Why Beard Oil for Young Men Helps Beat Patchy Growth

You've gazed into the mirror at an angle you wouldn't let anyone see you at and wondered if it's filling in or if you're just seeing it at an angle which isn't the best.

Then you rub some oil in it out of habit and hope that "Today's the day it'll be fuller," and by the time evening comes, it's about the same thickness — perhaps slightly shinier.

It is likely that the gap has become your first look before anything else on your face.

The truth is that a young beard often appears thinner because of uneven growth, dry hair, and the way light reflects off it. The right beard oil for young men will not create new hair overnight, but it can soften existing hair, improve its appearance, and make your beard look healthier and fuller while it continues to develop.

This is what very few people tell you at 19 or 22, but oil was not created to grow hair in a patch. It alters the existing.

If you have been relying on it as a fertilizer and measuring your success in the mirror each morning, you've been solving the wrong problem or solving the right problem at the wrong step.

The actual solution is not a new oil. It's the actions you take around it that the follicles are begging you to do: timing, skin, direction, and some patience.

Of course that's the part to get right, since most of what you might have thought of as "patchy forever" is just a few bad habits with a beard that will keep growing.

Here's a pair of tales to share about your Beard's still not finished filling in yet, and that's not the same as Patchy.

Most guys under 25 years are still at the middle of a process which lasts many years and not months. The hairs in the face grow at their own pace and the jawline and cheeks are nearly always the last to grow, so that's where they usually end up.

Because if you give one 60% beard versus a completely matured beard, you'll think something isn't right when it actually is. It isn't about your skin, it's about the comparison.

This is because the density of androgen receptors rises slowly over time starting from the late teens and continuing through the mid-20s, and it is not the same on all parts of your face. Some patches are still not picking up the signal, but this isn't your fault.

The solution here is not a product, it is a measurement change: Take a picture of the same patch of problem plant every 3 weeks and compare month to month, as opposed to a day to day comparison. Wait 90 days to make a call on something being or not being filled.

This is because a day to day comparison would let you see noise (shedding, lighting and shadow) while the 90 day comparison would let you see the growth below it and it would be almost always more positive than the mirror reflects.

One influence is the follicles which you await. What's on top of the skin is another and it's one that's fixable this week.

Dry skin is making that patch look worse.

Match its sides with another finger and you'll notice a slight peeling, tightness or lack of luster on the patch compared to the surrounding skin. This is no coincidence: areas of your face with less coverage get more direct exposure to soap, air and friction than areas covered by skin.

Because dry, flaky skin reflects light differently from smooth skin, it is important and because it breaks up the surface visually, existing hairs look sparser than they are. The result is that you read "gap" when you mean to read "gap plus dead skin.

This is because the area where there is less hair will not provide you with as much moisture protection; for example, when you shower hot, or in drier weather, this area will dry out quicker than the rest of your face.

The fix is not a single step, but rather a short sequence:

• Rinse patch with lukewarm (not hot) water for 15–20 seconds before using any product.

• Pat dry, do not rub dry

• Apply oil directly to the skin in 2-3 drops and massage out to hair.

This is because when you put oil on moist skin you're holding onto more moisture, and putting it on first and only adding hair on top of that that is the problem is a better approach than coating dry hair first and then putting oil on top of that that was never an issue.

When the skin is behaving, the next error is nearly always that it's the amount of oil applied to the skin and the time of application.

The ability to close the gap visually with the 90-Second Oil Habit.

Most guys either oil once in the morning and forget, or overdo it on the patch since the more product the more cover. Both of them miss the reality behind the thicker-looking thin areas.

This is important because excess oil on fine hair causes the hair to clump and fall flat on the scalp versus the desired effect, which leaves more scalp-like areas than desired.

This is because oil weighs hair down proportionately; in a full patch the excess effect will be absorbed by the thickness of the patch itself, whereas in a thin patch it cannot be absorbed anywhere else but on top, which can flatten what little hair coverage there is.

Reduce patch application to 1-2 drops; work in for 90 seconds or until even on skin using fingertips in small circles against direction of hair growth; smooth patch back into hair. Do not do this more than once a day (though twice or three times in hopes of more will do little good) but do it after a shower - preferably while the skin is still warm.

It works because the first time you do the work oil will lift each hair from the skin for a second to coat it more evenly before you lay it back flat, than stroking oil in one direction will ever be able to achieve the illusion of denser hair.

Despite being oiled to perfection, thin young hair has one more foe with nothing to do with oil!

Rough towel drying means snapping off the hair that you need the least.

You may be drying your face like you do your hair — quick and aggressive — but that's putting real stress on the hairs that are thinner and more delicate than the hairs of a full-fledged beard.

It's important because until the beard is fully grown out, the hairs on the face have not reached their final diameter and consequently are much more likely to break than thicker beard hair on a man in his thirties. Each strand you pull out in a thin area is a strand less to help with coverage.

This is due to the fact that wet hair is the weakest structurally, and rough towels grab on to the ends of shorter, finer hair — the very hair that is trying to fill the gap to its full length.

When the beard is wet, pat it dry for 10-15 seconds, and air-dry it for another 20-30 seconds prior to handling it with a comb or hands. Brushing should be carefully done, preferably with a boar-bristle brush, and always by making single strokes in the direction of hair growth, never back and forth.

This is because mechanical stress is applied to wet, thin hair but being reduced doesn't reset; it's the hairs that are less likely to break before the hair reaches a length that actually covers the patch.

One last habit, not related to product or drying actually, and it's the last habit guys notice, but it is often the most obvious habit of all.

A peek into the reasons why that patch may appear dirtier than it actually is.

Not all hairs in one patch of facial hair grow in the same direction — a single patch may have hairs growing 3 or 4 different directions, particularly around the jaw and under the chin, on a young beard.

It matters because the light which is not consistent will spread unevenly across the patch, even if there is no difference in the number of hairs. Density typically has a lesser impact than direction is on the patchiness of something.

This is because the angle of the follicles under the skin is unique for each hair and will be varying in younger beards until they have been "trained" into a beard pattern two or so years later.

Apply the oil to the patch in the direction in which you want it to move, brush for 15-20 strokes in the morning and allow it to set for approximately 5 minutes before brushing again or getting dressed. Make it a habit: don't take direction training for granted; do it every day.

This is because the repeated brushing in one direction eventually forces the hairs to grow in that direction, and once a particular direction is consistent throughout the patch, it's far easier to tell that the hair is fuller and less frizzy.

It is a System, and NOT a Single Product.

None of these 5 things is solely the cause of a patchy beard.These 5 things are not the cause of having a patchy beard. They are typically the complete answer, and for all but that reason, changing oils is not enough.

A realistic schedule is to rinse and pat it dry, massage it in for 1-2 drops, against the grain, for about 90 seconds, then brush it in to lay in the direction you want it to lie, for about 15-20 strokes, and let it set before you leave the house, once a day, for under 5 minutes.

The end result of this combination is a significantly less flaky and dull-looking underlayer to the skin within 2-3 weeks. The scatter will be reduced and lie will be slightly improved by 6-8 weeks, before hair restoration even appears noticeably different. By the 3-month mark, most men will be able to tell if the patch is disappearing or if it's truly filling back in, as this is about one entire follicle cycle.

None of this is a replacement for genetics, and it can't make a patch from an acne problem, skin condition or hormonal imbalance look plentiful — which is what doctors are for, not the average carrot cutter. This will eliminate all the correctable habits which are in your way of how your beard is going to grow.

So when the next time you look into the mirror at that angle, and it's just because you're doing it by habit and you're checking that same patch, it's still worth checking. It will never be the same gap looking back.

FAQs

Is there any effective beard oil for hair loss in patches?

Beard ointment doesn't really grow new hair nor does it stimulate follicles which are inactive. It does, however, work to modify the skin and existing hair you already have, so that it looks thicker and that flaking is minimized, making the patches appear less prominent than they actually are.

How often do young men apply beard oil to an area where they have a patchy beard?

One to 2 drops once daily, 90 seconds work. Frequent applications and high concentrations tend to make thin hair lie flat, instead of filling in the gaps.

How to make a patchy patch grow faster?

Not meaningfully with topical products only. Hormonal and genetic timing control the activity of follicles in facial hair and oil has nothing to do with it. You can do the best you can to make the coverage look good until you're through with it.

How about brushing a stubby beard?

No, brushing is a more helpful habit to develop if the beard is patchy, provided it is done gently and in the same direction every time. Brushing broken hair is not the cause of hair breakage. Hair breakage occurs when you brush it roughly or repeatedly moving it from side to side on the wet hair.

What time does it take for a patchy beard to grow in?

Most young beards grow for a few years and not months and you will see some changes at about 3 months on any one patch. It takes until your mid-twenties to get full beard growth.

Does a beard look patchy if it's dry?

Yes. Flaky or tight skin under light coverage will cause light and texture to be broken up and will appear as less hair than the actual number of hairs. Skin treatment is often more effective than any hair treatment in improving the appearance of a patch quicker.

Are you going to change oils when you don't have sufficient beard growth?

Usually not. Patchiness is more of a timeline, skin or application problem than a product problem, and changing oils will not necessarily solve the problem. The choice of the oil used is less important than how much, when and how to dry and the direction of the drying process.