Facial hair growth: How effective are the commercial products?

Growing a beard is essential for many men for lots of reasons. It could be for religious purposes or to keep up with the current trends. For many young men, having a well-managed beard has a lot to do with coolness and stylish appearance. 

But not all of us are lucky enough to have a natural beard. People who cannot grow it are often ridiculed and called bad names. In desperation, they turn to the market where many products claim to be able to grow facial hair magically. But how accurate are those claims?

To understand the claims, we must first know the reasons for the lack of facial hair. It may be due to male hormone imbalance or skin diseases. But the most common cause is genetic. If there is a family history of barren faces, posterity will likely suffer the same fate.

The beard growth products are available in many forms: cream, oil, etc. But how exactly do they work? They declare to have certain elements, e.g., vitamins and stuff which can help to grab the non-existing hair follicle on your face and force it to pop out! But beware, these claims are not supported by proper scientific studies.

For these commercial products to work, they need to have either the male hormone or its precursor or ingredients that can increase circulation in the face and accelerate cell division there. Unfortunately, commonly available products are mainly based on silica, methionine and vitamins and do not contain such ingredients. While vitamins are good for health, their role in hair growth, or more specifically in the growth of facial hair, is still controversial.

It is better to adopt lifestyle changes to stimulate hair growth instead of relying heavily on beard growth products. Often the primary factor for no beard is the lack of self-care. So if we can implement healthy practices in our daily life, it may lead to the desired result.

So, what can we do? For one, we need to relax. There are many things to stress about, but we need to find a way to manage that and not let them overwhelm us. Stress can cause hair loss, so minimizing stress is essential.

A balanced diet is critical, as it will provide all the essential nutrients for hair growth. Taking adequate rest, sleeping at least 6-8 hours daily following a routine, and smoking cessation are also recommended.

Also, taking care of the facial skin is very important. For that, products must be chosen carefully. Gentle, fragrance-free, soap-free, non-comedogenic cleanser (these things are usually mentioned on the label) to clean the face regularly is a good start, according to US Board certified Dermatologist Dr. Anthony Rossi. Any other skin care product should also be chosen to suit the skin's needs.

One thing we need to remember, after all, is if the lack of facial hair is due to genetics, we cannot do much. There is no proven solution for those people yet, and it has to be accepted. For others, however, there is still a ray of hope.

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