Having a patchy beard is a challenge in and of itself, and it makes you ask countless questions. Should you shave it in the hopes that the new hair will fill the gaps, or should you let a patchy beard grow?
You should let a patchy beard grow naturally for at least three or four months to allow it adequate time to fill in. If the beard is still too patchy after this amount of time has passed, people can finally start considering other options to solve this issue.
In this article, we’ll address this topic more in-depth so that you have the full picture regarding your patchy beard.
Why Should You Let a Patchy Beard Grow for a While?
A lot of people struggle with patchy beards, that’s for sure, but sometimes having enough patience can be the answer. Many times, you’ll wait for just a little over a month after your beard starts growing. Then, you’ll give up on it and shave it off.
Yet, many bearded men advise you to let the beard grow for 120 days. More often than not, the gaps will fill with hair around the second or third month. Sure, it’ll be at a slower rate than the rest of your beard hair, but isn’t that promising enough to keep going?
Another group of people has a different opinion. Even if not enough hair grows in the patchy areas of a beard, these areas will be covered with the hair that you’ve let grow longer in three or four months. So, the gaps won’t be on show, and you can pretend that they don’t exist!
Patchy Beards, Age, and Growth Rates
There’s another factor you should keep in mind when you’re thinking about letting a patchy beard grow vs. shaving or trimming it. This factor is your age, and understanding how it fits into the equation can give you some perspective.
The thing is, if you’re under 25, chances are your beard growth hasn’t reached its peak ability. Therefore, having a patchy beard is normal for many men who are yet to hit their mid-20s.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t people rocking awesome full beards at 18 or 20, but these are the exception!
On the other hand, the best time for your beard to shine is between 25 and 35 for most men.
The takeaway here is that, whether you’re over or under 25, your best bet is to wait 90 to 120 days and give your facial hair the chance to grow.
If there are still obvious patches and you’re under 25, just keep in mind that your beard growth rate could improve in the next following years. You can shave your beard and start anew or keep growing it.
If the problem persists despite being in your late 30s, there’s no need to panic. You can do many things to battle a patchy beard if growing it doesn’t work.
What Causes a Patchy Beard?
Several things are responsible for those gaps in your beard, but the major two factors are age and, you guessed it, genetics. We’ve already discussed how age has a role in this, so let’s talk about genetics.
Just like the rest of your physical features, having a patchy beard could simply be in your DNA. Therefore, no matter how old or young a man is, they’ll always sport a patchy beard if that’s how their body works.
If age and genetics aren’t the cause, having gaps in a beard may be because a person is having balding issues or hormonal imbalances.
What Are Some Ways to Fix a Patchy Beard?
Besides allowing your beard enough time to grow to its full potential, there are many things you could do to solve your patchy beard problem.
A lot of people will tell you to buy that fancy beard serum or beard oil to encourage growth and fill in the gaps. It’s not a bad idea per se, but it’s not the first thing you should begin with.
1. Boost Your Overall Health First
Here are some basic beard routine tips you should follow to battle a patchy beard:
- Make sure to eat a healthy, balanced diet with enough protein and vitamins to ensure proper hair growth
- Incorporate weight-training exercises into your workout routine to help boost testosterone levels
- Get your 8 hours of sleep every night to improve your overall health (including your beard growth rate)
- Reduce your stress levels as it has a direct impact on your immune system health and could lead to hair loss
2. Consider Using Biotin Supplements
Now that you’re sure that your body is getting enough nutrition, exercise, and rest to be at its peak performance, you can take things to the next level.
A good way to increase your hair and nail growth is through supplements, biotin being the most effective.
Just remember that you should only incorporate biotin supplements into your diet if you’re not already getting it from food. If not, the supplements will probably not be of much help.
3. Make Your Beard Look Thicker
If adjusting your lifestyle and eating habits does nothing to your patchy beard situation, it’s likely your genes. Again, there’s no reason to feel down because a lot of men have gaps in their beards, and there are countless ways they’ve chosen to deal with them.
Plus, there are many creative techniques to make your beard appear thick and full with minimal time and effort. Here’s everything you may want to try:
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Brush Your Beard to Cover the Patches
This is the easiest thing you can do to beat those stubborn beard gaps. Simply, allow your facial hair to grow until it’s long enough to brush or comb through.
Next, use a good beard brush to make your hair fall in natural uniform lines above the patchy areas on your face. Before brushing, it’s a great idea to use beard oil on your facial hair to manage and moisturize it.
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Get a Professional Beard Trim for a More Confident Look
Instead of hiding the patchy areas of your beard, you could do the opposite. Simply, head over to your trustworthy barber and ask them to style your beard in a way that’ll make those gaps look great!
The barber can accentuate the thick areas of your beard and make the patches blend in so that they look intentional. You won’t believe how getting a nice trim can transform the way that you view your beard, even if it’s patchy.
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Consider Using Sea Salt Spray
This tip is a little out of the box, but it might work in your favor!
Using sea salt spray on your beard can give it more volume, much like spending a day at the beach. It’s a neat trick that’s worth trying to get rid of those annoying beard gaps.
Final Thoughts
Should you let a patchy beard grow? It’s a question that many men have asked throughout the years, so we did our best to answer it in this article.
Yes. You should definitely let a patchy beard grow for three or four months before taking further steps to improve its shape. If you give up too soon, you might not even realize that you don’t have a patchy beard problem after all!
Speaking of gaps, a mustache gap may also be a pain to live with, so here’s an article on how to deal with it.