How To Grow The Yeard

The yeard is a beard that’s been grown for an entire year. This beard style isn’t for the faint of heart. It takes courage, commitment, and a steel resolve to let your beard just do its thing for 12 months.

Growing a yeard will change you—and not just in the sense that you’ll have a flowing, strokable beard by the end of it. The process of letting your facial hair grow for that long will challenge you. It will push you out of your comfort zone. You’ll endure awkward stages and awkward stares from strangers. Your confidence will be tested, and your ego will take some hits. You will repulse some people, and some people will stop seeing you as a human with a personality and only as a walking, talking beard.

But when it’s all said and done, you’ll be in an exclusive club of bearded legends. And at Beardbrand, we’re here to help you out every step of the way.

So bookmark this blog because this is your definitive guide on how to grow a yeard.

THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE GROWING A YEARD

Growing a yeard isn’t a decision to be taken lightly—not if you actually want to see the thing through. So before you put down the razor for the last time, there are a couple of things to consider.

1. Are you ready to fully commit to the yeard?
Beard hair grows at a half-inch per month, so you’ll be looking at a solid 6 inches by the time you reach day 365. That may not sound like much, but that’s a hefty amount of face fur, and you should be fully prepared for what comes with having a beard of that magnitude.

If you’ve never grown a substantial beard before, check out this article to see if you’re really ready to grow a long beard.

2. Decide what type of yeard you are growing
Once you’ve decided you’re up for the challenge, you’ll want to choose what type of yeard to grow. Are you going to go all-natural with your yeard or allow for some slight trimming along the way?

Now, in its purest form, a yeard would be grown without any trimming at all. You would just let it go au natural for 365 days. We think that’s a little extreme. And it doesn’t exactly help with some of the stigmas that are out there regarding beards. That said—if you want to go the all-natural route, more power to you! It’s your beard, after all.

We’re strong supporters of getting some minor trims along the way. These trims aren’t to remove any length from your beard but to help shape it in a way that allows you to feel more confident in your appearance. And feeling more confident ultimately empowers you to keep growing.

Of course, if you decide to go the all-natural route, you can always change your mind along the way.

Once you’ve decided on the type of yeard you want to grow, it’s time to get growing.

GROWING THE YEARD: MONTH BY MONTH

FIRST MONTH OF THE YEARD

There isn’t much you need to do during the first month of growing a yeard other than kicking back and letting your beard grow. For a deeper dive into the first 30 days, check out our blog, Growing A Beard: The First Month.

That said, there are a few things you’ll want to do right from the jump to help set you up for success.

Exfoliate
Exfoliating helps open your pores and allows follicles to receive more blood flow. This not only helps cut down on painful ingrown hairs but also helps optimize your beard growth. You can use an applicator or even a boar’s hair Beard Brush. A few times a week should be enough—more than that and you risk drying your skin out.

Wash
Your beard will only be as healthy as the skin beneath it, so wash your face with a gentle cleanser two times a day.

If your face wash or soap is drying your skin, try using the oil cleansing method at night. You can use Beardbrand Utility Beard Oil to do this. By using oil to wash your face, you’re, in theory, using the like-dissolves-like principle. In other words, the oil helps draw excess oil and dirt from your pores, allowing them to be washed away when rinsed.

To do a basic oil cleanse, start with a quarter-sized amount of oil and massage gently into your face for 1 to 2 minutes. Use a damp cloth to rinse away and wipe off any oil left on your face.

Soften
As your beard hair grows, you’ll want to start using a conditioning product to help soften the hair. We recommend either Beardbrand Utility Balm or Beardbrand Utility Beard Oil, and you really can’t go wrong with either. Both will help keep your skin hydrated throughout the day and can keep annoying beard itch to a minimum.

Speaking of beard itch…

Dealing with beard itch
An itchy beard is something that everyone has to endure during the first several weeks of growth. Don’t worry—it’s not permanent. What’s happening is that as the facial hair grows, it begins to curl back toward your skin. The sharp tips of your newly grown hair cause irritation and itchiness—hence why you want to soften the hair as much as possible. Beard itch typically goes away after the first month of growth.

TRIMMING YOUR NECKLINE FOR MAXIMUM YEARD

Once you get towards the end of the 2nd week of your yeard, you’ll want to clean up your neckline to keep yourself presentable.

HOW TO TRIM YOUR NECKLINE

As you grow your yeard, the bulk of your beard will originate on your neck and under your chin. That’s where most of your beard length and shape will sprout. So when trimming your neckline, you want to ensure you don’t go too far up. You want to set a neckline at the point where your head and neck meet—typically right around the Adam’s apple. This gives off a clean look and better frames your face.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Grab an electric beard trimmer or a razor.
2. Take your index and middle finger, hold them together, and place them on your neck with the middle finger at the top of your Adam’s apple. Where your index finger lands is the point where your head connects to your neck. This is going to be your line.
3. With your electric razor, trim the bottom line above the Adam’s apple. Follow the shape of your jaw.
4. For the outer edges, trim straight down from the back of the sideburns until you reach the bottom line.
5. Trim or shave all the hair below the newly formed line.

2ND MONTH OF THE YEARD

The 2nd month of your yeard is when your facial hair will start to resemble an actual beard. You’ll still be trimming your neckline and cheek lines during this month, but you don’t want to be touching any other parts of your beard yet.

If you haven’t already added beard products to your routine, the 2nd month of the yeard is when you’re really going to want to.

Below are a few essential products that will make your yeard journey significantly easier.

1. Beard Oil
You've probably heard of beard oil. It’s a classic, and every beardsman should have some in his collection. At Beardbrand, we call it Utility Oil because it can also be used for your beard, hair, and skin.

Click the link to learn all about what beard oil does, but here’s a quick summary:

Your beard thrives off the sebum your skin produces, but showering can strip your skin of those essential oils. If your skin is dry, your beard becomes dry, and dry hair is prone to breakage and more challenging to manage.

Beardbrand Utility Oil is designed to replenish and hydrate your skin and hair, so your beard stays nourished, soft, and easy to style. Since it is a liquid, it's lightweight and the purest way to take in any fragrance.

You don’t have to wait for your beard to get long. A few drops a day in the early stages of growth can do wonders for preventing beard itch.

2. Utility Balm
Designed to stay on the surface of the hair and skin longer, Utility Balm is absorbed slowly, giving you the effect of a leave-in conditioner. It's not a styling product, so don't expect hold, but it is slightly heavier than our Utility Oil—giving you more control of those flyaways in your beard.

Like a utility knife, Beardbrand Utility Balm is designed for the beardsman who needs a grooming product that can do it all. It features all the benefits of our legendary Utility Oil but in a balm form that gives a little more control to pesky flyaways, works magic on dry skin, and adds shine and vigor to fully healed tattoos.

3. Beard Wash & Softener
The number one complaint about beards is that they’re dirty. However, beards don’t have to be dirty if you wash and condition them. But there’s a catch—most skin soaps and hair shampoos are formulated with heavy surfactants (the ingredients that remove dirt) that strip away too much oil from your face. That’s bad news for beards, as it can leave you with a dry, itchy beard that is more susceptible to damage.

Instead, keep these two things in mind when cleaning your beard:

• Opt for gentler cleansers like Beardbrand Utility Bars or Beard Wash that don’t dry out your beard.
• Don’t wash your beard every day. Instead, we recommend co-washing (see below).

Co-washing
We recommend a method known as co-washing (conditioner washing). This is where you wash your beard daily with a beard conditioner such as Beardbrand Beard Softener. Beardbrand Beard Softener is formulated with light cleansers, so it’ll take care of your run-of-the-mill dirt buildup. It will also help make your beard soft to the touch.

Then, two or three times a week, do a deeper cleanse with Beard Wash. And remember, whenever you use Beard Wash, follow up with the Beard Softener.

4. Boar’s Hair Beard Brush
What makes a boar's hair Beard Brush better than synthetic brushes? Boar’s hair simulates human hair and is an essential grooming tool for any beardsman. The surface of each bristle is scaly and draws dust and excess product from the hair as you use it. The stiff bristles also stimulate the sebum in the skin and distribute it along the hair shafts—keeping hair clean, healthy, shiny, and protected.

3RD MONTH OF THE YEARD

Month three of the yeard isn’t all that extraordinary. Your beard will mostly be filling out on the cheeks, helping to create a fuller-looking beard. Keep on with your grooming routine, but feel free to make adjustments based on how your beard feels and looks.

MONTHS 4, 5, AND 6 OF THE YEARD

The fourth month of your yeard is when things start getting real. By the time you hit 120 days, you’ll be working with approximately two inches in beard length. That’s longer than it sounds. And as you inch your way toward the halfway point, you should account for the following changes to your grooming routine.

1. Add a Beard Comb to your arsenal
If you haven’t done so, you’ll want to add a good Beard Comb to your growing collection of beard tools. As your facial hair gets longer, the Beard Comb is critical for keeping your facial hair free of tangles and beard knots.

Learn more about why combs are an essential grooming tool on our How To Choose The Best Beard Comb blog.

2. Stop trimming your neckline
There comes the point around month five where it becomes counterproductive to continue trimming your neckline. Your beard will render your neck invisible as it grows, and keeping that clean line is no longer important. So how do you know when to stop trimming your neckline? Once you start lifting your beard out of the way to do it, it’s safe to stop.

3. Find a beard barber
If you are growing the all-natural yeard, skip this step. Otherwise, treat your beard to a little clean-up from a beard barber. You don’t want to take any length off the bottom, but you can get the cheeks tamed—especially because these hairs will start to reach terminal length. Be sure to let the barber know that you are growing a yeard and don’t want to remove any length.

Of course, you can always make an appointment at the Beardbrand Barbershop in Austin, TX.

MONTHS 7 THROUGH 12 OF THE YEARD

You’re in the home stretch when you hit month seven. You’ve gotten through the most challenging months, and your beard looks burly. However, it may not be all roses at this point in the game, and your beard might face a myriad of challenges in the coming months.

The final six months are all about troubleshooting. After all, no two beards are the same, so it comes down to finding solutions that work for you.

The best way to troubleshoot your beard challenges is by using an active forum of other guys growing beards and yeards. That’s a big reason why we started the Beardbrand Alliance Forum.

Beardbrand Alliance
The Beardbrand Alliance is a private, online community comprised of over 4,000 growth-minded individuals committed to investing in themselves and others. The Alliance isn’t just about grooming, either. Members of our community are dedicated to discussing everything about men’s grooming, style, and the journey of life.

When you purchase directly from Beardbrand three times or spend $150 on a single order, you'll receive an email invite to become a lifetime member of the Alliance.

Hitting terminal beard
Terminal beard is what we call it when your beard hair stops growing. Studies show that the average beard, if left untrimmed, will grow to 3-feet long. It isn’t very likely that it will grow any longer than that because the growth stage of a beard only lasts so long. Generally, a beard will never grow longer than it is at six years of total growth.

Your genetics predetermines your terminal beard length and, to some extent, your age. Your hair may hit terminal length before you finish the full 12 months of your yeard. Does it mean you failed? Absolutely not. After all, we can only grow what our genetics allow us.

MONTHS 12 AND BEYOND OF THE YEARD

Congrats! There’s no feeling like hitting the 1-year mark on your yeard journey. It’s a true accomplishment.

But now you might find yourself wondering, now what?

If you haven’t hit terminal length yet, you can always try for the tweard—a beard grown for two full years. Or you can trim your beard back to a length you feel looked the best for you. Either way, you’ve earned the right to do whatever you please with that beard of yours. And ultimately, whatever helps you feel more confident is the correct move.

THE WRAP-UP

Are you growing a yeard and need help? Or just have questions about your beard? Text "STYLE" to 512-879-3297. Our resident beard and style expert will text you back with personalized advice—for free.

Keep on Growing.

WHAT TYPE OF BEARDSMAN ARE YOU?

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