How to grow a beard for No-Shave November

Hooray! It’s finally No-Shave November – the time of year when many men jump on a trend, but most still want to know how to grow a beard.

As with everything we write about, we’ve done the research to help bring the correct information to you.  In doing so, we were able to find a bit of history on the trend from National Today and we’ve included an excerpt here:

No-Shave November was created in 2009, two years after the passing of Matthew Hill who struggled with colorectal cancer during the month of November in 2007. He and his family had already adopted the practice of not shaving during the month of November and donating the expenses typically used on razors and shaving cream to charities that support research into illnesses such as prostate, testicular, and colorectal cancer among others. 

The idea of using facial hair to create awareness during November started in 2003 in Australia with a group of friends who coined the term, “Movember,” in reference to how they will be growing out their mustaches and collecting money for mens’ health charities during that month. The Movember Foundation and No-Shave November are two separate entities, but they are both supporting and call for the same thing – stop shaving (or grow a mustache) during the month of November to spread awareness and donate to these types of charities. 

In the past decade and a half that the two charities have been around they’ve been able to raise millions of dollars in support of charities that research prostate, testicular, and colorectal cancer prevention. 

1: Wash the beard

The beard is like a sieve; it picks up dirt and pollutants from the environment.  It also traps dead skin cells, sweat and sebum produced during the day.  If left to build up, with all these contaminants, your beard will also start to smell…  Ewww! That’s definitely not the ideal environment we are looking for.

So what do you do? Simple, you wash it. But not with any old soap or hair shampoo.  Regular hair shampoo is designed to strip oil from the hair with chemicals such as sodium lauryl sulphate, sodium laureth sulfate and cocamidopropyl betanite – who can even pronounce that, right?  If you use this on your beard, it’s going to leave it dry, coarse and itchy.

A beard shampoo/wash, however, is usually designed to be gentle on the facial hair, including the beard, and uses natural oils such as cocoa butter, shea butter and jojoba oil, together with the oils already present in the skin and hair, to keep the beard soft and healthy. Some shaving creams also can be used as beard washes.

So, wash your beard at least one to three times a week to keep it clean using a wash/shampoo specifically designed for beards.  If you have oily skin or have been in an area high in air pollutants, you may even want to wash your beard more than the recommended three times per week.

2: Condition the beard

Like the specially designed beard wash, a beard conditioner uses the same organic oils to replenish the moisture in the beard, but more specifically, into the skin.  This helps keep beard dandruff at bay.

3:  Apply beard oil:

The purpose of beard oil is to moisturize the beard and skin, as well as give a little bit of shine.  Can you use this alone instead of the beard conditioner?  Yes, you can.  While you can skip the beard conditioner if your budget does not allow it, you should not skip the beard oil.  The beard oil will help to lock in the moisture and help keep the beard soft and moisturized.

4: Apply beard balm (optional)

As your beard grows out, one thing you will notice is that it can quickly lose its neatness as the hair can be difficult to tame.  This is where the beard balm comes in.  In addition to having natural oils like beard oil, some also contain beeswax that helps tame split ends and make the beard more manageable by holding back the flyaway hairs.  This is the secret ingredient to having that well-groomed beard.  Think of it like edge control for your beard.

Step 5: Use the right tools

In addition to using the right products to provide that ideal environment, the correct tools must be used in tandem:

1.  Wooden beard comb:  Hair is negatively charged. Plastic and metal are positively charged.  As we all know opposites attract.  Therefore, when attempting to detangle the beard using plastic or metal combs, you get that snagging, pulling, hair breakage, etc., causing split ends and damage to the hair we are actively trying to grow.  To avoid this, use a wooden beard comb that glides through the hair because of it also being negatively charged.
2. Beard brush: Beard brushes are made of soft bristles designed to not irritate the skin.  Using a regular coarse hair brush can irritate the skin, leading to dandruff, ingrown hairs, etc.  A beard brush also acts as a stimulation tool to promote blood flow to the area.  As the blood flow to the area increases, it brings with it more nutrients and fresh oxygen to promote growth.  As a bonus, the beard brush also tames flyaways and helps evenly distribute the products.
3.  Beard Roller: A beard roller – also known as a derma roller – is used to safely produce minuscule breaks in the skin, which triggers the healing process and forces increased blood flow to the area you want that beard growth, bringing those extra nutrients and oxygen needed for the growth process. It is recommended to use this at least once a week to stimulate beard growth. The beard roller is usually made of 540 micro 0.25mm to 0.5mm titanium needles. The process of using this is simple: first, you wash the beard, then you condition and apply your beard oil, then comb it out.  Next, you sanitize the beard roller using 70% alcohol, and roll vertically, horizontally, and diagonally both ways in the desired area.  Do this 6 to 8 times in each direction for even growth.

After doing all that you can to provide the most ideal environment for beard growth, the rest will be up to genetics and lifestyle choices, such as a good diet and exercise.  That’s the best you can do if you want to grow your beard naturally.

If you’ve found this article helpful and want to be first to know when new content is released, be sure to subscribe to Trinidad Barber Supplies and check out The Cut Spot podcast on all podcast platforms for even more helpful tips and tricks.

@cutsbyantonio

Barber | Website | + posts

Antonio is a professional barber/hairstylist in Trinidad.  He is known for creating memorable transformations with his cuts and helping clients to regain and maintain their personal style and confidence, starting at the head.

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Nykima Straker

Owner at Opulence by Nykima | Website | + posts

Beard Growth Expert and owner of Opulence By Nykima

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