My first encounter with a bearded man was my granddad. He had this beard that was long and thick that me and my little brother used to marvel at. I remember wanting to grow up quickly so I could sport an awesome beard like his. Then I learnt about something called genetics. Let's just say I wasn't too excited about my findings and so like yourself it led me to searching 'how to grow a beard' ?

You may be in one of the categories below:

1. You have not been blessed with facial hair AT ALL. Period.  
2. You have some facial hair, it's patchy and not what you want. You got that weird thing going on, hair in awkward places not really connecting with each other so you resort to shaving. 
3. You can only grow a goatee but deep down you really want a full beard. 
4. You have a beard, it's not as thick as you want it to be. 

There are few other groups you could fall into but for the sake of this blog we will keep it to those 4 points. I will do my best to cover each point separately and what you could do to deal with it.

**DISCLAIMER, some of the advice or opinions given in this article should in no way be taken as they are. Where possible seek the advice and guidance of medical professionals**

No Facial Hair

 Let's be real, if your genetics states you cannot get facial hair then that's what it means. Not the news you wanted to hear I bet. You see genetics play a big part in how you will turn out. If you have tall family members, the chances of you being tall is quite high and so forth. The same can be said for just about any feature in your body and the beard is no different. So what can you do about it. You can:

1. Be happy - This is who you are. You are unique and perfect in your own way, yes that sounds so cheesy. There are people who would love to have no facial hair but they're constantly shaving every single morning just to have that bare face you've been blessed with.
2. Try beard transplant - Let's make our stance clear, avoid this option at all cost. Just because clinics and people who have done this tell you it's safe, doesn't mean it's safe. It comes with it's own complications so do your research before going down that rout.e
3. Minoxidil - Ok hear us out. Minoxidil is a hair loss therapy substance that is specifically for use on the head to help with hair growth. In recent years it has picked up a following from guys on social media and YouTube applying it to their face to grow a beard and some of the results are crazy. Again we at Southside Beard Company do not recommend this option to guys at the 18-23 age mark. Allow your facial hair to get the chance to fully grow to its potential without interfering with untested products. Always seek advice from a doctor or dermatologist before going down this route. Check out some of the Minoxidil transformations here.
4. Derma roll + Beard Oil  - This one is not scientifically proven but there are tons of anecdotal evidences on the internet. This is a non-invasive technique which we at Southside Beard Company can actually get behind. The idea is that you derma roll the beard area carefully, this will create small holes in that part of the skin pulling fresh blood into the beard area. You then  apply beard oil to the area which was derma rolled and allow it to go deep into the skin providing the roots of the small hair in that area with nutrients which in turn creates growth. Again we do not advise you do this without the consent of a doctor, but evidence across the internet shows some people have had success with this. This is a technique usually done by those with patchy beards to fill in the empty areas. If you're completely bald then look elsewhere.

Patchy beard

You've been blessed yet cursed, does it make sense. Those of us with patchy beards are stuck with a stubborn beard that won't make it's mind up. As mentioned in the section above, you could go down the Minoxidil route or try the derma roll technique. Additionally, you could wait and give your beard the proper time it needs to grow. Sometimes a patchy beard means work in progress, so do not rush it, let it do it's thing. 

So close to greatness yet so far away, we feel your pain.

Goatee

For those with a goatee it's so much more complicated. You have a beard but you don't have it. Does it make sense ? Some guys can totally rock this style and look awesome. First thing is to try and see how this style fits you, if you're not a fan then again you could try the Minoxidil route. The derma rolling technique may not be useful to you since you're not trying to fill in a section of your beard.

Thick beard goals

You have a beard, you're at the place where many guys want to be at but there's something missing, a little bit of thicccckness from your mane. It's all good we got you, this is where beard oils come in handy. Beard oils contains ingredients such as castor oil, Argan oil and jojoba oil to name a few that are known in promoting hair growth, thickness and overall hair health.

Applying a beard oil twice a day, once in the morning and once at night time can really make a big difference to the health and growth of your beard. Be warned, just like all good things, it takes time. So wash your beard with a good shampoo, condition it with a good beard oil and watch the growth happen slowly.

Final words

As you can see, everyone regardless of what category they are in is trying to grow a beard in some way. Whether that be from scratch or trying to thicken the current beard they have. The above points made are for guidance purposes only, most of them do not have scientific research to back their claim but they have worked for people, try them at your own risk.