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Growing a Full Beard: FAQs and Styling Tips

Growing facial hair for the first time can feel cool, exciting and strange all at once. But when some of it’s like fluff, while other parts are much rougher, it can be tricky to know what to do with it or who to ask for advice.

Gillette has been helping guys to shave for over a century, so we know all about how a beard grows, why it grows the way it does, and how you can disguise any patchy growth.

How Long Does It Take to Grow a Full Beard?

Unfortunately, the answer is that it can take a long time. It might not be until your late twenties that you have a full beard, and the speed of your growth is all down to genetics. If your dad, uncles or older brother had a full beard by their late teens, chances are you will too.

Facial hair tends to grow in the following order:

1. Upper lip

2. Sideburns

3. Chin

4. Cheeks

5. Neck

So, if you don’t notice any hair growing on your upper lip until your mid-teens, it could take a good few years for it to fill out on your neck. But the good news is that as you get older, your beard will carry on filling out, and your beard can get fuller and thicker even decades after your teens.

Can You Make a Beard Grow Faster?

We spoke to Dr Kristina Vanoosthuyze, Gillette’s senior manager of scientific communications, to find out if there is actually a way to make a beard grow faster.

teenager who has shaved neatly for the first time

Sadly, the answer is no. Kristina says that patience is key when it comes to growing a beard, and that you shouldn’t worry – you will grow full facial hair eventually.

Kristina also had some excellent advice, emphasising that no beard is better than a bad beard, which means it’s definitely worth learning how to shave properly as soon as you can.

How to Shave Properly

If you remember to follow these five key steps every time, you’ll be fine:

Wash your face before you start
Work up a lather with shaving cream all over the area you want to shave
Start shaving in the same direction that your hair grows in, then shave in the opposite direction (against the grain) for a seriously smooth finish
Rinse your blade gently under the tap after every few strokes, taking care not to bang it against the sink or wipe it on a towel
Apply aftershave to hydrate and soothe your skin – our Gillette Aftershave Balm is ideal if your skin’s sensitive

Of course, the right razor is essential too, and we recommend using one of the below if you’re new to shaving:

Gillette Fusion5 ProGlide guarantees a precise shave and the handle has what we call FlexBall technology to make it easier to get around every curve of your face.

If you have sensitive skin or are worried about shaving with acne, Gillette SkinGuard Sensitive is the razor for you. It’s got extra protection in between the blade and your skin to make shaving as comfortable as possible.

How Can I Style a Patchy Beard?

If you want to keep the facial hair you’ve got, there are a few ways to fix a patchy beard. Styles like the goatee and chin strap beard are great if you don’t have much facial hair, but you’ll need a good beard trimmer like the Gillette All Purpose Styler to keep yourself looking sharp.

The Gillette Styler and Beard Trimmer lets you trim, shave and edge your facial hair – it comes with three different comb lengths to suit everyone, as well as a Fusion5 ProGlide Razor Blade so you can be sure of a smooth, precise shave.

It’s waterproof too, so you can even use it in the shower when you’re pushed for time but still want to look and feel your best.

Whether you’re looking for advice on how to shave different parts of your body or want to know how to get a particular style of beard, you’ll find all the shaving tips you’ll ever need on the Gillette blog.