Why You Can't Grow A Beard (And What You Can Do About It)

Growing a beard is one of the most rewarding style choices that a man can make, but also one of the most frustrating and difficult. Beards have been shown through studies to make men more attractive on average. And depending on the length of the beard, a woman will find you attractive in different ways. This makes a simple beard one of the most influential and effective styling tools a man can employ. But what should you do if you can’t seem to grow a beard, and what can you be doing to jumpstart that beard growth?

Here’s the problem, beards are only marginally controllable, much of the process of growing a beard that you can be proud of is out of your hands due to certain factors that we’ll talk about today. We’ll be going over the main reasons why you aren’t able to grow a beard, and how you can remedy the situation.

Here are the 3 most common reasons why you can’t grow a beard that we’ll be going over today.

Impatience
Diet
Genetics

In a moment we’ll dive into the first of these reasons, but for now, click the button below to subscribe to the Volt YouTube channel where we post tons of cool videos on beards and men’s style/grooming!

Impatience

Maybe this one takes you a bit by surprise, but patience is a huge contributing factor as to why people don’t seem to be able to grow beards. Being patient when it comes to your beard growth doesn’t directly affect your beard, but rather, your own perspective about your ability to grow a beard in the first place. Here’s what we mean…

Too many people expect to grow a perfect beard right away. Perhaps they expect perfectly even beard growth on all areas of their face and chin, or they expect a level of “fullness” that is unrealistic for their age. Generally speaking, there are too many expectations you may have about your beard that aren’t being met quickly enough.

Let me make a point by saying that just because your beard growth doesn’t satisfy you in the beginning doesn’t mean it never will. Lots of men will experience better and more consistent beard fullness and growth in the later years of their life, and many men will find that they have patchy areas in their beard that they can easily cover with some more beard growth. The problem is, these men rarely give themselves the time and discipline they need to wait long enough for this to happen.

Many men shave prematurely (before realizing the full potential of their beard growth) simply because they falsely believe they suffer from irreparable patches, when all they really need is the patience to grow their beards out enough to cover these spots. And to many men decide to never try growing a beard after their teenage years because they firmly believe that they can’t, even though most men won’t hit their peak beard-growing age until 25 to 35 years old.

Beard Growth Tip: All in all, be patient and let your beard grow, untouched, for at least a month before making any decision as to your beards growth and fullness.

Diet

Your diet is a very integral part of your ability to grow a beard. From the amount of water you drink to the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals you consume, your diet will play a huge role in not only the health of your beard but also the length of your beard.

You see, certain foods contain nutrients that your body needs to develop distinct characteristics. For example, nutrients such as zinc can be beneficial for testosterone levels, which as we know, is directly beneficial to beard growth and volume. So think of it this way, although getting the proper nutrients isn’t going to be directly responsible for a healthy and lustrous beard, they are still going to be very important factors in priming your body to grow a beard in the first place due to their effects on your hormones, blood stream, and more.

Even something as seemingly inconsequential as the amount of water you drink will have an effect on the health and wellness of your beard. Staying hydrated is the best way to ensure that your skin can produce the natural oils it needs to keep your hair healthy, strong, and soft. A dry or crunchy beard isn’t well suited for growing, and can even lead to more severe issues like hair loss, skin-flaking, redness, and more. Make sure to use a high-quality beard moisturizer like Beard Oil or Beard Balm to avoid excessive dryness.

Beard Growth Tip: Here are some helpful dietary suggestions you should include:

Lean Protein
Whole Grains
Healthy Fats (Avocados, cheese, fatty fish)
Fruits and Veggies (A, B, C, D, and E Vitamins)

Genetics

Your genetic lineage is going to be the largest defining factor in your ability to grow a beard. In fact, most scientists that study beard growth largely define the two main factors as “genetic or non-genetic”. Interestingly enough, your genetics are also going to control the shape of your hair follicle, the direction of your hair growth, hair color, and thickness.

Chances are that if your father and grandfather are able to grow thick beards, then you’ll be able to grow one as well. There isn’t much you can do about your genetics to change them, but there are certain clues that you can find that point to your ability to grow a beard, and what kind of beard you’ll grow if you are curious about the bearded life.

There are two main checks you can do to see if you have good beard-growing genes. The first is to see if any of your ancestors have grown beards in the past, as this usually indicates the hereditary ability to do so. The second is to determine the country of origin your ancestors are from, as this can usually give you clues as to the consistency and color of your beard. For example, if you happen to have Celtic ancestors, you can be fairly certain that your beard contains lots of red and curly hair.

Beard Growth Tip: Check on your genetic lineage and see if you like the idea of the beard you will likely grow. If not, consider a beard filler/color tool like Volt Instant Beard Color that may help you with the fullness and color of your beard.