As you spend time grooming your hipster beards this morning, spare a thought for those guys who are unable to grow beards. There are whole swathes of men throughout the world who are unable to grow anything beyond a whisper of hair no matter what they do.
Google ‘help to grow a beard’ and you will be given a list of 80,500,000 results. This includes clinics in Harley Street offering beard transplants for the eyewatering price of between £2,000 – £7000! Other help includes all manner of lotions and potions promising to aid men in their quest to grow a beard the size of Gerard Butler’s!
As beards are seen by some as a way of expressing masculinity, some who are unable to grow beards are made to feel less than men, and the memes don’t help! Such as this gem, where a bearded guy is speaking to a clean-shaven man: ‘I would hit you but I don’t hit women or children!’
So why can’t all men grow a full bushel of facial hair?
Whether or not men can grow facial hair is, barring an illness, is down to genetics. If the men in your family are prone to baldness or not having much facial hair there is every likelihood that you’ll follow suit. As you know we inherit many physical traits from our parents, whether we want them or not, both positive and negative.
It is thought that baldness and the inability to produce facial hair is due to low testosterone, but testosterone levels alone don’t determine whether or not a guy can grow a beard. Years of research have more-or-less confirmed that a chemical called dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, induces beard growth. DHT is a very potent form of testosterone, but interestingly it also causes hair loss. Whether or not you can grow a beard is determined by the number of androgen receptors in skin to which DHT can bind itself. If you have a lot of these receptors on the bottom of your face, you will be able to grow a decent sized beard. If you are insistent that you want a beard no matter what, then there are options like the transplant mentioned above, as well as beard weaves! But for the sake of your emotional wellbeing, and to save those coins, it may be the best thing to simply accept the reality. You aren’t a freak or an anomaly; millions of guys all over the globe are genetically predisposed to having little or no facial hair and that’s fine! Embrace this and get on with your life!
Bare faced cheeks making a comeback!
Throughout civilization smooth skin has been as equally revered as bearded skin and it’s once again making a strong comeback! While hipster beards are an iconic look desired by many, the wind of change is blowing again through men’s fashion favouring the smooth-skinned look for this season, so if this is you, you are right on trend! Just remember to exfoliate and moisturise!
Fun fact: The last President of the United States to wear any type of facial hair was William Howard Taft, who was in office from 1909-1913.
At Bear Grooming we cater to all men whether they are bearded or not. We recognise that not all men can grow beards, or even want to, so we have taken the time to accommodate men everywhere! If you are clean shaven, have you tried our well-being range for healthy hair and skin maintenance? If not, add these gems to your daily routine and start grooming from within. We also have new skincare products coming very soon, so keep checking in with us!
