im almost 18 and my beard is so thin and messy

[Shady_725]

Hi i been trieing to grow my beard for quite some time now. I have a lot of hair around my bearded area, however it is so thin and stringy making it really messy and unappealing.

Will this improve with age and is it normal for my beard to be like this at my age. 

[TheSlyBear]

It will improve with age. I couldn't grow anything but a mustache at your age.

[slybeard]

At 18 you have almost a 100% chance that it will improve.  Beards mature at different rates, mine continued for thicken well into my 40's.  Most guys beards continue to mature until 30 or so.  Only a very few have mature beards before 20.  At your age I hardly had and beard hair.

[DoberDaddy]

Depends on hormones and genetics... I started shaving at 14, and at 18, my beard had the same thickness that it does today at 50. I just depends. Look at older bearded relatives for some possible hints at your beard growing future.

Sometimes... just takes time.



Good luck!

[gwsmallwood]

I think the answer is maybe.  Like some have said, depending on how frequently you shave and your hormone levels, it could improve.

But, if you have any Native American blood, it probably won't.  Native Americans have a genetic predisposition to not growing facial hair (I think I've heard some Asian cultures do as well). 

I'm 33, and have always had extremely thick, extremely coarse black hair.  but I cannot grow a full beard.  There are places on my cheeks that just will not fill in.  I blame it on my Cherokee lineage and settle for a goatee.

[Cave Dweller]

I will echo the gentlemen before me. Most guys do not have a full beard while in their teens.

I grew my first beard at eighteen as well. It also was stringy and patchy. To make it look even worse, my mustache was the last part to grow in, so the stingy beard was crowned with a whispy streak under my nose that did not extend all the way down to the rest of the beard. Not a pretty sight. I am so thankful that few pictures exist of me at that time. 

I did not get a full beard until my mid twenties, but it did not get really thick until my thirties. Give it time, sir.

[Shady_725]

thanks a lot everyone, your responses really helped.

[mrzed]

I was probably about 30 before beard really came in.

[Natedawg]

I was probably about 30 before beard really came in.

Same, and I still would like more coverage in certain areas.

Shady, just give it time, as all have said. You really can't expect very much at your age. I suppose it could be considered kind of like a rite of passage of manhood, or some such stuff. 

[greencorn]

According to this video, your beard will continue to develop basically forever.



I also wrote a blog post on how to grow a thicker beard ,but you may only get that last 5-10% beard this way. It's more than 90% genetics.

[DOC_OSMC]

It can be cultural as was mentioned earlier by gwsmallwood.  I'm Filipino and could never grow thick facial hair, as most Asians are not pre-disposed to grow facial hair.  It was not until well into my mid 30's that I could grow a decent goatee, and not until now, in my 40's that my beard has grown in.  And even then, it is not as thick as I would like it to be, but definitely better than the patchy excuse of a beard I would have grown in my younger years.

[DannyBoy]

I remember my teen days off facial hair i mean my facial hair now still has some fillin in to do so you can imagine what it was like back then...you just have to give it time my beard is good now and i started facial hair when i was like 11 lol.

[Rusty Shackleford]

I think it is extremely unusual for a guy to have a good beard at 17.   I remember being 17 and hating you guys who could grow a great one. 

[SlyMike]

Your beard should improve with age, it is usually the case that this happens, keep growing and see what happens!

[Contradiction]

Depends.  Some people will never really grow a nice full, dense beard without patchy spots. 
Many times you will continue to grow it in more with age though.  I could grow a mustache at 16 but it took until my late 20's to actually connect between my mustache and my goatee.