How To Grow Facial Hair

Method 1 of 4: Letting Your Hair Grow

1Let nature take its course. For men with sparse facial hair, it may seem an impossible dream to have a convincing beard or mustache. However, unless you're truly hairless, time really is on your side.

As your hair begins to grow in, it may seem patchy and incomplete. However, as the hairs become longer, the slower-growing follicles will have time to sprout their own hairs, and gradually—over the course of a couple weeks (maybe more)—the patchy gaps will eventually be hidden, both by longer hairs and the slower, shorter hairs growing in as well.

If you can hold out without shaving it all off for about a month, you will be rewarded with a hairy chin and mustache.

2Give it at least four weeks. Growing hair in can be a frustrating experience, as your beard and mustache will go through a scraggly period that may have people commenting.

Don't give up! If time is all you need to grow a beard, consider yourself fortunate—some guys may not be able to grow facial hair at all, no matter what they try.

3Keep your hair trimmed. Once you've achieved a decent starting growth (about 1cm), use scissors or clippers to keep the hair from looking too scraggly. Some hairs will grow much faster than others, and look a little wild. By keeping the length uniform, if your beard is patchy it will look intentional, not like you've been on a bender for the last few weeks!

Home hair-trimming clippers work great for keeping your facial hair tidy. They generally include a guide so that the home stylist doesn't take too much off the top.

As your beard grows out, you can increase the length of your trim.

Method 2 of 4: Maintaining Proper Nutrition

1Take hair-healthy vitamins. While you can always apply hair-growth treatments to your face, and hope for the best, working from the inside out is always the better option. Think of it this way: your body is a factory, and everything your body grows needs that factory to operate efficiently and have the things it needs to run correctly. Your hair is no different. Here are some vitamins you can take to help your body's hair production engine, and what foods you can eat that have those vitamins:

Vitamin A: This vitamin stimulates the production of sebum, which keeps your hair follicles and skin hydrated—important for keeping hair healthy looking. You can find it in eggs, meat, cheese, liver, carrots, pumpkin, broccoli, and dark green leafy vegetables. [1]

Vitamin C: Not only is it good for boosting your immune system, it keeps your hair and skin healthy too. Citrus is the standby for natural vitamin C, and you can also find foods such as green peppers, dark green vegetables, potatoes, and tomatoes rich in vitamin C.[2]

Vitamin E: This has long been recognized as key for healthy skin, and can increase blood flow—leading to an optimal environment for hair growth. Foods rich in vitamin E include oils, leafy vegetables, nuts, and beans, and most people get plenty of vitamin E when eating a normal diet.[3] Topical applications can also be beneficial.

Vitamin B3: This also helps boost circulation, which may have a positive effect on hair grown. Reports find that B3 is even more effective when taken with biotin. You can find vitamin B3 in beef, chicken, fish, and wheat germ.[4]

Vitamin B5: Also known as pantothenic acid, B5 not only helps the body use fats and proteins, necessary for healthy hair, it also has been reported to help reduce stress; and stress can definitely inhibit hair

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