Let's be honest: waiting for a full beard to grow can feel like waiting for a glacier to melt. If you're trying to grow a beard, there's every chance you're looking for ways to grow facial hair faster! You might think you're doing something wrong, or there's something wrong with your beard. The chances are, you just need a little patience and care. Keep in mind that the best beards take months to grow.

Is there any way of making a beard grow quicker though? By understanding how your beard grows, and how best to protect it and the skin beneath, you can boost growth. And there are other things you can do to make beards thicken faster. We'll tell you all about beard growth, including how long it takes, how your beard grows, how to grow facial hair fast, and how to care for your beard hairs and skin properly in order to grow a beard fast.

How Fast Does Beard Hair Grow?

So, the burning question: how fast do beards grow? Before we answer this, let's face facts: every man, and every beard, is different. That means some men cannot grow beards at all. Some ethnicities can only grow hair around the upper lip/chin area.

How Fast Does Beard Hair Grow In A Week?

For those who can, how long it can take to grow a beard still varies. Most men will experience beard growth of around 3mm in a week, which equates to a growth rate of roughly 1/2 inch per month. For some men it's more like a quarter than a half inch. And for many men hair grows at different rates in different areas of the face. So the sideburns, for example, will outpace the area around the adams apple. Or the chin might beat the cheeks.

Beard growth is not necessarily uniform over time either, so if you're asking how fast does a beard grow at first, that's going to be different to how fast your beard grows after say, a year. If you chart your beard's progress, taking beard growth pictures by week, you would notice a wax and wane in growth.

Does Facial Hair Grow Faster Than Normal Hair?

It depends. Every man has a different rate of growth, so for one man it will be faster, for another slower, and for some the same. So it depends on your individual beard growth rate.

If that's not very helpful, hopefully this is. For all men, hair grows in three stages, which we'll cover later. Although beard hair and head hair growth varies, the growing stage for everyone's beard is shorter. The beard will slow down as it moves into the other (non-growing) phases of its development. However, as this stage lasts up to a year, you are unlikely to notice (unless you've gone completely feral).

Does Beard and Facial Hair Grow Overnight?

Yes, for all men the beard will keep on growing while you sleep. Opinion is divided about how fast though: although most will agree that your facial hair and beard growth will slow at night, as your body slows down, one theory suggests that more sleep will help your beard to grow quicker the rest of the time. We recommend keeping yourself rested, regardless.

How Long Does It Take For A Beard To Fill In?

You might look like a cut-price Keanu right now, but for even the patchiest beard, it should fill in within 6 months. For most men the time it will take to fill in a full beard is around 2-3 months - it all depends on your genetics. Beard oil, beard balm and shampoo will all help, so you needn't worry. If you've got patchy facial hair, our Guide To A Patchy Beard could be of real use to you, so check it out.

Stages Of Beard Hair Growth

Just like scalp hair, the hair on our face grows in three stages (or phases). These are:

The Anagen Phase

This is the beard growth stage, which can last from a few months up to a year. The hair on our scalp remains in this phase for much longer - which is why you may be able to grow your hair to the floor, but not your beard. During this phase your facial hair can grow up to half an inch a month, again, depending on your genetics.

The Catagen Phase

This is a transition phase, where the hair stops growing and some of the hair strands separate from the follicle. The blood supply to the follicles ceases also. This is all in preparation for phase 3.

The Telogen Phase

This is where the old is replaced with new. The new hairs grow up underneath the old, gradually pushing them out. During this phase you might fear you’re losing your beautiful full beard: but it's not hair loss, your beard is just replenishing.

What Causes Slow Facial Hair Growth?

You want to make your beard grow fast, but it's just not happening. There are many possible reasons. Your beard may just be a slow grower. This could be caused by natural factors, like your testosterone levels. A healthy body will aid beard growth, and equally poor overall health will have the opposite effect. If your blood circulation isn't great, this will mean less blood flow to the skin on the face, resulting in less nourishment for the hair follicles.

If your diet is poor, or conversely if you're on a super lean, healthy diet, you may not be getting all of the nutrients and minerals you need to produce testosterone. But probably the number one factor in slowing your beard growing is a lack of, or badly executed, beard care. Using the wrong type of beard shampoo, and neglecting to use beard oil and beard balm, will dry out your beard, and the skin on your face. This leads to dead skin, and a wiry, slow growing beard. It will also cause beard itch. If you don't care for it, the time it will take to grow a full beard will be much longer.

How Do You Speed Up Facial Hair Growth?

First, to answer a question we hear all the time: does shaving make hair grow faster? A common myth around beard growing is the idea that shaving more frequently will boost growth: but this is an illusion. When you shave stubble, it appears to grow back thicker: but this is just because you've shaved off the narrow tip. When the beard hairs continues growing from the hair follicle, it appears thicker as the hair shaft has no tip. Trimming can aid growth, but shaving your beard is clearly counterproductive.

So, that said: how to make your beard thicken a little quicker? Unsurprisingly, a healthy beard which is attached to a healthy body tends to grow quicker. So if you want to know how to grow a beard faster, look after yourself and the beard. Regular exercise, a healthy, varied diet and good sleep are all just great ideas, so work on your muscle growth and keep well fed.

But the best advice is good beard care. Using beard oils to replenish the skin on the face and moisturise the beard hair will keep the skin, follicle and hair healthy and nourished. Regular washing with a dedicated beard shampoo will keep your beard soft and clean and also help to hydrate and protect. And beard balm can protect your beard from the worst of the elements.

If you're still unsure about beard growth, our post on How to Grow a Beard has even more info and great tips, to help you grow the best beard you can. See the Bearded Chap's full range of beard care products for healthy facial hair and give your beard its best chance at growing fast.