Post date: July 7, 2023 | Adventure
Why Does Facial Hair Grow So Fast? And Can It Grow Faster?
Facial hair is a mysterious thing, and there’s no doubt that there are lots of factors that go into the growth and wellness of your beard, mustache, etc. And chances are, especially if you’re an avid clean-shaver and decide not to keep your facial hair for long, you’ll be wondering why the hair on your face grows so fast. Well, today we want to answer that question!
There are a few determining factors, both individualistic and more general, that help determine the speed of your facial hair’s growth. Here are the main factors we’ll be talking about:
- Genetic Predisposition
- Testosterone Levels
- Season
- Diet
How Does Genetics Affect Facial Hair Growth?
This may seem like an obvious question/answer, but genetics plays arguably the largest part in determining your beard or mustache’s potential. Our genetics will rule most things about our bodies, and is largely predetermined through our DNA at birth and only influenced subtly through our growth.
More specifically, scientists determine that certain genes factor into not only the ability for you to grow facial hair, but also the tint or color of the facial hair itself. For example, it has been found that a correlation in the LNX1 gene on the four-chromosome can play a role in facial hair growth and thickness. Other genes affect things like hair color.
The sad truth is, not every man is predestined to grow a beard that they may be proud of, however, there are certain key practices that a man can perform to enhance the beard or mustache they do have. For example, letting a patchy beard grow out and trimming the longer areas to match the shorter areas until the full beard is grown over time without the “awkward beard phase” getting in the way.
How Does Testosterone Affect Facial Hair Growth?
Once again, this may seem obvious, but there seems to be more here within your direct control than if we were talking about genetics alone. Testosterone is typically considered the “male” hormone, and plays a major role in gender-defining features like, you guessed it, hair growth.
Testosterone, while being a factor of genetics, can also be altered more freely, supplemented, and augmented with effort. Although it’s not the only factor in beard and hair growth, it is at least a large one that can be controlled. For example, here are some things you can do to increase your testosterone in slight ways that may enhance your beard growth ability.
- Exercise
- Getting Enough Sleep
- Avoiding Excessive Alcohol
- Maintain An Ideal BMI (18.5-24.9)
- Improving Your Diet (Lean Protein, Whole Grain Carbohydrates, Fruits/Vegetables)
How Do Seasons Affect Facial Hair Growth?
Here’s one that may not be all that obvious, but still does affect the growth rate of your facial hair. The changing seasons.
It’s true! Facial hair tends to grow dramatically faster in Summer, peaking in July, and slower in Winter. Why? Well, beard and mustache growth tends to follow the natural progression of testosterone throughout the year, and testosterone tends to peak in Summer and lower in Winter.
So, while this doesn’t have the greatest affect, and it’s not exactly controllable, it’s just another reason why your facial hair may be growing slightly faster or slower than other times.
And by the way, no, facial hair does not make you feel warmer like many people think.
How Does Diet Affect Facial Hair Growth?
Diet plays an important role in your ability to grow facial hair, mainly because eating a well-balanced and healthy diet helps you build collagen levels, testosterone, and ultimately, healthy facial hair.
Having a well-balanced diet will not only ensure you get the vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats that you need to stay healthy and maintain a good BMI (body mass index), but will also help you avoid diabetes, and both are going to be good for your beard growth. Although, let’s face it, beard growth shouldn’t be your primary concern when it comes to your health.
That being said, a healthy diet contains a balance of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins like chicken/fish, whole grain carbohydrates, and healthy unsaturated fats like nuts, fish, oils, etc.
How To Make Your Facial Hair Grow Faster
Ultimately, the only clinically proven way to directly increase your facial hair growth is to use a Minoxidil supplement to stimulate your hair follicles to grow. Unfortunately, there is a common misconception that beard oil is helpful for beard growth, but this isn’t true. Beard oil is helpful for beard health, but unless it contains minoxidil, chances are it won’t help directly increase beard growth.
So, ultimately, there are many factors that affect how fast your facial hair and beard grows. These factors include such things like genetics, testosterone, season, and diet. And some of these factors are ones the you can control with some healthy adjustments to your lifestyle or supplements.
If you’re interested in keeping your beard healthy and happy for as long as possible, click the button below to sign up for free to Volt’s Amp-It-Up rewards program!
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