The 5 Beard Growth Stages

Beard Growth Tips

7 minute read

The 5 beard growth stages follow the 5 stages of life: weakness – adversity – perseverance – strength – peace.

Thinking otherwise?

Ask yourself, would Simba be the Lion King if Scar had never killed Mufasa?

We don’t think so.

We think a little adversity is good for men. And, we think a beard (or mane in Simba’s case) reflects the perseverance and strength of the man.

So, buckle up, grab a beer and get ready to learn the 5 beard growth stages that you can expect while growing your very own mane.

Beard growth occurs in 5 stages, each of which has its own grooming requirements. Those stages are stubble, patchy, short beard, growth and grooming, and full bearded glory.

While every man is different, facial hair normally grows at a rate of a 1/2 inch every month.

STAGE 1 OF BEARD GROWTH – STUBBLE (WEEK 1)

Starting with a clean shaven face, the first stage of beard growth is stubble. This is when your face still has a mostly smooth texture but, you might start to see some hair growing in above the lip, on the sideburns or along your jawline.

This stage is also known as the 5 o’clock shadow.

Don’t you dare stop here. Ignore the ingrown hair from your last shave and keep going.

You don’t want your face looking like your wife’s unshaven legs on a camping trip.

STAGE 2 OF BEARD GROWTH – PATCHY (WEEK 2-3)

In Stage Two of Beard Growth, you’ll begin to see what parts of your face are better at growing hair then others.

For most men it will be the chin hairs, mustache and jawline.

With a patchy beard your face will begin to look like your lazy neighbour’s lawn. Healthy in some spots… dry and barren in others.

Use some beard oil to keep the itchiness at bay for this period to supplement your natural oils.

STAGE 3 OF BEARD GROWTH – SHORT BEARD (WEEK 3-6)

In Stage Three of Beard Growth, the hair on your face becomes thicker and more noticeable. The dark patches are more distinguishable from the light patches and you should be able to shape your beard into a goatee or full beard.

Your mustache will be in play and some men may have consistent facial hair growth all over their face.

Men with thicker beards can pull off a mustache, goatee, or van dyke beard at this point.

Some really hairy bastards that we know even have a nice curly medium length beard by this growth stage.

Hair growth is different for every man so don’t get discouraged. The best beard growth is yet to come.

STAGE 4 OF BEARD GROWTH – GROWTH AND GROOMING (WEEK 6-8)

Starting at about Week Four of Beard Growth, you will need to style and clean your beard regularly.

Your beard hair will start to get curly and dry at the ends while some beard hairs will be longer than others. Use a beard brush to keep those unruly hairs in line.

Wash your beard at least every three days. Stage 4 is when your beard can start stinking like a skunk’s ass if uncared for.

Beard shampoo will keep those beard hairs and the skin underneath clean while beard oils will keep your facial hair soft to the touch, hydrated and smelling nice.

Use a beard trimmer or scissors to shape and even out your stray hairs. Also, maintain the correct beard length for the beard style you’re going for.

STAGE 5 OF BEARD GROWTH – FULL BEARDED GLORY (WEEK 8+)

In Stage Five of Beard Growth, a full and glorious beard takes shape on your face.

Men are in awe, women are flocking, small children are calling you papa.

The beard hair growth cycle is complete. You are now a man.

BUT, you are the master of your beard, not the other way around.

Growing a beard is a responsibility, not a right and beard grooming must continue.

A clean and healthy beard draws a crowd. A dirty, stinky, unkept beard will only bring you loneliness.

…or an Oscar (but only if you are Tom Hanks).

Where are you on your beard journey?

Take our beard quiz and find out in under 1 minute exactly what your beard needs to look its best.

BEARD GROWTH FACTORS

If you have ever wondered why some men can grow a better beard than others, you are really looking to understand the various factors that play into beard growth.

Keep reading to learn about things you can change or must accept on your beard growth journey.

GENETICS

Odds are if your dad was really hairy, you are too. Genetics are the number one deciding factor when it comes to growing a beard.

HEALTHY HAIR FOLLICLES

Strong hair follicles allow for longer, thicker facial hair. Unhealthy hair follicles will contribute to dry and easily breakable beard hair.

Moisturize often and clean your face of dead skin cells to avoid dry skin and unhealthy beard follicles.

AGE

Channel your inner Red Riding Hood. This boy is too young… This man is too old.

Some men begin growing their facial hair earlier than others. It all depends on when puberty hits. Ages 18-65 are the sweet spot for growing the ultimate beard.

HORMONES

Which football players generally have beards? Offensive linemen or the punter? Odds are if you are jacked up on testosterone, you will be a hairier guy and growing a beard will come more naturally.

DIET

Make sure you are getting enough vitamins, protein and minerals. If you aren’t then your body will not function at peak capacity and you can cause hair loss all over your body.

A healthy diet works wonders.

EXERCISE

Pumping iron helps boost testosterone which will boost your beard growing abilities.

SLEEP

Lack of sleep impacts all aspects of your physical health. Scientists have shown that sleep deprivation causes similar effects of drinking too much alcohol.

Do yourself a favor and get to bed early more often than not. That way, you’ll keep healthy and allow your beard to grow.

Then you can miss a few hours of sleep due to other reasons.

THE 3 STAGES OF HAIR GROWTH

Getting scientific, the three key phases of hair growth are called the anagen phase, catagen and telogen.

ANAGEN

When your hair is in the anagen phase, it is growing and your hair follicle is strong and healthy.

Anagen can last up to 6 years for the hair on your head and is slightly shorter for your beard, eyebrows and eyelashes.

Proper grooming can ensure your facial hair reaches its full potential.

CATAGEN

Catagen is an “in-between” stage, where hair growth stops and strands separate from their follicles to attach themselves to the skin. Additionally, blood supply diminishes completely during this period until it reawakens in telogen phases ahead!

This short transitional part of your scalp’s natural process also has one more function: separating hairs that are ready for shedding.

TELOGEN

In the telogen phase, our body sends out signals that cause new hairs from follicles to push old ones out so they can eventually fall off over time as part of the telogen cycle, which may last two or four months depending on individual factors like age and stress levels.

While this process runs its course, it also causes the follicle for facial hair growth to return back into anagen stage – otherwise known as “beard grow mode” – where it begins all over again

PRODUCTS THAT CAN BOOST ALL BEARD GROWTH STAGES

We’ve compiled a list of beard growth products below. Each one is tailored to quicken the beard growth process and shorten your beard growth timeline.

The Grower Kit

$ 50.00

Studies have shown that women tend to rate men with beards as more attractive or potentially better as partners or at raising children. “The Grower Kit” was designed for men no matter where they are on their beard journey. Perfect for… Read More

-Wild Willies