5 tips from the Royal Tonsor on healthy beard growth

Growing and maintaining a well-groomed beard is a difficult feat. More goes into it than just shampooing, conditioning and combing or brushing before work.

The thing about beards: the longer, the harder it is to maintain. Getting to a James Harden, Odell Beckham Jr. level makes things significantly harder to manage and often where things get chaotic.

See it as the hair on your head and treat it as such. The shorter, the easier it is to handle. Simply less maintenance. When you start getting cocky and feel the motivation to grow one anywhere near the length of these athletes, things get more complicated. Just like the hair on your head.

If you struggle to grow or achieve the silky-smooth and lustful beard we all aim for, don’t fret. We linked up with Oklahoma City, OK barber Roosevelt (Rozie) Turner IV, owner of The Royal Tonsor’s Executive Studio for some advice in this department. He serves as Miami Heat guard Josh Richardson’s barber when he’s back in Oklahoma City during the offseason, and although Richardson lacks in the facial hair department, Rozie has plenty of experience in it.

1. Check your genetics. Usually on your mother’s side. Whatever hair growth is like with them will typically be passed along to you. However, if God says it’s a no, it’s a no. If you can’t grow it then you might have to sew it. They actually do lace front beards now.

2. Take a hair and nail supplement. Biotin is one that you can easily find over the counter. “What this does is thickens the hair that you currently have. Hair oils like African Wild Growth,” typically for coarse hair, “strengthens the hair as well. You can also check with your dermatologist.”

3. Shampoo and condition your beard. It’s essential that you treat your beard the same way you do the hair on your head. “A clean face when growing a beard is just like a clean scalp when growing hair on your head. Before you ask no, soap does not work the same as shampoo. You must use shampoo. Conditioning is just as important. It strengthens the facial hair.”

4. Comb and pick your beard out regularly. “For short beards, brushing usually stimulates the hair follicles as well as the skin.”

5. Go to your barber regularly. Typically, when people grow hair out, they avoid their barber. Don’t do that. “Barbers are able to tell what your beard needs on a regular basis. ALso getting your beard trimmed on a regular basis promotes healthy beard growth.”

Do not forget step one. For some people, beards may not be in the cards. Genetics is literally the first step to everything else because if genes aren’t on your side, you’ll be wasting your time.

Turner has been cutting hair since he was 15 years old and has been cutting professionally for 11. Coincidentally, I was one of his first customers 11 years ago and he’s been cutting me ever since.