To some people a perfectly shaped beard is the epitome of a man.
Over the past few years we’ve seen a huge rise in men sporting a beard, with the hipster trend rising in popularity alongside a noticeable increase in sales of beard related products (oils, combs, beard wash).
But what if you wanted to embrace the beard but struggle to grow one?
What do you do if you have to deal with bald patches and all you can seem to grow is an awfully looking patchy beard?
I want to share a few tips that will you fix your patchy beard alongside some additional advice to help with beard growth.
Having to deal with a patchy beard is quite embarrassing. How can you deal with a patchy beard and how can you make it look as good as you possibly can?
As you can probably see in the video, I do in fact suffer with patchy beard syndrome… I cannot grow a good beard.
You may be able to relate as you read this, you may be a sufferer of patchy beard syndrome as well (it really isn’t a syndrome, I’m making this up to add some more masculinity to the fact I can’t grow a decent beard) but patchy beards are something that a lot of men struggle to embrace.
If you’ve failed to cover up your patchy beard or you’re struggling to come to terms with it the tips below should help.
1. Grow Your Beard Out
So the first thing that I suggest is to grow your beard out as much as you can.
If you struggle to grow a decent beard it’s natural to shave it off whenever it hits a certain length. The issue is when you are very self conscious of the patches that you have on your beard you get it to a certain length and then you shave it off or trim it down. You get it to that length again and then shave it or trim it down and this repeats.
You wan’t to try and grow it out as much as you can.
Now the reason why people suggest to grow it out is because it’s all about training your facial hair. If you’re growing it to a certain length and then shaving again it’s never going to get past that stage.
So try and grow it out as much as you possibly can. Some people do recommend that when you do grow it out train the hair to fall in a different direction (by brushing it) towards your bald patches. This will train your facial hair to grow in a different direction (over your bald areas) therefore covering them up.
I highly recommend that you grow your beard out as much as possible as this will train your beard to grow more naturally.
2. Trim It Correctly
The second way is my personal favourite and that’s just to trim it down. Grab yourself a razor and trim down the areas next to your patches.
Most men will typically grab a razor and trim down the full beard but there’s ways to keep your beard without accentuating the bald patches.
You want to trim down your beard next to the bald patches, trim it down to a low grade because if you keep this area long and then have a bald patch it will accentuate the bald patch. Where as on the other hand if you keep it short and then have the bald patch it won’t really show.
Trim it down and keep areas where you can grow your facial hair a little bit longer as this will accentuate the fact you can grow a beard but people won’t see or be drawn towards your bald patches and your patchy beard.
So that’s my favourite way, to just trim it down and create a masterpiece out of your patchy beard.
3. The Easiest Way
The third way is probably the most groundbreaking bit of advice I’ve ever given… and that’s to just shave the whole thing off.
If you are suffering with a patchy beard and it annoys you shave it off or just grow out the beard and embrace the patches.
Don’t overcomplicate this whole situation. I can’t grow a decent beard, it does annoy me but I’ve come to terms with it and I’ll often trim it down. I personally very rarely shave it off completely but sometimes I do.
We did a feature last year where we teamed up with Lynx and we highlighted the clean shaven look, something that’s going to become more popular after the rise of the beard and hipster look over the last few years.
The clean shaven look will start to be embraced more so if you have a patchy beard don’t be afraid to shave it off completely and this will solve every issue you’ve ever had with your patchy beard.
Beard Growth Advice
So I want to end this with a little bit of advice in terms of beard growth. If you haven’t come to terms with your patchy beard, if you haven’t embraced it, if none of the tips above have worked you can of course take drastic measures.
I’ve never done this or seen anyone do this but obviously hair transplants are more readily available and popular amongst men, and you can get hairs transplanted onto your face. This is of course a drastic measure but some men have opted for treatment in the past.
The other thing that can accelerate hair growth (and something I’ve personally used) is Apple Cider Vinegar. This is a great natural product that you can use with a little bit of water that when rubbed into bald spots can help accelerate growth. It works for some people it doesn’t for others, use it for a few months and see if it accelerates hair growth around your beard.
So there we have it, hopefully the tips above will help you fix your patchy beard.
Most importantly try to embrace it. Don’t worry what people think and be you.
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Let me know if you also have a patchy beard and how you manage deal with it in the comments below.
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