As a black trans man, the first, and honestly only thing, I was thinking about during my first year on testosterone was a beard. I would see smaller hairs emerge on my cheek here and there, and tell myself, "I want more", or "I need my mustache to catch up". Truthfully, my beard is not "all natural", I have used minoxidil to speed up the process of beard growth. In my journey of growing my beard out though, I have learned so many dos and don'ts for your beard routine, it wouldn't be right for me to not share these tips.
My First Couple of Years
*One Year On T and Four Years on T
`As you can see from the picture above, I have come a long way. Being someone who had short hair most of their life, my hair routine was lacking, and so was my beard routine. Outside of a beard routine, there are so many other factors that many people leave out that can cause a stunt in your beard growth, and I feel like it is important to talk about.
Skin Routine
First and foremost, before you think about your beard, you have to think about your skin routine. As you start transitioning, especially in that first and second year, your skin routine needs to be consistent and locked in. I've always done the same thing Pre-T and I was one of the lucky ones when it came to acne on testosterone, I didn't have much. So, the same routine worked but if you're one with sensitive skin, acne Pre-T, and any other skin related issues, you have to discover what works for you and what doesn't. Sadly, because I know it can get expensive, you may even have to re-discover that routine while on testosterone because of all the changes. Once you find what works for you, and you keep your skin moisturized and clear as much as possible, then we can start focusing on that beard.
Healthy Habits
I cannot stress this enough (literally and figuratively), that stress management and exercise can play an important role in facilitating your beard growth. Prime example:
This was a period in my life when I was very stressed from work, school, and some other personal things, and it felt like my beard was falling off. While other factors like not using minoxidil consistently and being on/off could have contributed, to me, those factors weren't significant enough. This was the thinnest my beard has ever been, and I feel like the majority of it was due to stress and poor eating habits.
As someone who does not exercise regularly nor have the best eating habits, I can say that I have improved a lot on both, and so has my beard growth. Physical activity can improve your blood flow, and that can help with hair growth, not just beard growth. Whether it's a couple of extra steps each day or replacing one soda/juice with water, slowly incorporating those healthy habits into your life can make a big impact, not only on your beard growth, but your overall health.
My Beard Growth with Minoxidil
Now that we have adopted some healthy habits to handle stress such as dropping the Mountain dew for DIET Mountain Dew, and we have flourishing skin, it's time to to take care of this beard. As I stated in the beginning, I don't have an "all natural" beard; I use quotation marks because it does not matter how you achieve it, especially if it's something that you want. I will share my tips for using minoxidil and what I did, as well as not using it and what I did.
Now the most beard growth I have had was with minoxidil, but I must say, spoilers ahead, it wasn't the best resulting beard.
Consistency is VERY IMPORTANT with minoxidil, and I cannot stress this enough. Minoxidil promotes the growth of the baby hairs that already exist on your face, but you have to use it for almost a year for those baby hairs to grow beyond their follicles for it to be permanent. If you stop before they grow to that stage, there is a possibility of them falling out. It can be hard to do this twice a day, and you cannot use it if you have cats; it's highly toxic to cats and can possibly kill them. Minoxidil is a strong chemical so my recommendation is to first, prioritize your skincare routine and consider doing it a little more frequently because it can dry out your skin. Second, start by using it at least once a day for a couple of weeks, then you can gradually increase to twice a day if you experience no bad acne or excessive dryness from usage. Outside of that, once those hairs start to come in over time, your next steps are to trim and brush them.
Brushing and Washing
Contrary to popular belief, shaving your beard will not make it grow back faster or thicker. Trimming is your best option for beard upkeep; not only does it make it neater, it allows new hairs to grow as you continue to use minoxidil. When it comes to brushing, you ALWAYS want to brush in a downward motion. You want to start from the top of your cheek and brush downward, with a soft bristle brush, because that's how your beard hair grows, whether it's curly or straight.
Washing, and conditioning for longer beards, is equally as important. I personally used a product called Cremo All-in-One Beard Wash and I have nothing but compliments. It not only smells good, but the additives in the beard wash help with beard growth. Shampoo usage is different for everyone so I, sadly, recommend a process similar to the skin care routine, where you try different products to see what works for you or smells the best. I also recommend lightly patting instead of scrubbing your face with beard shampoo, even if you have stubble.
My Beard Growth w/o Minoxidil
You've been spoiled but, my beard growth using these tricks actually gave me a healthier looking and thicker beard than with minoxidil alone. I realized after a year of using it, I did not want to become reliant on it for beard growth so these items are what I used to get away from it:
A derma roller
A Beard Booster
A D E Caster Oil
(Recent Essential Oils) Peppermint Oil and Avocado Oil Mix
*7 Months on Minoxidil beard is thinner because of a trim
I don't know about you, but I can tell after switching to a derma-roller and essential oils, my beard became thicker. I honestly preferred using the derma-roller over minoxidil because it caused micro-injuries to the skin that lead to increased blood flow in the area, similar to what we discussed with exercising, thus causing activate stem-cell growth factors. While my beard growth became slower, my hairs were thicker, giving me the appearance of a fuller and healthier beard.
I'll briefly speak about the essential oils I use now, but I highly recommend them, especially for those who CANNOT use minoxidil due to having pets or any other reason for not being able to use it. Peppermint oil helps improve blood circulation and thickens your beard; it's also a great moisturizer for your beard, keeping dandruff at bay. Avocado oil promotes new hair growth, so if you have stubble or some facial hair but it doesn't seem like it's getting thicker, avocado oil can help with just that.
Mixing both Minoxidil and a Derma-Roller
Honesty is the best medicine, and this is the method that I am doing now. I feel like with the combination of the derma-roller and minoxidil mix, I'm encouraging blood to flow to my face for the purpose of stem-cell growth while also boosting those baby hairs produced by that blood flow with minoxidil. However, these alone won't give you that healthy beard. Washing and conditioning, essential oils, and that skincare routine, again, are all very important.
Conclusion
In conclusion, beard growth is a special journey for some trans men. It not only helps with passing, but it also is a euphoric experience. Some may grow more than others, but all are valid in their skin, however they present. I know my journey has been just that, a journey. I learned the proper techniques to maintain and groom my beard, I learned that essential oils are very helpful in keeping your beard moisturized, and I learned that if I don't keep my skin itself moisturized, I can forget about a beard.
I wrote this for those who are just starting their journeys or for those who are at that stage where you may have growth, but you do not see much of it, and it seems I end up saying this in all my blogs but PATIENCES will always be the answer. It takes at least 6-7 years before a full beard can grow on most trans men, and this includes that connected beard that some of us may want; I know I do. I'm still considered early-ish in my journey, especially in the beard department and I have a long way to go, but I am proud of how far I have come and thank you for reading, if you've made it this far!
-Quinton