Practicing Good Skin Care
Wash your face twice a day with a gentle cleanser. Routinely washing your face prevents dirt and oil from building up on your face and clogging your pores. Dirty, clogged skin can get in the way of your beard hair growing properly, so it’s important you keep your skin clean. Get in the habit of washing your face in the shower every morning and right before you go to bed at night. Use a cleanser designed specifically to be used on the face so you don’t irritate your skin. Look for a cleanser that's meant for your skin type, whether it's oily, dry, combination, or acne-prone.
Exfoliate your face twice a week. Exfoliation will get rid of the dead skin cells built up on your face that can prevent your beard hair from growing in. Use a gentle exfoliating face scrub after you wash your face at night. Don’t exfoliate more than twice a week or you could irritate your skin.
Use a face moisturizer every day. Rub the moisturizer into your face and focus on your beard area. Keeping your beard hair and follicles moisturized will keep your beard from getting dry and brittle. Dry beard hair is more prone to breakage, which can slow down your beard growth.
Apply a beard oil to your beard every day. Like moisturizer, beard oil will keep the skin under your beard moist and prevent your beard hairs from drying out. It also keeps the beard looking fuller, more uniform and catches all the straggly hairs, making the beard appear neater. To apply beard oil, work a few drops into your beard hair after you wash your face. If you have a longer beard, use a comb to work the oil into your beard. Take care to choose a beard oil that is not heavily scented or you may find it quickly becomes overwhelming as the day goes on. Unscented beard oil with a thicker base is recommended as it will look less shiny, lasts the whole day, moisturizes the beard and helps to keep it tamed.
Trim your beard every few weeks. Routine trims will keep your beard healthy so it doesn't get damaged to the point where you have to start all over. Wait until you have at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) of hair before you start trimming it. Use scissors to trim your beard hairs so you can be more precise with how much you cut off. As it grows, follow a daily routine to keep the beard in good shape. Get a small beard brush and brush the beard each morning, at the same time brushing the oil into it, and that'll straighten it out a little bit. It'll make it look like you've combed and groomed yourself a little. If you want to take another step into your morning routine, pull out a blow dryer, set it to medium heat, and use a brush to brush and blow dry it down into place––that will give it a straighter look as well. But it does take a few more minutes in the day, so you might have to get up a little bit earlier or maybe just do that for special occasions or the weekends.
Getting More Nutrients
Eat more zinc, magnesium, and vitamin D. These nutrients can help improve your testosterone production. If you’re not producing enough testosterone, you may not be growing beard hair as quickly as you could be. Every day you should be getting 11 milligrams (0.17 gr) of zinc, 310 milligrams (4.8 gr) of magnesium, and 600 IU of vitamin D. Taking supplements or eating foods rich in these nutrients can help you reach these daily amounts. Eating 5 ounces (140 g) of beef, 7 ounces (200 g) of cashews, 6 raw oysters would get you enough zinc for 1 day. Eating .75 cups (180 mL) of almonds a day is an easy way to get enough magnesium. Spending 25 minutes in the sun or eating 4 ounces (110 g) of salmon can get you all of your vitamin D for the day.
Eat more protein-rich foods. Protein encourages hair growth, so protein-rich foods can help your beard hair grow faster. Make sure you're getting around 56 grams (2.0 oz) of protein a day. Some foods high in protein are fish, chicken, turkey, Greek yogurt, beans, milk, and pasta. Eating 9 ounces (260 g) of fish, turkey, or chicken a day would help you get your recommended daily intake of protein.
Take biotin supplements. Biotin, also called vitamin B-7, may help your beard hair grow faster. Biotin helps make the proteins in your hair stronger, which makes it easier for your beard hair to grow. Look for a Biotin supplement online or at your local vitamin store. Aim to take between 2.5–5 milligrams (0.039–0.077 gr) of biotin a day.
Changing Your Lifestyle
Drink between 8-10 glasses of water a day. Being dehydrated can prevent your body from getting the nutrients it needs to grow beard hair. Drinking enough water will also help you grow healthier beard hair. Buy a large water bottle you can carry with you so it’s easier to drink water when you’re at work or on the go.
Get at least 6 hours of sleep every night. Your beard hair grows more rapidly while you’re sleeping, and not getting enough sleep can slow down your beard growth. Adequate sleep also helps prevents a weak immune system, which is linked to slower hair growth. Get yourself on a healthy sleep schedule by going to sleep at the same time every night at least 6 hours before you have to wake up.
Exercise for at least 1 hour a day. Exercising increases your testosterone production, which can encourage beard hair growth. Choose 1 hour out of each day to devote to exercising and try to stick with it. If you’re new to exercising, start out with 30 minutes of exercise every other day. After you’re used to the routine, switch to exercising every day. Then, extend your exercising sessions to 1 hour. Signing up for a gym membership can be a good motivation to start exercising regularly.
Quit smoking. Smoking decreases circulation and blood flow, two things that are necessary for facial hair growth. Smoking can also affect how well your body absorbs the nutrients you need to grow healthy facial hair. If you’re having a hard time quitting smoking, try cutting back a little at first and then working your way up to quitting completely.
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