Why Has My Beard Stopped Growing?

If you’ve ever allowed your beard to grow on and on, you might have noticed that after a certain time it somehow stays at the same length and just refuses to grow any further. This happens because of two reasons. First - when your hair grows and reaches a certain length, it curls and gets mixed with other strands, no more contributing to the length but start making a voluminous mess. The second reason is something called a ‘terminal length’ or ‘maximum length’ of your hair. Let’s discuss this in detail.

What Is Terminal Length or Maximum Length?

In order to answer the question ‘why has my beard stopped growing’ you need to get familiar with a term called ‘terminal length’ of your hair, also referred to as te ‘maximum length’. This might sound like a complicated medical term but it is simply the maximum length your hair can grow to before it finally falls out so a new strand of hair can take its place. To understand how the hair grows and finally sheds after reaching its maximum length, you need to understand the hair growth cycle. 

Here’s How The Hair Growth Cycle Works

Anagen Phase

During this phase, the cells in the roots of your hair are the most active, and rapidly divide. You’ll see more hair growth during this stage. During this phase your hair on an average grows about half an inch every month. The growth in this stage defines what your maximum length will be.

Catagen Phase

This is the stage where you start to question everything. Questions like ‘Has My Beard Stopped Growing’ come to reality at this stage. Here, the hair follicles shrink and you may start feeling like your hair growth has paused. This stage lasts for around 2-3 weeks before you finally reach the telogen phase where shedding starts.

Telogen Phase

This is the phase that gives people heights of stress as you will notice the strands of hair falling. During this phase, you will notice that your hair follicles come at rest, with slight hair shedding at the beginning. The old hair is pushed out fo the follicle and and replaced by newer hair. A normal rate of shedding is about 50-100 strands per day, so there’s no need to freak out!

Correlation Between Terminal Length And Facial Hair

Now that you understand how the hair growth cycle really works, the next big question is ‘how does it work for your beard’?

First off, the maximum length of your facial hair will be different from other parts of your body with hair. For example, your moustache will reach its maximum length more quickly than the beard on your sides or chin. 

So what can you do about this? Absolutely nothing. Because there isn’t a lot that you can do to change your genetically programmed Terminal Length. However, there are a few factors that can help decrease the time your hair reaches its maximum length. Apart from genetics, external factors like stress and diet play a huge role in the health of your beard.

Can I Grow My Beard Past Its Maximum Length?

The simple answer is ‘No’. You can’t go beyond your maximum length because it is called maximum length for a reason. What you can do is nourish your hair and add to their health so they do not fall or curl back too soon. To do that, you need to follow the steps below:

Swoop In A Little Beard Oil

One of the first steps to a healthy beard is to get High Quality Beard Oil that sends in all the missing nutrients to your beard hair follicles, while also locking the moisture in. Beard Oils are designed to increase blood circulation on your skin to help stimulate healthy facial hair growth. Other than that they also help strengthen your roots, reducing split-ends and softening strands of hair. This will help your hair to grow straighter than otherwise and your beard will appear longer than before. 

Try A Derma Roller

If you don’t have much of a beard, or your beard looks like a patchy beehive, a Derma Roller can help. Derma rollers work by piercing the skin with hundreds of titanium-tipped micro needles. This helps hair growth by activating dormant follicles. An additional benefit of using a dermaroller is that it can even improve your skin quality by promoting more more collagen and keratin production.

A Consistent Routine 

Remember, healthy hair starts beneath the surface, including that on the chin. Yes, we’re talking about your skin which needs some serious care. When you have a skincare routine that includes, cleansing, scrubbing and moisturising, you remove a layer of dirt, debris and dead skin cells from your skin that hinder the growth of your hair. So, make a routine, follow it and sustain it every day.

Focus On Your Diet 

Nutrition for hair growth is one of the top ways to improve the health of your hair follicles, while slowing down the rate of shedding. When making changes in your diet, you need to be more particular about the foods with high folic acid. One good source of folic acid is broccoli, which is both easily available and not too bad on the taste.  You can also add whole grains and other foods that are loaded with Vitamins C, Iron, Zinc and Vitamin A in your diet to amp up your beard game.

Get Active & Exercise

Exercise - yes, it’s not only for your muscles and bones but your hair too. Think of it as a beard fuel, the secret sauce for luscious locks (not joking). When you exercise regularly, your body shoots up the production of testosterone, which plays an important role in the health of your hair. Additionally, an hour of daily activity increases the blood flow in your body which allows more oxygen and nutrients to flow through your cells, including the ones lying where you want to grow a beard.

Manage Your Stress Levels

We’ve covered the muscles part, now let’s talk about the mindspace. Stress befriends hair fall. Period. While a good diet makes sure the health is in good shape, exercising regularly kicks off the negative energy and controls stress. All this in tandem will make sure your beard looks great at the end of the day.

THAT’S A WRAP

Start with setting your expectations right and understanding how long your beard is capable of growing. The good news is that the terminal length of hair keeps growing with age, so if you have a hard stop at a few inches, you still have the scope to grow longer strands as you grow up. Additionally, creating a good routine for your beard and following it religiously, tweaking your lifestyle to more healthy practices and following all the steps mentioned above will take care of your overall beard health.