Native Americans are known for their smooth-looking skin and the absence of their body hair. We’ve all seen them in movies and in real life with their hair-free lean skin.
This led to the thought that Native Americans can’t grow beards at all. But is that true? Can Native Americans grow beards?
Native Americans of the old days could grow some facial hair. It was rarely thick enough to be considered a beard, but they still grew some facial and body hair nevertheless. However, it’s a lot more common to see Native Americans with beards nowadays because they mixed with other races.
Native Americans and their ancestors could grow facial hair. Yet, it was still rarely seen as Native Americans had reasons to have no beards. Stay with us for more.
Do Native Americans Grow Beards?
Regardless of the origin, growing facial hair is a natural process that most people have with different variations.
While facial hair in the history of Native Americans is rare, it still existed. Tenskwatawa, a political leader of the Shawnee tribe, had a mustache.
In general, Native American ancestors did grow light beards. However, comparing their beards to other races, their beards aren’t very prominent.
The same applies to their body hair as well. It may not grow too much hair, but it still grows to some extent.
Everything we’ve mentioned so far is only limited to the ancestors of Native Americans. The beard absence myth appeared because of them.
Nowadays, however, things are a bit different. We see people from all races getting married and Native Americans are no exception.
Native Americans now have mixed their genes with other races. It’s somewhat more common to see them with thick and long beards.
Yet, it’s still not as coarse as you’d expect from a full beard because of their genetics.
The conclusion is, whether we’re talking about current Native Americans or their ancestors; the myth that they can’t grow beards is wrong.
But if that’s the case, why do we often see them with no beards?
Why Don’t We See Native Americans With Beards?
Seeing beards on Native Americans isn’t common but not for the reason you think. The myth is that their bodies can’t produce hair. But that’s not true.
To keep things convenient, we’ll divide the answer to that question into two sections; the ancestors and the current Native Americans.
The Native American Ancestors
The original Native Americans had much less facial hair for various reasons.
1. Genetics
Genes are the main controlling factor of all the features of the human body. The same race could have one dominant gene, one recessive gene, or a mixture of genes.
In the case of Native Americans, their dominant gene prevented them from growing too much facial and body hair.
They still had some recessive genes that made them grow some hair. A few rarities of the Native American tribes allowed their facial hair to grow.
However, those were hardly seen throughout history.
2. Constant Shaving
When something is dominant in a culture or a race, the abnormal is usually frowned upon. Individual variations of large beards existed within the Native Americans.
However, smooth face and body skin became a tradition. So, everyone tried to stick to it. Native Americans with thick facial hair would often shave their beards to stick to their traditional appearance.
Not only those seldom individuals, but the ones who barely had any hair also shaved their faces and bodies.
Native Americans used various materials to shave their hair. The most common one was obsidian; a rock that has a lustrous appearance that resembles glass.
They would cut the rocks down and sharpen the shards to make blade-like tools. Shaving with obsidian razors can still be done nowadays.
However, it’s not very common because of the sharpness and injuries. It’s scary to think that Native Americans would use these blades unrefined and without a handle!
3. Beard Plucking
The primitive unrefined blades caused constant injuries, tears, and cuts. That’s why Native Americans preferred to pluck their beard hair out entirely.
Not only does it result in smoother skin than blades, but it also has a chance to prevent the hair follicle from growing back. Apparently, that was the desired outcome in their time.
The Current Native Americans
Native Americans today can have more facial hair than their ancestors. Yet, we hardly see their beards. Here’s why:
1. They Still Prefer Little Facial Hair
Native Americans still kept to their old ways. They regularly shave their beards to keep their skin textures smooth.
Now that shaving equipment has improved, they no longer pluck their beards to prevent them from coming out. This is why you could still see Native Americans with decent-looking beards.
2. Genes Still Play a Factor
Genes may get mixed together, but no gene completely overlaps the other.
Native Americans may have mixed with other races. However, their light hair genes still reduce the amount of hair they can grow.
Can Native Americans Encourage Beard Growth?
Definitely. Anyone, regardless of his race, could try a few things to help the beard grow.
There will always be a limit to how much your beard can grow. However, you could still get some more hair out when you try long enough.
Native American or not, here are some recommendations to encourage beard growth:
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Balanced Diet
Eating healthy food regularly improves all body functions. That includes the ability to grow hair. It’s important to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables.
They contain various vitamins that promote hair growth like vitamins A and E.
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Exercise
Regular exercise improves blood circulation which in turn enhances all body functions. People who exercise tend to have an increase in their overall hair growth
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Onions
Ingesting onions and using onion oils have proved beneficial in promoting beard growth. Their high sulfur content helps in regenerating hair follicles and nourishes the existing ones.
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Jojoba Oil
Jojoba oil has multiple nourishing properties that help with beard hair growth. Its high content of copper and zinc promotes stronger and healthier beard growth.
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Washing and Moisturizing
It’s important to give the beard a clean environment to grow in. Hair can trap a lot of bacteria which will harm the skin and the follicles.
Keeping the beard bacteria-free goes a long way in promoting its growth.
FAQS
Do Native Americans Have Facial Hair or Only Patchy Facial Hair?
Native Americans could have facial or patchy facial hair. It’s mostly related to genetics. If the father has patchy hair, for example, the child is mostly going to have patchy hair.
Why Did Most Native Americans Have No Hair?
Native Americans had the habit of plucking their hair as soon as it grew up. This led to damage to hair follicles that prevented it from growing back up.
Can You Grow a Beard as a Native American?
With the right steps, you can encourage your beard to grow as much as it possibly could. Native American genes mostly won’t help you grow a large beard, though.
The Verdict
So, can Native Americans grow beards? Well, they can grow some facial hair, but mostly not enough to be called a beard.
Native Americans have a bit more facial hair now because of how they mixed with the world. But their genes still prevent most of them from having larger beards.
However, they could still encourage some beard growth by eating well, resting enough, and using hair growth supplements and products.
If you’d like to know when to use balms and oils on your beard, check out this article.