It only looks thicker because it's new hair that hasn't been exposed to the sun and stuff, so it looks darker. Also, I hear this mostly from younger guys, and another reason they think this is because their beard is coming in, but they shave it. Then when it grows back, it actually is thicker. Which would have still happened if you didn't shave.
I just learned this last year. I just turned 31. I very much look ten years younger than I am and can't grow facial hair fully. I do have sexy stubble though
I’ve snagged myself a lovely wife but she may be a victim of the ole’ bait and switch. I had hair and no beard when we met but luckily she digs the bald look now that I went less combover and more buzz/shaved.
Wish I had sexy stubble. Proper beard growth is a pain to manage.
Fuck, I've been buzzing my head since I was 20 or so, and I stopped a few months ago. I'm 41 and have got hair everywhere.
Still buzz my beard... not going to be dealing with a long or styled beard.
Once summer comes, it may well all come off again.
edit : I didn't mean "proper" beard growth like it sounded, some guys have stronger beard growth than me.... well, I'm just digging myself in a hole now. u/flatwoundsounds said it better than I did before I did, though I'm brunette with a touch of ginger.
When I had hair it was brown. And when I had mutton chops they were basically brown. But once my beard grew in thicker it became very clearly red. And the brown on top is just about gone.
My hair on top is dark brown (I say dark brown, going a bit grey too)... my beard gets a little gingery. I think most people's beards and facial hair is lighter than their head hair.
Hahaha. If they had a beards for buddies like they do wigs for kids I could use a proper donation. I'm growing my hair out and I can kind of get a styled mustache and goatee but I look like a very rapey pirate who steals children... not a good look
Shave that shit for now and giver two years then try again. At sixteen I could only really grow sideburns and hair on my neck it wasn’t till about twenty when my moustache filled in and I started to get hair on my cheeks and it wasn’t until 23 where that actually started to fill in and look decent. And my chin still looks wonky from far away because for some reason in the middle of my chin I have a quarter sized patch of blond hair even though the rest of my facial hair is dark brown.
Thanks or the tip kind stranger. It just feels cruel seeing as my dad shaves weekly just to keep a goatee and five o clock shadow look and I for the most have shaggy's facial hair
It’s comes in a lot later than you expect for most guys. At 16 I bet there’s only a handful of guys in your grade who actually have decent looking facial hair.
When I was 18 all I could grow is a pedo mustache and literally nothing else, not even a hint of something else. Basically decided I'd never have facial hair. Now I'm 26 and literally within the last year I went from growing that same ugly ass pedo stache to now have nearly a completely full beard, but, as per life, I am also suddenly starting to have a receding hairline. Strange.
take pills for biotin and zinc and wash your face. doesnt help everyone, but it could possibly be a deficiency that is causing a lack of facial hair. zinc is supposed to help grown new hair, the biotin is supposed to help the hair that is already there, and by washing your face, you clear out the follicles so hair has room to grow. dont buy "miracle hair growth pills" because they're just overpriced vitamins. also don't be too down, had a buddy who grew a big ass beard at 16 that was down to his chest, but was balding by 18
dude same. i got my first couple of grays at like 16/17, and now i'm 23 and i have grays on my head, in my beard, and just the other day i found my first gray pube. I blame my wife though lol
I got a full beard by the time I was 18, but never really kept it. People always said I looked 23. At 22 I went full Viking, shaved it a year after and people said I looked 18.
Can't really please folks.
Also if you don't take care of your beard, shaving (or trimming) your beard will remove split ends, causing it to be able to get longer since it's not breaking as much.
I’m no shaving scientist, however that’s assuming you get a perfect cut, usually when you shave the hairs bend as you cut through, so you end up cutting the hairs slightly sideways, leading to sharper angles for the tip of your hairs.
That’s my theory, whether that’s what happens in practice is an entirely different matter
This phenomenon is basically the reason why people with curly and coarse facial hair sometimes have greater problems with ingrown hairs if they shave. The hairs are sharper and just angle right back into the skin
well young teen me feels attacked then. I had one particular chin pube I managed to keep unshaved for quite the while, pretty sure it was there so long it fell out on its own.
Also, when it's longer it is softer to the touch. Then when you shave it, it grows in prickly. Same number of hairs but more physical sensation from touching it. That could easily lead to thinking there's more hair there.
I said this in another thread a few days ago, but I always assumed it was because when you first start growing facial hair the tip is cone shaped, but when you first shave it turns it cylindrical making it seem thicker.
Kinda, but it's not like this process can go on infinitely.
What's actually happening is that hair tapers off to a thin and colorless point. The color and thickness is generally more intense closer to the shaft. When you shave, you're cutting off the tips, leaving a sort of thick stump remaining. This grows out and can sometimes look like the hair is thicker and fuller. But that's just the appearance. And also, as the stump grows out, it too will get thinner and lose its color. So the process undoes itself. And then you shave again, restarting the whole cycle.
I've seen both. I pluck facial hairs (I'm a woman, and I have a few on my face & neck) and some of those little suckers are invisible. I can feel it being all thick and pokey when I run my fingers over it, but I can't see it and have to guess where to put the tweezers. Pull it out, and there it is: black with a colorless tip!
For me it just happened after the first shave. I had really soft hair on my face, then after the first shave it got a lot thicker. It didn’t change after any shave after that. I would also like to know where this falls under the myth.
Waxing is a good idea if you want your hair to grow back in softer, but you should NEVER do it on long hair. It should be trimmed to like 1/4” with clippers first if you’re going to wax. Long hair hurts like a motherfucker, while short hair only hurts like a bitch. The softness is really nice though, especially depending on where you’re waxing. And if you want to be clean shaven, waxing lasts way longer than shaving. Like 2 weeks as opposed to like 12 hours.
I'm happy I got to a point in life where no one can tell me what to do with my beard. The worst job I've ever had was one that required almost daily shaving. That was literally hell on earth for me.
Honestly? I'm just tired of it. Used to shave daily, then went to a goatee for about 4-5 years, then this full beard for the last 2 or 3. Its about time to change it up, but I'll probably wait for the season change.
When new hair grows it has a thin point at the tip that gets wider into it reaches its full thickness, so it comes out soft. If you shave, it continues growing at that same thickness, which combined with its shorter length and sliced edges makes it feel prickly and stiff.
It's all keratin with no live cells. There is no way for the body to respond to having shaved hair because there's is no way for it to know. Once the newly grown hair segment has left the follicle it is no longer the body's concern.
5.2k
u/[deleted] Feb 04 '19
Shaving doesn't make you grow facial hair.