What Should a Beard Look Like After 3 Months?

You're three months into growing your beard.

You look in the mirror and it looks absolutely nothing like the beard you had pictured in your head.

Maybe it's shorter.

Maybe it's patchier.

Maybe the cheeks aren't as full as you expected.

Maybe you've spent too much time looking at massive beards online and you're starting to wonder whether yours is ever going to get there.

Don't panic.

Three months of beard growth really isn't that long.

If you want a substantial beard, you're playing a much longer game.

I've been growing facial hair for years and I've seen this same frustration countless times since starting Braw Beard in 2012.

I've experienced it myself too.

The biggest mistake you can make at three months is judging a beard that's still developing as though you're looking at the finished result.

You're not.

How Much Should a Beard Grow in 3 Months?

Facial hair grows at roughly half an inch (around 1.25 cm) per month on average.

That means after three months, you're looking at somewhere around:

1.5 inches / 3.75 cm of potential length.

And that's an average.

Your individual beard may grow faster or slower.

Genetics, age and the characteristics of your individual follicles all influence what eventually appears on your face.

So when you see someone online with considerably more growth after the same amount of time, don't immediately assume there's something wrong with yours.

You're comparing two completely different beards.

What Should a 3 Month Beard Actually Look Like?

There isn't one correct answer.

One man's three-month beard might be:

• thick and dense;
• relatively short;
• curly and compact;
• straight and visibly longer;
• strong around the chin but weak on the cheeks;
• patchy in certain areas;
• uneven from one side to the other.

All of those can be normal.

Your beard isn't following somebody else's blueprint.

It's following yours.

That's why I wouldn't obsess over those beard-growth photographs online showing:

Month 1 → Month 2 → Month 3 → Month 6 → Yeard

They're useful for seeing how one person's beard developed.

They're not a prediction of how yours should develop.

Why Does My Beard Still Look Patchy After 3 Months?

This is one of the big ones.

You expected three months to be enough time for the patches to disappear.

They're still there.

First, remember that length can change the appearance of density.

As surrounding hairs become longer, they can begin overlapping areas where growth is naturally less dense.

A patch that looks obvious with a few weeks of growth may look completely different several months later.

That doesn't necessarily mean new follicles suddenly appeared.

You've simply given the existing beard more length and coverage.

This is why shaving because you're unhappy with a patch can be counterproductive if your actual goal is to discover what your longer beard will look like.

You haven't necessarily given it enough time to show you.

Genetics Have a Huge Say in Your Beard

This is the part no beard product can rewrite.

Your genetics have a major influence on characteristics such as your facial-hair distribution and density.

Some men naturally have extremely dense cheek growth.

Others grow heavily around the moustache and chin but have lighter cheeks.

Some have connecting moustaches and beards.

Others don't.

You can take care of the beard you grow.

You can't order somebody else's follicle pattern.

That's an important distinction.

Beard oil, beard wash and good grooming can help you maintain the condition of your facial hair and the skin underneath it.

They cannot manufacture a completely different genetic beard.

Your Beard Can Change as You Get Older

This is something I experienced personally.

When I was younger, my facial hair wasn't anything like it is today.

I remember doing Movember years before I started Braw Beard.

Three weeks into it, my moustache looked rubbish.

Other guys in the gym had decent moustaches coming through.

Mine was sparse and wispy.

I genuinely considered shaving it because I thought it looked terrible.

Thankfully, I kept going.

My beard also developed as I got older.

My facial hair in my teens wasn't comparable with what I could grow in my twenties.

So if you're young and frustrated because you can't grow the beard you see on someone ten years older than you, that's another comparison that isn't particularly useful.

Stop Comparing Your 3 Month Beard to Social Media

This may be more important than any grooming tip in this article.

Stop comparing your beard to somebody else's.

Social media gives you access to some of the best beards on the planet every time you open your phone.

You see:

• enormous beards;
• extremely dense beards;
• perfectly shaped beards;
• professional barber work;
• carefully styled moustaches;
• ideal lighting;
• selected camera angles;
• edited photographs.

Then you walk into your bathroom, look at your three-month-old beard under the ceiling light and think:

Mine's crap.

That's not a fair comparison.

You're comparing your everyday reality to somebody else's selected highlight.

Three Months Is Still the Awkward Stage

There's a point during beard growth where it doesn't quite know what it wants to be yet.

It's no longer stubble.

But it's not properly long.

Some hairs stick out.

Some sections appear denser than others.

The moustache can become annoying.

Your neckline may look different.

Your face has changed enough that friends and family notice it.

This is often when people start interfering.

They trim a bit here.

Then a bit there.

Then they try to make both sides perfectly symmetrical.

Then they've removed too much.

And eventually:

“Sod it. I'll shave it and start again.”

Now you're back at day one.

Sometimes the best beard-growing technique is simply leaving the bloody thing alone.

People Around You Need Time to Adjust Too

This is something people don't really consider.

When you change your appearance, people who see you regularly notice.

If they've known you clean-shaven for years and suddenly you're growing facial hair, you might hear:

• “What's happening with the beard?”
• “Are you keeping that?”
• “When are you shaving?
• “You looked better without it.”
• “That's getting a bit long.”

That doesn't necessarily mean your beard looks bad.

You look different.

Humans notice change.

Give it a few months and suddenly you're not “John who's growing a beard”.

You're just John with a beard.

It becomes your normal appearance.

Don't make a long-term grooming decision based entirely on somebody else's reaction to a temporary change.

How Long Does It Take to Grow a Big Beard?

If your goal is a genuinely substantial beard, think in terms of months and years, not weeks.

At roughly half an inch of average monthly growth, even 12 uninterrupted months only represents around six inches of theoretical length before accounting for factors such as curl, individual growth cycles, trimming and differences between hairs.

If you're aiming for a chunky long beard, I'd give yourself a year before making sweeping conclusions about what you're capable of growing.

That doesn't mean everybody will have a massive beard after 12 months.

They won't.

But you'll have considerably more information than you had at month three.

What Happens Between 3 and 6 Months?

This is where the beard can start feeling more established.

The additional length may:

• improve coverage;
• make certain patches less obvious;
• create more weight;
• allow hairs to sit differently;
• give you more styling options;
• start showing your natural beard shape.

You'll also probably encounter more grooming issues.

Tangles become more relevant.

The moustache starts interfering with food.

Flyaways become noticeable.

You may start thinking about balm or butter for additional control.

That's all part of the process.

What Happens Between 6 and 12 Months?

Now you're moving towards a genuinely long-term beard.

Your natural characteristics become much clearer.

You'll have a better idea of:

• density;
• curl pattern;
• overall shape;
• stronger and weaker areas;
• how the moustache develops;
• how the beard behaves with length.

This is also when good maintenance becomes increasingly useful.

More hair means more opportunities for tangles, friction and mechanical damage.

That's where a simple, consistent beard-care routine earns its place.

Don't Constantly Trim While You're Trying to Discover Your Length

There's nothing wrong with trimming a beard.

But be clear about your goal.

If your goal is:

“I want to see how long my beard can grow.”

Constantly taking length off doesn't make much sense.

These days I don't visit my barber particularly often because I want to see what my beard will do.

When I do, it's about small adjustments:

• removing genuinely wispy ends;
• cleaning up the cheeks;
• tidying underneath;
• dealing with hairs that can't reasonably be controlled.

I'm not trying to redesign the entire beard every few weeks.

I'm allowing it to grow.

If your priority is a perfectly sharp shorter beard, that's different.

Trim it.

Shape it.

Maintain the outline.

There's no correct beard length.

There is only the beard you're trying to grow.

Don't Confuse Slow Growth With No Growth

Beard growth is frustrating because you see your face every day.

Tiny daily changes are virtually impossible to notice.

Imagine watching the minute hand on a clock.

It's moving.

You just don't really see it happening.

Beard growth feels similar.

Take a photograph today.

Take another one in a month under roughly the same conditions.

That's a much more useful comparison than inspecting your chin every morning wondering whether anything happened overnight.

Your Beard Will Never Look “Finished”

This might sound strange.

I've got a massive beard and I'm still interested in seeing what happens next.

That's the nature of growing one.

You reach the length you originally wanted.

Then you wonder what another inch would look like.

You change the shape.

You grow the moustache.

You trim the moustache.

You let the beard grow again.

There's rarely a dramatic morning where you wake up, look in the mirror and announce:

“That's it. Beard completed.”

It's continually changing.

Enjoy that rather than constantly waiting for the final version.

Look After the Beard While It Grows

Patience doesn't mean neglect.

You still want to keep your facial hair and the skin underneath it in good condition.

Your routine doesn't need fifteen different products.

For me, the fundamentals are straightforward.

Keep It Clean

Wash according to your lifestyle, skin and the cleanser you're using.

If you're sweating, training or working in dirty environments, you'll probably want to clean it more frequently.

Read how often you should wash your beard for the full explanation.

Condition the Hair and Skin

I use beard oil to condition the facial hair while moisturising the skin underneath.

Beard oil won't override your genetics or suddenly fill an area where you don't have follicles.

That's not its job.

Its job is helping you maintain what you're growing.

Read is beard oil for hair or skin? for more on that.

Comb Gently

Once your beard has enough length to tangle, don't rip a comb through it.

Work gradually and use a wide-tooth comb for longer, coarse facial hair.

Add Styling Products When You Actually Need Them

As the beard becomes longer, balm or butter can help with shape and flyaways.

You don't need to buy everything on day one.

Let the beard tell you what problems actually need solving.

Can Beard Care Products Make Your Beard Grow Faster?

Be careful here.

No cosmetic beard product can promise to turn three months of growth into twelve.

Growth rate and density are heavily influenced by biology.

Good beard care is about creating a sensible routine for the hair and skin you have.

Think:

maintenance rather than magic.

Keep the beard clean.

Condition it.

Avoid unnecessarily ripping hairs out while combing.

Look after the skin underneath.

Then give the beard time to do what it naturally does.

When Should You Actually Be Concerned About Beard Growth?

A naturally sparse beard isn't necessarily a medical problem.

Neither is having less facial hair than your mates.

But there's a difference between your normal growth pattern and a sudden unexplained change.

If you develop unexpected bald patches, sudden facial-hair loss or other significant changes, it's worth speaking with a healthcare professional rather than trying increasingly elaborate beard products.

Conditions such as alopecia areata can cause distinct areas of hair loss, including in the beard.

That's very different from:

“I'm three months into growing my first beard and my cheeks aren't as thick as I wanted.”

Set a Better Goal Than “Perfect Beard”

Instead of deciding:

“My beard needs to look like that guy's.”

Try:

“I'm going to grow mine for six months and see what I've actually got.”

Or go for the full yeard.

Twelve months.

Minimal interference.

Document the progress.

Then make decisions based on your beard.

You may be surprised by what happens once you stop judging it every three days.

What I'd Tell Someone at the 3 Month Mark

If you contacted me today and said:

“JJ, I'm three months in. My beard isn't where I expected it to be. Should I shave?”

My first response would be:

Why?

If you hate having a beard, shave it.

If you genuinely prefer yourself without facial hair, shave it.

There's nothing wrong with that.

But if you want a bigger beard and the only reason you're considering shaving is because you don't think it's growing quickly enough?

Keep going.

Three months isn't the finish line.

You're barely into the journey.

Final Thoughts

Your three month beard probably won't look like the beard you imagined before you started.

That's fine.

It might still be patchy.

It might be shorter than expected.

Your moustache might look weaker than somebody else's.

Your cheeks might need more time and length before you know how they'll look.

Don't panic.

Don't compare yourself with the bloke on Instagram who appears to have the genetics of a Highland cow.

And don't repeatedly shave it because you're disappointed it hasn't transformed overnight.

Give it time.

Look after it.

Take progress photos.

Keep growing.

And see what your beard actually becomes before deciding it wasn't good enough.

You might be surprised where another three, six or twelve months takes you.

Feel the difference and join the #Brawtherhood

Scottish beard care.
Born in Scotland, enjoyed Worldwide.

P.S. Use code – brawblog – at www.brawbeard.com for 10% off

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