Can Asian Men Grow Beards? Asian Beard Growth

First things first there is only one beard in the world that gets a name based on the geographic location and that is the ‘Asian Beard’.

Facial hair is a universal term but Asian men are billions of people and they need to know what is going on with their beard growth specifically.

So, what is Asian beard?

Asian beard is the beard that Asian men( from China, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines etc,) wear. There are a lot of studies about this beard that suggest that Asians can definitely grow beards but it is not as usual as some other races.

I am sorry that I don’t list every country in Asia but I think it is pointless for you. You know your countries!

The funny thing is that despite the name there is actually no ‘Asian beard’. It is a name that arises out of the fact that many people think that Asians are not able to grow a beard.

But actually, can Asian men grow beards?

In this article, we will find out the truth about the ‘Asian Beard’ and whether Asian men can really grow a beard or not.

We will also tell you everything else that you need to know about this famous and yet mysterious beard.

Let’s begin.

How Is It Different Than Other Beards?

While facial hair across the world and human beings of all nationalities and races grow on the face (obviously), there is a difference in the amount of hair that the men in different regions grow.

It has been seen that men from the above mentioned Asian countries usually have less facial hair than European men.  Beards or goatees, whatever they grow, are usually patchy or weaker compared to other races.

A search of online forums will also reveal that many Asian men are aware of this issue and are asking for help or talking about their fear of poor hair growth on these forums.

Many have even said that they feel emasculated due to the lack of facial hair. 

We are not inventing these things from our head nor we want to jugde your ability of growing a beard because I am sure that some of you, will be definitely able to grow thick facial hair.

Now, we will show you 3 real-life examples of actual Asian men that admit their struggles of growing a full beard. You can always check these comments on Reddit. I have been studying a lot of comments before actually writing this article to bring myself to your shoes and understand your needs.

Elbrofessor from Reddit says ”I guess I’m at the same spot as yours now, fellow Asian, but I’m 28. It’s true that the journeys I’ve read so far is highly individualized and no one can tell your case for you. But I can tell that naturally, my cheek hair has been vellus from 19 to now, so for us Asian with no bearded relatives, I don’t see the point of waiting to get older before trying minox.”

Cerealmunchkin from Reddit says ”I’m Chinese and can do a goatee at 18. takes like 2 months but the cheeks are a no go.”

Prudent-Ad-6745 also says ”Keeping it short, I can’t grow a beard the most I have is some little hair but like thinner than eyebrow hair above my lips and I’ve been letting it grow for like half a year now lol. Just asking for some tips advice on how to grow a beard/ if it’s even possible. I‘d already be happy with a normal mustache.”

Read Also: When Does Peach Fuzz Turn Into A Beard?

Also, from my own perspective, I wouldn’t say that men from every Asian country have this problem. In fact, I have come across many many men from Pakistan and they did have terrorist like beards.

Growing a beard is a necessary rite of passage for many men that marks the passage from childhood to adulthood. Thus, the questions surrounding goatees and beards assumes significance.

Can Asians Really Grow Beards?

When you visit online forums, you’ll be led to believe that the answer to ‘Can Asians Grow Beards’ is ‘No’ or it is as difficult as climbing Mount Everest.

This is because there is a prevalent notion that Asian men have lower secretion of certain hormones and chemicals in the body responsible for hair growth, and thus they can’t grow enough facial hair. 

We beg to differ. The above question is inherently flawed.

This widespread misconception lies in a wrong geography lesson, which leads people to believe that Asia has people only from the Mongoloid race.

Asia is a region where people from different racial stocks inhabit the land, unlike most of Europe.

Asia can be divided into six different regions – Central Asia, Western Asia, Eastern Asia, South- East Asia, Northern Asia, and Southern Asia.

These regions comprise different countries and different people who are not necessarily from the Mongoloid race. Therefore in countries such as Afghanistan, India, Uzbekistan, and Russia, among others, people are genetically endowed with a good growth of hair.

Yet, most of the online articles that show up on page one of search engines will propagate the false idea that Asia means just Japan, China, Philippines, or basically a region where only men of the Mongoloid stock are there, and therefore they have weak beards.

As explained above, this is far from the truth.

This is also why we feel that the term ‘Asian Beard’ or ‘Asian Goatee‘ should be changed with something more suitable for example Chinese beard, Japanese beard, etc.

However, keeping the present circumstances in mind and the purpose of clarity in this article, we will continue to use the term ‘Asian Beard.’

Read Also: What age does your beard stop filling in?

What Is The Reason Why Some Asians Rarely Grow Full Beards?

As we mentioned earlier, there has been a long floating rumour that Asian men tend to grow less hair because of low testosterone levels. 

However, studies conducted around this topic have revealed that this is not true.

While facial growth depends on many factors, including the climatic environment you’re born in, testosterone levels are not one of the factors.

Lifestyle choices, how well maintained your skin is since childhood, and genetics are some of the factors that play a role in deciding the growth of your facial hair.

The above are just some of the reasons that Asian men have difficulty growing their facial hair, but this is a new field of study in dermatological science, and new things will continue to come to light over the years.

Another study suggests that Asians do have similar to other races testosterone levels. But, probably there is a lack in an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase which doesn’t allow testosterone to be converted to DHT which stimulates beard growth.

But, at this point, nothing is 100%, so we can’t get into conclusions with just speculations.

But, we can sum all these up by saying that genetics plays the most important role in beard growth.

Read Also: How To Know If I Can Grow A Beard?

How to Help Beard Growth?

The most important thing when it comes to beard growth is genetics. All of us should keep this in mind.

However, there are still some things we can do to stimulate beard growth up to a certain point.

Minoxidil

Minoxidil was originally invented for the treatment of ulcers, but over time it proved more effective in the treatment of hair loss. This lead to it being available as a topical liquid.

Today there would be hardly anyone in the US who would not have heard about Minoxidil.

It is the go-to solution for men who want to grow more facial and scalp hair.

Minoxidil functions by stimulating the growth of hair follicles. The delivery of nutrients is improved, and the result is enhanced blood circulation to all areas of the face.

Check out Minoxidil foam on Amazon

Beard Roller

A Beard roller, also known as a derma roller, has been in the market since the mid-1990s.

These are devices that have microneedles on their body. They make tiny punctures on the skin as the device is rolled over the face like a rolling pin.

As soon as the punctures happen, the body sees this as an injury and rushes fresh hormone rich blood to the area to repair the punctures.

This leads to stimulation of the hair follicles and triggers hair growth.

Beard rollers come with different needle sizes, but the best range for new hair growth is 0.25 to 0.75 mm.

Check out our best recommended beard roller on Amazon.

Mucuna Pruriens

Don’t let the name scare you.

Mucuna Pruriens is the scientific name for Velvet Bean, which is an Ayurvedic herb.

Studies have shown that androgen receptors that help in the growth of facial hair are stimulated with the consumption of Mucuna Pruriens.

Mucuna Pruriens is also rich in L-Dopa, which is responsible for speeding up hair follicles’ growth. L-Dopa acts as protein in this case, and testosterone levels shoot up.

Multivitamins

Facial hair vitamins have been proven to increase facial hair growth.

Vitamin E has been shown to increase testosterone levels, while zinc, selenium, calcium, magnesium, and boron have also been found to increase testosterone and DHT secretion, which can lead to increase beard enhancement.

Check out our best recommended Multivitamins on Amazon.

Lifestyle

Establishing a healthy lifestyle is not only good for beard growth but also for your overall health. Well, facial hair is part of your body, isn’t it?

By exercising and eating well, your body’s condition and health is improved and so does your beard growth.

Exercise at least 3 times a week, eat some vegetables and fruits, foods high in protein and avoid junk foods and you will be just fine.

Beard Transplant

If nothing works for you and you are desperate about growing a beard then this might be your best or more correct your only solution.

Of course, you will have to ask your doctor first.

Beard transplant has been becoming more and more popular nowadays and thousands of men give it a try.

If you want to use every weapon at your disposal, this is your final shot.

Read Also: Does Shaving Make Your Beard Thicker?

Best Asian Beard Styles

Asian men are often very creative with their beards. Let’s take a look into the best beard styles to wear as an asian man.

Patchy goatee ( with a mustache)

The patchy goatee is another Asian beard style that is perfect for giving the impression of a dense beard.

To carry off this look, you should let your mustache and chin beard grow strong and ensure that they are trimmed and uniform. The chin hair should grow out slightly and at a subtle length.

This will give a chiseled appearance to the jaw. Shave off any other stray hair that doesn’t fall in the above areas.

Thick Chinstrap

This beard style is perfect for those Asian men who get a good growth of hair around the jawline and the mustache but suffer from a lack of it on the cheeks and lower neck.

To get this look, shave off the hair on the cheeks and neck, and let the hair grow along your jawline. Keep the length of hair to a minimum to reduce the appearance of patches.

Short Boxed Beard

Boxed beards are great alternatives to full beards and perfect for men who find the full beard excessive in growth and have less hair growth.

As the name suggests, the boxed beard is a full face beard that gets its name because of the angular edges, which are neatly defined.  The short boxed beard has a length of ½ an inch.

To get the perfect boxed beard look, the cheek line has to be straight or should have an angular cut. The neckline should also be closer to the natural jawline rather than Adam’s apple, which is usually the case.

Anchor Beard

An anchor beard is a beard that runs along the jawline and is combined with a disconnected mustache. You can think of it as a combination of a handlebar mustache, a chinstrap, and a goatee.

It gets its name because of its shape, which resembles that of an anchor of a ship.

This is a great look for people with round faces as it creates the impression of a tapering chin that is elongated.

Medium Stubble Beard

A medium stubble is a beard style that is anywhere between 3-5 mm in length. It can take anywhere between 3 to 5 days to grow and is also known as a 3-day-beard.

Stubble is a great alternative for Asian men who have difficulty growing a full beard.

It has an air of ruggedness about it, and it is also suitable for occasions both formal and informal.

How to Trim the Asian Beard

If you are one of those Asian men that do have some facial hair, get creative with your beard because there are millions of Asian guys that can’t grow a beard!

Step 1 Grow your hair

Grow your facial hair until they reach a length of at least an inch. Especially, if you don’t have much facial hair, let it grow for a long time. This might be 1 month, 2 months, 3 months.

Give it some time.

Step 2 Let Your Skin Breathe

Ensure that your skin is hydrated and has enough moisture before you start shaving. When you wash your face with warm water, you open the clogged pores on your skin, and your hair gets hydrated.

Then, brush your beard to make it softer and keep it untangled.

Check out our best recommended beard comb on Amazon.

Finally, dry it well.

Step 3 Define the shape of your beard

It is time to trim your hair to define the shape of the Asian beard that you want. Keep the neckline in mind and make sure that it is well-defined.

A goatee is the best beard style for those of you that have patchy, scraggly beards.

If you can grow a full beard, take advantage of it and grow it fully but trim it beautifully.

A heavy stubble should be perfect for you. Later on, we will discuss more beard styles.

Step 4 Check for uniformity as you trim

You need to leave as much hair as you want for your desired style, but in an all-out effort to make the hair even, do not end up trimming too much. 

To do this, make sure you apply the same pressure during the trimming process.

After you have finished if anything looks uneven, trim this area again to make it even.

Step 5 Rinse & Moisturize

After you have finished with trimming, u need to wash your face with cold water, and remember to use a hydrating aftershave lotion.

Many men skip this step and this causes their skin to become irritated.

Step 6 Massage your face

There are many benefits of facial massage. Some of those benefits are that it brightens the skin, improves the complexion, and reduces stress lines.

Step 7 Apply Beard Oil

As always, when we finished trimming we should apply some beard oil. It is cheap and easy to use but helps in a lot of ways.

Check out our best recommended affordable beard oil on Amazon.

Famous Asian Guys With Beards

Some of the famous Asian celebrities who have rocked beards are Lee Byung Hun, Ken Watanabe, Jackie Cheung, Siwon, Bae Soo Bin, and Hiroyuki Sanada.

Conclusion

As you would have understood by now, the term ‘Asian Beard’ is really a bit of a misnomer as men in this region are indeed capable of growing beards.

So, to sum up, can Asian men grow beards?

Not all of them, but there are undeniably Asian men that grow beards. Long beards. Full beards.

What causes some Asian guys to not have facial hair?

In short, genetics. That’s really it. You don’t do anything wrong.

The best beard style for you guys in our opinion is the Asian goatee which doesn’t require much facial hair and you look perfect in it.

The thing is that even if you have less facial hair growth, you can style different kinds of beards.

And that’s it for today’s topic… I really hope you liked this article cause we put a lot of effort into it.

If you have any more queries about the Asian Beard, please comment below and we will be more than happy to help.

Until next time,

Stay safe,

Tasos