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How to Even Out a Patchy Beard
April 11, 2019
If you made it to this article, chances are you have been trying to grow a beard without much success. Many guys would give anything to grow a full beard: it provides a tough, distinguished and manly look. But to get the bearded glory that will set you apart from the rest there is a road – often long – you have to walk. You can rely on trimming and grooming tools, special products, and even hair loss products to keep an enviable beard. Read on for our best tips to fix your patchy beard and get a full beard that will turn heads and earn respect.
Why Your Beard Comes out Patchy
GeneticsFacial hair growth – like all other hair growth – is genetically determined. If your father, grandfather, and other men in your family are able to grow a full beard, chances are you will too. Likewise, if they are more on the stubbly or hairless end, you'll probably fall into that area as well.
Lack of patience
Growing a full beard takes time, but many men fear looking scruffy so they don't give their beards time to show their full potential before they shaving off completely. You need to leave your beard alone for at least one month so you can notice its growth pattern. While this happens, it's ideal to leave it untouched, but if you must groom it, limit yourself to trimming with a special tool. Forget about the razor and be careful with scissors!
Lack of maintenance
If you don't take good care of your beard or your skin, it will be difficult to fill up the patches. Skin can get damaged and irritated over time from constant shaving, so moisturizing your skin and your beard hair is extremely important.
Some types of alopecia
Alopecia Areata is a type of hair loss where your immune system attacks the hair follicles as if they were threatening to the body. The result is bald patches on your head or even your beard. Needless to say, this can ruin the appearance of your beard and force you to shave it off. Men with this condition don't just have a patchy beard, but glaring patches where hair just won't grow.
How to Fix Your Patchy Beard
Any man who wants a full beard should first take a few weeks to grow it out. That way it'll be obvious whether you can really pull it off. If you do manage to grow a beard after one month of not shaving at all, you can go ahead and take the next step towards a magnificent beard. However, if one month or one month and a half is still not enough to get you a fairly decent amount of facial hair, you might have to accept reality and settle with the amount and type of facial hair you managed to grow. For example, if you didn't manage to grow your beard on your cheeks but only on the lower jawline, clean and style your beard accordingly. In other words, you'll have to trim it down to the length or position of the lowest patch.You don't have to settle for being completely beardless; there are many beard styles, and surely one of those will suit your facial hair thickness, density, and natural growth pattern. For the most part, goatees and mustache only are good options for men with very scarce facial hair growth. We've written about beard style ideas before; check them out and decide which one fits you best.
If you can grow a full beard but it still has a few patches, that's no big deal. Luckily, you can fix a patchy beard with lots of patience and a clear plan.
Steps to Fix a Patchy Beard
- Let It Run Free. This is the only way of finding out the full potential of your beard. Let it grow for at least one month to see how much it grows and in which pattern. This is the time to notice how dense, thick, and uniform your hair growth can be. If you have good hair growth, this no-shave time will be enough to get a bushy beard that turns your appearance around.
- Get Some Basic Grooming Tools. The right tools will improve the overall appearance of your beard and help you disguise some patchy areas.
- Get Extra Help with Special Products. Some patches just cannot be concealed. In this case, you might need a product that is the secret weapon of many barbers: keratin fibers. These tiny fibers cling to hair and cover spots. Barbers also use them to define hairlines and beard lines in very sharp cuts, especially those with a fade. Try Keratin Hair Fibers on your beard once it's somewhat full, to achieve a perfect look.
- Get Groomed by the Expert. Any man who wants to keep a perfect beard must get the pros to do it past a certain point. Let the beard grow for a few weeks, and once it reaches a good length and density, allow the barber to do his work. He will design the best beard for your face shape, style, and maintenance possibilities, as well as teach you how to keep it up in great condition. Needless to say, he's the real expert when it comes to fixing a patchy beard. Remember: it's better to be safe with an expert than mess up your beard and have to start growing it out from scratch.
- Consider Hair Growth Supplements. There are special supplements for beard growth. Most of them contain biotin (also called vitamin H), which helps growth by stimulating the protein (keratin) in hair. Giving supplements a try can't hurt; in any case, they'll also boost your head hair growth and health. If the supplement does not full up your patchy beard, at least you'll get other hair benefits like strength and shine.
Do not give up simply because you're afraid of looking unkempt or because of people's opinions. Many people won't even notice or judge! If it's possible, try starting your growth goal midweek before a long weekend. That'll give you some time to play with.
Beard trimmer: they usually come with different pieces to trim and style in larger or smaller areas. It'll help when you need to get rid of a particularly patchy spot on the upper cheeks.
Scissors or clippers: to cut and size longer hairs and keep an even shape. Cutting down hairs that are too long might help give a fuller appearance to a particularly patchy spot. Sometimes leaving them longer will do the job, too, but in any case, you should make sure they are trimmed to just the right length.
Beard brush or comb: you need to brush your beard at least three times a week to improve the appearance of the hair, keep it tidy, loosen up debris and possibly dandruff, stimulate the skin beneath, and distribute your natural oils. You can brush some fuller areas in such a way that the hair covers up patchier spots. Many brushes and combs come with a pouch and you can carry them around with you.
Shaving cream or gel: once you go fully bearded, you'll need less shaving cream, but it's still important because sometimes you'll have to clean the edges and shape of the beard, and cream makes everything glide more easily.
Beard oil: this product is going to become even more important as your beard gets longer and fuller because it will hydrate and soften the skin as well as condition the beard and offer hold. Some gentlemen prefer beard wax for the same purposes. Products like these can hold hair in place when you need it to cover a particular spot.
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