How to Grow & Maintain Beard Like A Pro
If you want to grow an impressive beard, all you need to do is hide your razor, scissors, and the trimmer, and wait for the beard to magically appear. That’s what most men who never tried growing a beard think about the process. However, when you actually start on your way to creating a beard masterpiece, you learn many new things about stimulating the growth and maintenance, that you could never have imagined before.
When you make a decision to grow a beard, you have to be ready for three stages:
- Actual hair growth
- Choosing the beard style
- Beard maintenance
We won’t discuss the reasons why men want to grow beards. Each guy has his own motives. So there is no reason to talk about advantages and disadvantages of a beard, especially if you’ve never grown one before. After the process is successful, we’ll be glad to hear your comments about growing a beard like a pro.
So, the first thing you need to do is put the razor away and stock up on patience. In reality, patience is one of the major tools you need for the beard growth, according to the savvy beard owners. The beard is not measured in inches or centimeters, but in months or even years.
Short Beard Styles
Beard Growing Stages
Each beard length has its own pros, cons, and maintenance nuances. Let’s start at the beginning. Don’t rush to find out how to grow a beard fast. All in good time.
How to Straighten A Curly Beard
One-Month Beard
When you grow a beard for 2 -3 weeks, you’ll notice how it starts itching. The hair will grow in patches and unevenly. Overall, the beard can look downright untidy. The reason for the itch is that the hair tips, which became sharp the last time you shaved grew long enough to curl up and prick your skin. The itchiest place is, of course, the neck, which you always move. If you are growing your beard during the cold season, the scarf or turtleneck can increase the itchiness.
What you can do:
- Be a man and endure. It’s a temporary problem that will go away in a week or so.
- Use a moisturizing cream and don’t forget to buy a beard oil. Try not to use skin and hair care products that contain alcohol. They will dry your skin out and make the matters worse.
During the first months, it’s not always a good idea to use a shampoo and conditioner. You can use a simple soap.
As soon as the beard stops itching, it will start growing in annoying patches. Obviously, it will look far from neat. There are two ways to deal with the problem:
- If you already know which beard style you want and it doesn’t require mustache and whiskers, you can trim the beard a little and shave the unnecessary parts off.
- If you decided to grow a full beard with a mustache and whiskers, be patient and don’t touch the beard. Eventually, the hair will grow all over the place and the empty spaces will be covered.
Many men don’t have enough patience and start shaving off stray hairs. Most of the time, they can’t stop in time and get rid of a useful part of the beard. Be strong until the end and don’t touch your facial hair. Otherwise, all the effort you already put into growing a beard will be in vain.
One to Two Month Beard
If you manage to stay strong and grow the beard without touching it for one month, the time has come to make it neater. In order to keep the beard as long as possible, use nail scissors. If you are a beard newbie, shaving can be out of the question, since you can remove too much hair. Growing it back again will take another month, so the less you cut, the better of you are. In order to even the beard out, use a small comb. Start combing from the chin and stop just before the end of the beard. Hold the comb and use the scissors to cut whatever is beyond it.
Make sure to take care of your beard. Every time you take a shower, wash it with tepid water and soap. Use beard oil after the shower.
Two to Three Months Beard
If you were patient enough to wait for 2 – 3 months for your beard to grow without giving up, you are in for the fun part. You’ll notice that the beard hair is not the same as it used to be. The hair starts to curl up and act wild. Many men are ready to settle for the wild and macho look.
Two-three months beard also requires care. Don’t forget to rinse it with tepid water every day. Use soap at least once a week. At this point, you can buy a special beard shampoo or use the anti-dandruff hair shampoo. Keep applying beard oil daily.
Three to Six Months Beard
If you managed to keep the beard growing for such a long period of time, you’ve got an amazing self-control. All the hard times are behind you. All you have to do is shape the beard and maintain it. The only thing that might trouble you is that you have to dry it after the shower.
If you use a hair dryer to do it, then blow the air from the bottom to the top. This way, your beard will appear fuller and neater. In order not to overdry your hair, use the lowest drying temperatures. Don’t forget to use a hair conditioner. Use a wooden or metal comb to style the beard.
The style of the beard you choose mostly depends on your genes. In order to figure out which beard style suits you the best, you need to see how long the beard can grow in six months. After you manage such long hair growth, you can ask a professional barber to style it.
Obviously, if you want to settle for something simpler like stubble, goatee or chin strap, you can choose the style at a much earlier stage.
Types of Beard Styles
How to Maintain Your Beard Like a Pro
Each person is different. The hair growth depends mostly on genetics. So some people manage to get a full beard in under two months while others don’t get a great beard even after half a year. If you want to know how to grow a full beard fast, here are a few smart maintenance tips:
If you maintain a healthy diet, go to the gym on a regular basis, and try to avoid stressful situations whenever possible, you can count on growing a nice beard fast. If someone tells you that in order to grow a better beard in the future, you need to shave it more often, don’t believe them. It’s a myth.
Of course, not everyone can keep to a healthy diet and go jogging every morning. That’s when you should consider helping your body a little. Vitamins are your Beard’s best friends. You might want to consult your physician to get recommendations for which vitamins and supplements are suitable for you. Don’t go out to grab the first box you see on the shelf. It might not be the best choice for your individual needs. Look for the vitamins that contain whatever helps the hair and nails grow faster. It’s calcium, magnesium, Vitamins B, and biotin.
Another smart way to help your beard is to boost the testosterone levels. We are not talking about steroids here because they have unfortunate side effects. Try to eat more meat and avoid soy products. You can also include more spinach, nuts, avocado, olives, and broccoli into your diet.
How Long Does It Take to Grow a Beard
How to Choose the Best Beard Oil for Your Needs
You might be surprised to learn that each beard growing stage requires its own beard oil.
- Stubble (0 -1 month) – Light tea tree oil with vitamins E, K, and A.
- Medium beard ( 2 – 3 month) – Oil that contains the fatty acid, proteins, and vitamins B, D, and E. Essentially, almost any beard oil is suitable at this stage.
- Full beard (3 – 6 months) – Heavy oil that can help you shape the beard and keep it from curling up. Consider almond or hemp oil.
If you are going further to grow a long beard, stick with the heavy oil. You might need to use a trial and error method since some heavy oils can make your beard feel greasy. If you feel as if the oil is leaving too much residue, try another one.
Good luck!
Growing a beard is a wonderful experience for any man. You should definitely try it at least once in your lifetime. If you manage to be patient enough not to shave for a long time and if you hate shaving 2 – 3 times a week, then growing a beard can be fun and exciting. After all, growing a beard is a wonderful way to diversify your life. We wish you luck and hope that your new beard will bring you only happiness!
