The Stages of Beard Growth – A Complete Guide

For many men, growing a beard is a pretty big deal.

You don’t necessarily need a beard to be masculine. But for many men, growing the kind of facial hair that they want holds a certain special significance to them… and for good reason.

It is a fashion statement, a show of male health and development, and can even play into a man’s ability to assert dominance in social situations.

Not to mention that many women find men with beards and/or well-groomed facial hair very appealing!

Many studies have suggested, after all, that both men and women perceive men with beards as being more aggressive, stronger, and older than men without them.

So, it is little wonder then that so many men care so much about the quality of their facial hair… which is why we have chosen to write about the stages of beard growth in this article.

Every man deserves to know how to grow, and care for, his beard.

But the key to growing a proper beard is not found in gimmicks or cheap tricks.

Instead, it lies in knowing how to care for it and nurture it as it develops.

You see, many men make the mistake of thinking that beard-growth is just automatic, and that it takes nothing more than a bit of washing and trimming to keep your beard in good condition.

But nothing could be further from the truth!

So in this guide, you are going to learn not only all about all the stages of beard growth… but also how to best care for your beard through each and every one of these stages.

You don’t need a college degree to grow an awesome beard. But if you don’t educate yourself at least a little bit, you could end up missing out on everything that it has the potential to be.

You could also fall prey to one of many classic pitfalls that often set men back in their journey to grow the best beard possible!

So let’s get to it, and learn how to make your beard as manly and as ‘excellent’ as possible!

Getting Started: Planning Out Your Beard Style In Advance

For the most part, you will want to plan out your beard style in advance… before you start trying to grow it.

There are a few different reasons for this.

If you already know what kind of beard you want to try to grow, then you’re a step ahead of the game. But there are also a lot of people out there who know that they want a beard, but are unsure of exactly what type of beard they should strive to grow.

Should you grow something long? Should you stick with something short? Should you grow a full beard, or should you go for a classic Hollywoodian?

Should you rock a goatee? Should you include a mustache? Should you keep it trimmed or let it grow wild?

There are actually a lot of different things to consider here. But in the following section, I am going to help you walk through these steps to figure out the perfect plan for you.

First, Figure Out What You Can’t Do

This is probably the first and most important step in planning out your beard.

Some people have jobs where they have restrictions on what they can do with their facial hair. And if your job fits into this mold, then you may want to figure out exactly what is and isn’t allowed so that you don’t accidentally start growing something that you won’t be able to keep.

Yes, it sucks to not be able to grow the facial hair you want due to your job… but it is still something that you must take into account.

If your place of employment doesn’t have any stringent standards in place regarding this, a quick visit with HR should yield enough information to get you started on the right foot.

Hopefully, you will come to find that growing your ideal beard will not be a problem at your place of employment… and you will then be able to move on to the next most important part of the process.

Deciding exactly which style of beard will work best for you!

What Type of Beard Is Best For Your Face?

This is another thing to take into account that warrants some research and planning.

Not every face is suitable for every type of beard, so you may want to do some digging to figure out exactly what styles will work best for your facial structure and general, overall look.

Here are some guidelines that might help you to figure out a good direction to start with.

As you start to move through the stages of beard growth, styling will become more and more important. But you also need to know what styles will work the best with your facial structure!

Face Shape: Heart

If your forehead is larger than your cheekbones and jawline, and if this feature is paired with a pointed chin, then you may have what they call a ‘heart shaped’ face.

If you have this face shape, then you generally want to go for a long, thick beard to balance out your pointier chin. But mutton chops, an extended goatee, or even a chin curtain are also awesome options for this facial-structure.

Face Shape: Triangle

If your face is widest at the cheekbones, and if you tend to have a forehead that is wider than your jawline, then you have what is called a ‘triangle’ face shape.

For this facial structure, you will generally want to avoid growing hair on your cheeks. A ‘beardstache’ works quite well for this face shape, as does a full moustache with a ‘heavy stubble beard.’

Face Shape: Diamond

This face shape is characterized by wide cheekbones, with a narrow forehead and jawline. Similar to a triangle face shape, a ‘diamond’ face shape is widest at the cheekbones.

Diamond faced men are usually well-equipped to grow a full beard, though alternatives like a chin-strap, a Balbo, or a moustache combo can all work well.

If you are feeling more ‘conservative’ about your facial hair choices, then a simple goatee usually works really well with this face shape.

Face Shape: Square

A square face shape is characterized by a strong, square jawline.

If you have this facial structure, then you will want a beard style that highlights your strong jawline without exaggerating it.

This is generally best accomplished with a softer beard that is circular on the bottom, rather than a beard with hard right-angles.

A full beard that is trimmed into a soft half-circle at the end could do this very well. A Balbo is also a popular choice for this facial structure.

Face Shape: Round

Round faces usually have wider cheekbones, a wide jawline, and a shorter chin.

For the most part, this facial structure calls for facial hair that helps the chin to look a bit more ‘angular.’

Longer beards tend to work really well for this face shape. Some examples of this include the Van Dyke beard or a goatee.

The only thing to take into account here is that you want to stay away from thicker, fuller beards… as these will just tend to make the face look even rounder.

Face Shape: Oval

Many men see this face shape as the ideal masculine facial structure.

People with this face type have slightly wider cheekbones than jawbones. The jawline also tends to be rounded.

An oval-shaped face is a great choice for shorter full beards and goatees. But honestly, it can work well with any facial hair style. It just really works with almost anything.

Face Shape: Rectangular