, and inositol. All these nutrients support hair growth. Avoid unhealthy habits, too, like smoking and excessive drinking.

Learning to manage your stress and having adequate sleep can also help you in growing your beard. Furthermore, you have to take good care of your facial skin and hair during the beard growth stages to ensure that you can maximize your beard growth.

Do beard growth serums and vitamins work?

Beard growth serum like Lipogaine is an effective treatment for thin hair, giving you a fuller beard by increasing the flow of blood to the hair follicles. Consider beard oil and shampoo to also help revitalize the hair follicle.

Even though in some cases and for some men beard growth vitamins and serums have shown results in reducing the time that takes to grow a beard, they should be the last thing you are considering taking.

Supplements should be taken only after you’ve tried all the natural methods of growing a beard faster and only after you have consulted with your doctor.

If a healthier diet, exercising, better sleeping habits and beard care products didn’t work, maybe you should start thinking about adding beard supplements to your routine.

Even then, see what your doctor will think about this before you start taking them.

How long does it take to grow a beard with Rogaine (Minoxidil)?

Rogaine is usually the solution for men who are trying to solve patchy beard problems. It should be applied directly to the problematic area without hairs with the use of a dropper.

Some men who have been using it have seen improvement in their beard growth. On the other hand, another group of men didn’t notice any difference before and after the use of Rogaine.

It is obvious that results can vary from man to man. However, among those who have seen success after applying Rogaine, most men claim that the results came after six months.

Just as with beard supplements, Rogaine shouldn’t be used by any means before consulting with your regular doctor first.

Back to the original question, the time needed to grow your big beard is going to be determined by your individual genes, your diet, and your overall physical health.

Improving your health in general, in combination with growth pills or beard oils, can help to increase the rate of speed in which your hair follicles allow the hair to grow.

Here are the answers to a few simple questions we got via Social media and email:

How long does hair grow in a month?

The average person’s hair grows 1.25 centimeters or 0.5 inches per month.

How long does hair grow in a year?

The average person’s hair grows 15 centimeters or 6 inches per year.

How long does it take to grow a mustache?

Mustache grows at the same rate as the rest of the facial hair.