Do Beard Growth Products Work? Everything You Need to Know

Seeking to grow a fuller beard? Tired of having a patchy beard? If so, you’ve probably one of many men who have wondered whether the products promising a fuller, thicker beard are actually worth your money. You have probably also wondered about the contradictory reviews for the mass of products that promise thicker beard growth.

Marketers will recommend various beard growth vitamins to grow your beard fast. Conversely, researchers have come out vehemently claiming that most beard products don’t promote beard growth. But do beard growing products work?

The short answer – some of them do but most of them don’t.

Beard-growing products infused with minoxidil do work. Minoxidil stimulates facial hair growth by shortening the hair’s resting phase, lengthening the growing phase, and improving blood flow.

While there are several suggestions on how to bolster your beard, it’s helpful to understand whether these recommendations are practical or not. This article details the effectiveness of beard growth products and their side effects.

Do Beard Growing Products Work?

Products infused with biotin and minoxidil can boost new hair growth for most men. The effectiveness of such beard-growing oils depends on healthy nutrition, exercise, sleep quality, stress management, and genes.

The market is chock-full of beard oils promising to make your beard grow faster while filling some patches. Most beard oils contain vitamins and natural oils that nourish your skin and beard.

These products can keep your facial hair moisturized, thick, and healthy. Unfortunately, if you want to grow your beard faster with the help of beard growth products, be sure to manage your expectations.

But why is there a massive demand for beard growth oil? The truth is that companies will manufacture and sell products on demand. It doesn’t matter whether the beard-growth product works or not.

Genetics and hormones are the main factors that influence beard growth. Some ‘lucky’ men will shave their beards, and after a few weeks, they will walk around with a thick Viking beard. So, are there ways to revamp beard growth?

If your hormones and genetics don’t favor you, there are effective methods to help affect hair growth. They include:

• Biotin (vitamin B7) supplement
• Minoxidil
• Nutrition
• Age
• Exercise
• Sleep
• Stress management

Biotin

Biotin is a vitamin B that helps metabolize carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. This vitamin B plays a crucial role in the production of keratin, the primary protein that makes up our skin, hair, and nails.

However, for biotin to enhance keratin production, it must be ingested. Some claim that using beard oils with biotin can promote facial hair growth. While the skin absorbs biotin, there’s not enough scientific proof that it will help promote beard growth.

Biotin can be helpful to people experiencing sudden hair loss (alopecia areata). Taking biotin supplements will promote hair regrowth and hair thickness. Topical application of biotin might fail to facilitate fast beard growth.

People with biotin deficiency are likely to experience abnormal hair, skin, and nail growth. Though rare, biotin deficiency will lead to thinning of hair, impaired visions, and seizures.

Supplementing with biotin can be a safe way to avert biotin deficiency. With constant supplements, you’ll start experiencing strong and thick hair.

Various foods are good sources of vitamin B and might act as biotin supplement alternatives. These foods include:

• Egg yolks
• Mushrooms
• Bananas
• Legumes
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Nuts
• Spinach
• Sweet potato
• Cheese
• Cow’s milk
• Beef, pork, chicken
• Salmon

If possible, include some/all of these foods in your daily diet to ensure efficient biotin intake.

Minoxidil

Minoxidil, an ingredient in Rogaine, has been used to stimulate hair growth over the years. Minoxidil shortens the hair’s resting phase and lengthens the growing phase. It also improves blood flow to ensure growing hair on the scalp receives essential oxygen and nutrients.

When applied to beards, minoxidil can enhance the growth of more facial hair. Consistently use the product to avoid losing your beautiful beard.

Minoxidil is also a good choice for people with patchy beards. Using minoxidil will help fill in the patches. However, minoxidil has several side effects (more on this later), so be cautious when using it.

Nutrition

A healthy diet is responsible for the growth of our bodies. Beard requires healthy nutrients supplied by blood to grow faster and stronger. If your blood is rich in beneficial nutrients, you can rest assured that your beard receives the essential components it needs to grow.

However, a healthy diet can’t override genetics. If you can’t grow facial hair, not any amount of a healthy diet will encourage beard growth. What a healthy diet does is help existing hair to grow healthy and fast. Ensure to include the following foods in your diet:

• Lean protein
• Iron
• Healthy fats
• Fruits and vegetables
• Whole grains
• Foods high in zinc

Testosterone affects facial hair growth in men. The more testosterone you have, the more facial hair you’ll have. So if you want to promote beard growth, ensure to increase your testosterone.

One of the most effective ways of increasing testosterone is by consuming a zinc-rich diet. Foods that are rich in zinc include beans, nuts, shellfish, legumes, cow’s milk, eggs, and red meat.

Determining whether low testosterone is the sole cause of slow beard growth is tricky. While you might rely on several signs, it’s advisable to undergo a testosterone test.

Exercise

Exercise increases blood flow, ensuring your face receives essential nutrients to stimulate beard growth. Workouts such as strength training and weightlifting temporarily boost testosterone production. With regular exercise, testosterone will increase, promoting facial hair growth.

The best way to keep your testosterone high through exercise is to vary your workouts and time.

Other factors to consider when growing a healthy and strong beard include sleep and stress management. When you get enough sleep, about 8-9 hours at night, your hair tends to grow fast and healthy.

Stress management is critical in promoting our immune health. With a lowered immunity, you might experience hair loss or slowed growth. It’s important to have stress management practices like exercise, meditation, and yoga to avoid hair loss and slowed growth.

Remember, hair can’t grow where hair follicles are absent. Growing a beard is simply a waiting game. While facial hair will start to show up at puberty, its growth might be slower than signs of puberty. You may have to wait until you’re 30 or 40 to have a dense beard.

You can use a variety of supplements and oils without success because supplements and oils don’t trigger the growth of hair follicles. Supplements like those mentioned above will only be helpful where there are hair follicles. When used, they will significantly promote the growth of healthy and strong beards.

Beard Growth Supplement Side Effects

If you’re using beard growth supplements, it’s essential to learn their side effects. And since your goal is to grow a dense, healthy, and luscious beard, it can be frustrating to use supplements that eventually cause serious side effects.

The secret is understanding your body and applying sensibility before choosing and using beard supplements.

Biotin Supplements Side Effects

Since biotin is a water-soluble vitamin, excess of it goes to waste through urine or feces. But are there side effects when you overdose on a biotin supplement?

If you take an overdose of biotin, you might experience the following side effects:

• Skin rashes
• Trouble sleeping
• High blood sugar levels
• Deficiency in other vitamins
• Digestive upset
• Kidney problems
• Interference with some lab tests
• Interference with certain medications like antipsychotic and anticonvulsant drugs

Before supplementing with biotin, consult your healthcare provider to understand whether you’re fit for the supplement and the amount to use.

Minoxidil Side Effects

Beard enthusiasts who use minoxidil as a supplement need to use it regularly to stimulate and maintain beard growth. However, constant usage comes with side effects.

You might experience irritation and inflammation on your skin if you use minoxidil regularly. And when you stop using it, your beard growth will be hampered.

Side Effects of Beard Growth Pills

You can obtain beard growth supplements from food or beard growth pills. And while not everyone likes using pills, you may wonder, are beard growth pills safe?

Common beard growth pills in the market include testosterone booster, Viviscal, advanced men’s formula, beef gelatin capsule, and biotin.

These pills are made of high concentrations of vitamins, which boosts the growth of facial hairs. Beard growth pills are also used as protein supplements, especially by people who don’t eat protein-rich diets.

In some cases, beard growth pills might cause temporary and permanent side effects. So before using any, consider your health status and the side effects it might cause.

Below are the side effects of beard growth pills:

• Excess Hair Growth (Hypertrichosis): Some people using beard growth pills might start growing excess hair on the cheeks, arms, scalp, legs, chest, and around the eyes. Excess hair on your body parts is known as the “Vellus Hairs.” These hairs shed off over time, but you manage them by shaving.
• Acne: If you’re susceptible to acne, you may want to consider alternative beard growth supplements. Beard growth pills cause acne as they can completely dry out your skin. If you have pimples, these pills might inflate them, causing severe pain around your face.
• Fatigue: Some men have complained about beard-growing pills making them feel tired and weak. If possible, consult your healthcare provider or discontinue using the pills.
• Heart Palpitations: Some beard growth pills, such as minoxidil, are made to increase blood circulation by widening blood vessels. Though short-lived, people using these pills might feel an increase or decrease in heartbeat rate. Discontinue using beard-growing pills if they cause heart palpitations.
• Skin Irritation: The presence of propylene glycol in beard growth pills can cause skin irritation, dryness, itchy skin, and skin burn sensation. Luckily, you can avoid such side effects by using moisturizers frequently.
• Headaches: You might have temporary headaches when using beard growth pills. However, headaches start to lessen as you continue using the pills.
• Chest Pains: Beard growth pills usage can cause slight to severe chest pains. Ensure to seek the help of your healthcare provider when chest pains become unbearable.
• Dizziness: When you start using beard growth pills, expect severe dizziness. Find an alternative beard growth product that won’t make you feel dizzy after use.

Final Thoughts

Do beard-growing products work? Beard growth pills such as biotin or minoxidil can stimulate beard growth if combined with a healthy diet, exercise, sleep, and a routine to keep your beard clean.

Although beard growth products might work, be cautious when using them. If used regularly, minoxidil might trigger skin irritation, inflammation and hurt hair health. Excess biotin might cause skin rashes, kidney issues, or digestive upsets.