Struggling to grow a thicker beard? You're not alone.

Growing a thicker beard can be a challenge for many men for a variety of reasons. If there is someone to blame for this, it’s genetics. After all, genetics is responsible even for the growth of the hairs on your hair. The truth, you must accept: you aren't going to miraculously grow hair where it doesn't already grow. Reconcile with this first. We're here to help you thicken your beard, but we aren't going to lie to you, either.

The most common problems for most men are that once their beard reaches a certain point itchiness can become so irritating that they shave or trim their beard too early. Combining this with poor diet and improper skincare routine, leaving their facial hair looking thin and weak.

Consuming Biotin supplements daily is one way to make your hair to grow faster and may also assist in regrowth. There is little conclusive evidence for it's ability to stimulate the hairs that have fallen out, but there are research to suggest that increased biotin intake can strengthen the keratin infrastructure of your hair, meaning it can improve overall hair quality, including thickness and shine. So, in theory, your beard grows thicker uniformly across each scapus pili (hair shaft). Biotin supplements are available over the counter at most drug stores in capsule or tablet form.

Our readers recommended Biotin supplements:

"A healthy outside starts from the inside." - Robert Urich

If you've heard this saying before, you probably already know that your diet can have a significant impact on your body.

So, how do this help with beard growth? Well...

Balancing a good diet can actually boost facial hair growth since beard growth is primarily regulated by the production of the male hormones testosterone and DHT, so when we consume foods that promote the synthesis of these two androgens, it makes is easier for our bodies to utilize them.

Your hair is made of proteins, so the more protein-rich foods you’re consuming, the healthier your beard will look. Also, a vitamin-rich diet consists of eating more vegetables. These vegetables are packed with all the minerals and vitamins that your body needs to stay healthy.

Some of the foods you should incorporate into your diet are eggs, nuts, and kale. These will increase testosterone production and give your beard that luxurious, thicker appearance.

In addition to eating healthy, drinking enough water daily — about half your weight in ounces — will help you flush out toxins from your body and make your skin hydrated, and a healthier skin means a healthier, thicker and softer beard. This one may seem obvious to some, but you will be surprised how many men are not doing it. So stay hydrated!

Here’s a quick list of some beard thickening foods (ref.):

• Gelatin and collagen hydrolysate (collagen protein is amazing for beard).

• Ruminant liver (excellent source of vitamin A, copper, B-vitamins, and more.)

• Brazil nuts (rich in selenium, a mineral important for your beard hormones).

• Coconut oil (can increase the testicular enzymes used in testosterone synthesis).

• Eggs (packed with nearly all vitamins and minerals needed for life.)

• Orange juice (source of fructose, lowers SHBG, good for free-testosterone).

• Coffee (shown in studies to boost testosterone and DHT, the beard hormones).

• Raisins (source of boron, a trace mineral that boosts T, DHT, & beard thickness).

Related Articles: Foods that promote beard growth

Did you know regularly trimming your beard can potentially make your beard fuller?

Your beard will grow to a certain point where you will need to start trimming it to avoid split ends, dryness, itchiness or worse, looking horrible with rogue strands all over your beard. Regularly trimming your beard into shape removes strays and smoothens the surface, making your beard look fuller and thicker.

First off, let’s clarify what we mean by trimming. Tackling a trim doesn’t mean cutting off a few inches, but rather a tiny length of hair. The tool of choice for this approach should be a pair of quality grooming scissors. These will be used to cut away the split ends that crop up during your beard’s growth phase. Getting rid of these stray hairs will stimulate your beard by allowing new hair room to flourish.

While on split end duty, make sure to keep tabs on the mustache area. This is usually where most split ends crop up, and they’re quite noticeable. Mustaches tend to grow in quickly, so you’ll need to really stay on top of things. There’s no doubt you’ll build up your scissor prowess while weeding out the old cookie duster.

Trimming isn’t just about split end management, though. As your beard continues to grow, you’ll find that certain areas will outpace others. This can leave you with a beard that looks misshapen and unkempt. Time to take those scissors and pair them with a trimmer to help eliminate flyaways, and even out the asymmetrical spots.

When grooming, don’t be afraid to get in the trenches and really give your beard a once-over. Working the rough spots and dead hair can lead to healthier growth. Even better, keeping a trimming routine can speed up beard growth in general. Out with the old, dead hair and in with the new!

Though split ends and uneven patches are unavoidable, trimming can help stave off trouble in the future. If you’re looking for extra protection, marry your grooming routine with a high quality Beard Oil to take things to the next level. It’s all about keeping up the fight against damaged and uneven hair. Regular trimming and beard oil is the perfect combo to lock in a great-looking beard.

Here is our recommended trimmer:

Related Article: Our top beard trimmers...

The way hairs on your head benefit from using good natural shampoo and conditioner. The same goes for your beard. However, ensure the shampoo and conditioner you're using is formulated for your beard. "Why?" Because the hair on your head and the hair on your face are two completely different things. The hair on your head is called androgenic hair and is directly influenced by your hormones. So, this means that you can’t treat them both the same.

Regular Shampoos usually contain surfactants, which are known to dry out hair and skin. Your beard is much more susceptible to becoming brittle and breaking. "So what's the difference between the two shampoos?" Regular shampoo is designed to strip sebum oil from your scalp so that it doesn't make your hair look greasy and stuck together. We all know how unappealing an oily head of hair can be, so it's pretty much necessary to rid your scalp of those oils if this is a look you want to prevent. Your beard, however, needs these oils to thrive, and that's where beard shampoo comes in.

Beard shampoo does not contain harsh chemicals, because any good manufacturer of such a product knows that these natural oils are vital for a healthy beard. Mountaineer Brand is 100% natural beard wash. This will successfully give your beard the cleaning that it needs, without drying it out and making you look like an untamed beast.

Keeping a clean beard is important, but making sure you're using the right kind of product to do so is crucial.

If you're looking for a good wash, checkout our readers recommend beard shampoo and soap:

Make your scraggly beard look fuller and lusher with beard oil.

Anyone who is serious about growing a thicker and fuller beard will use beard oil from the first day. Beard oil moisturizes and softens your beard and skin beneath, while eliminating itchiness and beard dandruff. Oils made with natural ingredients is always the best choice if you want to grow a beard that's healthier (ref.).

It hasn’t been scientifically proven that beard oil will help with beard growth. However, there’s anecdotal evidence that some of the essential oils used in beard oil may help support or promote beard hair growth.

These include ylang ylang, bay leaf, and other essential oils high in antioxidants (ref.).

Remember that all types of skin, including oily skin, need to be nourished and moisturized. If you have sensitive or acne-prone skin, try using a beard oil that contains essential oils with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. These include tea tree oil, and cinnamon (ref.).

Looking for a quality beard oil? Checkout our article for our recommend Beard Oils:

Healthy skin is the foundation of a healthy, thick beard. That’s why you’re going to need a good moisturizer.

Cleaning and washing your face regularly will stimulate circulation, regularly exfoliating your skin, removes dead skin cells in your beard that cause ingrown hairs, beard dandruff and dull skin, Using a quality facial scrub/exfoliator will remove dead skin cells from the surface of the skin and allow any beard products you use to be more effective (ref.).

A good moisturizer should be the first tool in your arsenal to avoid dry and tired skin. In return, you’ll notice increased beard growth, which leads to thicker beard over time.

The perfect Face Scrub, recommended by our readers:

A step which we believe every bearded man should do to improve the quality of their beard is exercising regularly. Although all exercises help your beard grow thicker in one way or another, there are some workouts that are more helpful than resting.

Working out regularly increases testosterone and blood circulation, which, as we previously mentioned, promotes healthy follicles, hair growth and provides all the nutrients the hair needs to grow thicker and stronger.

Cardio workouts, brisk walking, running, cycling, and dance are proven to increase DHT (dihydrotestosterone). This is testosterone’s product, which is also crucial when you’re trying to get a thicker beard. DHT promotes linear hair growth, resulting in a curlier and thicker beard (ref.).

Please be advised when adding exercise to your daily routine — you should be careful and start slowly, especially if you haven’t done it before.

Sleep is essential for optimal overall wellbeing. It is a little known fact that your facial hair might actually grow a little faster as and when you are resting whilst you sleep. So not only are you giving your body some much-needed down time, but you are actually serving your facial a helping hand in the growing department in the process, now, isn't that a bonus to be had!

Studies suggest that testosterone in your system is primarily released during sleep and as you know, your beard growth is determined by the amount of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) you produce. DHT is a byproduct of testosterone, activated by an enzyme in the hair follicle's oil glands. Not getting enough rest, sleep apnea, and fragmented sleep can all adversely affect this process.

A small study (source) found that daily sleep restriction lowered testosterone levels in healthy young men. Another study found that testosterone levels peak (source) at around the start of the first REM sleep cycle, and remain at that level until you wake up.

Bit of an underground secret to making your beard thicker naturally is called microneedling.

This is done with a fascinating beard growth tool called Derma Roller or Beard Roller which is essentially a roller covered in tiny titanium steel needles which lightly pierce the outer layer of your skin to induce the production of collagen and keratin in the skin. In addition to activating collagen and keratin production, microneedling may help improve beard hair growth by boosting nutrient-rich blood flow to the area.

Because derma rollers actually pierce the skin, there are some risks associated with them. Initially, you may notice some skin irritation — redness and inflammation — but these side effects should disappear after a few days.

You may also have minor bleeding. If the bleeding is excessive, you may be pressing the roller too firmly against your skin.

The size of the needles on derma rollers varies. Larger needles (0.5 mm) should only be used once or twice a week. Smaller, 0.25 mm needles can be used more often. You will want to give your skin a chance to repair itself between treatments.

To give your derma roller the best chance at success, consider using minoxidil on your beard once or twice a week, on days when you don’t use the derma roller. There hasn’t been considerable research in this area.

For those looking for the perfect roller, here is our recommended beard roller:

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