Every year, thousands of men around the world commence growing their facial hair, all in the aid of charity. This is of course Movember – the charity set up to support men through mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer.
The charity challenges men to stop shaving in November, growing out beards and moustaches for 30 days, regardless of how full or patchy they may be. The challenge is a great way to raise awareness for the real struggles that men face every day, but some may not be encouraged to take on this contest because of the way their facial hair – or lack thereof – looks.
Here, we look at the best ways to stimulate beard and moustache growth, which will leave you wondering why you never tried to grow your facial hair before!
A vitamin boost
A healthy lifestyle is key to good hair growth, so boosting your internal health with key nutrients and vitamins can help invigorate beard growth. Some evidence suggests that vitamin D can help boost hair follicles in the skin, and some B vitamins, such as B-12, niacin, and biotin can rejuvenate hair strength and its condition.
However, to understand why you can’t grow good facial hair, you may want to consider the condition of your skin. The strength and condition of your skin will largely affect how hair follicles will develop. Things like pollution, harsh weather, and UV radiation can affect the health of your skin.
To both stimulate hair growth and rejuvenate skin quality, coenzyme Q10 is the best solution. Using Q10 cream on your face can help to repair broken skin cells and energise facial hair growth. With small amounts, in the morning and evening, rubbing this moisturising solution onto your face can help make your Movember efforts even more noticeable.
Good habits go a long way
You’d be surprised how reliant your hair is on a little TLC. If you can’t grow a beard, think about how you’re taking care of yourself. After all, the task emphasises good male health practices.
Hair growth is affected by stress, sleep, diet, and smoking. Ensuring that we get enough sleep and eat a healthy diet while reducing stress and quitting habits like smoking can make it easier for your body to grow hair.
While making these lifestyle changes can help with facial hair mishaps, it’s important to remember that they can significantly improve your mental health and reduce your risk of cancer – an important aspect of the Movember campaign.
The gizmos for growth
Beard growth can be stimulated by the production of collagen. Collagen is a protein and the main component of connective tissue in the body. Importantly, it creates structure in the skin. Therefore, energising and producing collagen in your face can help stimulate hair growth.
One technique for generating collagen near the surface of your skin is through micro-needling. The technique involves rolling a series of tiny needles over your face, bringing blood towards the surface. By doing this, key nutrients are delivered to the hair follicles. When you do this, the brain responds by producing collagen and keratin to repair the skin but leaves your face feeling energised and ready for hair growth.
It’s not completely without its downsides, however; as you can imagine, needling your face is not the most comfortable act.
One key thing to remember is that some men just struggle to grow facial hair – it’s genetic and nothing to worry about. If you’re thinking of growing a beard this November to support men through very real struggles, do it with pride, regardless of how thick your hair is. After all, you can shave it off in December.
