At Mo Bro’s, we like to keep our ear to the ground so we’re in the know about the kinds of beard struggles you’re going through. Because if we know what’s bothering you, we can try to help.

One of the biggest grumbles we’ve come across is beard thickness. More specifically: how to grow a thicker beard. Can it be done? Is it possible to grow a wholesome man mane?

Well, first of all, it is possible to grow a thicker beard, although how thick depends on things like genetics, age and health.

Some men are genetically engineered to grow thicker hair than others. There’s nothing that can be done about your genetics. The same goes for age. For most men, a beard won’t fully develop until you reach your late twenties/early thirties. So don’t worry too much if your beard isn’t as thick as you’d like at 19. It’ll get better with age.

As for health. Exercising and eating right improves the quality of beard growth. We’ll delve into that in more detail soon.

In terms of how quickly growing a thicker beard will happen…then… If you’re looking to shave at 7am and have a thick beard by the time you leave work at 5pm, you’re out of luck. Even if you follow the tips we’re about to lay out to the letter, the process is still likely to take a few months.

That said, following the tips will mean growing a thicker beard will happen quicker than if you never knew such tips existed.

Beard growth preparation

For this ‘thicker beard’ thing to work there’s something really important you need to do:

Do not touch your beard for the first four weeks.

It takes about a month for a beard to take shape and start to fill in, so you’ll need to patient. Now, you’ll probably experience some itching around week two or three and it might get bad enough to have you reaching for the razor, but stay strong.

We’ve written a guide on how to deal with an itchy beard. This will help get you through.

Growing a thicker beard

Once those four weeks have passed you’ll be ready to put these beard thickness tips into practice.

1. Go to bed early

If you can’t go to bed early, sleep in late. The level of growth hormone in the blood increases when you sleep, speeding up cell reproduction and hair growth in the process. This peaks around 2am, so aim to be asleep well before then.

Look to get in a full seven or eight hours sleep whenever possible. This helps to decrease stress levels and prevent hair loss.

2. Exercise

The more sleep you get, the more energy you’ll have to exercise. Regular exercise increases testosterone, which promotes hair growth. It also boosts blood circulation, giving the hair the nutrients it needs to grow.

Exercise doesn’t necessarily mean you need to start pumping iron or training like a Royal Marine (you can if want to, of course) — running, cycling, walking and even dancing are good too. Anything that gets the blood pumping.

3. Eat right

Combine exercise with a healthy diet loaded with fruit, vegetables, nuts and protein. Fruit and veg give your body the vitamins and minerals it needs, while protein keeps the beard looking healthy.

All fruit and veg are good, but you’ll need to pick and choose your nuts and proteins. Here are some examples of what to stock up on:

• Nuts — Walnuts, Cashews, Almonds, Pistachios, Walnuts, Pecans and Hazelnuts
• Protein — White-meat Poultry, Eggs, Beans, Seafood, Soy and Yoghurt

4. Look after your skin and beard

You’ll need to wash your face and beard regularly to rid the skin of dead cells and improve circulation.

Don’t wash your beard with the same soap that you use on your face, though — it’ll do more harm than good. Instead, invest in a good beard wash and conditioner and use them every other day.

Keep your skin moisturiser away from the beard too. Pick up a good beard oil that includes jojoba oils (jojoba oils are great for beard growth) and apply it often.

5. Drink plenty of water

This is healthy living advice 101 but getting in your eight glasses of water a day will flush out the harmful toxins cramping your beard’s style. Hydrated skin is healthy skin and healthy skin means a lusciously thick beard.  

6. Quit smoking

Smoking is bad for beards.

They should put that on the side of a cigarette packet.

Smoking impairs blood circulation and decreases blood flow to the roots of the hair. Also, cigarettes contain almost 5,000 chemicals that cause stress to hair growth and pigmentation.

Quit and help your body give you the beard you deserve.

And those are the six tips. We know we’re asking a lot of you, but, hey, there’s nothing more deserving of a lifestyle change than your beard, right? Why not get some more advice on Growing a Thicker Beard from our friends over on Beard Resource. Or if you want some other advice and tips on everything beards then check out some of our other blog posts.

1. Beard Growth Stages And Tips
2. 33 Tips For A Better Beard
3. How To Trim A Beard
4. How To Deal With An Itchy Beard
5. Beard Comb Or Brush: What Should I Use?