March 21, 2022

So you’ve grown a beard. Yes! But wait… instead of the thick, bushy face forest you’ve always associated with masculinity and virility, in the mirror staring back at you is some thin, patchy, wispy thing that makes you second guess growing a beard out. What the…?!

Why is it that fate afflicted you with a thin beard?

Bro, hang in there! Help is at hand! We’ll show you how to make that thin beard of yours become the studly statement of power you always wanted.

“Why is my beard thin?”

A thin or patchy beard is simply about three things. The main two are genetics and time. The other is beard grooming and care. 

Genetics

For some men, growing a hefty beard simply doesn’t happen easily, if at all. Some guys’ faces are loaded with follicles and thick diameter whiskers, while others have the opposite. Don’t ever feel inadequate if you’re the “threadbare” kind. Even a thin beard can be turned into a thing of masculine glory. It’s a matter of knowing how to work with what you’ve got. And we’re here to show you.

 

Time

As we explain below, if your beard isn’t looking too full after four to eight weeks of growing, just hang in there and keep going! Length can work wonders for thin beard growth and for lighter colored whiskers that may appear sparse but in time will show their true potential like their darker counterparts. Speaking of time, age is a factor as well. It’s a fact of life that teenage dudes frequently have patchier beards, but as they grow older things thicken up.

 

Grooming and care

With excellent beard care products, a daily grooming routine and a good diet, you can improve the thickness and luster of any thin beard while working it into a shape/style that really works.

 

First things first… try it and see

A thin or patchy beard is not always a bad thing. Look at Keanu Reeves or Johnny Depp. So you never know… if you let your patchy beard grow, you might be surprised and like it!

Thin Beard Solution #1: Grow it out beyond 4 weeks

The longer the whiskers, the thicker and more substantial a beard looks. Beyond four weeks of growth – during which time beard itch can be a huge factor – patchy areas can fill in, or at least appear to fill in.

No matter how thin or itchy it is in the first few weeks, keep growing and let its full potential develop. Use a quality beard wash, a beard moisturizer and beard oil to nourish your skin and follicles and reduce dryness, cracking and flaking that cause itch.

At four weeks and beyond, beard hairs start to “connect” and fill in the gaps. You might be surprised how many dudes with big thick beards actually have thin, patchy beards that have been allowed to grow out.

Thin Beard Solution #2: Care for it from the get-go

If you want your beard to be thick and luscious, you gotta tend to it so it’s healthy. That means you should wash and groom it from about week 1 or 2. Don’t use soap or other face washes. Use a quality beard wash packed with natural moisturizing nutrients to nourish skin and follicles and to exfoliate and open pores.

Apply a couple drops of beard oil each day after washing. Rub them down to the skin. A premium beard oil will ensure a proper balance of essential carrier oils penetrate your skin and coat your whiskers to prevent itching and thicken up the strands’ growth. Dry whiskers lose protein and can become brittle and develop split ends, making a thin beard problem worse.

Start brushing your beard with a wild boar bristle beard brush to gently exfoliate away dirt and flakes while ensuring even distribution of carrier oils. You’ll also tame your whiskers to grow the way you want, giving them a thicker look than if they point every which way. 

Furthermore, a groomed beard looks heavier than one that’s unkempt and sticks out all frizzy.

Thin Beard Solution #3: Moisturize your skin

A thick, luxurious beard sprouts from healthy skin. So use a dedicated beard moisturizer because it will help your skin as well as your beard.

Thin Beard Solution #4: Exercise

Exercising and raising your heart rate regularly boosts testosterone. And testosterone governs the health and growth of your facial hair. Lower testosterone produces a thin beard or a patchy beard. 

Exercising also increases blood flow and circulation to supply oxygen and nutrients to skin and hair follicles for thicker hair growth.

Here's a great article if you want more info about it: The Relationship Between Beard Growth & Testosterone

Thin Beard Solution #5: Reduce your stress

Daily stress is a fact of life. But stress sends cortisol coursing through your bloodstream, which impedes the testosterone governing facial hair growth. Regulating and balancing stress is as essential as beard care products

You don’t have to become a Yoga nut or meditation disciple. (Both these activities are great for reducing stress, by the way.) Just find daily moments and activities of calm to counteract stress.

Everything in balance, Grasshopper!

Thin Beard Solution #6: Get some rest

You’ve probably seen how a sleep-deprived person has unhealthy looking hair on their head. The same goes with a beard. Sleep-deprivation makes for a thin, unhappy beard.

A good 7-8 hours of sleep per night helps regenerate cells in your body and keep testosterone levels topped up. Adequate sleep is also a great way to reduce stress.

Thin Beard Solution #7: Eat well

It’s simple: a healthy body grows healthy hairs. 

Good protein and fresh whole foods will supply essential proteins, vitamins and minerals to your hair.

If you suffer from a thin beard, try switching it up from the typical western diet of fast food and convenience food. You’ll be amazed at the difference.

Don’t shave! 

It’s a total myth that shaving helps facial hairs grow faster and thicker.

Freshly sprouting whiskers only appear thicker at first because their tips have been cut off abruptly and are blunt. In time, those tips develop a more tapered shape and the illusion of them being thicker is gone.

Want your thin beard to be thicker? Leave it alone and let it grow.

Check out this article: Does Shaving Really Make Your Beard Grow Faster?

If your beard is still thin, trim and shape it

After following the above tips and letting your facial hair grow for several weeks, if you still have a thin beard, then it’s time to work with what you’ve got by trimming and shaping it to emphasize its best qualities and avoid the “weaknesses”.

First, we strongly recommend letting a pro barber work on it. Trimming yourself requires practice. But if you insist on doing it yourself, don’t skimp on the electric beard trimmer – get a good one.

You may want the lines of your beard, especially on your cheeks or chin or jaw, to work around the patches. Trimming and tapering these thinner areas so they have clean, defined angles and lines can help a lot. This way the thicker areas of hair will be allowed to bulk up and look awesome.

Just whatever you do, don’t comb over!

Styles that can work for thin beards

Just remember the golden rule… when in doubt, let a pro handle the styling.

  • Goatee – Forget the cheeks or jaw line and go for the classic goatee to show off the parts of your beard that grow thickly.
  • Anchor beard – Think Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark. It’s got that distinctive anchor shape with none of the patchy cheek hairs. It also detaches between the mustache and beard. Stylish, sleek, powerful.
  • Van Dyke – Similar in some respects to the Anchor, but with manicured jawlines and possibly some connections from the mustache edges to the chin hairs. It’s a cool, almost swashbuckling look.
  • Chin Strap – Accentuate your chiseled jawline by marking out a thin line of whiskers from your sideburns around to your chin. Include a mustache for power, either a similarly thin effort or else maybe a handlebar of some kind.

Last-ditch desperation – beware!

If you simply still cannot be satisfied with your thin beard, you may become frustrated to the point of turning to more desperate measures.

Just be very, very careful here. Work with experts only, not social media “armchair experts”.

  • DYE – It’s true that darker beards look fuller. But dyes are messy and they can dry out and damage beard hairs. Plus you have to keep reapplying – if you don’t, your natural color grows out and looks obvious alongside the dyed stuff.
  • ROGAINE (MINOXIDIL) – We did a blog on using this stuff on a beard. Just bear in mind that you use it at your own risk. It’s not FDA approved for facial hair (only scalp hair), it can cause allergic and irritated reactions, and you have to keep applying it forever after because stopping will return a thin beard to its previous state.
  • BEARD IMPLANTS – We’re talking hair transplant surgery. It’s very pricey and they have to take skin and hair from another part of your body to transplant it to your face. Is that really worth it?
  • HORMONE THERAPY – There are health risks associated. Sure, a cream or a pill or some injections can increase hair growth, but it’s a pretty extreme measure. 

So, never think of yourself as inadequate just because you have a thin beard. We salute all brothers who sport a beard proudly – any beard. Work wisely with what you’ve been given, take good care of it, and your thin beard can be just as potent and respect-worthy as a huge mane.




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