Growing a beard is often seen as a rite of passage for a man. Men grow a beard for a wide variety of reasons, from wanting to be more attractive or masculine to raising cancer awareness. Men are sometimes worried about how long it takes for a beard to grow in; some men can grow one within days, but for other men, it takes many weeks – and even then, it’s only a partial beard. Keeping your skin healthy, taking vitamins and allowing the hair the time and freedom to grow makes a difference. This article can provide you with detailed instructions.

How to Grow a Beard

If you’re not sure how to grow a beard, you’re not alone. Many men have the same problem. Rather than try those gimmicky creams or pills that don’t really work, give these natural options a try.

1. Wait for It to Grow

Though it might be frustrating, sometimes the best thing to do is simply let nature take the reins. As your beard begins to grow, it might seem patchy, and you might not have hair right where you want it. Keep letting it grow, and eventually the slower hair follicles will get around to sprouting hair. That means that eventually those patchy gaps will fill in. In the meantime, the longer hairs might begin to cover up the spots, giving the slower hair more time to grow.

The catch, of course, is resisting the urge to shave for a month or two. This is something that many men give in to when they feel that familiar itch of a beard. That itch will go away in a few weeks, but until then, you might have to just tough it out if you truly want to have a thick beard.

2. Trim

Just because you are letting your hair grow in doesn’t mean you have to look scraggly for those several months while you wait for it to grow. Once you reach about one centimeter of length, use good-quality scissors or clippers to keep the hair looking even. If you keep the length of all the hair the same, it will look much neater, and could even make those patchy places look deliberate.

If you aren’t sure about using scissors or clippers free-hand, look for a set that has a snap-on guide. These guides help ensure that you cut the hair only to the length you want, and that you don’t have any slips of the hand that undo all your hard work of trying to make that beard grow. As your beard grows out and gets bushier, you can increase the length of your cut by using different clipper guides.

3. Groom Your Hair in the Right Way

Taking proper care of your beard is the same as taking care of the hair on your head – how you care for it, and with what products, makes a difference. Always shampoo your beard with the same products you use on your hair. Do this at least a few times a week, and look for a moisturizing shampoo to help keep the hair supple. You should condition as well. Use a good quality conditioner and leave it in your beard for a few minutes, or opt for the kind of conditioner you leave in the hair. If your skin is dry or flaky, you will need more conditioning power – skin that isn’t healthy can stunt hair growth.

Look for products that won’t clog your pores, as they will be affecting your face as well as your facial hair. Look for products that are noncomedogenic, which means they won’t clog pores.

If you want to learn more, this video to learn what you should do in the process of waiting and how you can take care of the facial hair:

4. Keep a Healthy Diet for Hair Growth

What you put into your body affects how it looks, and that includes how your facial hair grows. Your diet is vitally important to looking your best. There are many vitamins that promote the health of your hair, including Vitamin E, A, C, B3 and B5, as well as folic acid. These are often found in the foods you eat, but you can also go to supplements. Usually taking supplements in pill form will help, but you can also apply some of them via topical solutions, such as Vitamin E creams.

This video offers more information about hair growth and the vitamins that can help it along:

5. Take Biotin

Biotin is practically a wonder vitamin when it comes to hair growth. If you don’t have enough biotin, hair loss can result – so make sure you have plenty of it in your system. It’s found in many fresh foods, such as oysters, liver, fish, beans, cauliflower, bananas, carrots, egg yolks, cereals, yeast and many other foods. You can also get biotin from daily supplements that might help if your diet isn’t up to par. Daily doses of biotin should range from 30 to 100 mcg.

6. Sleep Enough and Ease Stress

Sleep matters for everything we do, including hair growth. The sleep you get will actually help ensure your hair grows at a regular pace. In fact, not getting enough sleep has been shown to lead to hair loss or stunted growth of hair, as well as a variety of other negative consequences on your body. Do yourself a big favor and get your optimum amount of sleep every night, around 8 hours.

You should also limit stress as much as possible, as your hair follicles tend to react to the stress your body feels. Those who have experienced significantly stressful situations might even say that their hair has gradually changed color or fallen out. Though it might not be that extreme for you, stress can certainly mean that your hair won’t grow as quickly. Try out things like deep breathing, exercise, yoga or meditation to get your body calm and help your hair grow.