Does shaving help grow a beard?
Shaving doesn't affect hair growth at all. It's just one of those things that people like to say without understanding the science behind it. But don't sweat—we'll get into why this persistent myth exists in the first place and what you can do to help your facial hair grow out fuller and faster!
Shaving does not affect the hair follicle.
- Hair growth is determined by genetics, and you cannot change the thickness of your hair by shaving.
- You can't make your beard grow faster by shaving it off: if you shave every day, your facial hair isn't going to grow any faster than it would have been growing anyway. It will just look stubbly all the time.
- You also can't make your beard grow thicker by shaving it at all (unless you're using a razor with an extremely sharp blade). If anything, frequent shaves will remove some of the density in order to reduce irritation and ingrown hairs—which means that if you want thicker facial hair, then you should use an electric shaver rather than a razor!
You may have heard that shaving your face helps to promote thicker hair growth. This is because the idea that shaving promotes thicker hair stems from a misunderstanding of hair growth cycles.
In reality, hair grows in cycles of about 2-6 years, with each cycle consisting of three phases: anagen (growth), catagen (resting) and telogen (shedding). The length of these phases varies for different types of body hair; for example, eyelashes grow for about 10 days before falling out completely. While you may be able to feel individual hairs as they grow from their follicles under the skin surface, each one goes through its own cycle independently from others around it—so there’s no way shaving one will influence how another behaves!
The thickness of each individual beard hair is determined by genetics.
If you have thick hair, you'll grow a thicker beard than someone with thin or fine hair.
The good news is that shaving your face doesn't affect the thickness of your facial hair at all. The bad news is that shaving your face doesn't affect the thickness of your facial hair at all—the only thing it does is make it less dense and less visible until the hair grows back in again (and sometimes even then).
Most facial hair grows at different rates.
It's true that shaving can make your beard appear thicker, and it might even give you a little more time to decide whether or not you want to grow a full-on beard. But the effects of shaving aren't permanent. As soon as you stop shaving, those hairs will start growing at their regular rate again.
If some of your hairs seem to be growing faster than others, don't worry—that's normal! If some of them are growing slower than others, that could be an indication that they have been damaged by over-shaving or irritation from other grooming products (like razors). If some of them are not growing at all and seem like they've been cut off with scissors instead of shaved off with a razor blade? That could mean something else entirely—like an infection or ingrown hair in one area causing trauma for all surrounding follicles
Keep your face clean and moisturised.
- Wash your face with warm water and a mild soap.
- Use a good moisturiser to keep your skin hydrated.
- Exfoliate once a week to remove dead skin cells and prevent ingrown hairs.
- Wash your beard at least twice per day: Once in the morning, before you eat anything or touch your face; and once in the evening, after dinner and before going to sleep. This will ensure that food debris doesn't get stuck under your beard overnight which can lead to breakouts (and if you're like me, not being able to find all of it).
- Shave regularly (every two days) so that your beard looks neat and tidy as it grows longer.
Other steps you can take to improve your beard include taking vitamins like biotin. Vitamin B7 (also known as biotin) has been shown to help with hair growth and thickness by helping your body to produce the right amount of hormones, which in turn helps you grow and maintain healthy hair. A good multivitamin will already contain a fair amount of vitamin B7, but if it doesn't have enough for your needs then a supplement may be necessary.
Shaving does not cause your beard to grow faster or thicker
The idea that shaving promotes thicker hair growth stems from a misunderstanding of the hair growth cycle. While it's true that shaving can stimulate a longer period of dormant time between cycles, this doesn't mean that the hairs are getting thicker while they're not growing as they would be otherwise.
In reality, each beard hair grows at its own rate and determines its own thickness based on genetics. And no, there isn't any research to prove that shaving makes hair grow faster or thicker in general—only if you shave regularly and grow your facial hair back immediately after (which isn't always possible).
Conclusion
I hope this article has helped you better understand the connection between shaving and growing a beard. In summary, there’s no scientific evidence that shaving leads to faster or thicker hair growth. So feel free to shave your face as much as you want!