Many people think that growing a beard is a simple process that entails no stages other than just letting it grow. Growing a beard involves various stages. The stages come with portions of smiles and challenges. This article is aimed at giving you detailed information on what you should expect in the stages of growing a beard and how to react to the different stages of beard growth. Here is your guide on a successful full-on hairy look.
Stage One – Stubble Stage
The stubble stage is the beginning of the stages of a growing beard. This stage takes place between the first two weeks of your beard growth journey. The feeling at the stubble stage is liberating as one aspires to down the shaving tools. However, before you finish the stubble stage, it will take a few days depending on the speed your facial hair grows and the color of your hair.
Often, the darker your hair, the faster it grows. You are feeling like a Viking god, right? At this period you are probably looking forward to a two week period before you spot your first facial hair. Keep in mind that the rate of beard growth depends on your genetic makeup, not everyone’s beard grows at the same rate. Be patient.
At this stage, your face will be itchiest and is probably the time to make good use of the beard oil and a soft-bristled brush to calm down the itching sensation. It is advised to use the brush some minutes before you get washed.
Brushing ensures you get rid of the dead skin hence facilitating adequate blood flow to your beard for healthy growth. Wash your beard with a formulated beard wash when you are in the shower to ensure your skin remains hydrated. To keep moisture locked in on your skin, apply beard oil after the shower. Beard oil ensures you smell great and softens your beard too.
You will start seeing the areas your hair will grow and identify the patchier parts. If you manage to make it through the stubble stage of growing beard, consider yourself lucky since you will be expecting some steady growth in the upcoming weeks. However, if you experience some serious patchy bald spots feel free to check the natural ways of fixing a beard patch.
Stage Two – Growing Gains
Growing takes place between the second and fifth weeks of your beard growth journey. It is at this tricky stage where most people give up. Expect your beard to look awful. Itchy face and patched hair spots are what you should expect at this stage. You will feel scratches from your hair since it still touches your skin. At this point, do not leave your beard oil and brush behind.
Keep your beard nourished by applying oil regularly and use your brush to curb the scratching sensation. You will from time to time tend to give up at this stage because of the discomfort you might experience. Yes, you can grow a beard, and you will.
You will realize you have more patchy areas, be rest assured most guys have such patches, just let your beard grow to work around the patches. The uneven growth leading to patched facial hair is natural and should not be thought of as a disorder. The chin has more supply of blood than the cheeks hence expect uneven growth.
Stage Three – Sharpening
This happens in the fifth to eighth week of your beard journey. So you stopped shaving and decided to bear the itchy situation. At this point, you now have to go back to the razor. You may ask yourself why? Beards are a kind of look accolades that should be groomed to give an outstanding look. It’s at this time where you get a chance to try different beard cuts to give yourself a compelling ass-kicking shape for your beard. It is now that you have to decide how down you want your beard to grow.
Experiment With New Beard Cuts
There are many new haircuts you can try. Trimming your beard neckline can be challenging since you want it to look as natural as possible as well as keep a reasonable down length. According to beard advisors, your beard should span one inch above your Adam’s apple, to the area under your ears at the end of your jawlines.
As soon as you find your stunning looking spots, shave off the entire beard below your neckline. You’re all set. Some people experience rebellious hairs that tend to stick all over the place, in such a case, use a trimmer to get rid of all such hair. You can also apply beard balm to keep your beard in shape.
Maintain Your Beard
Tap your chest now, you have beards and despite having the worst on your back, all is not over yet. The next stage you should be expectant of is the maintenance stage. Failing to maintain your beard will have you ending up looking wild after some time. The only way to curb this is through proper beard maintenance. This is where the beard balm and boar bristled brush should be your best friend.
After taking a shower, apply beard balm and brush in the direction your beard grows. Failing to maintain your beard will get yourself having more rebellious hair. Since the hair tends to grow slightly backward, brush from an angle minding the direction the hair grows to experience the best results. An Excalibrush is another useful tool to use in beard maintenance especially if you are having trouble when untangling your beard with the boar bristle brush. This brush is specially made with both boar and synthetic bristles hence untangle any type of hair.
Get Professional Haircuts
Depending on your genetic makeup, you can have your beards fully grown either in weeks or in a year. After your bead is fully grown, a visit to a barbershop will be very useful to your beard looks. However, not every barber will be helpful to you at this time, go visit a barber which you trust has to experience with beard trimming to avoid embarrassments. Explain to your barber that you are in the process of growing the beard and all you need is a little trimming to set you up for beard growth success.
Factors That Affect the Stages of Growing a Beard
After looking at the stages of growing a beard, let’s now take a look at some of the factors that affect bearded growth.
Genetics
The genetic makeup of an individual can greatly affect the probability of one growing a beard. Fathers who have long beards can potentially pass the trait to their sons. However, there is still a possibility that the trait for beard growth won’t be handed over. Taking into consideration one’s lineage when determining their beard growth rate can help in predicting possible outcomes.
Age
Another factor that affects the stages of a growing beard is age. Generally, facial hair starts its onset at the age of 13. Women also are vulnerable to growing mustache at puberty due to hormonal imbalance. Beard prime is referred to as the period that leaves a lot of allowance for the growth of facial hair. The period is between 25 and 35 years. Expect a healthy and steady growth of mustache at this age.
Testosterone
Testosterone levels are the other factor that affects the stages of a growing beard. The testosterone levels of a man not only dictate chances of growing facial hair but the hair in other parts of the body too. Boys develop facial hair also called vellus at a young age. Due to the testosterone levels in the body, the thin hairs become thick with time and blacker in color as they grow. As the facial hair continues to grow, the hair on the chest, near the reproductive organ, and under the armpits develops too. Lower testosterone levels conversely account for weak growth of facial hair and hair in the private parts.
Origin
The Origin and race of a person can also account for the stages of a growing beard. Greeks and Italians, for instance, are more prone to develop facial hair as compared to Latin Americans and Asians.
The Care You Give
Better beard care starts with your daily activities. Eat food rich in proteins like yogurt, chicken, and eggs. Get enough sleep which translates to at least eight hours a night. Take at least 30 minutes of your normal day doing intense exercise. Also do moderate exercises like jogging, swimming, hiking, and cycling. Observe your beard hygiene and general body hygiene, wash your beard regularly to keep the skin around it hydrated. Style your beard and comb it for the best look.
In your beard growing journey, always remember it takes a lot of patience and care to achieve your desired results. The shape of your face will dictate the beard style you should keep. Always visit your barber when in doubt about the style to apply.
