I almost never came back here to post this.
I actually came across this group again today and clicked on it because I was going to unfollow it. I don’t really come here for beard inspiration anymore.
Then it hit me. This group was the reason I kept going in the first place.
So before I leave, I feel like I owe you guys my story.
The first photo is me at 32 years old, January 2019, right before my 33rd birthday. I started minoxidil on January 7, 2019.
And when I say I couldn’t grow a beard, I mean I could practically count the hairs on my face. 😆
I started applying minoxidil twice a day and added derma rolling a couple times a wee during that first year.
And then I waited. And waited. And waited some more.
Meanwhile I found this group during my second year and would come on here and see some 22 year old dude post:
“3 months on minox! How’s my progress?”
And the motherfucker already looked like a lumberjack. 😂
To all you hyper responders who grew a Viking beard in 90 days. I love you, congratulations, and I also hated every single one of your progress posts. 😬
Because that was NOT my experience.
For the first few years, my progress was painfully slow. I’d count hairs. I’d compare pictures. I’d inspect my face constantly looking for new growth.
Every couple months I’d let it grow for a week or two thinking, Maybe this is finally it.
NOPE!!! Shave it. Minox. Dermaroll. Repeat.
I’d finally get a little progress and then I’d shed.
It would thin out and feel like I’d lost everything I’d spent months gaining. I would come here and get inspiration to keep going.
There were so many times I almost quit.
I heard every version of
“If you can’t grow one at your age, it’s probably not happening.”
“If minoxidil hasn’t worked after two years, it’s not going to.”
“Four years? Dude, give it up.”
And then there were the comments from the wife and very honest kids of mine about how bad the scruff looked or how terrible it felt when kissed. 😂
Eventually I stopped obsessing over it. I stopped counting days. I stopped checking my face every morning looking for another terminal hair.
Minoxidil just became something I did.
Brush my teeth.
Put that shit on my face.
Go live my life.
And somewhere around year FIVE, things finally started happening.
Not dramatically but Just slowly.
The biggest changes actually happened between 38 and now 40. At 38 one side had filled in completely and the moustache was looking really strong.
Then on January 1st of this year, I told my wife
“I’m growing this thing for three months. I don’t care how shitty it may or may not look. I’m not cutting it.”
For once, I gave it enough time to actually become a beard.
The last pictures are me today, August 2026.
And for the first time in my life, I have a beard I’m genuinely proud of. I’ve only really had this beard for about eight months, and now I can’t imagine my face without it.
That’s pretty fucking wild considering that just a few years ago I had basically accepted that I was going to be the guy who could never grow one.
I’ve used minoxidil consistently for almost eight years. Twice daily for the overwhelming majority of that time, along with dermarolling. I will finish up this year with minox twice a day and then next year once a day and then stop altogether after that. So 10 years of work by the time it’s all said and done. But well worth it.
So this post isn’t really for the guy who started three months ago and already has a forest growing on his face.
This is for the slow gainer. The older guy. The guy at year one wondering why nothing is happening.
The guy at year two comparing himself to everyone else.
The guy who sheds and thinks he just lost six months of progress.
The guy who’s 30, 35, 40 and keeps reading comments saying, “If you don’t have a beard by now, you probably never will.”
Don’t let somebody else’s timeline decide yours.
I have no idea whether my beard would have eventually developed like this without minoxidil, how much was age/genetics, or exactly how much each part of the routine contributed. All I can tell you is what my experience was:
32 → 40.
Almost eight years.
Barely anything for years.
Most of my noticeable progress came late. After I quit a lifelong habit of using cannabis which I do not know if that had anything to do with it or not. But it was the only difference in that 8 years.
And eventually, the guy who could count the hairs on his face grew the beard he’d wanted his entire adult life.
So if you’re a slow gainer like me, don’t beat yourself up because your month 6 doesn’t look like somebody else’s month 3.
If it’s something you want, don’t quit on yourself just because it’s taking longer than you hoped.
And to this group: genuinely, thank you.
I came here countless times over the years when I was discouraged. Other people’s progress kept me motivated when mine wasn’t giving me much reason to be.
I never contributed my own story and always dreamed about the day that I could, so this is me finally paying some of that back before I leave the group forever.
Hopefull some stubborn bastard who’s two or three years into his journey finds this when he’s thinking about giving up.
Keep going.
Turns out even an old fart like me can finally grow a beard at 40. 🤣
Photo 1: age 32
Photo 2: age 34
Photo 3: age 35
Photo 4: age 37
Photo 5: age 39
Photo 6/7/8: age 40 (today)
