How To Fix and Style A Patchy Beard

In our humble opinion, growing a beard is one of the most satisfying things. But achieving a full mane of glorious facial hair can be more challenging for some than others. 

A patchy beard is a reality for many, and it’s very common to not know why or what to do about it. Trust us, we know how frustrating it can be. But no sweat – we’ve got you. 

Yes, there are ways to get around a patchy beard – from the products you use, to maintenance and styling, and promoting facial hair growth. By the time we’re done with you, you’ll have a full, lustrous beard – one that is envied by all bearded and non-bearded brothers. But first, let’s get into why your beard might be patchy.

Common reasons for a patchy beard

Genetics

If other men in your family also have patchy spots in their beard, there’s a chance that you are predisposed to a patchy beard (thanks, dad). But, don’t blame your old man just yet. 

Just like how full baldness is not always hereditary, patchy beards in the family do not necessarily mean you’re going to follow the same trajectory. There are ways to combat the sparse hair growth, genetics just mean that it could be one factor at play.

Age

Age is a factor – we don’t reach full beard growth potential until we hit 25. So if you’re in early adulthood or your early twenties and your beard is looking patchy – age can definitely be playing a part. Generally, the golden years for beard growth is from your mid-20s to mid-30s. Don’t worry young grasshopper, your time will come. 

Alopecia

Alopecia, also known as spot baldness, is an autoimmune condition that causes hair to fall out in round patches – which can cause a patchy beard. While alopecia cannot be cured, there are ways to treat and manage symptoms, like prescribed medication and lifestyle changes. 

Skin condition

Facial hair often won’t grow in areas affected by skin conditions – which can cause a patchy beard. Skin conditions include fungal infections, itchiness, redness, sensitivity to skin products, or inflammatory skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema. 

Diet

A poor diet can affect hair growth and result in a patchy beard. Our hair follicles are one of the most metabolically active elements in the body and require nutrients, like vitamins and minerals, to grow strong facial hair. 

If your diet does not include a variety of foods, there’s a chance you aren’t getting enough nutrients to foster a healthy environment for hair growth. At this risk of sounding like your mum – eat your fruit and vegetables!

How to fix a patchy beard

Grow it out

Different parts of your beard can grow at different rates, so if you’re experiencing a patchy beard – the key may just be patience. Going through the motions in the beard-growing process can uncomfortable and the glorious man-mane might not be growing as quickly as you’d like. But when you give your beard enough time to grow out past where you’d normally give it a trim, you’ll often find that the patchy areas begin to fill in. 

Use beard balm

Getting your hands on a high quality beard balm can help your patchy beard appear fuller. Beard balms use carrier oils, like almond, grapeseed, sunflower, avocado, and hemp seed oil, which are rich in nutrient properties to help promote healthy hair growth. 

While beard balm won’t magically cure the cause of a patchy beard, like genetics or autoimmune conditions, a beard balm can certainly improve the overall appearance of your facial hair – giving you a fuller and healthier mane.

Get a beard brush

The humble, unassuming beard brush is a beard grooming tool often neglected, but that’s a big mistake. A beard brush or beard comb can be a key factor in getting the facial fuzz growing. Brushing your beard regularly, preferably daily, can help to release the natural oils from the skin and into the facial hair that encourage beard hair growth.

Daily beard brushing can also help to exfoliate your skin and clear dead skin cells, making way for new, healthier follicles to come through. If your patchy beard is caused by a skin condition like itchiness and inflamed skin, the exfoliation from beard brushes or beard combs can reduce these symptoms by clearing away dead skin and promoting skin nourishing oils – leaving a good base for new cells to grow.

Keep it short

While we would never advocate for someone to not grow a beard to its full potential (can you really blame us?), keeping your facial hair to a tidy stubble is one way to reduce the appearance of a patchy beard. 

If you’re looking to grow a long and glorious man mane, then this won’t be an option, but if you can’t push through the short beard stage until you achieve more coverage, then keeping it short is certainly one way to address the problem. A good quality beard trimmer makes it easy to achieve a nice stubble without needing to go for a full clean-shave.

How to style a patchy beard

Taking a minute or two to style your beard can camouflage your bald or thinning spots. Using products like beard balm or beard butter can help to shape your beard and cover the areas that are patchy.

Some other beard styles to hide patchy hair spots include: 

• The chin strap is a thin line of facial hair that runs along the jawline up to the sideburns. 

• The 5 o’clock shadow or a 3-day stubble is a closely trimmed beard, blending the patchy spots seamlessly among the rest of the beard. 

• Van dyke beard is a classic look, connecting a goatee and moustache to the rest of the beard on a similar length. This will draw away the attention from any patchy areas and create a fuller beard. 

• A pint-sized goatee or a circle beard is a china patch connected to the moustache with two thin lines. Either trim down the chin patch and moustache or keep it fuller depending on where your patches are. 

Before committing to a beard style, consider your face shape, hair colour, and where the most patches occur. Stick with it, beard brother, and you’ll feel more confident in your facial hair then ever before.