The Internet is an easy place to find information on virtually any topic you want. The question is who is telling the truth and accurately reporting facts and who is just giving their opinion? Here are 8 popular beard myths that often get mentioned as being true, with some specifics on each…
Hair Growth Products Are Meant For Facial Hair, Too
ROGAINE was the first product approved by the FDA in the US and Health Canada to promote hair growth. While the product was specifically approved for scalp hair growth, it isn’t hard to find guys online talking about using products with Minoxidil to grow beard hair and matter of factly discuss its use.
While commercially available products that contain Minoxidil like ROGAINE have been been used on the scalp for hair growth since 1988, the fact is that ROGAINE’s manufacturer Johnson & Johnson only recommends ROGAINE for scalp hair growth as that is the specific purpose it was approved for.
This is the response I received from them when I asked the very question of whether or not ROGAINE can be used for beard hair growth:
Our products are not intended and tested for facial hair growth.
Johnson & Johnson Consumer Care Department
The thing is that scalp hair doesn’t grow due to hormones but facial hair does. That explains why we have hair on our head from birth or shortly thereafter while we don’t get facial hair until puberty. So facial hair is closer to body hair than scalp hair. And ROGAINE was approved for your scalp.
So while you can use ROGAINE on your beard for facial hair growth, it’s not the approved purpose and its own manufacturer doesn’t recommend it for this purpose. Also, you need to continue using ROGAINE to continue receiving the benefits otherwise the hair loss may begin again.
And as the link above discusses, Johnson & Johnson doesn’t recommend shaving while you’re using ROGAINE as the lack of hair may negatively impact its effectiveness.
So does ROGAINE successfully work on beard hair growth? Well, since the manufacturer doesn’t recommend that use and since it hasn’t been approved for this sort of treatment…
Beards Are Difficult To Keep Clean
Not at all. Certainly, the bigger the beard the more care you’ll have to take to keep it clean. But washing your beard each day when you shower really shouldn’t add much to your daily washing regimen.
And if you have a relatively short, kempt beard as most men do, the cleanliness issue because even less of a concern.
Beards act somewhat like a filter like cilia (nose hairs) do in that they will attract dirt, dust, debris etc. If you don’t clean your beard of course it will become dirty just like the hair on your head. But keeping them clean really isn’t a huge problem as some would make you believe.
Patchy Beard Growth Prevents Me From Growing A Beard
While patchy beard growth is a problem for guys and might prevent you from growing a full beard, there are a few considerations.
First, there are plenty of beard styles and facial hair styles to choose from. There are many modern, acceptable choices that don’t all involve growing full beards and/or facial hair on the cheeks. A goatee is one particular facial style that doesn’t involve growing hair on the cheeks.
Second, many guys do grow patchy beards but give up too quickly and shave it off before giving their beard a chance to fully grow out. Often, patchy parts can be covered up and hidden with the growth that occurs over time. It might take you a month (4 full weeks) before you have any amount of beard hair worth talking about, maybe longer. Growing a full beard might take you several months in total. Shaving it too soon eliminates the chance you’ll get to see the final result.
If you can’t grow a full beard due to patchiness after a good period of time letting your beard grow out, you have other facial hair options to choose from, as mentioned above.
Beards Are Itchy
Beards can be itchy from around weeks 1 – 3 of growing one. Since you’re used to shaving whiskers, growing your beard out is a new experience. When the whiskers reach a certain length, the sharp edge of the hair touches the hair follicle and scratches it. Multiple hairs doing that at the same time gives you get the itchy feeling. Once the hairs grow out and away from the follicle, the itchiness should subside.
The itchy feeling does tend to pass after several several weeks. It’s generally not something you’ll feel over time. Taking care of your beard – washing, moisturizing, brushing, combing – helps to limit itchiness too.
Beards Are Expensive To Maintain
Men often believe that beards must be shaved or otherwise maintained by a barber. Not so. You can buy yourself a pair of clippers, select your desired length attachment, and trim it yourself. Or let it grow out and don’t trim it at all.
Buy a brush and comb and perhaps a decent beard oil or moisturizer, and you’re pretty much good to. You might not need to buy anything more than a comb. Your bearded ancestors certainly didn’t and they survived just fine.
And you don’t even have to buy an expensive beard oil. You can find a nice recipe online and put together one yourself with a few essential oils of your choosing. Much cheaper than buying it.
Shaving Makes Whiskers Grow Thicker
As with the hair on your head, your shaving style does not alter your hair in any way. Your hair does not change in terms of thickness, colour, texture, etc if you shave it or don’t. Letting your beard grow out will not make your whiskers grow thicker.
As we spoke about above, letting your beard grow out can thicken up over time and cover up patchy areas. But this is due to the overall amount of your facial hair growing out and not because each hair is getting thicker on its own.
A Beard In The Summer Will Make Me Hot
If that’s the case then everyone should shave their head in the summer, no? In actuality, having hair on your head helps to shield your scalp from the sun’s damaging rays. If you shave your head, you know how quickly you can get a sunburned scalp during sunny days.
Facial hair won’t make you hotter. Even with a thick beard, your skin can still breathe and the hair on your face is not trapping heat and making your temperature rise.
Growing A Beard Can Lead To Acne
Growing a beard won’t lead to acne or clogged pores but your choice of beard oil or moisturizer might contribute. A comedogenic product refers to one that clogs the pores, something that leads to blackheads and acne. Coconut oil is highly comedogenic and should be avoided on the face area by guys who are prone to acne breakouts or oily skin as it can make it worse.
Check out my post on comedogenic face washes and moisturizers to learn more about avoiding “healthy” products that may actually be bad for your skin.
Conclusion
One of the biggest mistakes guys make with a beard is giving up on it too soon. A decent beard might take several months before it has fully grown in.
The itchy phase normally hits between weeks 1 and 3 and will normally subside after that. You won’t have a permanently itchy beard…the itch is why many guys give up and shave it off though.
Maintaining a beard doesn’t have to be overly taxing. Washing, combing, brushing and possibly the use of a beard oil or moisturizer. That’s all that is needed.
Have you grown a beard? What was the toughest thing you faced and dealt with? Let us know in the comments below!