We’ve all seen the photos, movies, or advertisements showing off a man sporting a nice full and thick beard. And for those of us who struggle to grow the thick beard we want, seeing such images may cause a world of feeling from envy to downright anger. No need to fret, there are several ways to improve the thickness of your beard.
In this article, we will cover many aspects of beard thickness, including what determines how thick your beard is and how to increase the thickness, naturally and through intervention. Finally, we will offer a few suggestions for the products we love the most that have been shown to improve beard thickness.
- What Determines Beard Thickness
- How to Increase Beard Thickness
- Common Myths about a Thick Beard
- Medications and Alternative Treatments
- Our Favorite Thicker Beard Products
What Determines Beard Thickness
What qualifies as a thick beard, is it the look, the feel, or perhaps even sheer volume? When it comes to the thickness of your beard you will want to consider what you think of when you imagine a thick beard.
The Illusion of a Thick Beard
You may be surprised to find out that all thick beards have the same features. The thickness of a beard or at least the appearance of a thicker beard can be influenced by how we see the beard.
It is Not All Illusion
There are some things that influence your beard thickness. If you have been around for a while, some of these may not surprise you. Some of the things that can have a tangible effect on beard thickness include:
Genetics:
Unfortunately, the thickness of our beards can be linked to the thickness of beard that our fathers, grandfathers, and other male members of our family are able to grow, even if they kept it shaved. This includes male pattern baldness that is believed to have a stronger genetic link to maternal genetics or our mother’s side of the family.
Hormones:
Hormones can play a huge role in the thickness of beard. From the onset of puberty, the thickness of our beard hair is influenced hormones stimulating the hair follicles. The more stimulation your hair follicles receive, the more likely you are to have the thicker beard you desire.
The hormone most influential in beard thickness is testosterone, or more specifically dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Though the science is not completely understood, higher levels of DHT are found in men with substantial beards, both in growth rate and thickness. Refer to Hormone Therapy later in the article for more information.
Age:
Age can also play a role in how thick your hair grows. Although men of all ages can have thick beards or not, it can definitely change with age.
Medical Conditions:
Several medical conditions and treatments can have an effect on the thickness of your beard. While we won’t bore you with the very extensive list, a couple of them are:
Testosterone is a hormone that includes DHT (dihydrotestosterone) which is responsible for activating hair follicles. The more stimulated a hair follicle is, the more hair it may produce. However, a strange coincidence is that high levels of DHT are often found in men who show symptoms of male pattern baldness. But is definitely ok if you want to rock a bald head and a full, thick beard.
Some individuals may experience a permanent change in their beard and hair thickness, fullness, and growth rate following treatment. Some men have even experienced a complete inability to grow a beard when they could before treatment. However, we would never suggest foregoing such treatment to save the growing potential of your beard, your health is much more important.
How to Increase Beard Thickness
Now that we’ve gotten some of the most common influences on beard thickness, what can we do to get more thickness? Here are some ways to improve the chance of growing a thicker beard. Unfortunately, there is no magic beard pill… wouldn’t that be cool?
Skin Care
Taking care of your skin is the most important thing you can do to improve the overall health of your beard, including growth, thickness, and texture. Don’t worry though there is no need to go out and buy a thousand skin care products. Great skin care can be done with just 3 simple steps.
1. Exfoliation
Gently exfoliating your skin once or twice a week removes any nasty buildup of oil and dirt as well as dead skin cells. Exfoliation also stimulates the hair follicles, which as mentioned above, help to grow a thicker beard.
2. Washing
Regularly washing your beard and skin with a wash specifically designed for the needs of beard wearers will help to clean the beard and skin without stripping away all of the skin’s natural oils. Regular soaps and shampoos may be excessively drying to your face and beard. Dryness can lead to the dreaded beard itch!
3. Conditioning
Conditioning helps to hydrate and moisturize the skin and beard. Some conditioners also contain ingredients designed to coat and protect the beard from drying out between conditioning. Conditioning can be done using a beard conditioner, beard balm, or beard oil. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, but all will provide excellent hydration.
Exercise
Don’t worry I’m not going to preach about exercise, just make a quick point that increasing your exercise can have a positive impact on the thickness and growth rate of your beard. Exercise increase testosterone levels, which, as mentioned above, can improve your beard.
Reduce Stress
This one is definitely easier said than done. Reducing your daily stress can help your beard to grow thicker and healthier. Regular high levels of stress cause cortisol levels to increase, which in turn, causes a drop in DHT. The result is decreased beard thickness and overall health.
Healthy Diet
A healthy diet will do more than give you the energy to do that exercise and help reduce stress levels. A balanced healthy diet will provide your body with the necessary vitamins and nutrients that it needs to grow your healthiest hair.
Supplements
Supplements packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and other ingredients that can help to improve the health, and consequently, the thickness of your beard can be found in many types of beard oils as well as nutritional supplements. Both can help to fill in gaps in nutrition gained from the food you eat.
Beard Oils
Beard oils can come in many different varieties and formulations. Some beard oils are just designed to soften and condition your beard, while others are packed with ingredients chosen for their ability to improve hair growth and thickness. Look for beard oils with cedarwood oil or argan oil, as well as any ingredients that improve the health of your skin. Healthier skin means a healthier beard. It is also nearly impossible to overuse beard oil, so get a good one and use it.
Nutritional Supplements
Dietary or nutritional supplements are made to fill in any dietary gaps that may be left by the food we eat. You can choose to find a supplement that includes specific ingredients that are known to support hair growth and thickness or find a good overall multi-vitamin. In either case, you will be providing a better opportunity for your beard to grow healthier and thicker.
Learn Proper Beard Care
If having a thick, healthy beard is important then you must learn how to take care of the beard you have in the manner you will the beard you hope to achieve. Ask any expert and they will confirm that the best beards do not just happen by accident, they take maintenance, and that means proper grooming.
Trimming
Properly trimming your hair can improve the overall look, and can even make your hair appear thicker than it actually is. However, you may want to avoid trimming your hair on your own, especially at first. Overtime, you may gain the necessary confidence to trim your beard, but you should always do so with caution. And a major rule to keep in mind is to NEVER trim your beard right out of the shower. Wet hair is longer and maybe appear thicker. This can lead you to remove more hair than you likely intended, setting your beard back by days or even weeks.
Brushes/Combs
Using a high-quality brush or comb can be the difference between using them or just letting them sit on your bathroom counter. Natural fibers, such as boar’s hair can be found in beard brushes that will help to protect your hair as you brush it. Brushing/combing not only detangles the hair but can help to evenly distribute the natural oils throughout your beard, adding shine and protecting your beard from damaging elements.
Dye Your Beard
As what we would likely consider a last resort, you may consider dying your beard to improve the appearance of thickness. As mention above, darker beards often appear thicker than lighter colored beards. Although if you already have dark brown or black beard hair, then this probably would not help much.
Common Myths about a Thick Beard
MYTH #1 Shaving Produces Thicker Hair
In reality, shaving does nothing to improve the thickness or density of your hair. What shaving does do is set your beard back. Stop shaving in hopes of having a thicker beard and allow it to grow, with time and patience you will be able to achieve the beard you want.
MYTH #2 Growing a Beard Takes Too Long
Although for impatient men, this may actually be kind of true, the reality is that growing a beard is a continual process. Once a man has decided to grow their beard there is not likely going to come a day where they say “Ok, I’m done, my beard can stop growing now.”Don’t worry about how long it may take to grow a long, full, thick beard, and embrace the beard growing experience.
MYTH #3 All Beards are Itchy
Not all beards are created equal, but I can almost guarantee that almost all beards that are properly groomed and cared for will not always be itchy. There are many things that can cause your beard to itch, from product build up, dandruff, even fungal infections. However, in nearly all cases these can be remedied using the 3-Step Skin Care Routine described above. In rare cases where you experience a persistent itch, you may want to consider consulting a dermatologist, as there may be an underlying reason for the itch beside the ones mentioned here.
Medications and Alternative Treatments
In some cases, medical or alternative treatments may be an option, or last resort for some men who want to have a full, thick beard. Some of these treatments can have some serious side effects, so we recommend doing your due diligence and thoroughly researching each one before considering taking any steps.
Minoxidil
Commonly referred to as Rogaine, Minoxidil has been around for decades and has been used to treat thinning and balding hair for both men and women. In recent years many have experienced some success using Minoxidil to grow beard hair. However, you should know there is one well-documented side effect on its use. The treatment can be highly effective but reverses almost immediately once treatment stops. In many cases, individuals have reported that they ended up with significantly less hair then they started with.
Hormone Therapy
Individuals that have hormonal imbalances or conditions such as Low Testosterone, may consider hormone therapy as a way to improve the balance of important hormones in their body. We would suggest that this step be taken cautiously if the only reason is to grow a thicker beard. Hormones can impact a number of body systems and should only be altered if medically necessary.
Beard Hair Implants
Some may be surprised to learn that it is even possible to get a beard transplant. Similar to other hair transplants, the procedure involves harvesting hairs from thicker areas of the head and implanted into the face. The entire process can be quite costly and takes a long time of waiting for the chance at seeing improvement. Though the process is more successful than not.
Our Favorite Thicker Beard Products
While we won’t go into a ton of products, we wanted to share some of our favorite products that have been used to improve beard thickness.
1. Grow A Beard: Beard Brush & Comb Set
Editor’s Rating: 4.4/5.0
As we mentioned proper grooming means using quality grooming tools, and there so better set than this set from Grow A Beard. This set includes a perfect sized brush made from bamboo and 100% boarhair, a bamboo comb and set of trimming scissors.
Boar hair is a favorite for beard grooming because the bristles are stiff enough to penetrate your beard easily without damaging your beard or skin while distributing the natural oils evenly through your beard. Using bamboo, a naturally sourced, abundant wood that can be farmed, instead of cutting down valuable trees, provide a completely environmentally friendly product. Both the brush and comb are 100% biodegradable.
| Tech Specs |
|---|
| Product weight: 4.8 oz. |
| The Pros |
|---|
| Number one best selling beard brush and comb set |
| Made of only natural boar hair and bamboo |
| 100% Biodegradable |
| The Cons |
|---|
| The bamboo comb may easily splinter or develop burrs after extended use |
| Smaller brush size |
2. Bossman Beard Oil
Editor’s Rating: 4.4/5.0
When you are looking for a beard oil that will help to eliminate itch as well as help you grow a thicker fuller beard than grab Bossman’s unique Beard Oil. This unique formula is made in a jelly form. The thicker formulation provides an opportunity for the vital ingredients to penetrate deep into the beard hair shaft for the best chance for improving your beard. Bossman’s contains only all-natural ingredients and is sold in generous 4-ounce bottles. You can also choose from 4 unique scents or opt for their unscented version.
| Tech Specs |
|---|
| Product weight: 4 oz. |
| The Pros |
|---|
| Conditions and moisturizes skin and beard |
| All-natural ingredients |
| Jelly-like consistency is less messy than traditional beard oils |
| The Cons |
|---|
| Packaging may make accessing the entire product difficult |
| Some scents may be very overpowering for some users |
3. Polished Gentleman Beard Growth Shampoo and Conditioner
Editor’s Rating: 4.8/5.0
You get the benefit of the best organic beard shampoo and rich conditioner thanks to this set from Polished Gentleman. Not only are both made from only the best organic ingredients, but they are also both enriched with amazing ingredients that are known to promote thicker beard growth.
Both the shampoo and condition contain Raw Manuka Honey, a protein-rich ingredient that will help to strengthen the hair shaft. The conditioner also includes biotin and Argan oil, both known to improve beard growth.
| Tech Specs |
|---|
| Beard Shampoo: 16 oz. |
| Beard Conditioner: 16 oz. |
| The Pros |
|---|
| Made with only the purest organic ingredients |
| Full clean and conditioner set for the ultimate in beard care |
| Formulated to penetrate deep into the hair and skin |
| Great for all skin and hair types, even those with sensitive skin |
| The Cons |
|---|
| Improvement in growth rate and thickness may take time to notice – although many users report a noticeable increase in softness from the first use! |
Conclusion
That should do it, we’ve covered almost anything you could ever need or want to know about growing a thicker beard. We sincerely hope this article has provided you with important information to help you achieve the beard you really want.
We will leave you with this final tip: Growing a full, thick beard takes time. Be patient and avoid unnecessary treatments that may unintentionally slow your beards natural growth. No matter how thick or full your beard is, own it and wear it proudly. Before you know it, you will look in the mirror and you may be surprised to notice you have achieved your dream beard after all.
