Whether you’re growing your first beard or aiming for fuller facial hair, understanding how facial hair grows can help set realistic expectations. If you struggle with a patchy beard or are looking for ways to grow a thicker beard, you might be curious to know the science behind facial hair growth.
While beard growth is largely determined by genetics, several lifestyle and environmental factors can also influence the thickness and growth rate of your facial hair.
At Gillette, we’re breaking down the science behind facial hair growth and sharing our top tips on how to grow facial hair, along with an effective grooming routine to help you make the most of your growth potential.
Explore how to grow your facial hair, plus style and care for it with our expert tips and tricks.
- Why Do Men Have Facial Hair?
- What is the Facial Hair Growth Cycle?
- How Long Does It Take Facial Hair to Grow?
- How to Encourage Facial Hair Growth
- A Simple Daily Routine to Encourage Facial Hair Growth
- Frequently Asked Questions About Growing Facial Hair
Why Do Men Have Facial Hair?
Let’s begin with a scientific recap.
Facial hair growth is largely driven by hormones, particularly testosterone. Some testosterone is converted into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone that helps stimulate facial hair follicles and encourages facial hair growth.
Because men typically have higher testosterone levels than women, they are more likely to grow facial hair.
What is the Facial Hair Growth Cycle?
There are four stages in the general hair growth cycle, which also apply to facial hair:
1. Anagen – The Growth Stage
During this phase, the facial hair forms and grows.
The duration of this stage is dependent on your hair type. it can last between 2 and 7 years. The root develops from the follicle and a hair sprouts, growing until it reaches maximum length.
2. Catagen – The Regressive Stage
Once the anagen phase is complete, your facial hair enters catagen.
During this stage, the hair disconnects from its blood and nutrient supply and gradually stops growing. This regressive phase can last up to several weeks and means that the follicle will be ready to grow again once stimulated.
3. Telogen – The Resting Stage
After months (sometimes years) in action, the facial hair follicles go into a state of rest that can last for up to several months.
4. Exogen – The Shedding Stage
During the anagen, catagen and telogen phases, facial hairs are anchored to the follicles. During the exogen stage, signals are given to the follicles to release the hair, causing it to shed. You may notice this significantly when brushing your beard.
How Long Does It Take Facial Hair to Grow?
With these phases in mind, how fast does facial hair grow?
If you’re going for the full beard look, it can take two to four months to grow, but this depends on the individual.
Facial hair tends to grow between 0.3 and 0.5 mm every 24 hours, which works out at between one third and one half an inch per month.
After about 2 weeks post-shave, you should be able to see if you’re dealing with any patchiness.
How to Encourage Facial Hair Growth
While the rate in which your facial hair grows is largely determined by your genetics, age and ethnicity, there are several tips and tricks you can try to help encourage facial hair growth.
1. Eat a Balanced Diet
Ensuring that you’re eating healthily will help your body get the correct nutrients it needs for supporting all of its daily functions, including facial hair growth.
2. Get Plenty of Rest
Good quality sleep lends itself to better overall health. Too much stress and too little sleep can lead to a whole host of health and wellbeing problems and is thought to negatively impact facial hair growth.
It’s recommended that you get around 7-8 hours of sleep each night.
3. Exercise
Keeping active is a great way to encourage blood flow, which in turn can help to stimulate hair follicles.
You should be completing at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
4. Wash Your Face Daily
Whether you have a full beard or 5 o’clock shadow, one of the most important steps to maintaining healthy looking facial hair is by looking after your skin.
Hydrated skin is important for encouraging hair growth, both head and facial hair.
Washing your face daily helps to:
- Unclog pores
- Reduce the likelihood of ingrown hairs
- Remove dead skin cells and debris from around the hair follicles
Using a hydrating face wash also helps to deliver all-important moisture to the skin, creating an optimal environment for facial hair growth.
The King C. Gillette Beard and Face Wash contains mild cleansers to tick all of those boxes, optimised to work specifically for facial hair and the skin underneath.
Formulated with conditioning ingredients including argan oil and coconut oil, not only is facial hair left feeling nourished and soft, but your skin is gently cleansed to remove impurities.
5. Moisturise Your Skin
Dry skin may lead to feelings of discomfort and increase the chances of us itching, which could damage your facial hair follicles.
Applying moisturiser to your skin each day is a great way to soothe dry skin beneath your beard, giving your facial hair the best fighting chance of growth.
6. Apply Beard Oil
If you have length to your facial hair, rounding off your grooming routine with beard oil is a great way to nourish strands and further moisturise the skin underneath.
The King C. Gillette Beard Oil is designed to soften coarse facial hair with its unique plant-based blend featuring argan oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, sweet almond oil and evening primrose oil.
This beard care product also keeps the skin beneath your facial hair nourished and comforted, as it can otherwise be prone to flaking and itchiness, creating a moisturised environment for encouraging facial hair growth.
A Simple Daily Routine to Consider When Growing Facial Hair:
Each morning, wash your face and apply moisturiser
Throughout the day, stay hydrated and eat a balanced diet
Aim to exercise for at least 30 minutes with your chosen routine
In the evening, cleanse and apply beard oil
Aim to get around 7-8 hours of sleep each night
Frequently Asked Questions About Growing Facial Hair
Facial hair growth can vary from person to person. We’ve summarised some of the most common questions about the beard-growth process below.
How Long Does It Take for Your Beard to Grow?
Facial hair growth rates vary from person to person, depending on factors such as genetics, age, and hormone levels. As a result, the time it takes to grow facial hair can differ significantly between individuals. Growing a fuller beard often takes time, consistency and patience.
Does Shaving Increase Beard Growth?
No. Shaving does not affect the thickness, colour or growth rate of facial hair. This is because shaving only cuts the hair at the skin’s surface and does not affect the hair follicle beneath the skin.
However, shaving creates a blunt tip instead of the naturally tapered end of an unshaved hair. As the hair grows back, it can feel coarser or stubbly, which may create the appearance or feel of thicker hair.
How to Make Facial Hair Grow Faster?
While there is no guaranteed way to make facial hair grow faster, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and following a consistent skincare and grooming routine can help create the best conditions for healthy beard growth.
