Your genes mostly affect the rate of beard hair development. Every hair on your body grows, falls out, and grows back in a set pattern until it eventually stops growing entirely. When you get older, this typically occurs.
5-alpha reductase is the enzyme that controls the growth of beard hair. This enzyme converts the testosterone that is already present in your body into a different hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT then binds to receptors on each beard hair follicle to promote growth.
However, this does not imply that higher testosterone results in thicker facial hair. Actually, the sensitivity of your follicles to DHT has a greater impact on beard hair development. And your genes play a major role in this.
How to naturally grow a beard
The following natural methods can help you maintain the health of your beard and help it grow longer or thicker.
1. Through diet and foods that promote beard development.
Some vitamins might be able to stimulate hair follicles that have ceased producing new hair to start doing so once more.
Make an effort to consume plenty of vitamin D. It might reactivate receptors in hair-loss follicles. Among the sources of vitamin D are:
- fish
- eggs
- fortified plant-based milk
The following B vitamins have also been related to good hair growth:
2. Through Workout
There is no evidence to support the idea that exercise can affect hair growth directly.
However, physical activity, particularly high-intensity interval training (HIIT), might increase testosterone. In turn, this can promote hair growth.
3. Through Quality Sleep
A decrease in the amount of testosterone that your body naturally produces has been connected to insufficient or poor quality sleep.
As a result, your beard hairs will grow more slowly since there will be less DHT available to bind to their receptors.
4. By moisturizing and washing
Healthy hair development is better favored by clean, moisturized skin.
Use a mild, natural soap to wash your face. After taking a bath, moisturize your face with a lotion or oil, such as castor oil or coconut oil.
5. By stopping smoking.
Hair loss has been connected to smoking. Numerous chemicals in cigarette smoke damage DNA and inflame the blood vessels that supply the hair follicles with nutrients.
By lowering blood vessel damage and inflammation, quitting smoking may promote beard growth. Although creating a successful quitting plan on your own can be challenging, your doctor can assist you.
6. Microneedling
In order to perform microneedling, tiny needles are inserted into your face. Microneedling is said to promote healthier hair and increase blood flow to your follicles, which will aid in promoting hair growth.
According to a 2013 study, using minoxidil along with microneedling can help lessen male pattern baldness in around 12 weeks. It might also promote beard growth.
How long does it take a beard to grow?
The length of the hair growth cycle is described generally below:
- The anagen stage. Even if you cut your hair, it continues to grow for around three to four years at a rate of about half an inch each month.
- The catagen stage. While the hair continues to grow, the hair follicle shrinks. About two weeks pass during this time.
- The telogen stage. After a few months of dormancy, the follicle begins to grow once more. The old hair is forced out by the follicle, which then starts to generate new hair.
As a result, your hair constantly grows and renews itself. Even if you simply wait, the pattern of your beard may eventually change as a result of the follicles’ repeated growth.
What factors might impact beard growth?
How quickly or thickly your hair grows depends on a variety of factors, including:
Genetics: Your ability to grow hair follicles is inherited, so if either of your parents or grandparents had trouble growing a beard, you are likely to experience a similar issue.
Genetic disorders: Beard growth can be hampered by ailments that harm follicles, result in a lot of accumulation in your pores, or produce low amounts of hormones like testosterone (hypogonadism).
Stress: Cortisol from stress can cause hair loss and generally have an impact on the health of your hair.
Skin care: Different skin types require various care regimens. However, healthy, hydrated skin that receives extra nutrition from natural skin care products has a higher propensity to produce healthy hair than dry, cracked skin that has not received any treatment.