Better Beard Growth with DE Shaving?

I've been DE shaving for a little over a month now. Before, when I would shave with carts and electrics, a weeks worth of not shaving would simply lead to gross, prickly stubble on my neck and that was about it.

I was on vacation this last week and so I didn't shave the whole week and my "beard" was much fuller, softer, and just looked better. I can only attribute it to DE shaving but I'm not sure how it would make the difference.

I wish I could grow a good beard - just to be able - but I had pretty much resigned myself to clean shaven.. Maybe one day I will actually be able to grow a full, good-looking beard? Haha

Any thoughts on why DE shaving May be giving me better beard growth?

Not sure, but DE shaving definitely gives me better looking stubble and 5 o'clock shadows.

I imagine a lot of it has to do with cleaner cuts of the hair and better treatment of the skin.

I've seen images of hair cut by carts and they can leave a sliver on the end of the hair because of the pull and cut action (the blade can cut down the hair rather than through it), which makes it harder for the hair to break the skin. This would lead to uneven stubble with uneven tips, though this stage only lasts a day or two for me (I tend to grow a fuller beard by then).

The better conditioning of your face depending on your routine would lead to healthier skin and hair as well.

Hmmm...not sure about the better growth, but my beard seems to grow a little faster since I started DE shaving. Was wondering whether this is just a placebo effect though.

I think my stubble grows in much more uniformly and I like that a lot. With the exception of my neck, I can get away with shaving maybe once every other day.
I know my face has definitely cleared up since using my DE razors. Aside from the recent onset of weepers from my R41 (still trying to dial it in), I don't have ingrown hairs or anything like that. That might also contribute to the nice beard feeling.

+1 for this. My experience exactly.

khun_diddy said:

Not sure, but DE shaving definitely gives me better looking stubble and 5 o'clock shadows.

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I'm in the same camp. Been DE shaving for 6mo and I definitely feel a much improved beard growth. More even, fuller and easier to shave. I do think that the fact that it's a pass with a single blade, no pressure and more attention leads to a better cut of the hair and thus a better growth.

Stubble is definitely way sharper. The silkiest smooth shaves when fresh, but my SO has definitely noticed how it feels after a day.

Since I began wet shaving, with a few exceptions, I shave everyday. On the rare occasion when I skip a day or two, such as camping or sharing a vacation cabin with more people than bathroom capacity, I'm "amazed" at how much stubble I have. Of course there's no more stubble than when I used carts, but my "normal" face feel is truly shaved as a wet shaver, not a hacking approximation of a shave.

I'd have to agree that at least some of that could be attributed to the better products that tend to be used by us. The fantastic soaps and creams, applied with a brush, combined with a good post shave will definitely make an impact on your skin and hair.

Depending on your age, your beard still might be maturing. I read that the beard is one of the last things that "grow up" on a man's body. If I remember right most men are 30 by the time their beard is fully matured.

The only real difference I see from when I started shaving with a DE razor and using the luxury soaps is I have more gray.

Our bodies a dynamic places, we are always changing. When my hair growth changes I could call it better treatment or just the nature of the beast.

Initially, Gillette marketed carts by describing a so-called hysteresis effect. With the way they described the effect, one blade pulls the hair shaft while the next blade cuts it. Of course, this sounds like a form of trichotillomania (yanking one's hair out by the roots). The effect, if it really even occurs, cannot be very good for the hair follicle. Perhaps the beard is able to recover after years of pulling and yanking.

After 4 months of DE shaving, I have noticed that my stubble is much more prickly than when I used an electric razor. It always seemed like by 5 o'clock shadow was fairly soft when I was using my electric shaver. Now my incoming stubble is much more stiff and sharp feeling. I guess that is attributed by the different methods of cutting the hair?

Supposedly this is an imagine of hair cut with a razor vs hair cut with an electric shaver.

DoctorShavegood said:

The only real difference I see from when I started shaving with a DE razor and using the luxury soaps is I have more gray.

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We must be using the same soaps.

gdawg55 said:

After 4 months of DE shaving, I have noticed that my stubble is much more prickly than when I used an electric razor. It always seemed like by 5 o'clock shadow was fairly soft when I was using my electric shaver. Now my incoming stubble is much more stiff and sharp feeling. I guess that is attributed by the different methods of cutting the hair?

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I was going to try to explain, but Jason's picture painted a 1000 words.

The more you shave the thicker and fuller your beard comes in to a certain extent, might just be that. This will happen over time as well even if you don't shave your face that much.

jayc_07 said:

The more you shave the thicker and fuller your beard comes in to a certain extent, might just be that. This will happen over time as well even if you don't shave your face that much.

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Yeah, I think it's more that the beard fills in more for a lot of men as they age. I don't think the act of shaving has anything to do with it.

Definitely not shaving that makes hair grow thicker and fuller. That's determined by your genes.

Hair grows in different directions. Especially on your face. It is possible that the close shave a DE provides makes the hair grow at different angles. Thus giving the appearance of a fuller thicker beard.

But the act of shaving isn't growing you thicker hair or more hair. It's an illusion from the angle of the cut and the angle of growth.