After going through more than 100 research studies and a few of our own experiments, we discovered that eating certain foods can actually boost beard growth.

Eating your way to a thicker and fuller beard? Yes, please.

Before you think that this sounds too good to be true, let us remind you there’s actual science to back up this claim.

Buckle up, because in this article, you’ll find out which 16 foods to eat to grow a thicker beard, including everything we uncovered during our research.

Why Certain Foods Can Promote Beard Growth

If you want to grow a beard and enjoy the numerous benefits it offers, then you have to look for a way to promote full and thick beard growth. One way to do that is to supply your body with nutrients that can stimulate the process of growing a healthy and great-looking beard.

It means that certain foods play a major role in beard growth. These foods perform such a function for your beard because the facial growth process is fully regulated by DHT and testosterone – both of which are known for being male hormones.

You can eat certain foods that can significantly increase the level of such hormones in your body. Aside from that, some of these foods can increase the body’s use of the androgens, making them truly useful in growing a beard quickly and naturally.

Benefits of Eating Specific Food for Facial Hair

For better and healthier beard growth, eating the right foods is one of the key solutions. It is highly advisable to eat specific foods designed to stimulate the facial hair growth process because your diet contributes a lot to inducing natural beard growth. Eating specific foods is beneficial in that sense because doing such can supply your body with the nutrients your body needs for the process.

For instance, some foods can support beard growth by helping produce two vital male hormones for facial hair growth, namely the DHT and testosterone. Aside from that, most of the foods recommended for those who intend to grow a beard contain several essential vitamins and minerals that can strengthen your beard and make them healthier.

Another great benefit is that some of the foods you can include in your beard growth diet support the process naturally. That means they are safe because you just need to eat healthy stuff without ingesting anything that can harm your body.

Vitamins, Minerals and Nutrients

To help you grow a strong, healthy, and thick beard, you have to learn about some of the foods capable of stimulating that process. It would be best to go for foods that can supply the following vitamins, minerals, and nutrients because they can surely help make growing your facial beard easier:

Protein

Protein is one of those vital nutrients that should form a vital part of your daily diet if you want to grow a healthy and thick beard. It is because all types of hair consist of keratin, which is categorized as a fibrous nutrient.

Note that regardless of where the hair is, in the head, leg, back, face, or any part of your body, the structural composition is just the same. With that in mind, your facial hair also needs a diet full of protein that can optimize the health of all types of hair and maximize their growth potential.

Increasing your consumption of protein-rich foods also aids in increasing the production of testosterone in your body. A higher level of testosterone in the body does not only help in improving muscle strength and gain but also contributes to improving the speed of growing quality beard.

If you do not take in sufficient amounts of protein, then there is a great chance for your beard to become brittle and dry, making them vulnerable to breakage. Aside from that, protein inadequacy can also negatively affect your beard’s fullness and thickness. It tends to limit the growth of your beard, so it is advisable to eat protein-rich foods.

Zinc

Zinc is also one nutrient needed by your body if your goal is to grow facial hair. Abundant in pumpkin, lentils, oysters, seeds, spinach, and beef, zinc contributes to healthy beard growth because of its ability to maintain a high level of testosterone within your body. It can also improve hair quality. Supplying your body with enough zinc can even reverse premature gray hair and make it return to its natural color.

Iron

Iron also has a vital role to play in growing a healthy and thick beard. It helps produce hemoglobin, a red protein that functions by transporting essential oxygen all throughout your body. It stimulates beard and hair growth while repairing any damaged cells, too. The role played by iron in producing and growing hair is so important that any deficiency in it triggers hair loss. With that in mind, it is advisable to consume iron-rich foods if you want your beard to grow healthily.

Boron

Your facial hair can also greatly benefit from eating foods rich in boron. It is because of its effectiveness in helping you increase the level of testosterone within your body. With the ability of testosterone to help you grow your beard, it is also safe to say that boron is indeed a vital nutrient in your diet.

Vitamin A

Your facial hair will also thank you once you start increasing your intake of foods with high Vitamin A content. This powerful and healthy antioxidant has several benefits as far as growing facial hair is concerned – one of which is supporting sebum production of your skin.

It also helps in growing and reproducing cells. Hair is considered as one of those cells that are the quickest to grow within the body. With that, Vitamin A is indeed useful in assuring you of rapid and healthy beard growth.

Vitamin B5

Vitamin B5 is also an essential vitamin for those who would like to grow facial hair. It is because it can help metabolize all the foods you eat and convert them to usable energy as well as nourish your cells. One of the cells nourished by this vitamin is facial hair or beard. It can feed your beard plus support hair pigmentation. With that, it surely plays a huge role in delaying or reversing gray hair development.

Biotin

Make sure that you also include foods rich in biotin into your diet. This vitamin is crucial to a healthy beard because it can stimulate DHT production in your body. If you do not have a good supply of biotin, then it would be highly likely that you will suffer from significant hair loss. This nutrient also plays a huge role in natural and proper thyroid production.

Vitamin C

Foods rich in Vitamin C are also vital for beard growth. Being an antioxidant, this essential vitamin offers protection to your hair from damages caused by free radicals. Vitamin C can get rid of these damaging free radicals from your body that might negatively impact the growth of your facial hair.

It also performs other functions, like producing collagen and letting your body process and absorb iron – both functions can greatly support your desired growth of facial hair.

Vitamin E

If you want your beard to grow as nicely as possible, then it is advisable to eat plenty of foods rich in Vitamin E. Just like Vitamin C, this specific vitamin is a famous antioxidant that protects your cells and destroys harmful free radicals. Aside from that, it supports hair growth. It can encourage new facial hair growth, so making foods rich in it a part of your diet is truly beneficial.

Calcium

Calcium is also a vital mineral because it supports the healthy and sufficient production of beard hormones – one of which is testosterone. Having a deficiency in calcium might hamper beard growth as well as negatively affect your hormone levels.

Iodine

Iodine is also essential for your body and the growth of your desired thickness and length of beard. It stimulates your thyroid gland in the sense that it can produce more DHT or testosterone, which is vital for the purpose of growing a beard. Apart from that, it also encourages energy production.

Potassium

Eat foods rich in potassium, too, including baked potatoes, avocados, mushrooms, dried apricots, leafy greens, and white beans. It is because it is also a vital part of growing healthy and strong hair. It does such a function by increasing DHT within your body, a kind of testosterone, which promotes the growth of hair, especially in men.

Magnesium

Your decision to grow a beard will also surely have a positive effect if you ingest magnesium-rich foods. Just like the other vitamins and minerals in this list, magnesium also aids in the production of DHT and testosterone – both of which are essential in growing and maintaining healthy hair and beard.

With the help of magnesium, your body will also be able to use DHT correctly. Some of the foods containing high levels of magnesium are fish, lentils, beans, seeds, nuts, dark leafy greens, avocados, and bananas.

Phosphorus

Lastly, your body needs phosphorus to grow a strong, healthy, and thick beard and hair follicles. Note that beard or facial hair can be influenced by your hormones. The good news is that phosphorus can support the growth of such hormones necessary for your hair. With that in mind, this nutrient is indeed useful in your decision to begin growing and maintaining a beard.

16 Foods That Promote Beard Growth

Now that you are aware of some of the most vital nutrients needed for beard growth, it is time to learn and understand the different foods that can supply them. Among the foods that can supply most, if not all, of the essential nutrients needed for your desired beard growth, are the following:

1. Brazilian Nuts

With as little as two Brazilian nuts per day, you can naturally speed up your beard growth. Here’s the science that makes it possible:

When you ingest 100 grams of Brazilian organic nuts, you are getting 1,917mcg’s of selenium, an important mineral for hair growth, which is equivalent to almost 3000% of your recommended daily value.

This means that with just 2 nuts a day, you can fulfill your daily value of selenium, to ensure that you do not have a deficit of this important mineral.

To get the most value out of your Brazilian nuts, make sure you always buy organic varieties with the skin still intact, as this is where most of the selenium is found.

2. Eggs

Eggs are an excellent source of both protein and other essential micronutrients that are necessary for facial hair growth.

In addition, eggs are also a rich source of biotin, which is a vitamin that is necessary for healthy hair.

In fact, a study conducted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln found that biotin deficiencies resulted in hair loss for human subjects, so it is very important that you receive your daily value of this vitamin for healthy hair.

Lastly, because eggs are high in saturated and monounsaturated fats, but low in polyunsaturated fats, they offer a fair fatty-acid ratio that is expedient to the production of testosterone and DHT.

3. Potatoes

While some will claim that a diet rich in protein is the true key to healthy facial hair growth, other studies suggest that a diet consisting of more carbohydrates will actually produce stronger results.

In fact, one study found that a high-carb low-protein diet is superior for the producing of DHT, the main hormone responsible for facial hair growth. This is because high carb intake can increase your body’s production of 5-alpha reductase enzymes. which is responsible for converting testosterone to DHT.

Because potatoes are a rich source of carbohydrates, they are an easy supplement to your diet that can boost DHT.

4. Raisins

These little, dried grapes may just seem like an innocent snack, but they are actually one of the most powerful natural sources of boron, a trace mineral that has been found to boost the synthesis of testosterone and DHT.

Few men are aware of the powerful nature of boron to speed up facial hair growth, but the impact that this mineral can have on your body is definitely worth paying attention to.

In fact, one study conducted by the University of Medical Sciences found that with only 10mg of boron per day, subjects experienced a 28% increase in testosterone production and a 10% increase in DHT.

Now considering that 100 grams of raisins typically contain 3mg’s of boron, this mineral-rich snack may be one of the best-kept secrets to minimizing beard patchiness.

5. Sorghum

This gluten-free grain is also a highly powerful, and little-known, hack to achieve a fuller beard.

This is because it has been scientifically proven to increase the synthesis of 5-alpha reductase enzymes that convert testosterone to DHT—the hormone responsible for facial hair growth—by 54%.

6. Beef

Red meats are generally high in saturated fat, which is the most essential fatty-acid for the production of testosterone. Adding beef to your diet, therefore, can give your body the fats it needs for healthier hair growth.

7. Gelatin

Gelatin is a rich source of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. For those looking to boost facial hair growth, the amino acids glycine and proline are especially important, as they are collagen proteins which is what your body uses to build hair, skin, and nails.

Because nearly half of the amino acids in gelatin is collagen protein, this is an easy way to stimulate hair growth.

8. Orange Juice

Orange juice is a rich source of Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that can stimulate the synthesis of collagen and help reverse the effects of free radicals that could cause damage to your skin and facial hair.

In addition, the high levels of fructose minimize SHBG, a protein that binds DHT and testosterone, making it harder for the body to utilize them.

9. Kale

Kale is a high source of vitamin A, which the body uses to repair skin tissues.

This is an important vitamin for facial hair growth, as you need your skin to be healthy in order to minimize beard patchiness and brittleness.

10. Fish

Fish offer a healthy variety of multiple micronutrients that your body needs.

It is a good source of protein and B vitamins that help your body produce hair and skin. In addition, fish is a good source of omega-3s, which help protect the cell membrane so that your whiskers are healthy and strong.

11. Alfalfa Sprouts

Alfalfa sprouts are among the foods that any aspiring bearded man should include in his diet. This vegetable promotes beard growth because it encourages testosterone production that can also stimulate your facial hair follicles. With that, your hair follicles will be primed for proper growth.

12. Olive Oil

Being a great ingredient in most recipes, olive oil is also one of those foods that can help you grow your facial hair. It can give you a good supply of Vitamin E as well as other nutrients necessary for hair growth.

It has healthy fatty acid rations, too, that can assist in DHT and testosterone production. Aside from the fact that you can incorporate olive oil into your diet, you can also use it as beard oil and apply it to the area regularly.

13. Macadamia Nuts

Macadamia nuts are also among the most dependable beard growth foods because they only have around two percent of fatty acids from the polyunsaturated fat. This is a good percentage because it means that the production of DHT and testosterone will never be blocked.

To make macadamia nuts a part of your diet, have a bag of its dry roasted and salted version on hand. With that, you can always have it as your snack anytime you crave for unhealthy junk foods or chips.

14. White Button Mushrooms

Your beard can also greatly benefit if you include a higher amount of white button mushrooms into your regular diet. This food is a big help to your beard as its components aid in significantly reducing the level of estrogen and aromatase within your body.

It is a good thing because a high level of aromatase can convert testosterone into estrogen, a female hormone. If your body produces a higher amount of aromatase, then it would be hard for your body to produce more testosterone. With the aid of white button mushrooms, you can prevent aromatase from going too high, thereby ensuring that you have sufficient testosterone needed for beard growth.

15. Coffee

If you love coffee, then you will also feel delighted to know that this drink contributes a lot not only in improving your exercises but also in increasing the level of testosterone in your body. Aside from helping in the production of more testosterone, coffee also has high antioxidant and magnesium content. Both antioxidants and magnesium are essential for stimulating beard growth.

16. Cruciferous Vegetables

Apart from being great foods for overall health and wellness, cruciferous vegetables also do an important function for men – that is, helping their beard grow strong and healthy. These veggies contain several vitamins and minerals that your facial hair needs for their proper growth.

They also have a compound that aids in eliminating excess aromatase and estrogen within your body. By eating more of these cruciferous vegetables, it is possible for you to continue having more testosterone inside your body.

Other Supplements

To achieve an even more beautiful, full and healthy beard, taking a daily multivitamin and applying beard oil to your facial hair can provide your facial hair with the nourishment and support it needs.

How to Keep Your Beard Healthy

Of course, the best way to guarantee the health of your beard is to eat the right foods – those that promote their strength and proper growth. However, avoid solely depending on your diet when it comes to taking care of your beard and ensuring that they grow healthily.

It is also advisable to combine proper diet with the following steps to keeping your beard healthy:

Step 1 – Wash and Cleanse Regularly

Keep in mind that your beard tends to accumulate dead skin, dust, dirt, food, oil and drink, among many others over time.
It is the reason why it can build up bacteria and foul odor. With that in mind, make it a habit to wash and cleanse your beard regularly.

Use a beard shampoo and proper conditioner. Aside from removing dirt, debris and odor, the skin beneath your beard will also be clean while preventing dead skin cell buildup. With that, your beard will always be clean, which can improve its overall look.

Step 2 – Use a Moisturizer

After washing and cleaning your beard, do not forget to put on a moisturizer specifically designed for it.
It can add and retain moisture in your facial hair, which contributes to improving its overall look, feel and health.

A good moisturizer can also greatly benefit the skin beneath your beard. It can prevent it from getting too irritated and dry.
Some of the products that you can use as moisturizers are beard oil, butter, cream and balm.

All of these come with moisturizing benefits that are indeed good for your facial hair.

Step 3 – Comb Every Day

Your beard also needs daily combing. It is necessary not only in styling your facial hair but also in getting rid of snags and tangles.

Furthermore, the regular combing of a beard can train it to grow in your desired direction.
It can also prevent new growth from getting a bit unruly and wild, thereby promoting ease in daily styling.

FAQ

Does milk help your beard grow?

Yes, milk has positive contributions as far as beard growth is concerned. It is mainly because of the protein and biotin present in milk.

Milk is also rich in essential amino acids, including methionine and cysteine – both of which can cause weak and brittle hair strands if found to be insufficient in the body. Also, keep in mind that amino acids serve as protein’s building blocks.

They are also crucial in forming keratin, a vital component in hair and skin. Aside from that, amino acids can feed your hair follicles with nutrients.

With that, it is safe to say that the fact that amino acids are abundant in milk makes the drink useful for anyone who intends to grow a beard.