As with everything in life, when you grow a beard, quick results tend to be more appealing than having to wait an entire lifetime to get any semblance of a decent beard length. So, what method should you adopt to quicken the rate of your beard growth? Trimming or shaving?
Trimming and shaving are excellent beard grooming methods and can even lead to better beard health. Unfortunately, these beard-removal techniques cannot make facial hair grow faster, stronger, or thicker. Cutting facial hair eliminates split ends and flyaway hairs, but it does not affect beard growth.
There is absolutely nothing wrong about desiring a fuller, longer, and thicker (but softer) beard. There are several things you can do to stimulate beard growth, and we’ll cover some of them in this post.
However, understand that many of the touted techniques for improving beard growth rates are mere misconceptions and assumptions. One such popular assumption is that wet shaving can help your beard grow faster, but that’s just a myth that has been debunked here.
But don’t beards become more coarse or thicker as they grow out after shaving or trimming? Well, stick around and you’ll have a definite answer to that.
Beard Growth vs. Healthy Beard
Before we start, let’s get something clear.
There’s a huge difference between beard growth and having a healthy beard. Although they are not mutually exclusive (you can have both), maintaining a healthy beard is more important than targeting beard growth.
I know that may not sound very appealing, but here’s the deal: placing your focus on growing a healthy beard can impact beard growth positively. On the other hand, putting all of your attention on speeding up beard growth can lead to unnecessary stress and trying out methods that may affect your beard adversely instead.
Understanding the difference between grooming your beard to keep it in tip-top shape and “forcing” it to grow quickly can save you a lot of headaches and disappointments.
My candid advice? Take good care of your beard because it will grow when it grows!
Does Trimming or Shaving Help Beard Grow Faster?
Out with the old and in with the new: how true is this when it comes to beards? Does facial hair removal lead to a quicker growth rate or even improve beard growth?
No, it doesn’t.
Removing old beard hairs (out with the old) is a great idea. It helps newer hairs reach their full potential. However, it doesn’t automatically create newer hairs (in with the new).
What determines the speed at which your beard grows is not any hair-removal method; your genetic makeup is one of the most important factors in how quick, long, full, or thick your beard grows. We’ll touch more on this later.
Does Trimming or Shaving Make Your Beard Grow Thicker?
Here’s a straightforward answer: No!
When you trim or shave your beard, the tips of your hairs become blunt as they grow out. The tips tend to feel coarse, like a rough-cut (think stubble). However, this only lasts for a short while.
During this “growing out” phase, your beard may appear thicker or darker and more noticeable, but it is definitely not thicker than it was. That’s just your perception playing tricks on you.
Thus, trimming or shaving your beard—or any other facial hair—won’t change its thickness or growth rate. In fact, if you begin to notice changes in the thickness of your facial hair, talk to your doctor immediately. It could be an early warning sign of an underlying medical condition or a side effect of a medication.
Possible Reasons for the Misconception
There are men who would swear they noticed a significant difference in beard growth when they started cutting their beards than when they were much younger with no need to cut them. Although that is, indeed, true, it has nothing to do with trimming or shaving.
We will go over quickly why that happens.
The hairs on your body go through four different phases:
- The growing phase (Anagen)
- The regression phase (Catagen)
- The resting phase (Telogen)
- The shedding phase (Exogen)
When you were much younger—probably a teenager—your beard was in the anagen (growing) phase. So, when you trimmed and shaved, you would have noticed more hair appearing, and sometimes they appeared faster.
Beard growth in that phase is not based on how frequently you cut your hair; instead, it is caused by the increase in your testosterone levels as you become manlier.
If your genes support it, you can go through the first three phases repeatedly. However, some men may hit the fourth phase rather quickly and stop growing newer hair.
Have you wondered why bald men never grow back their hair? They can shave all day long, but they would only ever get as far as nada in terms of hair!
The illusion of rapid beard growth is due to the anagen phase of hair development, which is responsible for making some people think that regular trims or shaving can improve beard growth.
If you are in the anagen phase, go ahead and enjoy all the shaves and trims you can while it lasts. But get this straight: cutting your beard will not help with beard growth. It has its benefits, and we’ll take a look at them in the next section.
Benefits of Trimming Your Beard
What exactly are the benefits of trimming your beard, since, obviously, it doesn’t help with beard growth?
Here’s the thing: beard growth is tied to three major factors.
The first is genetics. Genetics plays a significant role in your beard type, color, length, and growth rate. Your beard cannot grow beyond your genetic coding, regardless of how often or not your shave and trim them.
The second factor is how well you take care of your body. Your face fuzz has a good chance of reaching its full potential if you maintain a few simple body care habits. Some of these habits include eating a healthy diet with good eating habits, getting adequate sleep and rest, exercising consistently, and avoiding harmful habits such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.
Lastly, but equally as crucial, is how well you take care of your beard. This is where grooming and trimming comes in.
The more manual-face labor you carry out on your face, the higher the chances your beard has of reaching its full potential. Although cutting your beard won’t improve its growth rate, such definitely has its place in bringing about a healthier beard.
If you’re wondering how trimming can lead to a healthier beard, here’s a small list to help you understand better:
- When you trim your beard, you give new beard hair more room to “breathe.” Trimming creates an environment for incoming hair to thrive.
- Trimming eliminates split ends—the wiry-looking, dry strands of hair that are orphaned from the rest of your beard hairs. Apart from ruining your beard style, split ends can prevent the growth of new hairs. When you trim away these stray hairs, you encourage new hairs to flourish.
- Not all beard hairs grow at the same pace. Some areas on your chin and cheeks will outpace other areas, creating an unkempt look. Trimming these flyaways creates symmetry and gives your beard a better presentation.
Side Effects of Excessive Shaving
The quest for faster beard growth has led many uninformed men into obsessive shaving to improve their beard growth. This is particularly true for younger men who are just starting to grow a beard.
No need to be in a hurry!
Don’t be that person who’s so desperate to grow their beard that they’ll shave too frequently because you’ll be doing your beard and skin more harm than good. Excessive shaving does not improve beard growth!
First of all, if you want to grow your beard, why should you shave it off? That’s counterproductive, don’t you think?
If you want a fuller, longer beard, the most sensible thing to do is allow it to grow between one to three months without shaving. You can trim off excess hair (stray hairs or split ends), but whatever you do, don’t shave off your entire beard.
Shaving only affects the outside of your skin—it does not have any impact beyond the surface of your skin. As you well know, hair growth does not start and end on top of your skin.
What you see on the surface of your skin is only a reflection of your inner hair’s condition. If you must create any meaningful impact on beard growth, you need to affect what happens deep under your skin.
Here’s what you get if you shave too frequently:
- Your skin is at risk of becoming irritated and inflamed. You may experience redness or even rashes, depending on your shaving tool.
- There’s a higher chance of developing in-grown hair and acne.
- You can get cuts from shaving.
- Your skin can get raw, sore, and itchy, especially with a dry shave.
None of these effects is closely related to beard growth. If anything, they can prevent healthy beard growth and even shunt growth rate.
So, how often should you shave? Find out everything you need to know here.
Is Trimming Beard Better Than Shaving It?
Not necessarily.
Although shaving too frequently can cause a number of not-so-pleasant side effects, trimming is not entirely better than shaving. It all depends on what each person is trying to achieve.
Some men prefer clean shaves, whereas others want to wear stubbles. “To each, his own,” right?
However, trimming might be your best option if your target is a fuller, longer beard. A little trim here and there won’t hurt your beard, no matter what stage you are in on your beard growth journey. Like shaving, trimming for beard growth is just a myth. However, trimming does still have its benefits, as we’ve seen earlier.
Here’s a video that shows you how to shave and trim your beard properly like a barber:
What Should I Use for Beard Growth?
First off, let me say that there’s no grooming product, vitamin supplement, or medical procedure that can guarantee 100% natural beard growth. Every product or method has its pros and cons, and their success or otherwise will depend largely on your hormones.
With that said, it is important to mention that some grooming products work very well for many of the men who have tried them. They didn’t get results “overnight,” though; it took some time.
If you’re keen on knowing the best products with high success rates, you’re not alone; there’s nothing wrong with wanting to grow your beard faster, as I’ve mentioned earlier. If you can grow a beard, why not grow it quicker, right? Why wait a while if there’s a safe way to quicken the process?
Here are some of the best grooming products that can significantly increase the chances of healthier and better beard growth.
Keep in mind that some of these beard grooming products may not speed up your beard growth rate, though they can strengthen your beard and make it grow thicker and fuller by stimulating existing hair follicles. Remember that a healthy beard is better than a long, sick beard.
1. Beard Flux XL Beard Oil
Delta Genesis stands tall when it comes to quality beard grooming products. That’s why you can rest easy with their Beard Flux XL oil, specially formulated to encourage and promote healthy facial hair growth.
Beard Flux XL is a blend of carefully selected base oils such as jojoba, amla, argan, and other natural ingredients to provide the “fuel” necessary for natural growth. The fast-acting beard oil is free of any type of fragrance, so it won’t mess with your body spray or cologne. It is 100% organic oil with no GMOs, fillers, or parabens.
For the best results, apply it right after your shower and while your beard is still slightly damp.
2. Beardoholic Premium Beard Oil
Beardoholic Premium Beard Oil is a leave-in conditioner that softens your beard and helps it grow to its full potential.
The oil is a fine mix of argan oil, grape seed oil, castor oil, almond oil, jojoba, wheat germ oil, and other natural ingredients. It’s great in that it doesn’t just improve beard length—its pure, natural ingredients also ensure a smooth and tangle-free beard.
Besides helping improve beard growth, Beardoholic Premium Beard Oil is one of the best beard oils for eliminating itchiness and beardruff. It will leave you smelling fresh and clean. Daily use is recommended for the best results.
3. XT Growther Beard Oil
This all-natural beard growth oil by Beard Farmer can be described in two simple words: it works!
Apart from conditioning and feeding your beard, XT Growther Beard Oil nurtures and stimulates hair roots, providing the necessary stimulus for fuller, longer, and quicker-growing beards.
The oil is mild and gentle, making it appropriate for daily use. Many people who want fast-acting beard oils tend to apply them before hitting the sack. Although that is okay, it is recommended to wash this one off before going to bed.
4. BBS Grow Beard & Mustache Accelerator
BBS Grow Beard & Mustache Accelerator is more than just beard oil—it is a special beard serum that helps condition and stimulates facial hair growth. It is created from a mix of Jamaican-sourced castor oil, jojoba oil, MCT oil, and other essential oils and ingredients that can target all beard and skin types.
Besides softening and strengthening beard and mustache hair, it also lengthens and thickens facial hair. If you have lots of beard patches, this oil will fill them up and increase your hair follicle density.
5. Glemme Beard Growth Kit
All the other products listed here are great, but this grooming kit by Young 17 comes with almost everything any bearded man will love.
Glemme Beard Growth Kit includes beard growth oil serum, beard balm, a beard comb, and a derma roller. The oil contains Capilia Longa as its main, active ingredient and works excellently for patchy and slow-growing beards.
The titanium micro-needle derma roller helps increase blood circulation and stimulate inactive follicles. This, in turn, maximizes oil absorption in those problem areas, thus boosting beard growth.
Conclusion
“How long does it take to grow a beard?”
This seems to be a burning question among many men. How fast your beard grows is a function of your gene and testosterone levels. Whether you trim or shave will make no difference to your beard in terms of growth rate.
For most men, a fully grown beard is usually interpreted as a sign of strong masculinity and can be a source of pride and self-confidence. Perhaps this explains why many people are obsessed with gimmicks, tricks, and methods for growing their beards faster.
Unfortunately, worrying about how slowly your beard growth rate is can increase your stress levels. An increased stress level will not help your beard in any way. Instead, it can adversely affect the overall health of your beard.
Trim and shave your beard for a healthier and better-looking beard. If you want to increase the chances of faster and better beard growth, using beard grooming products will be your best bet.