Why you should consider growing a beard
A beard is one of the main differences between males and females, even though some women can grow facial hair, the great majority of them cannot. Also, a beard is a sign of maturity, masculinity and power. No, I’m not exaggerating. A lot of research and pharmaceutical development goes into solving hair loss.
Why am I emphasizing hair loss? Because hair loss pharmaceuticals often try to treat hair loss by stimulating hair growth. Whether this is a good approach or not is not the conversation for today. But, stimulating new growth of hair follicles is exactly what we want to do when trying to grow a beard or trying to fix a patchy one.
Peppermint oil, the perfect minoxidil replacement
So much research on how to grow hair, and one very common mechanism that has been found to influence hair growth is blood flow. Even minoxidil is believed to work by improving blood flow . When I was about 19, I saw a lot of my friends grow great facial hair. I had a bit of stubble but nothing to be impressed about. I then researched about how a lot of guys were growing full beards with minoxidil, but some had very questionable side effects. I did not want to resort to that. So I believed that there must be a more natural alternative.
I then started reading about peppermint essential oil. In this study peppermint essential oil was at least as effective as minoxidil for hair growth. This is exactly what we need to do to grow a beard, we need to stimulate hair follicles and to do that we need to increase blood flow, and we can achieve that with peppermint essential oil. My recommendation is organic and pure, you can dilute that with coconut oil, or as I do it, simply apply it directly to the skin, the brands i used do not cause irritation to me. You can test this first in some part of your body and then in your face to avoid potential complications.
Will shaving stimulate more growth?
There is the myth that shaving with a razor will stimulate hair growth, but there is no research that supports this. This won’t hurt, but it also won’t make your beard grow all of a sudden. If you have a really unpatchy or just a few hairs you can shave to look better.
Natural supplements for overall hair growth
Since there is a huge market for beard growth, more companies continue to try and make a profit out of it. I am not saying that supplements don’t work, but you can easily attain in a bioavailable form all the nutrients you need to grow hair, just like humans have been doing this the whole time by eating real food. With that being said, there are some good supplements that contain vitamins and minerals to optimize hair growth, but without stimulating new hair follicles, vitamins and minerals will not stimulate hair growth but they will help maintain your current or “gained” hair.
Some micronutrients are essential to hair growth. Here are my favorite vitamins and minerals for it:
- Zinc: it helps with maintaining hair follicles
- Collagen: Collagen is a protein, but it is very hard to consume daily unless you drink bone broth every day, which is not the case for the average person. It helps you to provide the necessary amino acids for hair production in your body. Hair is made of protein.
- B vitamins: they are involved in the production of red. blood cells, these transport oxygen and they help with healthy hair growth
- Iron: it helps to supply oxygen to the hair follicles
Of course these have a lot more applications in your body, i just tried to summarize the mot important parts for hair growth. It is important to have a balanced diet, as you can see all the nutrients will play a key role in maintaining your hair and body healthy.
Best food sources of micronutrients for hair growth
Beef or ground beef: Beef has a good amount of everything you need to grow hair, zinc, B vitamins and iron. If you opt for ground beef, then you would also consume a good amount of collagen! Many people don’t know this but ground beef is a great source of collagen since its a blend of all the cuts that people don’t commonly want. This includes connective tissue, which contains collagen.
Bone broth/ground beef: bone broth is the main source of collagen in peoples diet, you can purchase a collagen supplement in a powder form and consume at least 10-20 grams daily, since making bone broth may be unsuitable for the majority of people. Another option is buying the bone broth already made, just check the ingredient list and the nutrition facts to make sure it includes a good amount of protein, if the label of bone broth contains protein, it will contain collagen.
If you opt for not eating some red meat, I would in fact recommend supplementation to make sure that you at least get some of those nutrients. The thing here is that it may not be the same as getting it from whole foods (less bioavailability which means, your body is less efficient processing supplements than whole foods) but it is certainly better than nothing. There are also beef organ supplements that can help you with hair growth and overall health.
You must be patient
I cannot stress this enough. For some people, time goes fast but others not so much. It has happened to me that I have a goal and I feel like it’s forever, but it’s not. I would encourage you to get into this protocol for the long term, and by that I mean at least 12 weeks. This is the amount of time in which you can see significant results.
How to apply peppermint oil
Simply combine equal parts of a carrier oil like coconut oil, with a few drops of peppermint essential oil. Then apply it to the areas you want to stimulate new hair growth. You do not want to over do it since you can be left very oily, but too little and you wont reap the benefits. Trust your intuition and put just enough that you feel the coolness of the peppermint oil in your face but you are not dripping oil. Leave it until it absorbs through your skin completely, do not wash it off. I find a dropper very helpful for this.
Dermaroller
A dermaroller is a very interesting device that has been found to stimulate hair growth. It works by causing some damage to the skin and then it will stimulate blood flow and hair growth. This is a proven method to stimulate (STUDY) hair growth and you can do this at night once per week. Make sure that you disinfect the derma roller to avoid any side effects. Make sure to follow the instructions of the manufacturer and make sure that you do not overdo it. The length of the needles is very important, i recommend a .25mm to .3mm length, do not use a larger length unless you are instructed to.
The ultimate natural beard growing protocol
Here is the simple protocol from Monday to Saturday, you can dermaroll on Sunday.
- Tuesday thru Sunday Mornings: Apply every morning after showering and with a clean face peppermint oil in the desired areas. Use a carrier oil if needed.
- Sunday Evenings: Use a dermaroller, with individual needles. Roll in the desired area of growth a total of 7 times horizontally and vertically. You will want to roll and start over, do not roll back and forth.
- Mondays: You can use peppermint oil as usual, but if you find you are still very irritated (red) from the derma rolling session, skip one day of peppermint oil.
This is the protocol I used to grow a beard and the one I am using to grow hair in my hairline.
Peppermint oil at night not a great idea
I would refrain from applying peppermint oil at night. This is because peppermint oil can have a stimulating effect and could make it harder to fall asleep. First thing in the morning (of course after showering or washing your face) is the best time to build up a routine and avoid insomnia. You will smell like peppermint for the first few hours of the day, but I think it’s worth it. If you find the smell or the freshness sensation too strong, dilute the oil with a carrier oil like jojoba, almond or coconut oil.
Should you continue to apply it after growing a beard?
Once you stimulate the growth of your beard and the hair is thick enough, then it won’t be necessary to continue applying the oil on your face. You can have a normal hygiene routine. You can then reap your efforts.
Remember that results do not come overnight. Any goal that is worth pursuing will take some work and patience. make sure that you stick to your plan for at least 12 weeks and then you can re-evaluate your strategy.
If you already achieved your desired beard growth, stay on the protocol for at least 3 more months to “seal” your beard growth. Make sure that you also fix your diet and lifestyle to maintain your healthy beard growth. There is no research on this but I am speaking from experience and a lot of anecdotal evidence. Once the beard hairs are fully developed you will maintain them, this is why you should continue at least 3 months after you have achieved your goal.
At what age should you consider these methods to grow a beard?
I will emphasize this, with the globalization and the urge to become attractive, i see a lot of very young men trying to accelerate getting a beard. In my experience your beard can start to grow even in your 20s, so I would reccomend these methods for people in their 20s. If you are younger than this, you can start by worrying about learning finance, a good hairstyle, dressing well and other things such as working out. Give it time, when you get older these methods will still be here. Some people even report getting facial hair at their early 30s. You can also look great without a beard, do not let anyone tell you otherwise!
Precautions
There are a few guaranteed tips here. If the oil irritates you then reduce or stop the application, first test in a neutral area such as your wrist.
Derma rolling should only be used once per week and the number of times specifies in the protocol. Also, the length of the needles of the derma roller should not exceed .5mm by any chance. Do not overdo derma rolling, be very mindful, start slow and only do the recommended amount of times.
Final tips
Remember that all these tips will only work if you stay consistent with it. Stick for at least 12 weeks. These are your typical study lenghts and that is the typical time you can see results. You can rest Sundays, but all the other days, make sure to use your peppermint oil and your weekly derma rolling session.