Got a patchy beard? Here’s what you need to do
Image by William Stitt
Image by
You see guys on Instagram with awesome beards and it’s natural to presume you can grow one just as well too. But when you try, something’s not right. You start to notice parts of your cheeks that haven’t filled in. Or maybe your chin doesn’t fill out quite as much as you’d hope.
But don’t worry, just because you have patches, it doesn’t mean you can’t also grow an epic beard.
So we got our man Niall Sullivan, beard and men’s grooming blogger and Beauty Shortlist Awards 2019 judge who knows a thing or two about beards, to share a few tips on what you need to do if you happen to have a patchy beard.
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Be Patient
The most common reaction to facial hair patchiness is to look for a quick fix. People presume there must be a beard oil or balm that can magically give you the epic beard you’ve always want. Sadly, this isn’t the case. There are no quick fixes.
However, all is not lost! Your facial hair goes through a lot of changes as you get older. It may be a patchy beard now, but it’s likely to change and could potentially become fuller as you age.
If you can’t wait that long, try growing your beard out for at least 2/3 months. Most people see poor growth after a week and give up. But even in just a few months, you will notice a big change to your facial hair. Gaps that were once there could start to fill in.
Start Brushing
Do you brush your beard? If not, you should be. Not only does it help distribute beard oil evenly throughout your facial hair, but it also helps with beard patchiness.
Beard hair naturally grows outwards. The most common way to keep it under control is to apply beard balm which tends to hold it in place.
Brushing regularly ‘teaches’ your hairs to grow downwards rather than outwards. Over time, you’ll notice the hairs starting to fall and cover the patches on your face.
A selection of healthy food via Unsplash
A selection of healthy food via
Eat the right foods
It’s not just beard products that can help you to grow a fuller looking beard. Having a healthy diet can also help. But as most of us know, this can be challenging to stick to long term.
To maximise beard growth and reduce patchiness, you should aim to eat foods high in:
Protein – It’s not just for building muscle! High protein foods such as chicken, eggs and nuts are known to help prevent hair loss.
Zinc – A deficiency in zinc can also lead to hair loss. Best eat more lentils, spinach and pumpkin seeds in that case!
Carbohydrates – Often given a hard time, carbs such as potatoes can actually help you to produce more testosterone, which plays an important factor in stimulating hair growth.
Try different styles
Most men aim to grow a full beard. It’s not surprising when you consider the famous faces that have one. But if you’ve got patches, this might not be your best option. Instead, you should look outside the box at some of the other beard styles out there.
Because patches mainly occur on the cheeks, these styles are your best options:
Goatee
Van Dyke
Chin strap
Amish
Be open to change. You may find that one of these styles suit you more than a full beard ever would.